Scaffolded Questioning for Research Paper Development
Use progressive questioning to develop a research paper: start by identifying your actual research question (not just your topic), then systematically explore what existing sources say, where gaps exist, and what your specific contribution might be. This approach prevents the common trap of collecting sources first and only later realizing what you're actually trying to argue.
HypatiaScaffolded questioning is a prompting strategy where you ask AI a structured sequence of increasingly specific questions to develop a research paper from a vague topic into a focused, arguable thesis. Each question builds on the previous answer, narrowing scope, surfacing counterarguments, and identifying credible source types.
This method prevents the common student mistake of jumping into writing before the argument is clearly formed, and it gives AI a framework to act as a genuine intellectual collaborator rather than a shortcut for producing generic content.
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