Question number two: Are you likely to find many sources of information on this topic?
第二个问题：这个主题有很多相关信息可供收集吗？
You cannot write a research paper without consulting a variety of sources.
你不能不查阅资料就写研究论文。
If only one source or none at all is readily available, you should rethink your topic or choose another.
如果只有一个资料来源或根本没有，你就应该重新考虑主题或换一个主题。
Question number three: Can you cut the topic down to a manageable size?
第三个问题：你能把话题缩小到可控范围吗？
Be reasonable and realistic about what you can do in a short period, say, two to four weeks.
两到四周这样的短时间内的任务安排，要合理，符合实际。
If your topic is "The American Revolution", you' ll scarcely have time to make a list of books on your subject, let alone read and analyze them.
如果你的主题是“美国革命”，列出主题相关的书单时间都不够，更不用说阅读和分析了。
So try to find something specific, such as "The Role of Thomas Jefferson in the American Revolution" or "The Franco-American Alliance".
试着找一些具体的东西，比如“美国革命中托马斯·杰斐逊的角色”或者“法美同盟”。
Question number four: What questions can you ask about the topic itself?
问题四：关于这个主题，你能问些什么问题？
Questions help you get the topic down to a manageable size, discover its possibilities, and find the goal of your research,
问题可以帮助你把话题缩小到一个可控的范围，发现它的可能性，找到研究的目标，
that is, the specific problem you want to investigate.
也就是你想要调查的具体问题。
Suppose you want to write about the issue of financing a college education.
假设你想写一篇关于大学教育的融资问题。
A topic not only current, but also directly linked to the lives of most college students and their families.
这个话题不仅符合时代趋势，而且直接关系到大多数大学生及其家庭的生活。
You could ask at least two or three pointed questions: How much does educational opportunity depend on financial status?
你至少可以问两三个有针对性的问题：教育机会在多大程度上取决于经济状况？
Is financial aid going to the students who need it most? How much should universities and colleges charge their students?
经济援助是给了最有需要的学生吗？高校应该向学生收取多少费用？
You can ask yourself these questions or more as you start work on the research paper.
开始准备研究论文的时候，你可以问自己这些问题。
Okay. To sum up, in today' s lecture, we've looked at some of the issues in research paper writing,
好吧。综上所述，在今天的课程中，我们讨论了一些研究论文写作中的问题，
like the basic steps, types of research paper, and how to choose a topic.
比如基本的步骤，研究论文的类型，以及如何选择主题。
In our next lecture, we' ll concentrate on how to identify the audience, how to work out an outline, and how to edit the draft.
下一讲中，我们将集中讨论如何确定受众，如何制定大纲，以及如何打草稿。