Gulf Scholars 2025

When you begin to research, you are entering into and participating in a scholarly conversation. In order to competently participate in any conversation, you need to ensure that you know what is going on and who is already saying what about the topic. Collecting and understanding the original research work of other scholars is essential, but the ultimate goal is to establish a new and unique point of view on the topic. The process you go through for research is not always straightforward and sometimes involves reframing your question and adjusting based on new information. You can think of it as similar to the scientific method: 

• Observation: Notice something or ask a question.
• Question: Formulate a specific question.
• Hypothesis: Predict the outcome of your research question.
• Gather Information: Search for information from credible sources.
• Analysis: Analyze the information gathered.
• Conclusion: Determine if the information supports hypothesis.
• Iteration: Repeat the process, refine the hypothesis, or ask new questions.

Here's how these concepts connect to the pages on this guide:

• Topic Selection: Observation, Question, Hypothesis
• Finding Sources: Gather Information, Iteration
• Information Sources: Analysis, Conclusion