Once you have formulated a hypothesis, determine what you already know about your topic. Here are some strategies for doing so:
Brainstorming. Take five minutes to list everything you think of or wonder about your hypothesis (3a). You may find it helpful to do this in a group with other students.
Freewriting about your hypothesis. For five minutes, write about every reason for believing your hypothesis is true. Then for another five minutes, write down every argument you can think of, no matter how weak, that someone opposed to your hypothesis might make.
Freewriting about your audience. Write for five minutes about your readers, including your instructor. What do you think they currently believe about your topic? What sorts of evidence will convince them to accept your hypothesis? What sorts of sources will they respect?
Tapping your memory for sources. List everything you can remember about where you learned about your topic: Web sites, emails, books, magazines, courses, conversations, television. What you know comes from somewhere, and that “somewhere” can serve as a starting point for research.