Developing a research question

Research questions are queries in which you center your research. They help you to focus your research interests, fill gaps in knowledge, and can support a specific thesis or theme. Here we go through a more linear approach to construction questions, but know that it is not an entirely linear process. Many researchers return to their questions over and over again, honing in and changing them based on their findings and the research they are reading.

Steps for developing a research question

Start with a broad or general topic

Start with an area in your discipline that you are genuinely interested in. You may also consider the impact of your topic. 

Gather preliminary research

Reviewing literature will help you to get up-to-date and uncover what subtopics and areas of study are already out there in your discipline. It will also help you to identify gaps in the literature and research already done. Noting these gaps will help you to focus your own research questions later. 

Start asking questions

The saturation point in research refers to the point in which you are no longer uncovering any new literature on your topic. At this point you may create a mind map to organize your thoughts. What subtopics are central to scholars in your area? What gaps are there? What questions do you have that are unanswered? What is interesting to you? 

It can be helpful to frame your questions around “how” and “why?” Write these down!

If you’re in a health sciences related field, check out the PICO and SPICE frameworks when constructing and evaluating your questions.

Evaluate your question(s)

At this point you want to ask yourself if your questions are clear and focused. A common model for evaluating the scope and feasibility of your questions is the FINER framework developed by Hulley (2007). 

     F – Feasible

     I – Interesting

     N – Novel

     E – Ethical 

     R – Relevant 

 

Sample research questions

Your question(s) should be clear, focused and appropriately complex.

Sample 1:

• Unclear: Why are social networking sites harmful?
• Clear: How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on social networking sites?

Sample 2: 

• Unfocused: What is the effect on the environment from global warming? 
• Focused: How is glacial melting affecting Emperor penguins in Antarctica? 

Sample 3:

• Too simple: How is the medical community addressing diabetes in the U.S.?
• Appropriately complex: What are common traits of those with diabetes in America, and how can these commonalities be used to aid the medical community in preventing diabetes? 

 

Content for this page was adapted from Indiana University’s “Develop a Research Question”  and “How to Write a Research Question” by Imed Bouchrika (2023).