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Back to the basics: guidance for formulating good research questions.

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Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper

• The Research Problem/Question
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A research problem is a definite or clear expression [statement] about an area of concern, a condition to be improved upon, a difficulty to be eliminated, or a troubling question that exists in scholarly literature, in theory, or within existing practice that points to a need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation. A research problem does not state how to do something, offer a vague or broad proposition, or present a value question. In the social and behavioral sciences, studies are most often framed around examining a problem that needs to be understood and resolved in order to improve society and the human condition.

Bryman, Alan. “The Research Question in Social Research: What is its Role?” International Journal of Social Research Methodology 10 (2007): 5-20; Guba, Egon G., and Yvonna S. Lincoln. “Competing Paradigms in Qualitative Research.” In Handbook of Qualitative Research . Norman K. Denzin and Yvonna S. Lincoln, editors. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1994), pp. 105-117; Pardede, Parlindungan. “Identifying and Formulating the Research Problem." Research in ELT: Module 4 (October 2018): 1-13; Li, Yanmei, and Sumei Zhang. "Identifying the Research Problem." In Applied Research Methods in Urban and Regional Planning . (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2022), pp. 13-21.

Importance of...

The purpose of a problem statement is to:

• Introduce the reader to the importance of the topic being studied . The reader is oriented to the significance of the study.
• Anchors the research questions, hypotheses, or assumptions to follow . It offers a concise statement about the purpose of your paper.
• Place the topic into a particular context that defines the parameters of what is to be investigated.
• Provide the framework for reporting the results and indicates what is probably necessary to conduct the study and explain how the findings will present this information.

In the social sciences, the research problem establishes the means by which you must answer the "So What?" question. This declarative question refers to a research problem surviving the relevancy test [the quality of a measurement procedure that provides repeatability and accuracy]. Note that answering the "So What?" question requires a commitment on your part to not only show that you have reviewed the literature, but that you have thoroughly considered the significance of the research problem and its implications applied to creating new knowledge and understanding or informing practice.

To survive the "So What" question, problem statements should possess the following attributes:

• Clarity and precision [a well-written statement does not make sweeping generalizations and irresponsible pronouncements; it also does include unspecific determinates like "very" or "giant"],
• Demonstrate a researchable topic or issue [i.e., feasibility of conducting the study is based upon access to information that can be effectively acquired, gathered, interpreted, synthesized, and understood],
• Identification of what would be studied, while avoiding the use of value-laden words and terms,
• Identification of an overarching question or small set of questions accompanied by key factors or variables,
• Identification of key concepts and terms,
• Articulation of the study's conceptual boundaries or parameters or limitations,
• Some generalizability in regards to applicability and bringing results into general use,
• Conveyance of the study's importance, benefits, and justification [i.e., regardless of the type of research, it is important to demonstrate that the research is not trivial],
• Does not have unnecessary jargon or overly complex sentence constructions; and,
• Conveyance of more than the mere gathering of descriptive data providing only a snapshot of the issue or phenomenon under investigation.

Bryman, Alan. “The Research Question in Social Research: What is its Role?” International Journal of Social Research Methodology 10 (2007): 5-20; Brown, Perry J., Allen Dyer, and Ross S. Whaley. "Recreation Research—So What?" Journal of Leisure Research 5 (1973): 16-24; Castellanos, Susie. Critical Writing and Thinking. The Writing Center. Dean of the College. Brown University; Ellis, Timothy J. and Yair Levy Nova. "Framework of Problem-Based Research: A Guide for Novice Researchers on the Development of a Research-Worthy Problem." Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline 11 (2008); Thesis and Purpose Statements. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Thesis Statements. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Selwyn, Neil. "‘So What?’…A Question that Every Journal Article Needs to Answer." Learning, Media, and Technology 39 (2014): 1-5; Shoket, Mohd. "Research Problem: Identification and Formulation." International Journal of Research 1 (May 2014): 512-518.

Structure and Writing Style

I.  Types and Content

There are four general conceptualizations of a research problem in the social sciences:

• Casuist Research Problem -- this type of problem relates to the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by analyzing moral dilemmas through the application of general rules and the careful distinction of special cases.
• Difference Research Problem -- typically asks the question, “Is there a difference between two or more groups or treatments?” This type of problem statement is used when the researcher compares or contrasts two or more phenomena. This a common approach to defining a problem in the clinical social sciences or behavioral sciences.
• Descriptive Research Problem -- typically asks the question, "what is...?" with the underlying purpose to describe the significance of a situation, state, or existence of a specific phenomenon. This problem is often associated with revealing hidden or understudied issues.
• Relational Research Problem -- suggests a relationship of some sort between two or more variables to be investigated. The underlying purpose is to investigate specific qualities or characteristics that may be connected in some way.

A problem statement in the social sciences should contain :

• A lead-in that helps ensure the reader will maintain interest over the study,
• A declaration of originality [e.g., mentioning a knowledge void or a lack of clarity about a topic that will be revealed in the literature review of prior research],
• An indication of the central focus of the study [establishing the boundaries of analysis], and
• An explanation of the study's significance or the benefits to be derived from investigating the research problem.

NOTE:   A statement describing the research problem of your paper should not be viewed as a thesis statement that you may be familiar with from high school. Given the content listed above, a description of the research problem is usually a short paragraph in length.

II.  Sources of Problems for Investigation

The identification of a problem to study can be challenging, not because there's a lack of issues that could be investigated, but due to the challenge of formulating an academically relevant and researchable problem which is unique and does not simply duplicate the work of others. To facilitate how you might select a problem from which to build a research study, consider these sources of inspiration:

Deductions from Theory This relates to deductions made from social philosophy or generalizations embodied in life and in society that the researcher is familiar with. These deductions from human behavior are then placed within an empirical frame of reference through research. From a theory, the researcher can formulate a research problem or hypothesis stating the expected findings in certain empirical situations. The research asks the question: “What relationship between variables will be observed if theory aptly summarizes the state of affairs?” One can then design and carry out a systematic investigation to assess whether empirical data confirm or reject the hypothesis, and hence, the theory.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives Identifying a problem that forms the basis for a research study can come from academic movements and scholarship originating in disciplines outside of your primary area of study. This can be an intellectually stimulating exercise. A review of pertinent literature should include examining research from related disciplines that can reveal new avenues of exploration and analysis. An interdisciplinary approach to selecting a research problem offers an opportunity to construct a more comprehensive understanding of a very complex issue that any single discipline may be able to provide.

Interviewing Practitioners The identification of research problems about particular topics can arise from formal interviews or informal discussions with practitioners who provide insight into new directions for future research and how to make research findings more relevant to practice. Discussions with experts in the field, such as, teachers, social workers, health care providers, lawyers, business leaders, etc., offers the chance to identify practical, “real world” problems that may be understudied or ignored within academic circles. This approach also provides some practical knowledge which may help in the process of designing and conducting your study.

Personal Experience Don't undervalue your everyday experiences or encounters as worthwhile problems for investigation. Think critically about your own experiences and/or frustrations with an issue facing society or related to your community, your neighborhood, your family, or your personal life. This can be derived, for example, from deliberate observations of certain relationships for which there is no clear explanation or witnessing an event that appears harmful to a person or group or that is out of the ordinary.

Relevant Literature The selection of a research problem can be derived from a thorough review of pertinent research associated with your overall area of interest. This may reveal where gaps exist in understanding a topic or where an issue has been understudied. Research may be conducted to: 1) fill such gaps in knowledge; 2) evaluate if the methodologies employed in prior studies can be adapted to solve other problems; or, 3) determine if a similar study could be conducted in a different subject area or applied in a different context or to different study sample [i.e., different setting or different group of people]. Also, authors frequently conclude their studies by noting implications for further research; read the conclusion of pertinent studies because statements about further research can be a valuable source for identifying new problems to investigate. The fact that a researcher has identified a topic worthy of further exploration validates the fact it is worth pursuing.

III.  What Makes a Good Research Statement?

A good problem statement begins by introducing the broad area in which your research is centered, gradually leading the reader to the more specific issues you are investigating. The statement need not be lengthy, but a good research problem should incorporate the following features:

1.  Compelling Topic The problem chosen should be one that motivates you to address it but simple curiosity is not a good enough reason to pursue a research study because this does not indicate significance. The problem that you choose to explore must be important to you, but it must also be viewed as important by your readers and to a the larger academic and/or social community that could be impacted by the results of your study. 2.  Supports Multiple Perspectives The problem must be phrased in a way that avoids dichotomies and instead supports the generation and exploration of multiple perspectives. A general rule of thumb in the social sciences is that a good research problem is one that would generate a variety of viewpoints from a composite audience made up of reasonable people. 3.  Researchability This isn't a real word but it represents an important aspect of creating a good research statement. It seems a bit obvious, but you don't want to find yourself in the midst of investigating a complex research project and realize that you don't have enough prior research to draw from for your analysis. There's nothing inherently wrong with original research, but you must choose research problems that can be supported, in some way, by the resources available to you. If you are not sure if something is researchable, don't assume that it isn't if you don't find information right away--seek help from a librarian !

NOTE:   Do not confuse a research problem with a research topic. A topic is something to read and obtain information about, whereas a problem is something to be solved or framed as a question raised for inquiry, consideration, or solution, or explained as a source of perplexity, distress, or vexation. In short, a research topic is something to be understood; a research problem is something that needs to be investigated.

IV.  Asking Analytical Questions about the Research Problem

Research problems in the social and behavioral sciences are often analyzed around critical questions that must be investigated. These questions can be explicitly listed in the introduction [i.e., "This study addresses three research questions about women's psychological recovery from domestic abuse in multi-generational home settings..."], or, the questions are implied in the text as specific areas of study related to the research problem. Explicitly listing your research questions at the end of your introduction can help in designing a clear roadmap of what you plan to address in your study, whereas, implicitly integrating them into the text of the introduction allows you to create a more compelling narrative around the key issues under investigation. Either approach is appropriate.

The number of questions you attempt to address should be based on the complexity of the problem you are investigating and what areas of inquiry you find most critical to study. Practical considerations, such as, the length of the paper you are writing or the availability of resources to analyze the issue can also factor in how many questions to ask. In general, however, there should be no more than four research questions underpinning a single research problem.

Given this, well-developed analytical questions can focus on any of the following:

• Highlights a genuine dilemma, area of ambiguity, or point of confusion about a topic open to interpretation by your readers;
• Yields an answer that is unexpected and not obvious rather than inevitable and self-evident;
• Provokes meaningful thought or discussion;
• Raises the visibility of the key ideas or concepts that may be understudied or hidden;
• Suggests the need for complex analysis or argument rather than a basic description or summary; and,
• Offers a specific path of inquiry that avoids eliciting generalizations about the problem.

NOTE:   Questions of how and why concerning a research problem often require more analysis than questions about who, what, where, and when. You should still ask yourself these latter questions, however. Thinking introspectively about the who, what, where, and when of a research problem can help ensure that you have thoroughly considered all aspects of the problem under investigation and helps define the scope of the study in relation to the problem.

V.  Mistakes to Avoid

Beware of circular reasoning! Do not state the research problem as simply the absence of the thing you are suggesting. For example, if you propose the following, "The problem in this community is that there is no hospital," this only leads to a research problem where:

• The need is for a hospital
• The objective is to create a hospital
• The method is to plan for building a hospital, and
• The evaluation is to measure if there is a hospital or not.

This is an example of a research problem that fails the "So What?" test . In this example, the problem does not reveal the relevance of why you are investigating the fact there is no hospital in the community [e.g., perhaps there's a hospital in the community ten miles away]; it does not elucidate the significance of why one should study the fact there is no hospital in the community [e.g., that hospital in the community ten miles away has no emergency room]; the research problem does not offer an intellectual pathway towards adding new knowledge or clarifying prior knowledge [e.g., the county in which there is no hospital already conducted a study about the need for a hospital, but it was conducted ten years ago]; and, the problem does not offer meaningful outcomes that lead to recommendations that can be generalized for other situations or that could suggest areas for further research [e.g., the challenges of building a new hospital serves as a case study for other communities].

Alvesson, Mats and Jörgen Sandberg. “Generating Research Questions Through Problematization.” Academy of Management Review 36 (April 2011): 247-271 ; Choosing and Refining Topics. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; D'Souza, Victor S. "Use of Induction and Deduction in Research in Social Sciences: An Illustration." Journal of the Indian Law Institute 24 (1982): 655-661; Ellis, Timothy J. and Yair Levy Nova. "Framework of Problem-Based Research: A Guide for Novice Researchers on the Development of a Research-Worthy Problem." Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline 11 (2008); How to Write a Research Question. The Writing Center. George Mason University; Invention: Developing a Thesis Statement. The Reading/Writing Center. Hunter College; Problem Statements PowerPoint Presentation. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Procter, Margaret. Using Thesis Statements. University College Writing Centre. University of Toronto; Shoket, Mohd. "Research Problem: Identification and Formulation." International Journal of Research 1 (May 2014): 512-518; Trochim, William M.K. Problem Formulation. Research Methods Knowledge Base. 2006; Thesis and Purpose Statements. The Writer’s Handbook. Writing Center. University of Wisconsin, Madison; Thesis Statements. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Tips and Examples for Writing Thesis Statements. The Writing Lab and The OWL. Purdue University; Pardede, Parlindungan. “Identifying and Formulating the Research Problem." Research in ELT: Module 4 (October 2018): 1-13; Walk, Kerry. Asking an Analytical Question. [Class handout or worksheet]. Princeton University; White, Patrick. Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists . New York: Palgrave McMillan, 2009; Li, Yanmei, and Sumei Zhang. "Identifying the Research Problem." In Applied Research Methods in Urban and Regional Planning . (Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2022), pp. 13-21.

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• How to Define a Research Problem | Ideas & Examples

How to Define a Research Problem | Ideas & Examples

Published on November 2, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on May 31, 2023.

A research problem is a specific issue or gap in existing knowledge that you aim to address in your research. You may choose to look for practical problems aimed at contributing to change, or theoretical problems aimed at expanding knowledge.

Some research will do both of these things, but usually the research problem focuses on one or the other. The type of research problem you choose depends on your broad topic of interest and the type of research you think will fit best.

This article helps you identify and refine a research problem. When writing your research proposal or introduction , formulate it as a problem statement and/or research questions .

Table of contents

Why is the research problem important, step 1: identify a broad problem area, step 2: learn more about the problem, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research problems.

Having an interesting topic isn’t a strong enough basis for academic research. Without a well-defined research problem, you are likely to end up with an unfocused and unmanageable project.

You might end up repeating what other people have already said, trying to say too much, or doing research without a clear purpose and justification. You need a clear problem in order to do research that contributes new and relevant insights.

Whether you’re planning your thesis , starting a research paper , or writing a research proposal , the research problem is the first step towards knowing exactly what you’ll do and why.

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As you read about your topic, look for under-explored aspects or areas of concern, conflict, or controversy. Your goal is to find a gap that your research project can fill.

Practical research problems

If you are doing practical research, you can identify a problem by reading reports, following up on previous research, or talking to people who work in the relevant field or organization. You might look for:

• Issues with performance or efficiency
• Processes that could be improved
• Areas of concern among practitioners
• Difficulties faced by specific groups of people

Examples of practical research problems

Voter turnout in New England has been decreasing, in contrast to the rest of the country.

The HR department of a local chain of restaurants has a high staff turnover rate.

A non-profit organization faces a funding gap that means some of its programs will have to be cut.

Theoretical research problems

If you are doing theoretical research, you can identify a research problem by reading existing research, theory, and debates on your topic to find a gap in what is currently known about it. You might look for:

• A phenomenon or context that has not been closely studied
• A contradiction between two or more perspectives
• A situation or relationship that is not well understood
• A troubling question that has yet to be resolved

Examples of theoretical research problems

The effects of long-term Vitamin D deficiency on cardiovascular health are not well understood.

The relationship between gender, race, and income inequality has yet to be closely studied in the context of the millennial gig economy.

Historians of Scottish nationalism disagree about the role of the British Empire in the development of Scotland’s national identity.

Next, you have to find out what is already known about the problem, and pinpoint the exact aspect that your research will address.

Context and background

• Who does the problem affect?
• Is it a newly-discovered problem, or a well-established one?
• What research has already been done?
• What, if any, solutions have been proposed?
• What are the current debates about the problem? What is missing from these debates?

Specificity and relevance

• What particular place, time, and/or group of people will you focus on?
• What aspects will you not be able to tackle?
• What will the consequences be if the problem is not resolved?

Example of a specific research problem

A local non-profit organization focused on alleviating food insecurity has always fundraised from its existing support base. It lacks understanding of how best to target potential new donors. To be able to continue its work, the organization requires research into more effective fundraising strategies.

Once you have narrowed down your research problem, the next step is to formulate a problem statement , as well as your research questions or hypotheses .

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them.

In general, they should be:

• Focused and researchable
• Answerable using credible sources
• Complex and arguable
• Feasible and specific
• Relevant and original

Your research objectives indicate how you’ll try to address your research problem and should be specific:

A research aim is a broad statement indicating the general purpose of your research project. It should appear in your introduction at the end of your problem statement , before your research objectives.

Research objectives are more specific than your research aim. They indicate the specific ways you’ll address the overarching aim.

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Research Aims, Objectives & Questions

By: David Phair (PhD) and Alexandra Shaeffer (PhD) | June 2022

T he research aims , objectives and research questions (collectively called the “golden thread”) are arguably the most important thing you need to get right when you’re crafting a research proposal , dissertation or thesis . We receive questions almost every day about this “holy trinity” of research and there’s certainly a lot of confusion out there, so we’ve crafted this post to help you navigate your way through the fog.

Overview: The Golden Thread

• What is the golden thread
• What are research aims ( examples )
• What are research objectives ( examples )
• What are research questions ( examples )
• The importance of alignment in the golden thread

What is the “golden thread”?

The golden thread simply refers to the collective research aims , research objectives , and research questions for any given project (i.e., a dissertation, thesis, or research paper ). These three elements are bundled together because it’s extremely important that they align with each other, and that the entire research project aligns with them.

Importantly, the golden thread needs to weave its way through the entirety of any research project , from start to end. In other words, it needs to be very clearly defined right at the beginning of the project (the topic ideation and proposal stage) and it needs to inform almost every decision throughout the rest of the project. For example, your research design and methodology will be heavily influenced by the golden thread (we’ll explain this in more detail later), as well as your literature review.

The research aims, objectives and research questions (the golden thread) define the focus and scope ( the delimitations ) of your research project. In other words, they help ringfence your dissertation or thesis to a relatively narrow domain, so that you can “go deep” and really dig into a specific problem or opportunity. They also help keep you on track , as they act as a litmus test for relevance. In other words, if you’re ever unsure whether to include something in your document, simply ask yourself the question, “does this contribute toward my research aims, objectives or questions?”. If it doesn’t, chances are you can drop it.

Alright, enough of the fluffy, conceptual stuff. Let’s get down to business and look at what exactly the research aims, objectives and questions are and outline a few examples to bring these concepts to life.

Research Aims: What are they?

Simply put, the research aim(s) is a statement that reflects the broad overarching goal (s) of the research project. Research aims are fairly high-level (low resolution) as they outline the general direction of the research and what it’s trying to achieve .

Research Aims: Examples

True to the name, research aims usually start with the wording “this research aims to…”, “this research seeks to…”, and so on. For example:

“This research aims to explore employee experiences of digital transformation in retail HR.”   “This study sets out to assess the interaction between student support and self-care on well-being in engineering graduate students”  

As you can see, these research aims provide a high-level description of what the study is about and what it seeks to achieve. They’re not hyper-specific or action-oriented, but they’re clear about what the study’s focus is and what is being investigated.

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Research Objectives: What are they?

The research objectives take the research aims and make them more practical and actionable . In other words, the research objectives showcase the steps that the researcher will take to achieve the research aims.

The research objectives need to be far more specific (higher resolution) and actionable than the research aims. In fact, it’s always a good idea to craft your research objectives using the “SMART” criteria. In other words, they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound”.

Research Objectives: Examples

Let’s look at two examples of research objectives. We’ll stick with the topic and research aims we mentioned previously.  

For the digital transformation topic:

To observe the retail HR employees throughout the digital transformation. To assess employee perceptions of digital transformation in retail HR. To identify the barriers and facilitators of digital transformation in retail HR.

And for the student wellness topic:

To determine whether student self-care predicts the well-being score of engineering graduate students. To determine whether student support predicts the well-being score of engineering students. To assess the interaction between student self-care and student support when predicting well-being in engineering graduate students.

  As you can see, these research objectives clearly align with the previously mentioned research aims and effectively translate the low-resolution aims into (comparatively) higher-resolution objectives and action points . They give the research project a clear focus and present something that resembles a research-based “to-do” list.

Research Questions: What are they?

Finally, we arrive at the all-important research questions. The research questions are, as the name suggests, the key questions that your study will seek to answer . Simply put, they are the core purpose of your dissertation, thesis, or research project. You’ll present them at the beginning of your document (either in the introduction chapter or literature review chapter) and you’ll answer them at the end of your document (typically in the discussion and conclusion chapters).

The research questions will be the driving force throughout the research process. For example, in the literature review chapter, you’ll assess the relevance of any given resource based on whether it helps you move towards answering your research questions. Similarly, your methodology and research design will be heavily influenced by the nature of your research questions. For instance, research questions that are exploratory in nature will usually make use of a qualitative approach, whereas questions that relate to measurement or relationship testing will make use of a quantitative approach.  

Let’s look at some examples of research questions to make this more tangible.

Research Questions: Examples 

Again, we’ll stick with the research aims and research objectives we mentioned previously.  

For the digital transformation topic (which would be qualitative in nature):

How do employees perceive digital transformation in retail HR? What are the barriers and facilitators of digital transformation in retail HR?  

And for the student wellness topic (which would be quantitative in nature):

Does student self-care predict the well-being scores of engineering graduate students? Does student support predict the well-being scores of engineering students? Do student self-care and student support interact when predicting well-being in engineering graduate students?  

You’ll probably notice that there’s quite a formulaic approach to this. In other words, the research questions are basically the research objectives “converted” into question format. While that is true most of the time, it’s not always the case. For example, the first research objective for the digital transformation topic was more or less a step on the path toward the other objectives, and as such, it didn’t warrant its own research question.

So, don’t rush your research questions and sloppily reword your objectives as questions. Carefully think about what exactly you’re trying to achieve (i.e. your research aim) and the objectives you’ve set out, then craft a set of well-aligned research questions . Also, keep in mind that this can be a somewhat iterative process , where you go back and tweak research objectives and aims to ensure tight alignment throughout the golden thread.

The importance of strong alignment

Alignment is the keyword here and we have to stress its importance . Simply put, you need to make sure that there is a very tight alignment between all three pieces of the golden thread. If your research aims and research questions don’t align, for example, your project will be pulling in different directions and will lack focus . This is a common problem students face and can cause many headaches (and tears), so be warned.

Take the time to carefully craft your research aims, objectives and research questions before you run off down the research path. Ideally, get your research supervisor/advisor to review and comment on your golden thread before you invest significant time into your project, and certainly before you start collecting data .  

Recap: The golden thread

In this post, we unpacked the golden thread of research, consisting of the research aims , research objectives and research questions . You can jump back to any section using the links below.

As always, feel free to leave a comment below – we always love to hear from you. Also, if you’re interested in 1-on-1 support, take a look at our private coaching service here.

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41 Comments

Thank you very much for your great effort put. As an Undergraduate taking Demographic Research & Methodology, I’ve been trying so hard to understand clearly what is a Research Question, Research Aim and the Objectives in a research and the relationship between them etc. But as for now I’m thankful that you’ve solved my problem.

Well appreciated. This has helped me greatly in doing my dissertation.

An so delighted with this wonderful information thank you a lot.

so impressive i have benefited a lot looking forward to learn more on research.

I am very happy to have carefully gone through this well researched article.

Infact,I used to be phobia about anything research, because of my poor understanding of the concepts.

Now,I get to know that my research question is the same as my research objective(s) rephrased in question format.

I please I would need a follow up on the subject,as I intends to join the team of researchers. Thanks once again.

Thanks so much. This was really helpful.

I know you pepole have tried to break things into more understandable and easy format. And God bless you. Keep it up

i found this document so useful towards my study in research methods. thanks so much.

This is my 2nd read topic in your course and I should commend the simplified explanations of each part. I’m beginning to understand and absorb the use of each part of a dissertation/thesis. I’ll keep on reading your free course and might be able to avail the training course! Kudos!

Thank you! Better put that my lecture and helped to easily understand the basics which I feel often get brushed over when beginning dissertation work.

This is quite helpful. I like how the Golden thread has been explained and the needed alignment.

This is quite helpful. I really appreciate!

The article made it simple for researcher students to differentiate between three concepts.

Very innovative and educational in approach to conducting research.

I am very impressed with all these terminology, as I am a fresh student for post graduate, I am highly guided and I promised to continue making consultation when the need arise. Thanks a lot.

A very helpful piece. thanks, I really appreciate it .

Very well explained, and it might be helpful to many people like me.

Wish i had found this (and other) resource(s) at the beginning of my PhD journey… not in my writing up year… 😩 Anyways… just a quick question as i’m having some issues ordering my “golden thread”…. does it matter in what order you mention them? i.e., is it always first aims, then objectives, and finally the questions? or can you first mention the research questions and then the aims and objectives?

Thank you for a very simple explanation that builds upon the concepts in a very logical manner. Just prior to this, I read the research hypothesis article, which was equally very good. This met my primary objective.

My secondary objective was to understand the difference between research questions and research hypothesis, and in which context to use which one. However, I am still not clear on this. Can you kindly please guide?

In research, a research question is a clear and specific inquiry that the researcher wants to answer, while a research hypothesis is a tentative statement or prediction about the relationship between variables or the expected outcome of the study. Research questions are broader and guide the overall study, while hypotheses are specific and testable statements used in quantitative research. Research questions identify the problem, while hypotheses provide a focus for testing in the study.

Exactly what I need in this research journey, I look forward to more of your coaching videos.

This helped a lot. Thanks so much for the effort put into explaining it.

What data source in writing dissertation/Thesis requires?

What is data source covers when writing dessertation/thesis

This is quite useful thanks

I’m excited and thankful. I got so much value which will help me progress in my thesis.

where are the locations of the reserch statement, research objective and research question in a reserach paper? Can you write an ouline that defines their places in the researh paper?

Very helpful and important tips on Aims, Objectives and Questions.

Thank you so much for making research aim, research objectives and research question so clear. This will be helpful to me as i continue with my thesis.

Thanks much for this content. I learned a lot. And I am inspired to learn more. I am still struggling with my preparation for dissertation outline/proposal. But I consistently follow contents and tutorials and the new FB of GRAD Coach. Hope to really become confident in writing my dissertation and successfully defend it.

As a researcher and lecturer, I find splitting research goals into research aims, objectives, and questions is unnecessarily bureaucratic and confusing for students. For most biomedical research projects, including ‘real research’, 1-3 research questions will suffice (numbers may differ by discipline).

Awesome! Very important resources and presented in an informative way to easily understand the golden thread. Indeed, thank you so much.

Well explained

The blog article on research aims, objectives, and questions by Grad Coach is a clear and insightful guide that aligns with my experiences in academic research. The article effectively breaks down the often complex concepts of research aims and objectives, providing a straightforward and accessible explanation. Drawing from my own research endeavors, I appreciate the practical tips offered, such as the need for specificity and clarity when formulating research questions. The article serves as a valuable resource for students and researchers, offering a concise roadmap for crafting well-defined research goals and objectives. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced researcher, this article provides practical insights that contribute to the foundational aspects of a successful research endeavor.

A great thanks for you. it is really amazing explanation. I grasp a lot and one step up to research knowledge.

I really found these tips helpful. Thank you very much Grad Coach.

I found this article helpful. Thanks for sharing this.

thank you so much, the explanation and examples are really helpful

This is a well researched and superbly written article for learners of research methods at all levels in the research topic from conceptualization to research findings and conclusions. I highly recommend this material to university graduate students. As an instructor of advanced research methods for PhD students, I have confirmed that I was giving the right guidelines for the degree they are undertaking.

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How to Write a Research Question: Types and Examples 

The first step in any research project is framing the research question. It can be considered the core of any systematic investigation as the research outcomes are tied to asking the right questions. Thus, this primary interrogation point sets the pace for your research as it helps collect relevant and insightful information that ultimately influences your work.   

Typically, the research question guides the stages of inquiry, analysis, and reporting. Depending on the use of quantifiable or quantitative data, research questions are broadly categorized into quantitative or qualitative research questions. Both types of research questions can be used independently or together, considering the overall focus and objectives of your research.  

What is a research question?

A research question is a clear, focused, concise, and arguable question on which your research and writing are centered. 1 It states various aspects of the study, including the population and variables to be studied and the problem the study addresses. These questions also set the boundaries of the study, ensuring cohesion. 

Designing the research question is a dynamic process where the researcher can change or refine the research question as they review related literature and develop a framework for the study. Depending on the scale of your research, the study can include single or multiple research questions. 

A good research question has the following features: 

• It is relevant to the chosen field of study. 
• The question posed is arguable and open for debate, requiring synthesizing and analysis of ideas. 
• It is focused and concisely framed. 
• A feasible solution is possible within the given practical constraint and timeframe. 

A poorly formulated research question poses several risks. 1   

• Researchers can adopt an erroneous design. 
• It can create confusion and hinder the thought process, including developing a clear protocol.  
• It can jeopardize publication efforts.  
• It causes difficulty in determining the relevance of the study findings.  
• It causes difficulty in whether the study fulfils the inclusion criteria for systematic review and meta-analysis. This creates challenges in determining whether additional studies or data collection is needed to answer the question.  
• Readers may fail to understand the objective of the study. This reduces the likelihood of the study being cited by others. 

Now that you know “What is a research question?”, let’s look at the different types of research questions. 

Types of research questions

Depending on the type of research to be done, research questions can be classified broadly into quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods studies. Knowing the type of research helps determine the best type of research question that reflects the direction and epistemological underpinnings of your research. 

The structure and wording of quantitative 2 and qualitative research 3 questions differ significantly. The quantitative study looks at causal relationships, whereas the qualitative study aims at exploring a phenomenon. 

• Quantitative research questions:  
• Seeks to investigate social, familial, or educational experiences or processes in a particular context and/or location.  
• Answers ‘how,’ ‘what,’ or ‘why’ questions. 
• Investigates connections, relations, or comparisons between independent and dependent variables. 

Quantitative research questions can be further categorized into descriptive, comparative, and relationship, as explained in the Table below. 

• Qualitative research questions  

Qualitative research questions are adaptable, non-directional, and more flexible. It concerns broad areas of research or more specific areas of study to discover, explain, or explore a phenomenon. These are further classified as follows: 

• Mixed-methods studies  

Mixed-methods studies use both quantitative and qualitative research questions to answer your research question. Mixed methods provide a complete picture than standalone quantitative or qualitative research, as it integrates the benefits of both methods. Mixed methods research is often used in multidisciplinary settings and complex situational or societal research, especially in the behavioral, health, and social science fields. 

What makes a good research question

A good research question should be clear and focused to guide your research. It should synthesize multiple sources to present your unique argument, and should ideally be something that you are interested in. But avoid questions that can be answered in a few factual statements. The following are the main attributes of a good research question. 

• Specific: The research question should not be a fishing expedition performed in the hopes that some new information will be found that will benefit the researcher. The central research question should work with your research problem to keep your work focused. If using multiple questions, they should all tie back to the central aim. 
• Measurable: The research question must be answerable using quantitative and/or qualitative data or from scholarly sources to develop your research question. If such data is impossible to access, it is better to rethink your question. 
• Attainable: Ensure you have enough time and resources to do all research required to answer your question. If it seems you will not be able to gain access to the data you need, consider narrowing down your question to be more specific. 
• You have the expertise 
• You have the equipment and resources 
• Realistic: Developing your research question should be based on initial reading about your topic. It should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge in your field or discipline. 
• Based on some sort of rational physics 
• Can be done in a reasonable time frame 
• Timely: The research question should contribute to an existing and current debate in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can later build on. 
• Novel 
• Based on current technologies. 
• Important to answer current problems or concerns. 
• Lead to new directions. 
• Important: Your question should have some aspect of originality. Incremental research is as important as exploring disruptive technologies. For example, you can focus on a specific location or explore a new angle. 
• Meaningful whether the answer is “Yes” or “No.” Closed-ended, yes/no questions are too simple to work as good research questions. Such questions do not provide enough scope for robust investigation and discussion. A good research question requires original data, synthesis of multiple sources, and original interpretation and argumentation before providing an answer. 

Steps for developing a good research question

The importance of research questions cannot be understated. When drafting a research question, use the following frameworks to guide the components of your question to ease the process. 4  

• Determine the requirements: Before constructing a good research question, set your research requirements. What is the purpose? Is it descriptive, comparative, or explorative research? Determining the research aim will help you choose the most appropriate topic and word your question appropriately. 
• Select a broad research topic: Identify a broader subject area of interest that requires investigation. Techniques such as brainstorming or concept mapping can help identify relevant connections and themes within a broad research topic. For example, how to learn and help students learn. 
• Perform preliminary investigation: Preliminary research is needed to obtain up-to-date and relevant knowledge on your topic. It also helps identify issues currently being discussed from which information gaps can be identified. 
• Narrow your focus: Narrow the scope and focus of your research to a specific niche. This involves focusing on gaps in existing knowledge or recent literature or extending or complementing the findings of existing literature. Another approach involves constructing strong research questions that challenge your views or knowledge of the area of study (Example: Is learning consistent with the existing learning theory and research). 
• Identify the research problem: Once the research question has been framed, one should evaluate it. This is to realize the importance of the research questions and if there is a need for more revising (Example: How do your beliefs on learning theory and research impact your instructional practices). 

How to write a research question

Those struggling to understand how to write a research question, these simple steps can help you simplify the process of writing a research question. 

Sample Research Questions

The following are some bad and good research question examples 

• Example 1 

• Example 2 

References:  

• Thabane, L., Thomas, T., Ye, C., & Paul, J. (2009). Posing the research question: not so simple.  Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d’anesthésie ,  56 (1), 71-79. 
• Rutberg, S., & Bouikidis, C. D. (2018). Focusing on the fundamentals: A simplistic differentiation between qualitative and quantitative research.  Nephrology Nursing Journal ,  45 (2), 209-213. 
• Kyngäs, H. (2020). Qualitative research and content analysis.  The application of content analysis in nursing science research , 3-11. 
• Mattick, K., Johnston, J., & de la Croix, A. (2018). How to… write a good research question.  The clinical teacher ,  15 (2), 104-108. 
• Fandino, W. (2019). Formulating a good research question: Pearls and pitfalls.  Indian Journal of Anaesthesia ,  63 (8), 611. 
• Richardson, W. S., Wilson, M. C., Nishikawa, J., & Hayward, R. S. (1995). The well-built clinical question: a key to evidence-based decisions.  ACP journal club ,  123 (3), A12-A13 

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Transitive and Intransitive Verbs in the World of Research

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Follow the Ruble: Formulating a Literary Research Question

• Getting Started

Formulating a Literary Research Question

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Formulating a Research Question

Image courtesy William H. Hannon Library (Loyola Marymount University)

Subject + Linking Verb + Predicate

Akaky Akakievich's "inability to utter a word"      represents           his lack of power Subject                                                              linking verb              predicate

Definition argument: this statement claims that one key mark of power in “The Overcoat” is speech and therefore that, in the story, power is speech .

Audience and arguer must agree on what we mean by the key terms. As the arguer, I must define both power and speech in the context of the story. I must show that the appearance or lack of one is always accompanied by the appearance or lack of the other.

Most arguments about literature are definition arguments, and might involve some evaluative claims (but usually not). If you go into more historical arguments, these might be causal.

Types of Argument

Jeanne Fahnestock and Marie Secor, Readings in Argument . New York: Random House, 1985.

• Definition (9)

In this type of argument, the questions being answered are: “What is it?” and “ Is it?” (Does something—a thing, a state of affairs, a trend—exist or not?)  The verification of a statement depends on definition; the arguer and the audience must agree on what they mean by key terms.

Definition-based arguments can 1) place their subject in a certain category (“Lions are predators.”), or 2) assert its existence (“There are rings around Uranus.”) or 3) identify its attributes (“The monasteries in Greece are thriving.”).

• Causal (116)

In this type of argument, the questions being answered are: “Why?” and “What new events or circumstances led to the subject in question?”

Causal arguments depend on an assumed or argued agency, which we can define as a shared belief about what can cause what.

There are necessary causes and sufficient causes . Necessary causes must be in place for the effect to occur. Fuel is necessary for a car’s movement, but it cannot produce the effect by itself. All the fuel in the world will not start a car with a dead battery.

• Evaluation (259)

More than personal opinion, claims about value can achieve the status of argument. If you give reasons for a preference, grounded on points that you and any other listener could agree on, then you would have an argument.

Our ability to make swift judgments is a useful one. But when we want to convince a reader or listener to judge or evaluate as we do, we cannot always simply say, “Look how wrong this is,” or “See how beautiful that is.” Such bare claims work only if the audience sees with our eyes and judges with our principles.

When we evaluate, we have in mind something like an ideal of what a good thing should be and do, and we apply that ideal to the individual instance before us. If it lives up to our standards, the evaluation is positive; if it does not, the response is negative. We must always ask, as our readers surely will: where do these criteria come from?

• Proposal (505)

Proposal arguments propose a course of action to address a certain issue. Proposal arguments draw on their readers’ sense of shared definitions, plausible consequences, and commonly held values. They are especially vulnerable on the flank of feasibility: Can this proposal really be implemented? Is the person making the argument ready, willing, and able to take action? What are the obstacles that must be overcome in order to bring about the desired state of affairs?

Writing About Literature: Words to Use

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Formulating a research question

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Clarifying the review question leads to specifying what type of studies can best address that question and setting out criteria for including such studies in the review. This is often called inclusion criteria or eligibility criteria. The criteria could relate to the review topic, the research methods of the studies, specific populations, settings, date limits, geographical areas, types of interventions, or something else.

Systematic reviews address clear and answerable research questions, rather than a general topic or problem of interest. They also have clear criteria about the studies that are being used to address the research questions. This is often called inclusion criteria or eligibility criteria.

Six examples of types of question are listed below, and the examples show different questions that a review might address based on the topic of influenza vaccination. Structuring questions in this way aids thinking about the different types of research that could address each type of question. Mneumonics can help in thinking about criteria that research must fulfil to address the question. The criteria could relate to the context, research methods of the studies, specific populations, settings, date limits, geographical areas, types of interventions, or something else.

Examples of review questions

• Needs - What do people want? Example: What are the information needs of healthcare workers regarding vaccination for seasonal influenza?
• Impact or effectiveness - What is the balance of benefit and harm of a given intervention? Example: What is the effectiveness of strategies to increase vaccination coverage among healthcare workers. What is the cost effectiveness of interventions that increase immunisation coverage?
• Process or explanation - Why does it work (or not work)? How does it work (or not work)?  Example: What factors are associated with uptake of vaccinations by healthcare workers?  What factors are associated with inequities in vaccination among healthcare workers?
• Correlation - What relationships are seen between phenomena? Example: How does influenza vaccination of healthcare workers vary with morbidity and mortality among patients? (Note: correlation does not in itself indicate causation).
• Views / perspectives - What are people's experiences? Example: What are the views and experiences of healthcare workers regarding vaccination for seasonal influenza?
• Service implementation - What is happening? Example: What is known about the implementation and context of interventions to promote vaccination for seasonal influenza among healthcare workers?

Examples in practice :  Seasonal influenza vaccination of health care workers: evidence synthesis / Loreno et al. 2017

Example of eligibility criteria

Research question: What are the views and experiences of UK healthcare workers regarding vaccination for seasonal influenza?

• Population: healthcare workers, any type, including those without direct contact with patients.
• Context: seasonal influenza vaccination for healthcare workers.
• Study design: qualitative data including interviews, focus groups, ethnographic data.
• Date of publication: all.
• Country: all UK regions.
• Studies focused on influenza vaccination for general population and pandemic influenza vaccination.
• Studies using survey data with only closed questions, studies that only report quantitative data.

Consider the research boundaries

It is important to consider the reasons that the research question is being asked. Any research question has ideological and theoretical assumptions around the meanings and processes it is focused on. A systematic review should either specify definitions and boundaries around these elements at the outset, or be clear about which elements are undefined. 

For example if we are interested in the topic of homework, there are likely to be pre-conceived ideas about what is meant by 'homework'. If we want to know the impact of homework on educational attainment, we need to set boundaries on the age range of children, or how educational attainment is measured. There may also be a particular setting or contexts: type of school, country, gender, the timeframe of the literature, or the study designs of the research.

Research question: What is the impact of homework on children's educational attainment?

• Scope : Homework - Tasks set by school teachers for students to complete out of school time, in any format or setting.
• Population: children aged 5-11 years.
• Outcomes: measures of literacy or numeracy from tests administered by researchers, school or other authorities.
• Study design: Studies with a comparison control group.
• Context: OECD countries, all settings within mainstream education.
• Date Limit: 2007 onwards.
• Any context not in mainstream primary schools.
• Non-English language studies.

Mnemonics for structuring questions

Some mnemonics that sometimes help to formulate research questions, set the boundaries of question and inform a search strategy.

Intervention effects

PICO  Population – Intervention– Outcome– Comparison

Variations: add T on for time, or ‘C’ for context, or S’ for study type,

Policy and management issues

ECLIPSE : Expectation – Client group – Location – Impact ‐ Professionals involved – Service

Expectation encourages  reflection on what the information is needed for i.e. improvement, innovation or information.  Impact looks at what  you would like to achieve e.g. improve team communication .

• How CLIP became ECLIPSE: a mnemonic to assist in searching for health policy/management information / Wildridge & Bell, 2002

Analysis tool for management and organisational strategy

PESTLE:  Political – Economic – Social – Technological – Environmental ‐ Legal

An analysis tool that can be used by organizations for identifying external factors which may influence their strategic development, marketing strategies, new technologies or organisational change.

• PESTLE analysis / CIPD, 2010

Service evaluations with qualitative study designs

SPICE:  Setting (context) – Perspective– Intervention – Comparison – Evaluation

Perspective relates to users or potential users. Evaluation is how you plan to measure the success of the intervention.

• Clear and present questions: formulating questions for evidence based practice / Booth, 2006

Read more about some of the frameworks for constructing review questions:

• Formulating the Evidence Based Practice Question: A Review of the Frameworks / Davis, 2011
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Formulating a researchable question: A critical step for facilitating good clinical research

Sadaf aslam.

Clinical and Translational Science Institute and Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

Patricia Emmanuel

Developing a researchable question is one of the challenging tasks a researcher encounters when initiating a project. Both, unanswered issues in current clinical practice or when experiences dictate alternative therapies may provoke an investigator to formulate a clinical research question. This article will assist researchers by providing step-by-step guidance on the formulation of a research question. This paper also describes PICO (population, intervention, control, and outcomes) criteria in framing a research question. Finally, we also assess the characteristics of a research question in the context of initiating a research project.

INTRODUCTION

A researchable question is an uncertainty about a problem that can be challenged, examined, and analyzed to provide useful information.[ 1 ] A successful research project depends upon how well an investigator formulates the research question based on the problems faced in day-to-day research activities and clinical practice. The underlying questions of a research project provide important information to decide whether the topic is relevant, researchable, and significant. A well-formulated research question needs extreme specificity and preciseness which guides the implementation of the project keeping in mind the identification of variables and population of interest. Here we will present a clinical scenario and see how clinical questions arise and help us in finding the evidence to answer our question.

FORMULATING THE RESEARCH QUESTION

A 2-year-old boy presents in an outpatient clinic with fever and severe pain in his right ear. He has a history of recurrent ear infections, and his mother expresses a concern that he has been on the antibiotic amoxicillin for the past few weeks. She is worried about the consequences of the long-term antibiotic use. She is also concerned about the outcome associated with recurrent ear infections. She wants to know if the prescribed amoxicillin is effective, or it can be substituted with another antibiotic because of its side effects such as frequent diarrhea.

Several questions arise from this case which can be broadly classified into background and foreground questions. The general questions about a clinical problem or a disease are called “Background Questions.”[ 2 ] These questions generally ask what, when, how, and where about the disease, disorder, or treatment for instance, “What is otitis media?” or “How does amoxicillin work?” etc. These types of questions can be answered by going through review articles or text books.

The patient-oriented questions involving interpretation of a therapy or disease and consideration of risk vs. benefit for a patient or a group of patient are called “Foreground Questions.”[ 2 ] These types of complex clinical questions are best answered by primary or pre-assessed studies in the literature. These questions mostly compare the two, either two drugs or treatments or two diagnostic methods, etc.

The PICO (population, intervention, control, and outcomes) format [ Table 1 ] is considered a widely known strategy for framing a “foreground” research question.[ 3 ] Sackett et al . pointed out that breaking the question into four components will facilitate the identification of relevant information.

Considering PICO and FINER criteria for developing a research question[ 3 , 5 ]

Population or problem - addressing a specific population, its important characteristics and demographic information. From the above case, you can identify pediatric population with otitis media, the age range, sex, presenting complaint, and history.

Intervention or treatment of interest - the intervention can be a treatment, procedure, diagnostic test, and risk or prognostic factors. In this case, the intervention will be your plan to treat the patient which can be a new therapy, a diagnostic test, prognostic factor, or a procedure. For example, based on your observation in clinic, cefuroxime is another better treatment option as compared to amoxicillin in treating otitis media but you are not sure about its efficacy in pediatric population with otitis media.

Comparator or control -when a new therapy is compared with the existing one.

Outcome - is the effect of the intervention. For example, its effectiveness in controlling pain. Therefore, the outcome in the above case can be the relief of pain, the resolution of infection, or decreasing the risk of developing resistance. A good primary outcome should be easily quantifiable, specific, valid, reproducible, and appropriate to your research question.[ 4 ]

In a typical clinical setting, a clinician needs to know about background and foreground questions depending upon the experience about a particular disease and therapy. Once background questions are answered, more complex questions are addressed. The clinical questions arise from the central issues in a clinical work.[ 2 ] For example, identifying causes or risk factors (etiological questions), comparing diagnostic tests based on sensitivity and specificity (diagnostic query), identifying best treatment options (therapeutic question), and outcome of the treatment (prognostic question).

After determining a foreground question, the PICO approach is followed. Dissecting the question into parts makes it easy and searchable. As evident in this case, there are several relevant questions, for example: what are the outcomes associated with recurrent ear infection, what are the possible effects of long-term use of antibiotic, and what are the harms associated with current treatment? Now if you gather all the information from PICO approach, the following researchable questions can be formulated.

In children with acute otitis media (P), is cefuroxime (I) effective in reducing the duration of symptoms (O) as compared to amoxicillin (C)?

In children suffering from otitis media, will cefuroxime result in the improvement of symptoms and reduction in developing resistance?

Does treatment with amoxicillin increase the risk of developing resistance in children suffering from otitis media?

Does surgical procedure has better outcome for the treatment of otitis media in children after repeated antibiotic therapy?

From the above case, we have formulated multiple questions based on our patient’s illness and concerns. Now we can use the strategy of “selecting” the best question.[ 2 ] For example, which question has more significance for the patient’s well-being, which question is relevant to our knowledge needs and which question might lead to interesting answers for our patients and clinical query? Further, we need to consider the feasibility of finding the evidence in a short period.

ASSESSING THE RESEARCH QUESTION IN THE CONTEXT OF A STUDY DESIGN

As proposed by Hulley et al . [ Table 1 ], a research question should be formulated keeping in mind the FINER (feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant) criteria[ 5 ] and that the answer should fill gaps in the existing knowledge. The following points should be considered while assessing a research question.

Determining the required resources

The feasibility of conducting a research project is based on the research question and should be considered early in the process in order to avoid waste of resources and intellectual energy. This is sometimes difficult for a new investigator and they need guidance from their mentors.[ 4 ]

• Consider doing a pilot or proof of concept study to asses the feasibility;
• Consult a biostatistician early in the project in order to choose less costly design and common outcomes;
• Consider feasibility of enrolling the intended number of subjects from the population of your interest. Also, consider expanding your inclusion criteria and modifying exclusion criteria if it is difficult to enroll the intended number; and
• Consider cost of each element of the study design, research staff, and resources.

Significance of making it interesting and relevant

An important question may not seem interesting the way it is presented. It is a challenge to present a research question clearly and engage the interest and attention of the reviewers. Research is too much work to not have a passion for what you are investigating. You will have more support for your study, and it will be easier to publish if the topic is novel and also interests your collaborators, colleagues, and the community at large. It is important to pursue a research question with a passion of getting the truth out of the matter.[ 5 ] This is how we all perceive research; commitment to a high-quality systematic and unbiased completion of an innovative project. If your question can explain a given problem while pointing toward a specific aspect which is missing then your project can get a great deal of support.

Conducting literature review

The innovation of any research question is determined by a thorough literature search. Any replication of the study already existing in the literature is not worth repeating as it is. Depending upon the research question, sometimes the study can be replicated if your question approaches an existing problem in a refreshing way. This can be achieved by using a different populations, different techniques, new conceptual approaches, or linking two different studies in which outcomes did not solve the problem.[ 5 ] Once a preliminary question has been formulated, literature search should be done to find out what is known or unknown about the topic. The goal of the literature review is to determine what research has been conducted on the topic of interest? and how has it been conducted? and what are the gaps in the knowledge?. It is recommended to use PubMed, MedlinePlus, CINAHL, or Web of Science as the main search databases, but other databases can be used as well. PubMed clinical query is an easy and user-friendly database to search for evidence related to clinical practice. This also provides information to search MEDLINE by doing categorical searches, for example, therapeutic, diagnostic, etiological, and prognostic. The American College of Physicians (ACP) and clinical evidence from BMJ Publishing Group are excellent systems to find evidence on therapeutic questions. Other search engines such as OVID has a large selection of texts and journals which provides access to other databases such as Cochrane library in getting full text articles and systematic reviews. Gray et al . suggested 4 Ss for literature review: Systems : use of comprehensive resources, Synopses : extracting high-quality studies and abstracts, Syntheses: systematic reviews, and Studies : original research studies.[ 6 ] In the hierarchy of evidence-based medicine, systematic reviews are considered the best method for evidence. Systematic reviews are rigorous methods of collecting and synthesizing the results of many high-quality studies. Conducting a thorough literature search also helps in finding information on the methodology, calculating the sample size, and also the type of analysis as we are looking to find a difference. This information is necessary to help structure a new study and to identify gaps in the knowledge base of the scientific community.

Refining research question

A focused research question leads to a systematic planning of a research project. The difficulty in framing a research question is not due to the lack of ideas. The challenge is to transform a novel research question into a valid study design which is the next step in refining a research question.

Asking a well-formulated research question is a starting point in conducting a quality research project and in evidence-based clinical practice. The framework presented in this paper can be helpful for a clinician to formulate a question and search for an answer and for a researcher to develop a new research project. The classical approach is to identify a research question followed by a thorough literature search keeping in mind the PICO and FINER criteria. If it is a well-defined research question, it will lead to an appropriate study design and methodology. Discussing your research question with knowledgeable peers, department chair, mentor, and the biostatistician from the start will lead to the completion of a successful project. Other steps such as type and phase of the clinical trial, budget, informed consent, sites, resource constraints of both personnel and facilities, and timeline should also be considered while formulating a research question. We have introduced the concept of background and foreground questions and also the types of different questions that can arise (therapy, harm, diagnosis, and prognosis). We have described several strategies here while highlighting the major steps that will help investigators in framing a question with the goal of finding an answer based on evidence or initiation of a new research project. It is always good to focus on a single research question based on its relevance to patient’s health or one primary objective to drive the study design.[ 4 ] Once we have formulated our research question, we need to keep track of the progress toward finding an appropriate answer and then finally applying the results to a specific patient population. In short, a researchable question is what leads toward the facts rather than opinion[ 7 ] and is clearly linked to the overall research project goal.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. J.K Kosambiya, Dr. Eknath Naik, and Dr. Ambuj Kumar for their time in reviewing the paper and providing useful insights.

Source of Support: Nil

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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Formulating Research Problems: Building the Foundation for Reflective Scientific Inquiry

• November 2023

• M.H. College of Law, Karnataka, India

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How to formulate a research question

Asking the right questions is the first step

Early on in your academic training, you may have been assigned topics to research. As you progress in your studies, however – and especially as you begin thinking about your bachelor thesis – you will increasingly need to identify topics and formulate your research questions on your own. You will want to choose a topic that you are interested in exploring further, of course – beyond what you learned in your coursework – and that will hold your interest long enough to keep you motivated over a longer period of intense focus. In their exploratory focus group interviews, Kacy Lundstrom and Flora Shrode found that students often consider the following when choosing a research paper topic: how easy it is to research, whether your advisor will like the topic, and whether you can easily find sources. If your aspirations go beyond these simple motivations, you may wish to consult Golden Gate University’s guide for some good advice and resources for selecting a topic.

From topic to research question Once you have settled on a topic, some questions about it will likely spring to mind immediately. The central question that you wish to answer in your paper is your research question. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though: formulating your final research question is a process.

An important part of this process is the search for academic literature. We recommend starting at your institution’s library website, which provides access to the library catalog and any databases your institution subscribes to. Most library websites also include tutorials with search tips and techniques to help you find exactly what you’re looking for. To learn more about how libraries can help you with your research, read this entry in our blog .

As you search for sources and begin reading, you will learn more about your topic and discover which questions have already been answered and where there are still gaps in the research that you can fill. You can import the books, articles, and other sources you find in the course of your research into your bibliography in Citavi and rate each source according to its relevance to your project .

What distinguishes a research topic from a research question? The topic of your research is usually formulated more broadly or in more general terms. The research question narrows your topic further and highlights a very specific focus in the form of a question that you would like to answer in your paper. There are usually many different questions that could be asked about a particular topic, only one of which you will choose to focus on in a particular paper.

Answering your chosen research question is the goal of your research paper. As such it determines your next steps and how you will design your research. In larger writing projects such as a thesis or dissertation, you will often want to include secondary questions under the main research question, which will inform the structure of your work. Answering these secondary questions will help you find the answers to your main question.

What to pay attention to when formulating a research question Even (especially) if you are bursting with excitement about your research topic and have tons of questions about it, it is important to clearly identify the scope of your research. For example, you’ll never be able to address all the nuances of a large topic like global warming in a 10-page paper.. Instead, concentrate on one carefully selected aspect of your topic Identifying that aspect is also part of the process.

If one question leads to a dead-end, for example, because too much has already been written about it, try heading in a different direction. It won’t always be the case that you find your research topic by narrowing a broad topic down to a specific subtopic, either. Sometimes your process will lead you in the opposite direction, with a question that arises from a specific situation or need but which can be explored from a broader perspective.

If no suitable research questions occur to you at first, you can look to your institution’s repository of previous theses and dissertations in your field for inspiration. Reading questions that have already been answered in your field will not only familiarize you with the spectrum of possible questions, but also provide new ideas and inspiration – and in the process, you will gain valuable expertise in your field!

Don’t forget to keep any necessary limitations in mind while formulating your research question. For example, if your research question in the field of biology can only be investigated by using a rare and expensive piece of analytical equipment, you will probably not be able to successfully answer it in the timeframe you have to complete your bachelor’s thesis. It is also risky to attempt a new research method that you have no practical experience with in a bachelor thesis.

Don’t bite off more than you can chew in the allotted time, either. Three months to write a bachelor’s thesis may sound like a lot at first. However, the first time you conduct an independent research project, you will have little sense for how long the different phases of your project will last or how much time you will need for revisions and final formatting checks . Be sure to discuss your planned questions and methods in detail with your advisor. Your research questions fundamentally determine your timetable for your paper, and you want it to be a pleasant journey .

Types of research questions What does a final research question look like? Your formulated research question will, of course, end in a question mark, and will usually begin with a question word such as “how” or “why.” The Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Vienna lays out the following requirements for a good research question. It should be:

• doable, and

Keep your question as concise as possible and use language that is easy to understand. You should also be sure that the thesis of your paper follows directly from your research question. Here are some possible types of research questions (and the corresponding wording you might use in your thesis statement):

• Descriptive questions These questions describe something and analyze it in a larger context. They usually begin with “what”, “which”, or “how.” Example: Which strategic positioning methods are most effective for a new series of tools for DIYers? Thesis statement: “An examination of…“ or “Overview of…“
• Causal questions These questions examine the results, causes, or reasons for something, looking for a direct cause-effect relationship. They usually begin with “why.“ Example: Why do German university departments continue to develop their own citation styles rather than using existing guidelines? Thesis statement: “An analysis of…“ “An examination of…“
• Structural questions These questions make suggestions for measures that could be implemented to achieve a certain goal. Example: What steps should cities take if they want to increase use of public transportation? Thesis statement: “Recommendations for...“ “A practical solution for…“
• Evaluative questions These questions make a value analysis. Example: How well has Canada communicated mask policies during the pandemic? Thesis statement: “A critical perspective on“ “Advantages and disadvantages of“
• Predictive questions These questions attempt to look into the future and predict how something is likely to develop. Example: How will the population of European Robins change in the next 5 years? Thesis statement: “Opportunities and risks of…“ “The development of…“

Whether you are at the very beginning of your process or have already tried and then rejected one or more research questions, narrowing in on a suitable research question is only possible if you identify the relevant literature, read it, and expand your knowledge. It’s not a simple, linear process. Sometimes it will feel like you are going back and starting from scratch. Don’t look at this as a setback, but simply as part of the research process.

If trying to formulate your research question is stressful for you and you simply can’t find the right words, remember that your research question can change during the course of your research. If you’re still unsure what to do, read our search tips and ask your teaching assistant, professor, advisor, or a writing center coach for advice and support – this process may be new to you, but you can learn from others’ experience!

For further reading Alvesson, M., & Sandberg, J. (2013). Constructing research questions: Doing interesting research. SAGE.

Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J. M., Bizup, J., FitzGerald, W. T., & Turabian, K. L. (Eds.). (2018). Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing. A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations: Chicago Style for students and researchers (9th edition). The University of Chicago Press.

Evans, D., Gruba, P., & Zobel, J. (2014). How to write a better thesis (Third edition). Springer.

Gruba, P. (2017). How to write your first thesis (1st edition). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Lester, J. D. (2015). Writing research papers: A complete guide (Sixteenth Edition). Pearson.

Meurer, P., & Schluchter, M. (2017). Writing a Research Paper with Citavi 6 (J. Schultz, Trans.). Based on the Duden book “Die schriftliche Arbeit – kurz gefasst” [Research Papers In a Nutshell] by Jürg Niederhauser. Swiss Academic Software GmbH. https://www.citavi.com/media/1264/citavi_6_writing_a_research_paper.pdf

White, P. (2009). Developing research questions: A guide for social scientists. Palgrave Macmillan.

White, P. (2017). Developing research questions (Second edition). Macmillan International Higher Education; Red Globe Press.

Writing Center, The. (2018, August 8). How to Write a Research Question. George Mason University. https://writingcenter.gmu.edu/guides/how-to-write-a-research-question

About Jana Behrendt

Jana Behrendt, a librarian by training, is deeply interested in everything related to personal information management. However, she does not read as much as you would expect from a librarian. She loves hiking in the Swiss Alps – as long as she doesn’t have to look down.

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Right Question Institute

The Question Formulation Technique for Research

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) for Research was adapted and developed with funding from the National Science Foundation so researchers may use a discrete strategy to ask better, more transformative research questions. This collaborative work with Brandeis University builds on the decades of work of the Right Question Institute and its creation and further development of the QFT . This adaptation has been used by undergraduate researchers, graduate researchers, and faculty alike, and many stakeholders around the country find that it is an eminently practical process through which researchers can arrive at new and better questions and research agendas.

Emerging research has found that the QFT for Research helps researchers feel more confident in their ability to formulate questions, find that it is easier to ask questions, feel as though they are asking better questions, and researchers report that they more strongly believe it is important to spend time formulating and working with questions as a part of the research process. Even more overwhelmingly, over 92% of researchers who experience the process name that it is a strategy they plan to use in the future to support their own work.

Typically, the QFT for Research is an independent experience that many individuals can experience simultaneously with a facilitator or on your own as a self-guided experience. Though, others have found it useful to use as a collaborative experience within a lab, a classroom, or with stakeholders in the community. It creates the space for individuals to develop their own research skills and capacity to ask questions and can create the space to immediately develop a more robust, strategic research agenda. The QFT for Research consists of several steps that can be distilled down into just a few essential elements:

Formulate Questions

Work with and Improve Questions

• Strategize on Questions
• Reflect on Question Formulation and Questions

The first element of the QFT for Research is to identify a focus for question formulation, in this case typically a research topic. Researchers begin by identifying many possible areas of interest, then naming more specifically a few research topics, and then prioritizing one research topic on which they would like to ask questions. Once there is one research topic prioritized, researchers review the four rules they will follow as they formulate research questions.

• Ask as many questions as you can.
• Do not stop to judge, discuss, or answer any questions.
• Write down every question exactly as stated or exactly as it comes to mind.
• Change any statements into questions.

Upon learning these rules, researchers should reflect on what might be challenging about following these rules as well as how this differs from how they typically formulate questions. Researchers hold themselves accountable to following these rules for a set amount of time (usually about 4-7 minutes).

In the second element, researchers work with and improve their questions. They learn about two different types of questions—closed-ended questions which can be answered with “yes,” “no,” or with one word, and open-ended questions which cannot be answered with “yes,” “no,” or with one word, and require more of an explanation. Researchers then review their list of questions and label their questions as “C” if they are closed-ended, or “O” if they are open-ended. Next, researchers name the advantages and disadvantages of both types of questions, reflect on how the wording of a question influences the type of information it may elicit, and then proceed to change one of their questions from closed-ended to open-ended and one of their questions from open-ended to closed-ended. After changing questions from closed-ended to open-ended and from open-ended to closed-ended, researchers have the opportunity, for about three minutes, to review their list of questions and think on whether they would like to adapt, revise, or edit any questions they have created thus far. They then add these questions as new questions at the bottom of their list.

Strategize on Questions and Develop a Research Agenda

In the third element of the QFT for Research, researchers begin to strategize on their use of questions. Depending on how questions will be used the prioritization instructions may be tailored by the facilitator (or the researcher guiding themselves through the process). For example, if the facilitator is hoping researchers will use their questions to guide research, the instructions may be “choose the three questions you are most interested in using to guide a research project.” If an individual was hoping to use their questions to iterate on their grant proposal, instructions may be, “choose the three questions that I am most interested in using to frame a grant proposal.” After prioritizing, researchers think on their rationale for why they prioritized their questions keeping in mind their initial prioritized research topic, how many questions they asked in total, and where their priority questions landed in the sequence of all their questions.

Later, in the third element after prioritizing three questions, researchers select one  priority question on which they would like to ask more questions. They then go through a brief period of question formulation on the priority question they identified, further drilling down into a salient question. This additional round of question formulation tends to last about 3-4 minutes. Following this part of the third element, researchers then have another opportunity to work with and refine any questions they have produced thus far, from their initial or subsequent round of question formulation, adding any new questions they have formulated or edited to the bottom of their list of questions. Finally, researchers identify three questions, drawing on any question they have formulated, that they are glad they asked as well as three questions that may help to advance their research. Researchers are now ready to use these questions flexibly depending on the next steps of the learning and research process.

Reflect—on the Process of Question Formulation and Substance of Questions

In the final element of the QFT for Research, researchers reflect on what they learned, how they learned it, and what they are thinking about differently after having gone through the process. This is an essential element of the QFT for Research, as it creates the space for researchers to name the value of the process for supporting their current work, identify lingering gaps or areas for growth, and crystalize their thinking before they catalyze the research process with their newly developed and refined research questions.

These are the core elements of the QFT for Research. With this said, the strategy is flexible and creates the space and opportunity for researchers to tailor the strategy to better support the learning and research objectives. Some elements and components of the strategy may be more useful than others depending on the context and stage of the research. No matter how the QFT for Research is used, researchers tend to conclude the process with a research agenda and guiding questions, ample questions to support their inquiry, and a discrete experience in honing a quintessential skill for research and learning.

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• How To Formulate A Research Problem

Introduction

In the dynamic realm of academia, research problems serve as crucial stepping stones for groundbreaking discoveries and advancements. Research problems lay the groundwork for inquiry and exploration that happens when conducting research. They direct the path toward knowledge expansion.

In this blog post, we will discuss the different ways you can identify and formulate a research problem. We will also highlight how you can write a research problem, its significance in guiding your research journey, and how it contributes to knowledge advancement.

Understanding the Essence of a Research Problem

A research problem is defined as the focal point of any academic inquiry. It is a concise and well-defined statement that outlines the specific issue or question that the research aims to address. This research problem usually sets the tone for the entire study and provides you, the researcher, with a clear purpose and a clear direction on how to go about conducting your research.

There are two ways you can consider what the purpose of your research problem is. The first way is that the research problem helps you define the scope of your study and break down what you should focus on in the research. The essence of this is to ensure that you embark on a relevant study and also easily manage it. 

The second way is that having a research problem helps you develop a step-by-step guide in your research exploration and execution. It directs your efforts and determines the type of data you need to collect and analyze. Furthermore, a well-developed research problem is really important because it contributes to the credibility and validity of your study.

It also demonstrates the significance of your research and its potential to contribute new knowledge to the existing body of literature in the world. A compelling research problem not only captivates the attention of your peers but also lays the foundation for impactful and meaningful research outcomes.

Identifying a Research Problem

To identify a research problem, you need a systematic approach and a deep understanding of the subject area. Below are some steps to guide you in this process:

• Conduct a Literature Review: Before you dive into your research problem, ensure you get familiar with the existing literature in your field. Analyze gaps, controversies, and unanswered questions. This will help you identify areas where your research can make a meaningful contribution.
• Consult with Peers and Mentors: Participate in discussions with your peers and mentors to gain insights and feedback on potential research problems. Their perspectives can help you refine and validate your ideas.
• Define Your Research Objectives: Clearly outline the objectives of your study. What do you want to achieve through your research? What specific outcomes are you aiming for?

Formulating a Research Problem

Once you have identified the general area of interest and specific research objectives, you can then formulate your research problem. Things to consider when formulating a research problem:

• Clarity and Specificity: Your research problem should be concise, specific, and devoid of ambiguity. Avoid vague statements that could lead to confusion or misinterpretation.
• Originality: Strive to formulate a research problem that addresses a unique and unexplored aspect of your field. Originality is key to making a meaningful contribution to the existing knowledge.
• Feasibility: Ensure that your research problem is feasible within the constraints of time, resources, and available data. Unrealistic research problems can hinder the progress of your study.
• Refining the Research Problem: It is common for the research problem to evolve as you delve deeper into your study. Don’t be afraid to refine and revise your research problem if necessary. Seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, and experts in your field to ensure the strength and relevance of your research problem.

How Do You Write a Research Problem?

Steps to consider in writing a Research Problem:

• Select a Topic: The first step in writing a research problem is to select a specific topic of interest within your field of study. This topic should be relevant, and meaningful, and have the potential to contribute to existing knowledge.
• Conduct a Literature Review: Before formulating your research problem, conduct a thorough literature review to understand the current state of research on your chosen topic. This will help you identify gaps, controversies, or areas that need further exploration.
• Identify the Research Gap: Based on your literature review, pinpoint the specific gap or problem that your research aims to address. This gap should be something that has not been adequately studied or resolved in previous research.
• Be Specific and Clear: The research problem should be framed in a clear and concise manner. It should be specific enough to guide your research but broad enough to allow for meaningful investigation.
• Ensure Feasibility: Consider the resources and constraints available to you when formulating the research problem. Ensure that it is feasible to address the problem within the scope of your study.
• Align your Research Goals: The research problem should align with the overall goals and objectives of your study. It should be directly related to the research questions you intend to answer.

Related: How to Write a Problem Statement for your Research

Research Problem vs Research Questions

Research Problem: The research problem is a broad statement that outlines the overarching issue or gap in knowledge that your research aims to address. It provides the context and motivation for your study and helps establish its significance and relevance. The research problem is typically stated in the introduction section of your research proposal or thesis.

Research Questions: Research questions are specific inquiries that you seek to answer through your research. These questions are derived from the research problem and help guide the focus of your study. They are often more detailed and narrow in scope compared to the research problem. Research questions are usually listed in the methodology section of your research proposal or thesis.

Difference Between a Research Problem and a Research Topic

Research Problem: A research problem is a specific issue, gap, or question that requires investigation and can be addressed through research. It is a clearly defined and focused problem that the researcher aims to solve or explore. The research problem provides the context and rationale for the study and guides the research process. It is usually stated as a question or a statement in the introduction section of a research proposal or thesis.

Example of a Research Problem: “ What are the factors influencing consumer purchasing decisions in the online retail industry ?”

Research Topic: A research topic, on the other hand, is a broader subject or area of interest within a particular field of study. It is a general idea or subject that the researcher wants to explore in their research. The research topic is more general and does not yet specify a specific problem or question to be addressed. It serves as the starting point for the research, and the researcher further refines it to formulate a specific research problem.

Example of a Research Topic: “ Consumer behavior in the online retail industry.”

In summary, a research topic is a general area of interest, while a research problem is a specific issue or question within that area that the researcher aims to investigate.

Difference Between a Research Problem and Problem Statement

Research Problem: As explained earlier, a research problem is a specific issue, gap, or question that you as a researcher aim to address through your research. It is a clear and concise statement that defines the focus of the study and provides a rationale for why it is worth investigating.

Example of a Research Problem: “What is the impact of social media usage on the mental health and well-being of adolescents?”

Problem Statement: The problem statement, on the other hand, is a brief and clear description of the problem that you want to solve or investigate. It is more focused and specific than the research problem and provides a snapshot of the main issue being addressed.

Example of a Problem Statement: “ The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between social media usage and the mental health outcomes of adolescents, with a focus on depression, anxiety, and self-esteem.”

In summary, a research problem is the broader issue or question guiding the study, while the problem statement is a concise description of the specific problem being addressed in the research. The problem statement is usually found in the introduction section of a research proposal or thesis.

Challenges and Considerations

Formulating a research problem involves several challenges and considerations that researchers should carefully address:

• Feasibility: Before you finalize a research problem, it is crucial to assess its feasibility. Consider the availability of resources, time, and expertise required to conduct the research. Evaluate potential constraints and determine if the research problem can be realistically tackled within the given limitations.
• Novelty and Contribution: A well-crafted research problem should aim to contribute to existing knowledge in the field. Ensure that your research problem addresses a gap in the literature or provides innovative insights. Review past studies to understand what has already been done and how your research can build upon or offer something new.
• Ethical and Social Implications: Take into account the ethical and social implications of your research problem. Research involving human subjects or sensitive topics requires ethical considerations. Consider the potential impact of your research on individuals, communities, or society as a whole. 
• Scope and Focus: Be mindful of the scope of your research problem. A problem that is too broad may be challenging to address comprehensively, while one that is too narrow might limit the significance of the findings. Strike a balance between a focused research problem that can be thoroughly investigated and one that has broader implications.
• Clear Objectives: Ensure that your research problem aligns with specific research objectives. Clearly define what you intend to achieve through your study. Having well-defined objectives will help you stay on track and maintain clarity throughout the research process.
• Relevance and Significance: Consider the relevance and significance of your research problem in the context of your field of study. Assess its potential implications for theory, practice, or policymaking. A research problem that addresses important questions and has practical implications is more likely to be valuable to the academic community and beyond.
• Stakeholder Involvement: In some cases, involving relevant stakeholders early in the process of formulating a research problem can be beneficial. This could include experts in the field, practitioners, or individuals who may be impacted by the research. Their input can provide valuable insights that can help you enhance the quality of the research problem.

In conclusion, understanding how to formulate a research problem is fundamental for you to have meaningful research and intellectual growth. Remember that a well-crafted research problem serves as the foundation for groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in various fields. It not only enhances the credibility and relevance of your study but also contributes to the expansion of knowledge and the betterment of society.

Therefore, put more effort into the process of identifying and formulating research problems with enthusiasm and curiosity. Engage in comprehensive literature reviews, observe your surroundings, and reflect on the gaps in existing knowledge. Lastly, don’t forget to be mindful of the challenges and considerations, and ensure your research problem aligns with clear objectives and ethical principles.

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Help with research question frameworks

• Introduction to research question frameworks?
• How can I use a research question framework?
• Which research question framework should I use?
• Guide to research question frameworks
• How can I use a framework to plan a search?

If you need help to frame a question and plan for empirical research or a structured literature review this guide is for you. Research question frameworks are often used in health science to investigate practice-based questions but are also useful in other research areas. This guide will introduce you to what they are and how you can use them with examples.

• Next: Introduction to research question frameworks? >>
• Last Updated: Sep 23, 2024 12:06 PM
• URL: https://gcu.libguides.com/researchquestionframeworks

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• Table of Contents
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Creating Trustworthy Guidelines
• Chapter 3: Overview of the Guideline Development Process
• Chapter 4: Formulating PICO Questions
• Chapter 5: Choosing and Ranking Outcomes
• Chapter 6: Systematic Review Overview
• Chapter 7: GRADE Criteria Determining Certainty of Evidence
• Chapter 8: Domains Decreasing Certainty in the Evidence
• Chapter 9: Domains Increasing One's Certainty in the Evidence
• Chapter 10: Overall Certainty of Evidence
• Chapter 11: Communicating findings from the GRADE certainty assessment
• Chapter 12: Integrating Randomized and Non-randomized Studies in Evidence Synthesis

Related Topics:

• Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
• Vaccine-Specific Recommendations
• Evidence-Based Recommendations—GRADE

Chapter 4: Formulating PICO Questions

• This ACIP GRADE handbook provides guidance to the ACIP workgroups on how to use the GRADE approach for assessing the certainty of evidence.

Guidelines help answer questions about clinical, communication, organizational or policy interventions, in the hope of improving health care or health policy. 1 It is therefore helpful to structure a guideline in terms of answerable questions with relevant outcomes. Research questions that are too broad may necessitate extra resources to conduct the review, leading to heterogenous results that may be difficult to interpret. However, a broad question may produce a holistic summary based on a larger body of evidence and more generalizable findings. In contrast, narrow questions may require less resources but could lead to a smaller body of evidence with less generalizable findings. Depending on the scope of the review, authors should decide if it is more beneficial to lump things together resulting in a broader PICO question or if it is more useful to split comparisons and create narrow PICO questions. 2 To define the scope of the review, research priorities should be identified, and stakeholders should be engaged. The scope of the review may focus on a setting in which a vaccine is introduced where there was no vaccine previously or in a setting where a new vaccine is being compared to an existing vaccine. The scope may also be focused on new or updated recommendations for existing vaccines based on a changing epidemiology and/or the populations affected. For more information about developing a PICO question for a systematic review, refer to https://training.cochrane.org/handbook/current/chapter-02 . 2

The GRADE approach can be used to answer various questions that lead to actionable recommendations. 3 Research questions can be categorized as either background or foreground questions. 1 Background questions provide context and frame the need for the guideline, while foreground questions directly inform recommendations. Therefore, background questions can provide information on the prevalence or burden of a problem that help formulate foreground questions. Foreground questions provide insight on harms and benefits of the intervention of interest while also considering factors like acceptability and feasibility. Good questions target topics with controversy or doubt surrounding the answer, help pave the way for future research and positively impact patient care, costs and quality of life.

Research questions act as the starting point for formulating recommendations; they help inform inclusion and exclusion criteria for included studies, shape search strategies, inform the type of data to be extracted and guide the wording for recommendations. 3 Research questions may also inform the type of data synthesis used in a review. In order to create strong research questions that shape an evidence review, questions should be developed and presented using the PICO (population/intervention/comparator/outcome) framework. 1 The population component of the question describes the target population for the intervention. The intervention includes the treatment, test, policy or exposure being evaluated in the review. The comparator specifies the alternatives to the intervention being recommended in the guideline. Typically, a placebo is not used as a comparison in a recommendation (even though it may serve as a comparison in the systematic review of the literature), as "placebo" would not be a sensible option to recommend. Instead, the comparisons could look at existing alternatives, standard practice and no intervention (e.g., no vaccine in the situation when no vaccine has been previously available). Outcomes consider the potential benefits and harms of the intervention and should be patient centered. Table 1 provides two examples of well-formulated PICO questions.

Table 1. Examples of PICO Questions

When developing PICO questions for guidelines, the setting in which the recommendations will be applied is often taken into consideration in addition to elements specified in the PICO approach. Moreover, the identification of subgroups within the population part of the PICO question allows for guideline panels to create recommendations targeting specific subpopulations. In the case of multiple comparators within a PICO question, guideline authors may need to clarify if the intervention is recommended over all the comparators equally or if there is a hierarchy. Additionally, PICO questions for guidelines may have a more comprehensive list of outcomes compared to a systematic review since they need to consider harms and how the implementation of an intervention may impact different populations. When listing outcomes for a PICO question informing a guideline document, the importance of the outcomes should be rated before the evidence review begins.

• World Health O. WHO handbook for guideline development. World Health Organization; 2014:167.
• Thomas J, Kneale D, McKenzie J, Brennan S, Bhaumik S. Chapter 2: Determining the scope of the review and the questions it will address. In: Higgins J, Thomas J, Chandler J, et al, eds. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions version 63 (updated February 2022). Cochrane; 2022. www.training.cochrane.org/handbook .
• Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Kunz R, et al. GRADE guidelines: 2. Framing the question and deciding on important outcomes. J Clin Epidemiol. 2011/04// 2011;64(4):395-400. doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010.09.012

ACIP GRADE Handbook

This handbook provides guidance to the ACIP workgroups on how to use the GRADE approach for assessing the certainty of evidence.

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The Power of Thirty Questions: Reflections and Perspectives on the Research Agenda for High Value, Equitable Care

In the second blog of AcademyHealth’s series outlining our collaborative process of developing a research agenda to advance high-value, equitable health care, patient advocate Tara Montgomery shares her perspective on the importance and impact of this work.

Imagine if the answers to  thirty questions could help transform the challenges that we see in the U.S. health care system into high-value, equitable solutions that advance the health and wellbeing of communities. Imagine if those thirty questions were bold enough to spur the redesign of a health system that could become not only equitable and high value but deeply attuned to the needs and experiences of those at the heart of the health care system—patients and families.

Imagine that those questions were designed not only to fill gaps in research but were destined to drive action. Imagine that they drew from shared definitions and a consensus-based framework, built upon a strong base of existing knowledge  and the discovery of relevant new data and insights to inform choices and actions. Imagine that these thirty questions reflected things that matter most to patients and families—not just payers and policymakers—because they had emerged from a thoughtful collaboration between diverse researchers, expert patients and public voices, and leaders in health equity, health systems, health care quality, and social justice. 

Over the past two years as one of approximately fifty contributors to AcademyHealth’s Research Agenda for High Value, Equitable Care funded by the Donaghue Foundation, I’ve witnessed an ambitious and dynamic collaborative effort to use these thirty questions to reimagine and co-create the roadmap for health services research to drive meaningful systems change. From the outset, I was ready to put my trust in a process that was co-chaired by two brilliant Consensus Group leaders— Donna Cryer , Founder of Global Liver Institute and  Elizabeth McGlynn , Senior Vice President for Research & Quality Measurement and Executive Director of the Kaiser Permanente Center for Effectiveness & Safety Research—who brought both empathy and evidence to the table, grounded in lived experience and a record of research impact. The Consensus Group itself, including inspiring changemakers like  Somava Saha , President and CEO of We in the World and recognized experts in patient- and family-centered care like  Marie Abraham , Vice President, Programming and Publications at the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care, reflected a commitment to elevating patient and community voices while developing the five drivers outlined below that would guide this process:

• A Fair and Just Culture of Whole-Person Health for All
• Care That is Accessible to All Patients
• Health System Centered Around Primary Care
• Adequate Health System Capacity to Deliver Care
• Health System Accountability for Outcomes 

These drivers provided an easy-to-understand guiding framework, supported by a valuable virtual voting tool, which helped us to make sense of our task and center health equity in the generation, refinement, and prioritization of research questions.

You can read more about the five primary drivers, their secondary drivers, and the full set of research questions in this  summary report .

Behind every question on the research agenda is an urgent need and beyond every answer is the opportunity to improve lives. Some of my “favorite” questions demonstrate how the agenda recognizes real-world challenges for patients and families—like this one: How can we move beyond accessibility as it relates to insurance status to studying how people actually access care, e.g., urban vs. rural populations, people’s sense of belonging or lack of belonging in accessing care? Other questions are long overdue, recognizing a barrier to progress in addressing the intersection of value and equity—like this one: What are effective strategies for encouraging health system quality/safety programs to integrate equity into existing frameworks (as opposed to seeing it as something extra)?

The Research Agenda for High Value, Equitable Care is a call to action. Imagine what could happen if funders, researchers, decisionmakers within health systems, and stakeholders who drive the behavior of health systems (such as federal and state policy­makers and regulators, health plans and employers) answered that call! Imagine how this agenda could be taken up with a sense of urgency, complete with funding support for the necessary research infrastructure to accelerate our work!

Change begins with conversations. We can start conversations in our communities about the Research Agenda and its potential impact—reaching beyond the health services research community and across to leaders of medical associations, public policy institutions, civic organizations, and patient partners. We can discuss the agenda with grant-seekers, grant-makers, and funders. As researchers, if our work has been focused primarily on value (or quality or cost or equity), we can use the agenda to guide conversations about how value and equity are dual priorities that cannot be divorced from one another in the real world—and explain why the answers to the thirty questions matter to patients, researchers, and health systems alike. As advocates, we need to challenge decision-makers to seek out new research evidence on high-value, equitable care. The sooner that this research agenda comes to life, the sooner lives can be improved.

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Advancements in cold-region rice breeding: the 4s phenotypic-design breeding system and its applications in heilongjiang.

1. Introduction

2. construction of 4s phenotypic-design breeding technical system for rcr, 2.1. theoretical foundations of the technical system, 2.2. conceptual model of the technical system, 2.3. construction of technical system connotation, 2.3.1. techniques for formulating key scientific questions in breeding, 2.3.2. multi-objective optimal design techniques for breeding innovation, 2.3.3. innovations in parental group division and crossing for breeding, 2.3.4. innovations in pressure–state–response (psr) selection and realization techniques for hybrid progeny, 2.3.5. development of three-stage technology for the efficient transformation and promotion of scientific and technological achievements, 3. application and achievements of 4s phenotypic breeding technical system for rcr, 3.1. suijing 3, 3.2. suijing 4, 3.3. suijing 10, 3.4. suijing 18, 3.5. suijing 28, 3.6. longdao 363, 3.7. songkejing 108, 3.8. songkejing 110, 4. prospects for rcr 4s phenotypic-design breeding technical system, 4.1. technical systems require continuous maturation and practice-based development, 4.2. conventional and molecular breeding technologies must be integrated, 4.3. the technology must be “activated” during continuous “evolution”, author contributions, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

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Liu, B.; Nie, S.; Gao, S.; Liu, Q.; Liu, Y.; Mu, F.; Zhang, B.; Zhao, B.; Gao, H.; Wu, L.; et al. Advancements in Cold-Region Rice Breeding: The 4S Phenotypic-Design Breeding System and Its Applications in Heilongjiang. Plants 2024 , 13 , 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182658

Liu B, Nie S, Gao S, Liu Q, Liu Y, Mu F, Zhang B, Zhao B, Gao H, Wu L, et al. Advancements in Cold-Region Rice Breeding: The 4S Phenotypic-Design Breeding System and Its Applications in Heilongjiang. Plants . 2024; 13(18):2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182658

Liu, Baohai, Shoujun Nie, Shiwei Gao, Qing Liu, Yuqiang Liu, Fengchen Mu, Bo Zhang, Beiping Zhao, Hongru Gao, Licheng Wu, and et al. 2024. "Advancements in Cold-Region Rice Breeding: The 4S Phenotypic-Design Breeding System and Its Applications in Heilongjiang" Plants 13, no. 18: 2658. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13182658

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The $7 Million Question About Ibrahim Aqil

Who was Ibrahim Aqil? The Washington Post said he was a “Hezbollah leader who sat on the group’s military council…. Aqil appeared to have taken over from Fuad Shukr, the senior Hezbollah commander killed in an Israeli strike in the same southern Beirut suburb over a month ago.” He led Hezbollah’s Operations Unit for two decades, according to the IDF. And he was killed on September 20 by the IDF. 

The State Department said the following on April 18, 2023: 

Today, on the 40th anniversary of Hizballah’s bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program, which is administered by the Diplomatic Security Service, is announcing a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to the identification, location, arrest, and/or conviction of Hizballah key leader Ibrahim Aqil. Ibrahim Aqil, also known as Tahsin, serves on Hizballah’s highest military body, the Jihad Council. During the 1980s, Aqil was a principal member of Hizballah’s terrorist cell the Islamic Jihad Organization, which claimed responsibility for the bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, which killed 63 people, and the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in October 1983, which killed 241 U.S. personnel. Also in the 1980s, Aqil directed the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon and held them there. On July 21, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury listed Aqil as a Specially Designated National, pursuant to Executive Order 13582, for acting for or on behalf of Hizballah. Subsequently, on September 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of State designated Aqil as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224, as amended. Anyone with information on Ibrahim Aqil should contact Rewards for Justice via Signal, Telegram, or WhatsApp….

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Two questions arise. The first is whether the State Department owes the IDF that $7 million. Why not? The reward was for the “identification, location, arrest, and/or conviction” of Aqil. Too late for arrest and trial, but the Israelis did the identification and location. Why should they lose the reward just because they brought him to justice themselves?

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But there is a larger question. Aqil was named first in 2015 as a “Specially Designated National,” but has been called a Specially Designated Global Terrorist since 2019. The reward was posted last year. This man killed over 300 Americans. Did the United States try to seize him or kill him? The United States government posted a reward, but was that it? For the killer of more than 300 of us? Did we demand that the Government of Lebanon arrest him and render him to us? They could not have defied Hezbollah and done so because Hezbollah actually runs the country, but did we at least put the demand on the books? Did we ever send any teams to Beirut to locate him or kill him? 

Israel did us a great favor by eliminating this murderer. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said "Any time a terrorist who has murdered Americans is brought to justice, we believe that that is a good outcome.” He went on: 

“That individual has American blood on his hands and has a Reward for Justice price on his head. He is somebody who the United States promised long ago we would do everything we could to see brought to justice.”

Sounds like he’d give the IDF the $7 million. But no reporter asked “Did you keep that promise? Did the United States do everything we could to get him?” Or was this country simply passive, waiting for someone who wanted the money to come forward secretly or waiting for the Israelis to do the job for us?  

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