Research: Consider Your Rhetorical Situation
As you get started, think about your rhetorical situation, starting with the
requirements of the assignment. You may not yet know all the answers yet, but
thinking about these things now will help you when you’re narrowing your topic and
figuring out a research question.
• AUDIENCE. Who will be reading what you write? What expectations might they have,
and what will they likely know about your topic? What kinds of sources will they
consider credible?
• PURPOSE. What do you hope to accomplish by doing this research? Are you trying to
report on the topic? argue a position? analyze the causes of something? something
else?
• CONTEXT. Do you have any length requirements? When is the due date? What other
research has been done on your topic, and how does that affect the direction your
research takes?