It is helpful to think of doing research as participating in a structured conversation about a topic.
You need to start by understanding what has been said (reviewing the literature) before planning how you wish to advance the conversation (developing a research question or problem statement and then choosing a method). Your contribution (data collection and analysis, followed by write-up and publication) must then be done in a manner that aligns with the etiquette and customs of your peers and the broader community (research data management, methodologies, and ethics). This guide provides resources to support SAIT faculty and staff at all these stages of the research process.
You can also reach out to the Research and Instruction Librarian or your Library Liaison for one-on-one support with:
The first step in research is shaping a topic into an answerable question or problem statement that is well-situated within the conversation of your discipline or profession.
In Where Research Begins: Choosing a Research Project that Matters to You (and the World), Mullaney and Rea (2022) describe this as finding your “problem collective”:
A Problem Collective is a community whose members – whatever their background, field, or disciplines – find themselves compelled by a common, profound problem [...] When you find your Problem Collective, it gives you:
This stage typically involves learning about your topic and reviewing the literature. It may also entail discussing your ideas with colleagues (including your Library Liaison), attending conferences and other training opportunities, and reaching out to individuals who have conducted and published research on the topic.
Below are resources that detail how to move from having a general research topic to developing a well-scoped, answerable question or problem statement:
