Transcript: Avery
Chapter 1: Avery talks about doing background reading
One of the biggest challenges I faced in research was when I did more background reading and narrowed my topic down when I was assigned to analyze disability representation in media for a final project. At first, my research question was too broad, it was basically, ‘How is disability represented in media?’ That sounded fine in my head, but once I started gathering sources, I realized the scope was overwhelming. There were endless types of disabilities, media formats, and cultural perspectives.
As I continued to learn more, I thought about what actually interested me most and what was manageable within the assignment; which required me narrowing it down. I decided to focus on autism and compare its portrayals in three specific works: Atypical, The Good Doctor, and Rain Man. From there, my research question became much sharper: ‘How has media representation of autism evolved across different decades, and what impact does that have on public perception?’
That shift completely changed my approach. Instead of drowning in unrelated sources, I was able to zero in on key texts, find patterns, and develop stronger analysis. The challenge taught me that a strong research question is like a roadmap, it narrows your focus and keeps you from getting lost in too much information.
If I were giving advice to someone struggling with this process, I’d say: start broad, explore background sources, and then ask yourself what specific angle really sparks your curiosity. That curiosity will naturally guide you to a sharper, more meaningful question.
