When I think about what makes a good research question, there are two things that immediately pop into my mind:
- Clear
- Concise
A clear question that identifies what is the objective of the research being done. A concise question that provides the relevant information needed to ensure the research question is being appropriately answered.
I decided to further investigate, as I have always somewhat struggled when it came to research. I would start with what I thought was a clear path and I would end up somewhere completely different taking turns left and right.
When I looked at the Writing Centre there is an outline for the basis of a research question, “a research question should: be clear and specific; state the focus of investigation in the research; not be answerable with a yes/no response” (“Thesis statements/Research questions/Problem statements | RRU Library”, 2019).
Comparing what I had originally thought versus the information I was able to pull up, leaves the question itself. To expand on my original thought, I would include that a research question should include: who, what, where, why, and/or how. This ensures that the question would not be answerable with a simple yes or no.
References:
Thesis statements/Research questions/Problem statements | RRU Library. (2019). Retrieved from https://library.royalroads.ca/writing-centre/writing/structure/thesis-statements