Developing a Research Question
The FAQ What is a research question and how do I develop one? provides great information on the process of forming and developing your research question:
A research question is the question that is answered by your research. So when you are developing one, you want to ask yourself: What do you want to know about a topic? When doing research, you want to address your topic as a question for which there are no immediate answers.
For example:
Topic: video games and violence
Research Question: Does playing violent video games lead to juvenile violence?
Try these steps to formulate a research question:
- Start by identifying your topic (e.g. texting and driving).
- Focus your topic by asking your self: who? what? when? why? where? (e.g. texting and driving and accidents).
- Formulate a question to ask about your topic (e.g. How many car accidents are caused by drivers who are texting?)
- Narrow your question further if possible again by asking your self: who? what? when? why? where? (e.g. How many car accidents are caused in the U.S. per year by drivers who are texting?).
![Developing a Research Question Flowchart](http://lgimages.s3.amazonaws.com/data/imagemanager/91908/forming_a_research_question_-_new_page.png)
Further Help
To access help with citation and more, visit Academic Support via modules in Brightspace: