Background Research

Background Research

Background research questions must be written in such a way as to cover everything you need to know to conduct the experiment. These questions help you focus on what you really need to know. Research questions are to be written in a general way, not in a way that could be answered in one or two sentences. For example, the question, “What do river otters eat?” is not the best way to word a background research question because it can be answered with just one idea. Although that question is important and needs to be answered to do the experiment, background research questions are more general—for example, “What is needed to care for river otters in captivity?” This research question allows you to answer questions about what otters eat as well as what they need to sleep, drink, and swim. It also may bring up environmental issues that you may not have considered.