Suggested Process

Suggested Process

1. Identify: Start by identifying the idea/behavior/issue associated to food to which you are focusing. What is your relationship to it? Why did you choose this topic? What question(s) do you have about it?

2. Describe: What are the concrete observation you have made about this behavior or idea? How is this topic commonly understood by a lay audience? What are your initial assumptions about it?

3. Question: Next, challenge yourself to question these assumptions. What do you think you might be overlooking? What new questions do you have about the issue?

4. How do the people involved define/describe/understand the issue? Pursue your research by following your natural curiosity about the topic. Stay focused on questions. What was your initial question? How does it grow and change throughout your research process?

5. Scope: Are you taking on too much for the scope of the paper? While Pollan has 400 pages to work through as many analyses as he chooses, you have 4-6 pages and should hone in on one.