A research question is a question that a study or research project aims to answer. This question often addresses an issue or a problem, which, through analysis and interpretation of data, is answered in the study’s conclusion.
Choose a topic you're curious about, so you'll be more interested in doing the work.
Start your research early to reduce stress and anxiety.
Consider how much information you need. Pay attention to your professor's requirements for sources. It's best to know what you need before you start looking.
Explore your topic online or using Library Search or the databases to see what information is available and to get ideas of related topics. It's normal to refine or even change your topic based on what you discover at the beginning of the research process.
Ask questions about your topic from the perspective of every kind of class you have ever seen in a school’s schedule: Ask a historical question, an economic question, a science (biology or other), a global question, a sociological question, a political question, an environmental question, a literature question, an artistic question, and so on.
Limit your topic to a time period (for example: 2, 5 or 10 years) or geographical area (for example: the US, Wisconsin, or Milwaukee) to make it more manageable.
This content is adapted from Choosing a Topic via Murphy Library, UW-La Crosse and from Information Literacy Basic Research Skills by Carol M. Withers.
Weak: How does social media affect people’s behavior?
Strong: What effect does the daily use of YouTube have on the attention span of children aged under 16?
The first research question is considered bad because of the vagueness of “social media” as a concept and the question’s lack of specificity. A good research question should be specific and focused, and its answer should be discovered through data collection and analysis. You can also hone your ability to construct well-worded and specific research questions by improving reading skills.
Weak: Has there been an increase in childhood obesity in the US in the past 10 years?
Strong: How have school intervention programs and parental education levels affected the rate of childhood obesity among 1st to 6th-grade students?
In the second example, the first research question is not ideal because it’s too simple, and it’s easily answerable by a “yes” or “no.” The second research question is more complicated; to answer it, the researcher must collect data, perform in-depth data analysis, and form an argument that leads to further discussion.
Adapted from https://research.com/research/how-to-write-a-research-question
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