Tutorial Overview
Focus: Using AI to sharpen research questions and define a workable project scope.
This session would explore how AI can help researchers move from a broad idea to a clearer, more actionable research plan. Participants would practice using AI to refine a topic, identify assumptions, surface variables of interest, and translate a general concept into specific researchable questions.
Possible hands-on activities:
- Turn a broad topic into a focused research question
- Generate alternative ways to frame the same problem
- Identify key variables, stakeholders, or constraints
- Draft a preliminary hypothesis or conceptual model
- Compare strong vs. weak prompts for refining research aims
About the Series
This tutorial series introduces practical ways researchers can use AI to support common stages of the research workflow. Designed as a hands-on learning experience, the series focuses on approachable, real-world applications rather than abstract theory. Each session will combine brief framing, live demonstrations, and guided practice so participants can explore how AI tools may help with tasks such as refining research questions, working with data, conducting early-stage analysis, checking outputs, and communicating findings responsibly. The goal is to help researchers develop useful habits for integrating AI into their work in thoughtful, transparent, and effective ways.