How to set a research question

Nurse researcher, 2016

To describe the development of a research question, aim and objective. The first steps of any study are developing the research question, aim and objective. Subsequent steps develop from these and they govern the researchers' choice of population, setting, data to be collected and time period for the study. Clear, succinctly posed research questions, aims and objectives are essential if studies are to be successful. Researchers developing their research questions, aims and objectives generally experience difficulties. They are often overwhelmed trying to convert what they see as a relevant issue from practice into research. This necessitates engaging with the relevant published literature and knowledgeable people. This paper identifies the issues to be considered when developing a research question, aim and objective. Understanding these considerations will enable researchers to effectively present their research question, aim and objective. To conduct successful studies, resear...

Indian Journal of Medical Specialities, 2011

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0) Conflict of interest: None declared Source of funding: Nil and critically examine the available information to institute an effective professional health service. Because scientific knowledge is provisional, all empirical findings and theories are subject to further investigation. In addition to seeking more exact confirmations of existing claims to knowledge, research has the equally important goal of generating new claims [3]. Research question formulation is the logical first step toward this goal, without which no research can progress. Pertinent question is necessary for pertinent answer or solution. What is a Research question? A Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied [4]. It is a fuel that drives the scientific process, and is the foundation of any research process. A research question is a clear, focused, concise, complex and arguable question around which any research is centered. It can be based on anyone like mothers, children, diabetics, senile cataract patients or eating or sexual behaviour. But question should be assessed with skeptical mind and further probing is required.

British journal of community nursing, 2003

The development of the research question for a study can be where a lot of research fails. Without a well-defined and specific research question or hypothesis, findings from the research are unlikely to tell us very much. Developing a tightly focused research question or hypothesis defines how and what data is collected and analysed and provides a context for the results. This article, the second in a series of six, focuses on the process of developing a research question or hypothesis from the initial idea through to the final research question, using examples to illustrate the key principles. Approaches to reviewing the literature, including hand searching and the use of electronic sources, are described together with their different strengths and weaknesses. An overview of the deductive and inductive approaches to research are described, as well as the underlying rationale of the null hypothesis and one and two-tailed tests. Finally, issues around the feasibility of the study, in...

Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal, 2013

Clinics in plastic surgery, 2008

The most important precondition for performing a clinical research project in plastic surgery, or any other surgical subspecialty, is the need to ask the "right question." Although this might seem to be an easy task, in truth it requires a lot of effort and hard work. This article addresses the key points to remember when formulating a research question.

2000

Getting the question right is absolutely crucial to the rest of the research process. This is obvious as getting the right answer to the wrong question is going to waste an awful lot of time and resources. However, the main problem is not asking the wrong question,but not properly defining the right question. This article assumes you have identified a general area that you are interested in researching and will give guidance on how to take that idea and shape it into a researchable question.

The Clinical Teacher, 2018

This paper, on writing research questions, is the fi rst in a series that aims to support novice researchers within clinical education, particularly those undertaking their fi rst qualitative study. Put simply, a research question is a question that a research project sets out to answer. Most research questions will lead to a project that aims to generate new insights, but the target audience and the methodology will vary widely. The term 'evaluation question' is used less commonly, but the same principles apply. The key difference is that evaluation questions are typically more focused on the immediate context: for example, the effectiveness of an educational intervention in a particular setting. Whether your ambition is for research or evaluation, we hope that you will fi nd this paper helpful for designing your own educational projects. A research question is a question that a research project sets out to answer

Ultrasound, 2013

Research is the lifeblood of medicine, with innovations being made in the different technologies used to diagnose and/or screen for the presence of disease or to deliver treatments with higher efficacy. Scientific publication is the network of vessels which delivers the lifeblood. The outputs of research provide us with tomorrow's medicine. In this series of articles we will be discussing the different aspects of carrying out research, from the conception of the research idea to publication in a peer reviewed journal, with the cycle repeating again with new research ideas emerging from the research conducted.

Qualitative research is exciting because it asks questions about people's everyday lives and experiences. As a qualitative researcher you will have the privilege of exploring the 'significant truths' in people's lives (Bakan, 1996: 5). That is an amazing prospect, but if you are delving into people's lives and asking questions about real experiences, you need to get those questions right. This chapter will help you do just that.

How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries?, 2021

A research question is the central theme of a scientific experiment around which everything revolves. It is a probing statement for which an answer is required. If the research question is not clear at the beginning the whole research becomes questionable and doubtful. Thus, formulating a question is the critical step towards biomedical research [1]. The research question is a signpost that indicates the direction of a study [2] and is based on the gaps in our knowledge.