Research Question – how to write
What is a Research Question
A research question is a statement of the problem you will investigate through your research and describes the problem, issue, or puzzle that you want to answer.
A research question can take many different forms, it might be a testable statement describing an existing theory or perhaps asking whether something works.
A well-written research question strikes a balance between being broad enough to provide scope for exploring a subject and being specific enough to help direct the research process.
A research question has these characteristics:
Identify a problem, issue, or puzzle
Clearly outline what you are going to investigate
Concisely describe the points you will research
Be phrased as an open question
Be possible to achieve within the timeframe
Be able to be answered with the resources available
How to write a Research Question
All research requires a question. It is up to you to develop, ensuring it meets the criteria and objectives for the assignment.
For each assignment you are set at university you will be able to choose the topics you are interested in to investigate.
To write your research question there are some simple steps you can follow:
Step 1 - Brainstorming:
list topics of interest within the assignment scope
reflect on your tutor's guidance and align your brainstorming with the assignment specifications.
narrow down choices to specific themes, steering clear of overly broad themes.
Step 2 - Preliminary Research:
conduct preliminary investigation of the university library catalogue to identify secondary research sources.
gauge the volume and relevance of available research on your shortlisted topics.
identify gaps, sub-topics, or unique approaches in the published research.
Step 3 - Refine your Focus:
select a topic which has defined parameters, ample published material, and is manageable within the assignment timeframe.
use Boolean operators and advanced search tools to refine your search.
Step 4 - Write your Research Question:
transform shortlisted topics into questions, avoiding yes/no responses.
write questions that identify a research problem, succinctly outline the subject, and prompt open-ended exploration.
ensure a balanced range of sources and complexity for a comprehensive paper.
Step 5 - Finalize your Research Question:
evaluate potential questions based on practical considerations:
Timeframe: Can you complete the research within the time available?
Interest: Choose a topic you find genuinely interesting.
Originality: Select a unique angle within the subject which hasn’t been researched.
Assignment Brief: Ensure the question aligns with assignment criteria.
Examples of Research Questions
If the subject that you were interested in was the effect of exercise and diet on athletes or runners your research questions may look like these:
What types of exercise are beneficial for cross-country runners?
What is the role of diet in the performance of runners?
How has off-season training for long-distance runners changed over the last 10 years?
What is the effect of different diets on the performance of multidisciplinary athletes?
What is the impact of a Mediterranean diet on the energy levels of sports people?
How can diet choice affect the performance of sprinters on event days?
When to write a Research Question
Developing your research question is the first step in finding information to write your assignment. It helps direct the research process from the formulation of a search strategy, focus for your research and ultimately a structure for your assignment.
When you are researching a subject that you are interested in it is easy to be led down interesting tangential paths away from the focus of your investigations. You need a research question to stay focused so that you don’t get lost in the academic literature.
The research question forms the starting point of your assignment providing a specific topic to concentrate on and ensuring that your research doesn’t drift off-topic and fail to answer the problem and satisfy the assignment criteria.
Benefits of writing a Research Question
Writing a research question before beginning your assignment research can help shape the direction of your research investigations and improve your research.
Here's a brief overview of the advantages of developing a clear research question:
Focused: A research question can help navigate through the published literature and other sources to concentrate on the core of your investigation.
Structured Investigations: a question can anchor your research defining the boundaries of your study, ensuring that your efforts are purposeful and directly aligned with your objectives.
Search Strategy: helps identify keywords, key concepts, and relevant sources, streamlining the research process..
Assignment Structure: the foundation for your entire assignment providing a specific topic to concentrate on, creating a coherent and logical structure for your work.
Drawbacks of a Research Question
While crafting a research question is fundamental to academic inquiry, it's essential to acknowledge the potential drawbacks that may arise during this process.
Here are some of challenges associated with writing a research question:
Ambiguity and Vagueness: developing a clear and concise research question can be challenging. Ambiguous or vague queries may lead to confusion which impacts effective research and the quality of your findings.
Restrictive Nature: a narrowly defined research question, while providing focus, can also be restrictive, potentially overlooking valuable insights or alternative perspectives.
Resource Availability: if your research question is too niche or information is you may have challenges accessing sufficient material to answer your question.
Time Constraints: you should be able to answer your question within the time available, if your question is too broad or narrow there may be challenges in adequately investigating the topic.
Summary
Answering research questions guides your scholarly journey by articulating what unique contributions your efforts and investigations aim to make to the subject and the success of your research is connected to the precision of your inquiry.
Although there is no single perfect research question. Make best efforts to ensure your research question addresses what your research aims to contribute to the field. Your research success hinges on asking the correct questions to elicit the most accurate and impartial results.
The process of developing research questions is iterative and an inherent part of the academic experience. Each instance of your question refines your investigation and takes you closer to your research objectives.
