Research Questions

You've chosen a subject and topic that interests you, and carried out some preliminary reading.  What are the next steps?

Consider the emerging questions. You should now begin posing open-ended questions about your topic.  These questions will usually be framed "how", "why", or "to what extent."

Evaluate the question.  Once you have posed possible research questions you should evaluate them.  This evaluation should be based on whether the question is clear, focused, and arguable.

• Clear - Will the reader understand the nature of my research?  Will it direct the research being undertaken?

• Focused - Will the research question be specific enough to allow for exploration within the scope of the task (that is, the number of words and time available)?

• Arguable - Does the research question allow for analysis, evaluation and the development of a reasoned argument?

Consider research outcomes.  Once you have decided on a provisional research question you should start thinking about the direction your research might take.  You could do this by:

• suggesting possible outcomes of your research

• outlining the kind of argument you might make and how your research might support this

• considering options if the research available is not sufficient to support a sustained argument