Your research questions are perhaps the most important part of your study.  It’s worth investing time to develop robust questions that will guide your research.

Identifying an effective research question

While the criteria for an effective research question may vary considerably, generally, a research question should be:

Strategies for developing effective research questions

Formulating research questions is a crucial step in the research process. It involves creating clear, focused, and researchable questions that guide your investigation. Here are some key points to consider:

• Your question should address a specific aspect of your topic.
• It should be possible to answer the question using primary and/or secondary sources.
• Ensure the question can be answered within the given timeframe and practical constraints.
• The question should be detailed enough to provide a thorough answer.

To develop effective research questions, you may like to try one of the following two key strategies:

I) Convert your topic into one or more research questions by:

1. breaking down your topic into its different features
2. choosing a feature that interests you to narrow down your topic’s scope
3. brainstorming and reading literature around this feature to refine it further
4. convert this focused feature into question form

II) Formulate a problem statement and then convert it into question form. Use the following template as a guide to writing your problem statement:

1. I am examining …
2. Because …
3. It matters because …

The following presentation shows how to use the above discussed strategies for developing robust research questions. Work through each section of the webinar. Feel free to pause the video at suitable points and complete the included activities.

Presentation on developing research questions (12:54 min)