Asking questions in the disciplines

C-27

Scholars and researchers in each academic discipline also ask questions typical for their discipline to generate ideas.

Writers in different disciplines ask different questions about a subject. One way to understand how the questions might differ is to look at assignments on the same topic in various fields. Many disciplines, for example, might be interested in aging in the United States. Here are some questions that writers in different fields might ask as they begin a research assignment.

SOCIOLOGY QUESTION

Given our aging population, is it fair for the increasing burden of Social Security payments to be placed on a shrinking labor force?

HISTORY QUESTION

How have entitlement programs, such as Social Security, changed from inception to current implementation? What are the primary forces influencing those changes?

FILM QUESTION

Why are elderly Americans depicted as discontented and unhealthy in contemporary film?

BIOLOGY QUESTION

How do sleep patterns change as a person ages?

BUSINESS QUESTION

How should investment strategies change as a person approaches retirement?

NURSING QUESTION

What are the benefits of transitional care units for geriatric patients?

ECONOMICS OR ETHICS QUESTION

Should we continue to invest large proportions of health care dollars in expensive end-of-life treatments?

C-28

The questions you will ask in any discipline will form the basis of the thesis for your paper. Questions themselves don’t communicate a central idea, but they may lead you to one.

Related topics:

Asking questions in biology

Asking questions in business

Asking questions in criminal justice/criminology

Asking questions in education

Asking questions in engineering

Asking questions in history

Asking questions in literature

Asking questions in music

Asking questions in nursing

Asking questions in psychology