Identify at least two distinct visual arts references, such as artworks or artists, and explicitly indicate the connections or relationships you will explore between them.

Use specific visual arts terminology to clearly situate your research within the field of visual arts, ensuring that it is not mistaken for a general humanities topic.

Narrow the scope of your research question by including specific details such as particular mediums, art movements, themes, or cultural contexts to ensure depth of analysis.

Frame your question to invite critical analysis, using verbs that encourage exploration of relationships, significance, and interpretation rather than simple description.

Express your research question as a single, coherent line of inquiry, avoiding multiple questions or unrelated clauses to maintain clarity and focus.

Focusing on a single artwork or artist without making connections to other references, which fails to meet the requirement for examining relationships.

Writing a question that is fragmented or consists of multiple separate inquiries, which detracts from the clarity and coherence needed for a strong guiding statement.

Formulating a question that only requires simple listing or description of artworks or artists, rather than encouraging deeper analysis and interpretation.

Using vague or broad terms that do not clearly relate to visual arts, which can lead to confusion about the focus of the study.

Creating a research question that is too broad or unrestricted, making it difficult to conduct a focused investigation within the constraints of the IA.