Research Process: A Step-By-Step Guide: 2b. Develop a Research Topic

Once you have selected a topic, the next step is to develop research questions.

• Write down what you already know or don't know about the topic.
• Use that information to develop questions.
• Use probing questions. (why? what if?)
• Avoid "yes" and "no" questions. 

Once you have identified some keywords, the next step is to find background information on your topic. Background research:

• Provides a good overview of the topic if you are unfamiliar with it.
• Helps identify important facts -- terminology, dates, events, history, organizations, etc.
• Can help refine your topic.
• Leads to bibliographies which provide additional sources of information.

Background information can be found in:

• textbooks
• dictionaries
• general encyclopedias
• subject-specific encyclopedias 
• article databases

Use the sources listed on the Academy of Art Library's subject guides.

What is a Concept Map?

• help you to graphically represent and organize ideas.
• show how those ideas are related to each other.
• help you translate your ideas into a manageable topic.
• generate questions to focus on in your research.

What do or don't I know about the two works of art?

I know:

• I know they are from two different period styles.
• I know where and when the work was created.
• I know who the artists were for each work and some biographical information about them.
• I know that the work that was produced later has a direct reference to the earlier work.
• I know what type of composition, perspective and colors are used to create the work.
• I know what type of work it is. (religious, historical, allegorical, still life, portrait, landscape, etc.)

I don't know:

• what criteria I will use to compare and contrast the works of art.
• why these particular works are considered significant in the art periods they represent.
• what elements or images repeat and what do these patterns mean. 
• the political, societal, and religious context in which the art works were produced

Research Questions

• What are the visual elements, symbolism, and/or iconography in each work of art?
• How do the formal/visual elements convey theme, mood or meaning?
• What is the subject matter or story of each work?
• What is the function of each piece? 
• Were the artists who created these works primary or secondary artists in the art period they worked in?
• What political, societal, or religious situation or figure do the works represent?