LibGuides: Steps to writing a paper (NEW): 3. Research question +

After selecting and narrowing their topic, many students may choose to write their thesis statement right away. However, it can be more beneficial to formulate a research question first. If you have already narrowed your topic down 2-3 times, this should be a straight forward step.

What is Research Question?

A research question is a specific question that you plan to explore and answer in your paper.
It also aids the research process because it gives you something specific to look for (the answer to your research question).
Additionally, It also makes it easier to write your thesis statement, since your thesis will be the answer to this question.

What is a Research Question?

Once you have picked a topic, narrowed it down, and reviewed the criteria for a research question, use "probing questions" to create a research question from your narrowed down topic e.g. what, why, when, how, would, could, and should.

What Makes a Good Research Question?

Clear: It is specific enough for readers to understand what it's asking without needing more explanation.
Focused: It is narrow enough that it can be answered within the confines of your assignment.
Concise: It is written in simple language with the fewest words possible.
Open ended: It cannot be answered a simple "yes" or "no" and is not easily answerable with a Google search. It has multiple points of view and requires an evaluation from multiple sources to answer.
Answerable: It should have enough research available on it that it can be answered in your paper, answerable within the time frame your paper is due or answerable within the other limits of your paper.
Analytical: It should let you write more than a simple description of an issue, instead, you should be writing an an analysis.

Examples of Research Questions

You can form a research question by restating your topic as a question.

Broad Topic	1st Narrow	2nd Narrow	3rd Narrow (if needed)	Research Question
Homeschooling	Homeschooling and socialization of children	Homeschooling and co-op classes and socialization of children	X	What impact do co-op classes have on the socialization of home schooled children?
Lyme disease	Lyme disease and dogs	Prevention of Lyme disease and dogs	Lyme disease vaccine and dogs.	How effective is the Lyme disease vaccine in preventing Lyme disease in dogs?
World War I	World War I and medicine	World War I and medical advances for soldiers	World War I and medical imaging/X-rays of soldiers	What role did x-rays play in saving soldiers lives during World War I?