Developing inquiry questions

It is likely that at some bespeak during your degree you will be required to create your own enquiry question. The research question states the specific effect or problem that your assignment will focus on. It also outlines the task that you will need to complete.

There is no universal set of criteria for a good research question. Different disciplines have different priorities and requirements. A proficient research question for a history newspaper will differ from a good research question for a biological science newspaper. In general, nonetheless, a good inquiry question should be:

  • Articulate and focused. In other words, the question should clearly state what the writer needs to do.
  • Not likewise wide and not also narrow. The question should take an appropriate scope. If the question is also broad it will non exist possible to answer it thoroughly within the discussion limit. If information technology is also narrow y'all volition not take enough to write about and you volition struggle to develop a strong argument (encounter the activity below for examples).
  • Non also easy to answer. For example, the question should require more than a simple yes or no respond.
  • Not besides difficult to answer. Yous must exist able to reply the question thoroughly within the given timeframe and word limit.
  • Researchable. Y'all must have admission to a suitable amount of quality research materials, such as bookish books and refereed journal manufactures.
  • Analytical rather than descriptive. In other words, your research question should permit you to produce an analysis of an upshot or problem rather than a simple clarification of it (more on this below).

Activity: Is the question too wide or too narrow?

Imagine that you have been asked to write a 2000 word essay most nuclear power in Australia. Which of these three options is the best in terms of its scope? Drag and drop to friction match each question with the near accurate description of its scope.

How to create a research question

1. Determine the requirements

Before you tin construct a adept research question you will need to make up one's mind the requirements of your consignment.

What is the purpose of this consignment? Is it to examination a proposition? Is information technology to evaluate a set of data? Is it to state and defend an argument? Check the assignment instructions and talk over the purpose with your tutor or lecturer.

Determining the purpose will help you lot to choose the most appropriate topic and word your question in the most useful style.

2. Choose a topic

Have you been given a list of topics to cull from or tin can y'all choose your own? Cheque the assignment instructions and if y'all are notwithstanding in dubiousness discuss the requirements with your tutor or lecturer.

The best approach is to cull a topic that you are interested in. If you are interested in your topic you are more likely to invest more time, effort, and creativity into your research and writing. The greater your involvement, the more probable information technology is that you will produce an assignment that is interesting to read.

three. Comport preliminary research

Before y'all write your question it is advisable to read a small number of relevant bookish sources. Limit your reading to recently published material and perhaps one or two influential works on the topic. The goal here is to familiarise yourself with the key debates in bookish writing on the topic.

Reading in society to develop a inquiry question is different from reading in guild to answer information technology. Focus on the main ideas and arguments (these are usually constitute in the introduction and the conclusion). You don't need to read every word or take down extensive notes at this phase, as you will probably come back to the text at a later on date.

4. Narrow down your topic

Having conducted some preliminary research you lot should now be in a position to narrow down your topic.

In near cases you volition need to narrow downwardly your focus to a specific event or debate within the broader topic. This is because it is much more effective to cover a single issue or dimension of a topic in depth than to skim the surface of several.

There are several ways that you might go about narrowing downwardly your topic:

  • Think about the subtopics, specific problems, and primal debates that exist within the broader topic.
  • Think about the value of focusing on a particular period of time, a particular geographical location, a particular arrangement, or a particular grouping of people.
  • Remember almost what you want to say in your assignment. What are the key points and arguments that you desire to get across? Which subtopic, timeframe or other limitation would allow you to make these points in the most effective way?

Activeness: Narrowing down your topic

  • Create three columns on a piece of newspaper, in a word document, or in a spreadsheet.
  • Select a broad topic for an upcoming assignment or choose a topic that you are interested in.
  • In the first column write down the items contained in the first column beneath. Add whatever other items that may be relevant to your topic.
  • In the second column write downwardly potential sub-topics and other limitations. If you get stuck utilize the examples in the 2nd column below to guide you lot.
  • In the third column write the potential value of what you lot take written in the second column. What would that sub-topic or other limitation allow yous to fence or demonstrate?
  • Circle or highlight the items in column ii that have the strongest potential value.

If you become stuck use the case below to guide you.

Broad topic: Social impact of earthquakes. Relevant events: Haitian earthquake of 2010. Potential value: Very destructive in terms of lives lost and infrastructure damaged. Allows me to explore why some populations are more vulnerable to earthquakes than others. Relevant individuals and groups: Homeless citizens. Potential value: Homelessness was a major consequence. Homelessness increases exposure to other consequences such as outbreaks of disease. Sub-issues: Lack of building codes - One reason why the earthquake was so devastating. Role of NGOs and foreign aid - This has been widely criticised. Allows me to identify which efforts have worked and which have not. Other limitations: Could focus on those still homeless several years after the earthquake. Potential value: Might be a useful way of highlighting the role of social inequality in disaster relief.

5. Write your question

At present that you take narrowed down your topic you can turn your attention to the wording of your research question.

As mentioned previously, the research question must outline a clear task that you volition demand to complete.

Remember that you will need to continue the purpose of your assignment in heed when thinking well-nigh the wording of your question and that the purpose will differ from subject area to discipline (meet 1: Decide the Requirements).

In general, however, a good research question requires yous to analyse an outcome or problem. How and why questions are therefore more useful than what or describe questions. Other useful words that you might use are critique, argue, examine and evaluate. For definitions of these terms encounter Education Words.

Activity: Which is the all-time worded question?

Imagine that you have been asked to write an essay about earthquakes. The broad topic that you have chosen is the social bear on of earthquakes. You have narrowed downwards your topic and decided to focus on the event of homelessness caused by the Haitian earthquake of 2010. You are particularly interested in why there were high levels of homelessness several years after the convulsion. Which of these three options is the best inquiry question? Drag and drop to match each question with the virtually accurate description of its effectiveness as a research question.