WRIT6002 Chap.2 Research Questions, Reliable Sources and the Proposal

Research Questions, Reliable Sources and the Proposal

Define research question

The course material gives this chapter a concrete anchor: The official Week 2 schedule and 25% proposal require source discovery, evaluation and an annotated bibliography before article production.

That research question anchor controls how reliable source is explained and how annotated bibliography is tested in changed practice.

Research Questions, Reliable Sources and the Proposal asks how research question, reliable source and annotated bibliography change the interpretation of a text, case, institution or public problem.

The chapter's practical task is to justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence; that requires an argument, not a list of themes.

Define research question at the scale of the chosen case. Identify who uses the category, what it makes visible and what it may conceal.

This prevents the research question definition from floating above the evidence as an interchangeable opening paragraph.

Use reliable source to explain the relationship between the case and the claim.

Quote, describe or compare only the evidence that advances reliable source, and make the inferential step visible instead of assuming the example speaks for itself.

Bring annotated bibliography in as a second lens or consequence. The annotated bibliography reading may deepen the first account, expose a conflict or show why another audience would interpret the same material differently.

The comparison should change the conclusion, not simply add another term.

To justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence, build each paragraph around one contested move: claim, specific evidence, explanation and qualification.

A annotated bibliography counter-reading is strongest when it identifies exactly which premise or piece of evidence it changes.

Make an research question evidence table with four columns: passage, image, event or institutional fact; the concept it activates; the inference drawn; and a plausible competing reading. Place research question and reliable source in separate rows before combining them.

This keeps reliable source interpretation anchored in specific material and shows where disagreement enters the argument.

Test the scale of every claim. An research question detail may support an argument about one text, group or moment without supporting a claim about an entire culture or institution.

Use annotated bibliography to decide whether the evidence should be widened, narrowed or compared with a counter-case before the paragraph reaches its conclusion.

For timed revision in WRIT6002, write a one-sentence thesis for the application — justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence — then list the minimum evidence needed to defend it.

Add one annotated bibliography objection that would matter if true and revise the thesis so it survives.

The exercise trains annotated bibliography argument selection and qualification rather than a memorised inventory of course terms.

A complete response should make the task visible before the detail: identify what must be decided, define the relevant terms, connect the evidence to reliable source, and use annotated bibliography to test the result.

The final sentence about annotated bibliography should answer the question actually asked rather than merely repeat the topic.

The controlling limit is specific: Source popularity, search rank or proximity to the subject does not establish independence or reliability.

Keep that annotated bibliography limit beside the worked example, because it separates a careful WRIT6002 answer from one that sounds confident but claims more than the task or evidence supports.

For revision, retrieve research question, reliable source and annotated bibliography without notes, explain their relationship aloud, then complete a changed version of the application: justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence.

Record the first failed reliable source reasoning move and repair it before attempting another case.

What this chapter covers

• 01

  research question

• 02

  reliable source

• 03

  annotated bibliography

• 04

  Applying research question

• 05

  Limits of reliable source and annotated bibliography

Worked example: Research Questions, Reliable Sources and the Proposal

Key terms

research question

A focused inquiry that guides source discovery and determines what evidence is relevant. Use this definition when the task is to justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence.

reliable source

A published source with editorial process, expertise and independence suited to the supported claim. Use this definition when the task is to justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence.

annotated bibliography

A source list whose entries identify publication details and evaluate relevance, authority and use. Use this definition when the task is to justify a viable topic by matching each research need to independent published evidence.

Research Questions, Reliable Sources and the Proposal FAQ

Assessment move

Reconstruct the relationship among research question, reliable source and annotated bibliography; complete the chapter application without notes; then test the result against this limit: Source popularity, search rank or proximity to the subject does not establish independence or reliability.