How to Develop a STRONG Research Question | Scribbr 🎓

Summary

In this video, Jessica from Scribbr outlines five essential steps for developing a strong research question. She emphasizes the importance of starting with a broad topic that interests you, followed by preliminary reading to refine your focus. The steps include narrowing down to a specific niche, identifying a clear research problem, and formulating a precise research question. Jessica also provides a checklist to ensure the question is focused, researchable, feasible, specific, complex, and relevant. This structured approach sets a solid foundation for effective research, crucial for academic success.

Takeaways

• 😀 A good research question serves as a guiding light for your research paper, providing clarity and focus.
• 📚 Start by choosing a broad topic that interests you, as you will spend considerable time on it.
• 🔍 Conduct preliminary reading to gather background information and understand the current discourse on your topic.
• 🎯 Narrow down your broad topic to a specific niche to make your research manageable and relevant.
• 🧩 Identify a clear research problem that highlights gaps in existing research, ensuring your question is significant.
• ❓ Transform your research problem into a specific, clear, and focused research question.
• 📊 Ensure your research question is researchable through empirical data or literature review methods.
• ⌛ Assess the feasibility of your research question in terms of timeframe and resource availability.
• 🔍 Be specific in your language; use precise terms to avoid ambiguity in your research question.
• ⚖️ Make sure your question is complex enough to require in-depth analysis and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of a good research question?

A good research question serves as a guiding beacon for your research paper, pinpointing exactly what you want to find out and providing clear purpose and focus.

What is the first step in developing a strong research question?

The first step is to choose a broad topic that sparks your interest, as you'll be spending significant time on it.

Why is preliminary reading important when selecting a research topic?

Preliminary reading helps you gather background information and understand existing discussions and research, which can refine your focus.

How should you narrow down your topic after preliminary reading?

You should narrow it down to a specific niche to ensure your research is feasible and manageable within your timeframe.

What constitutes a research problem?

A research problem highlights an area where limited research has been conducted, such as the effects of social media on the attention span of adolescents.

How can you transform a research problem into a research question?

You can turn your research problem into a question by framing it clearly, such as asking about the effect of a specific social media platform on a defined group.

What does it mean for a research question to be 'researchable'?

A research question is considered researchable if the answer can be found through empirical data collection or existing literature.

What are some criteria to evaluate if a research question is feasible?

A research question should be doable within a certain timeframe and require access to the necessary data or respondents.

Why is specificity important in a research question?

Specificity ensures that all terms used in the question have clear meanings, making the research more focused and actionable.

What is the significance of complexity in a research question?

A research question should be complex enough to require in-depth analysis and cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.

Why should a research question be relevant to the field of study?

Relevance ensures that the question addresses a current issue or gap in knowledge that can contribute to future research and societal understanding.

Can a research project have multiple research questions?

Yes, while a research paper usually has one main question, larger projects can include multiple questions surrounding the same problem.