In this blog post, we were asked to share one or two key characteristics that make a good research question. Firstly, what is a research question? According to Heldt (2016), it is “what you need to learn in order to come up with a good thesis statement” (para. 1).
Secondly, a good research question acts as a guidance to provide your paper, project or thesis a clear focus and purpose (McCombes, 2019). Here are two features of a good question that stood out for me:
Feasible and specific
The question should be narrowed down and be more specific when there is a lack of time and difficulty searching for enough data (McCombes, 2019). As I usually work under a time-pressured environment, I need to consider the practical constraints and ensure the question is answered with well-defined concepts instead of broad ideas that do not provide clear meanings.
Relevant and interesting
The question should pursue answers to a problem or gap in the society that are of interest to the researchers and others (University of Waterloo, 2018). It should also spark debates and welcome supportive arguments from multiple perspectives (Fandino, 2019).
References:
Heldt, M. (2016). The Difference Between a Research Question and a Thesis Statement: Home. Harold Washington College Library. https://researchguides.ccc.edu/c.php?g=527873&p=3609317
Fandino, W. (2019). Formulating a good research question: Pearls and pitfalls. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 63, 611. https://doi.org/10.4103/ija.IJA_198_19
McCombes, S. (2019, April 16). Developing strong research questions. Scribbr. https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/
University of Waterloo. (2018, July 9). Develop a research question. Writing and Communication Centre. https://uwaterloo.ca/writing-and-communication-centre/resources-develop-research-question