The video below explains why you should always begin your search for relevant, credible information by creating research questions that will drive and focus your research.
You want to approach your research as a quest to uncover answers to questions that didn't exist before. Seeking information to answer research questions is fun and it helps you explore your topic fully.
Once you've thought about your topic and you've decided what questions you want to spend your energy and time answering, you're ready to start gathering information that'll help you explore different and specific aspects of your topic.
Finding information is not difficult; the challenge is focusing your search enough to find useful information. What makes information useful anyway?
Useful information:
You don't want to waste your time gathering a bunch of irrelevant, unreliable information that you can't use in your paper.
How did gender roles from colonial times to early nineteenth century (1830s) define men and women’s political and economic lives?
Use the questions below to help you explore your broader topic above. By focusing on specific guiding questions, you'll build your understanding of your topic and be able to explain different key aspects of it. You'll be able to write a more nuanced and developed argument about your broader topic.
Also, it's easier to tackle a topic when you break it down into meaningful pieces. Your instructor provided these guiding questions for you to address: