6.7: Research Questions
- Page ID
- 246444
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Identifying What You Know & Don’t Know
Once you have narrowed down your research topic and done some preliminary background reading on your topic, it’s time to start thinking about—and writing down—what you already know about your topic and what you are interested in finding out. Identifying the gaps in your knowledge will help you to create research questions that will guide your research. For instance, if you have decided to research the effects of divorce on children, you’d want to first think about what knowledge you already have on that topic. Next, write down what you do not know but are curious to find out.
For example...
What I Know
- Divorce is common in the United States
- Sometimes children are negatively affected by their parents getting divorced
What I Don’t Know
- Is there a certain age that children are more prone to the negative effects of divorce?
- Can children carry negative effects of divorce with them into adulthood?
- How can divorce impact academic performance?
- How can the effects of divorce be mitigated?
Though you may not be aware of it, you are mentally engaging in this process many times throughout the day. The process of seeking information for everyday questions is a bit different than for research questions, however. While everyday questions such as "when does the last bus leave my college campus?" are easily answered by a quick online search (e.g., Google), research questions take more exploration.
What Makes a Good Research Question?
- Clear: It's specific and easy to understand.
- Focused: Each question focuses on a single main idea or problem.
- Researchable: It can be answered through research. It's based on evidence.
- Complex: It should be complex enough to require research. Good research questions often stimulate deeper thinking. Different experts with access to the same information might approach and/or answer the question differently.
- Relevant: It needs to be related to your research topic.
Writing a Good Research Question
Once you have some good ideas, you can follow these basic practices to write a good research question:
- Begin with a broad research topic.
- Do some background research to identify related topics and questions you might explore.
- Narrow your topic to something interesting and manageable.
- Ask open-ended questions about your topic. Think about questions starting with "how", "why", or "what". For example: "How do nurses prepare to assist people from different cultures?" Avoid closed questions that could be answered with a "yes," "no," or simple factual information. For example: "Do nurses assist people from different cultures?" or "When does my bus arrive on campus?"
- Check if your question is researchable. Do a couple test searches to make sure you can find relevant information.
Choosing the Right Question
Once you have a list of several aspects of your topic that you are curious about, choose one that interests you most and create a research question from it. Be sure to choose something that aligns with the parameters of your assignment and that you believe is feasible to research given the amount of time and resources you have access to. Research questions that are too vague will leave you swimming in a sea of irrelevant information, while a research question that is too specific will make it very difficult to find enough information sources to support your research.
Too broad: What is the impact of divorce on academic performance?
Too narrow: What is the impact of divorce on female student’s grades during fifth grade in the United States?
Just right: How can divorce affect a student’s GPA in high school?
Examples of Research Questions
| Poor Research Question | Improved Research Question |
| Does social media affect people? | How does social media usage influence teenagers' mental health? |
| Is climate change real? | What are the most significant ways that climate change impacts coastal cities? |
| What is systemic racism? | How does systemic racism impact Black people's access to education? |
| Why do some animals go extinct? | Why are certain species more vulnerable to extinction? |
| Do pilots get tired on long flights? | How do flights more than 16 hours long affect the reflexes of commercial jet pilots? |
| How many children in the U.S. have allergies? | How does where a child was born affect their chances of developing asthma? |
| Can citizens register to vote at public libraries? | How do public libraries in the United States support democracy? |
Sources
Examples adapted from “Regular vs. Research Questions” by Teaching & Learning, Ohio State University Libraries, licensed under CC BY 4.0