Research question

Research question(s) are fundamental for guiding the conduct and reporting of scientific research studies. A question specifies a purpose and a destination.

Time invested in development and refinement of research questions is generally well spent.



Developing research questions

 * 1) In the early stages of research projects, brainstorm a series of possible research questions
 * 2) Formulate research questions based on:
 * 3) * Consulting theory
 * 4) * Reading other research
 * 5) * Real-world observations
 * 6) Consider and discuss the pros and cons of each question, then select, and refine
 * 7) Use open-ended research questions (e.g., What is the effect of s on t?) rather than closed-ended questions (e.g., Is u better w?), although the latter may be appropriate in some specific cases.
 * 8) Once research question(s) are established, consider generating hypotheses, which are generally more specific statements to be tested.
 * 9) A well-developed research question provides a clear focus for the design and conduct of the study. However, it may be necessary to revise the question during the conduct of a study.
 * 10) Research questions can be written in sentences and paragraphs. They can also be numbered.

Are questions researchable?

 * Meaningful
 * Has the question already been satisfactorily answered?
 * Does it matter? (is the topic worth investigating in theoretical and practical terms)?
 * Specific enough? (e.g., these questions are too broad: Is psychotherapy effective? Can attitudes be changed?)
 * Can the question be answered on an empirical basis? (e.g., does god exist? No. Is caramel the tastiest ice-cream flavour? Yes.)
 * Research question needs to be refinable to specific, testable hypotheses

Example generic forms

 * What is the relationship between a and b?
 * What is the difference between f and g?
 * What is the effect of x on y?

Example research questions

 * What is the relationship between social support and mental health?
 * What is the difference in mortality rates between countries with above and below 10% of Gross Domestic Product expenditure on healthcare?
 * How can the lifespan of a soap bubble be extended in different temperatures and atmospheric conditions?