COB 300H: Honors

Never tackled a big project like this before? Sage Research Methods is a JMU database that can help.

Use the Project Planner Tool for help with:

• Exploring a topic by reviewing the literature
• Developing a researchable question to guide your exploration
• Data collection
• Writing up your results (among others!)

Review some samples from past JMU honors students

What are people writing about in your subject area?

Look at recent issues of the top journals for your major to get ideas for what topic to investigate in a research project, honors thesis, or capstone.

Once you have a better idea of your topic you can try to narrow this down into a research question. A research question is the question we’ll seek to answer within our research project and sets the scope of our project.

A research question needs to be

• clear: it provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand its purpose without needing additional explanation.
• focused: it is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space the writing task allows.
• concise: it is expressed in the fewest possible words.
• complex: it is not answerable with a simple “yes” or “no,” but rather requires synthesis and analysis of ideas and sources prior to composition of an answer.
• arguable: its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts.

For example evaluate this research question: Do leadership styles have an impact on teams in business?

Is it...?

• Clear?
• Focused?
• Concise?
• Complex?
• Arguable?