In effect, you ask your basic question over and over again as you look through bibliographic sources. When you are planning your topic , you might find it helpful first to free-associate, or let your mind wander. You need to think about points related to your topic, but also about other subject terms and ideas related to your topic. This process of cross-referencing is at the heart of research and creative thinking. For example, suppose you're interested in writing a paper on retirement.
Retirement is a big subject, maybe too big for one paper.
But stay with the big subject for a while. Each of these could also be a term paper or indeed a whole book. When you ask yourself research questions , it is helpful if you write down some tentative answers. That's the first step toward making an outline, or a plan, for your work. Carrying out research is a bit like building a house.