How To Write a Good Research Question?

An excellent research question is crucial to guide your dissertation, research paper, or thesis. It shows writers what they want to research and gives their work a clear purpose and focus. Research questions should be researchable, complex, focused, relevant, specific, and feasible.

You’ll usually write one research question to guide your thinking and reading in an essay or paper. The exciting answer you come up with becomes the thesis statement – the position or central assertion the piece will argue for.

tips to write a good research question

For more significant tasks, you might need several research questions, such as a dissertation or thesis. However, they should all be related, focused, and connected around the main research question. We’ve discussed everything you need to know in this article.

Sometimes it’s challenging to get into the writing spirit and develop effective research questions or interesting topics for your study paper. There are many reasons you might struggle to produce good research questions for an essay. The good thing is writing services such as do my research paper can help when you are stuck. Customer reviews suggest that these companies are good at writing about different topics. The process of hiring is easy. You only need to send instructions, choose a writer, deposit payment and revise the paper.

What is a research question?

A research question is a question around which writers center their research. It should be:

  • Focused – It should be narrow enough that you can answer it thoroughly in the space the enjoyable task allows.
  • Clear – It offers sufficient specifics so your audience can quickly grasp its purposes without needing more explanation.
  • Complex – It should not be answerable with a simple “no” or “yes” but should have analysis and synthesis of sources and ideas before you compose an answer.
  • Concise – You need to express it in the fewest words possible.
  • Arguable – The possible answers can elicit debates instead of accepted facts.

Writers need to write a research question about a topic they’re passionate about or/and curious about. The types of research questions you ask should be created for the area of study. For example, a question that is good for Physics differs from a good one in Sociology or Political Science. If you’re creating your query for a course other than 1st-year composition, discussing your ideas with your lecturer might be wise.

Tips for Writing a Research Question

When writing your paper, there are specific characteristics that it should have. We’ve listed them below:

  1. Be specific and give details to help your readers understand your purpose without struggling.
  2. Always focus on its scope. It would be best if you narrowed it enough to ensure that it fits in the space provided in the paper.
  3. Be concise and relevant in a way you can express the main ideas in the fewest words possible.
  4. Be testable or arguable so that answers to your chosen question are open to counterarguments, scrutiny, and specific queries.

Some of these features might be hard to grasp in the list form. Our experts have gotten into more detail about what a compelling research question needs to have.

The Research Question Should Be Specific and Focused

It’s hard to address queries that are too broad in one study. One reason for this is there are multiple variables or factors to consider. Additionally, a large sample information set or a long timeline might suggest that your question lacks enough focus.

When your question is specific, it means that the collective observations and data combine to deny or confirm the chosen hypothesis understandably. If the query is vague, the information might create an alternate theory or research problem you failed to address in your Introduction.

Consider Your Audience

The most crucial characteristic of composing a great research question is to figure out if there is an audience who wants to know the answer to the question you’re proposing. Additionally, knowing your audience will help you refine the paper and focus on features that relate to specific groups.

Conduct Preliminary Research

Before writing your query, it’s wise to study several reliable academic sources. Limit the studying to recently published materials and several influential tasks on the subject. The aim is for the writers to familiarize themselves with the central debates in academic writing.

Note that reading to create research questions differs from studying to develop an answer to them. Focus on the main arguments and ideas because these are mainly found in your introduction and conclusion. You don’t have to read each word and write down many notes because there is a high possibility, you’ll get back to the text later.

ecology research paper

Research Question Examples

Below are several examples of questions examples that can inspire you to create your own:

  1. What are the effects of playing video games daily on the engagement levels of teenagers aged below 16 years?
  2. What educational techniques help encourage good driving among young people?
  3. How does playing sports help in focusing on your studies?
  4. How does living with grandchildren enhance the quality of life for older people?
  5. What factors affect human’s beliefs in religion?
  6. What teaching methods can tutors use to engage learners in an online classroom?
  7. What features make a grocery store simple for buyers to navigate?
  8. How does banning smartphones in school help encourage socialization in teenagers?
  9. How have increased streaming services transformed how people watch sports and TV shows?
  10. How do working night shifts affect a parent’s and child’s relationship?
  11. What factors have inspired more suppliers to provide eco-friendly packaging for their deliveries?
  12. How can playing video games enhance creativity in kids?

Wrap-up

Questions lead us to answers. On the other hand, research is the process of looking for answers. The questions don’t need to be vague if you want to attract an audience. They should be focused so that they can define the research. Because of this, it’s always good to ask an appropriate question for it to become an essential topic of discussion.

A research question that begins well should have a good research question. It creates a good direction for investigation and offers a precise aim to focus on. Understanding a significant research question’s features will help generate new ideas and enhance your research methods.

author avatar
Salman Zafar
Salman Zafar is the CEO of BioEnergy Consult, and an international consultant, advisor and trainer with expertise in waste management, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, environment protection and resource conservation. His geographical areas of focus include Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Salman has successfully accomplished a wide range of projects in the areas of biogas technology, biomass energy, waste-to-energy, recycling and waste management. Salman has participated in numerous national and international conferences all over the world. He is a prolific environmental journalist, and has authored more than 300 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. In addition, he is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management and environmental sustainability through his blogs and portals. Salman can be reached at salman@bioenergyconsult.com or salman@cleantechloops.com.

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