Which objectives should be considered when developing a research question?

After gathering background information, one of the easiest ways to focus your topic is to frame it as a question. Research is not passive reporting, it is a search for answers.

For instance, after doing research on censorship, you discover a current controversy involving censorship of the Internet. So, looking at your background research, you have determined that this is the area on which you wish to focus.

There are a number of ways to focus this interest even further into a research question.

Some questions to get you started

Who is involved?

• What are the political affiliations of those who are in favor of and opposed to censoring the Internet?
• How do public schools address Internet access and censorship?
• Does the government have the right to censor the Internet?

Are there comparisons you can make?

• How does the debate concerning Internet censorship differ from the debate about book banning?
• Does the Canada have different rules about Internet censorship than other countries?

Are there Pros & Cons to your topic? This reflects a potential decision to be made

• What are the ethical arguments for or against censoring the Internet?
• Should libraries censor Internet use?
• Should Internet filters block pornography?

Your background research using specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries will give you the knowledge you need to formulate a good research question.

Common problems with research questions

There are a number of common errors people make when formulating research questions.

The question is too broad to be manageable.

• What is the history of Christianity?
  • Try instead, How did the conversion of Emperor Constantine affect the history of Christianity?

• How are environmental disasters being fought?

  • Try instead, How effective are the current practices for cleaning oil spills?

The question is too narrow.

Sometimes the narrowness is logical (such as there being an easily obtainable "right" answer), and sometimes it is too narrow given the availability of resources.

• Does Sweden have nationalized healthcare? (The answer is "yes." That doesn't make for much of a paper).
  • Try instead, What was the political process that enabled Sweden to establish nationalized healthcare?
• How did the UAW affect the economy in Dayton, Ohio in 1973?
  • Try instead, What influence did the automobile labor unions have on the economy in the early 1970's?

The question cannot be answered.

Sometimes this is because of a logical problem in the question, because the information needed to answer the question cannot be logically or legally obtained.

Because of all their influence, you might worry that research questions are very difficult to develop. Sometimes it can seem that way. But we’ll help you get the hang of it and, luckily, none of us has to come up with perfect ones right off. It’s more like doing a rough draft and then improving it. That’s why we talk about developing research questions instead of just writing them.

Steps for Developing a Research Question

The steps for developing a research question, listed below, can help you organize your thoughts.

Step 1: Pick a topic (or consider the one assigned to you).

Step 2: Write a narrower/smaller topic that is related to the first.

Step 3: List some potential questions that could logically be asked in relation to the narrow topic.

Step 4: Pick the question that you are most interested in.

Step 5: Change that question you’re interested in so that it is more focused.

MOVIE: Developing Research Questions

As you view this short video on how to develop research questions, think about the steps. Which step do you think is easiest? Which do you think is hardest?

View Movie | View Text Version

Practice

Once you know the steps and their order, only three skills are involved in developing a research question:

• Imagining narrower topics about a larger one,
• Thinking of questions that stem from a narrow topic, and
• Focusing questions to eliminate their vagueness.

Every time you use these skills, it’s important to evaluate what you have produced—that’s just part of the process of turning rough drafts into more finished products.

Maybe you have a topic in mind, but aren’t sure how to form a research question around it. The trick is to think of a question related to your topic, but not answerable with a quick search. Also, try to be specific so that your research question can be fully answered in the final product for your research assignment.

ACTIVITY: Thinking of Questions

For each of the narrow topics below, think of a research question that is logically related to that topic. (Remember that good research questions often, but not always, start with “Why” or “How” because questions that begin that way usually require more analysis.)

Topics:

• U.S. investors’ attitudes about sustainability
• College students’ use of Snapchat
• The character Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird
• Nature-inspired nanotechnologies
• Marital therapy

After you think of each research question, evaluate it by asking whether it is:

• Logically related to the topic
• In question form
• Not answerable with a quick Google search
• Specific, not vague

Sometimes the first draft of a research question is still too broad, which can make your search for sources more challenging. Refining your question to remove vagueness or to target a specific aspect of the topic can help.

ACTIVITY: Focusing Questions

The first draft research questions below are not focused enough. Read them and identify at least one area of vagueness in each. Check your vagueness with what we identified. It’s great if you found more than we did because that can lead to research questions of greater specificity. See the bottom of the page for our answers.

What are the objectives of a research question?

What objectives should you meet to ensure that the research question will be answered?

What are the 3 main objectives of the research?

What are the 5 steps in developing a research question?