Finding a Problem to Investigate

In undertaking any research, the first problem is to find a problem to investigate. This statement looks either so self-contradictory or so self-evident that difficulties which investigators have in doing just this are likely to be underestimated.

Research starts with a problem. There is first a vague situation in which ideas are unclear, doubts are raised and the thinker is perplexed. This uncertainty must, however, ultimately be removed. Initially, a researcher may often have only a general and unfocussed notion of a particular problem but sooner or later there has to be a fairly clear idea of what the problem is. Otherwise they can hardly get very far in solving it. Though this statement seems self-evident, one of the most difficult things to do, apparently, is to state one\'s research problem clearly and fully. You must know what you are trying to find out, and when you finally know this the problem is heading towards a solution.

As with most undertakings, the success of research depends largely on the care taken with the preliminary preparations. Much thought should be given to the problem beforehand, dividing it into crucial questions and then designing a study to answer the questions.

Novice researchers are surprised to find that this initial stage often takes up a considerable amount of the total time invested in a research project. But research is impossible until a problem is recognised, thought through, and formulated in a feasible manner.

The difficulty is not due to a shortage of researchable problems. The main difficulty is that a problem must be selected and a question formulated early, when the beginner\'s understanding of how to do research is more limited. In addition, uncertainties about the nature of research problems, the isolation of a problem, the criteria for acceptability, and how to solve the problem often seem overwhelming. Even experienced researchers usually find it necessary to make several attempts before arriving at a research problem that meets generally accepted criteria. The first attempt at formulation may, on closer examination, be found to be unfeasible[1] or not worth doing. Skill in doing research is to a large extent a matter of making wise choices about what to investigate.