Lecture 3 - Identifying and Formulating A Research Question and Problems

Identifying and Formulating a Research
Question & Research Problem

Introduction
 Research Question
 Questions about one or more topics or concepts that can be answered
through research
 A research question can be about local or global governments,
individuals or organizations, and an entire society
 Research Topic
 A concept, subject or issue that can be studied through research
 Hypothesis
 A testable statement about how two or more variables are expected to
be related to one another
Introduction
 Research question vs. Hypothesis
 A research question is similar to a hypothesis, except that a hypothesis
presents an expectation about the way two or more variables are
related, but a research question does not
 Research projects that have explanatory or evaluation purposes
typically begin with one or more hypotheses, most exploratory and some
descriptive projects start with a research question
Introduction
 Sources of research questions
 The selection of a research question is often the result of many
factors
 Personal interests, experiences, values, and passions
 The desire to satisfy scientific curiosity
 Previous work -- or the lack of it -- on a topic
 The current political, economic, and social climates
 Being able to get access to data
 Having a way to fund a study
LITERATURE REVIEW AND
RESEARCH QUESTION
• In order to come up with an original research
question you need to know (very well) the literature in
the area first!
• Find out what has been done and how you can
contribute to the existing academic debate.
Identifying a research question flow - chart
I don’t have a research question, where do I start? Narrow down a
research area of interest
 1) Narrow down an area of interest (e.g marketing, operations,

finance etc.)
 2) Within that area of interest try to answer a research question
that:
a) Has either not been addressed before;
b) Or has been addressed but that you could extend in a
significant way (i.e. new data-set, different theoretical approach,
field, context etc.);
c) Or pioneer a new research area of business (not
recommended)
Note: before you identify a research question it is crucial that you

narrow down a research area of interest!
Literature review ( when I don’t have a research
question )
 Read as much as you can on the topic!
 Remember recent publications/studies will contain a more
updated literature so try collect these first! Then read
backwards to the most dated studies.
 Make sure you read all relevant papers (or at least the most
influential ones)
 Ideas on the research topic often come from this exercise (i.e.
author X has not included factor Y in his study, so maybe I could
look into factor Y)
 The more you read the easier will be to come up with a
research question.
Literature review (when I think I have a research
question)
 Reviewing the literature will enable you to understand whether your
research question has been already answered / is a potentially valid
one.
 Also, by reading previous studies you might get ideas on how to tweak
your original research question into a brand new one.
 Again, start by reading recent publications/studies first.
 Bottom line, whether you have or do not have a research question it is
crucial that you review the literature in the area FIRST!
 Many students commit the mistake of leaving the literature review as
the last step, however this is very dangerous! As you might find that
the question has already been addressed or discarded by the
literature because not relevant/important/not feasible.
Where do I look for papers/relevant
literature?
Main sources:
 Google scholar
 Library (e-resources)
Google scholar
Common mistakes when identifying new
research questions
1. Non originality
2. Non feasibility:
a) Time constraint (don’t have enough time)
b) Resources (lack of data, codes)
c) Knowledge (Do I know how to apply model X ? Can
I learn in the limited amount of time?)
3. Too broadly defined research question
4. Not well justified
5. Lacking business related or field relevant content
Developing a Researchable Question
 Researchable question
 A question that can be answered with research that is feasible
 To transforming a research question to a researchable question
 Narrow down the broad area of interest into something that is manageable
 Example: Cell phones
 You cannot study everything connected to cell phones
 You could study the effect of cell phones on family relationships
 You cannot study all age groups, but you can study a few
 You might not be able to study people in many communities, but you might be able to study one or two
 You would not be able to study dozens of behaviors or attitudes that change overtime, but you could
study some current attitudes and behaviors
 In the community in which I live, how does cell phone use affect parent-child relationships; more
specifically, how does the use of cell phones affect parents’ and adolescents’ attempts to maintain and
resist parental authority?
Developing a Researchable Question: the purpose of literature
 Purpose of Reviewing the Literature
 Helps researcher to identify their own research question or hypothesis
 Examine what previous researchers have used
 Provide context for your own work
 Provides an overview of the current state of research and narrows your
inquiry
 Academic Sources of literature
 To start a literature review, you will need to figure out which literature or sources you want
to search
 Books, articles, and government documents are the most common sources
 Popular literature, including newspapers and magazines, might be good sources of ideas, but academic
journals will be more useful in your literature review
 Keywords
 The terms used to search for sources in a literature review
 With common keywords you will generate a large number of sources – you can limit the search
to title and abstracts only
 You can use multiple keywords by including “and” between terms
Developing a Researchable Question: the Practicality
 Practical matters
 Feasibility
 Whether it is practical to complete a study in terms of access, time, and money
 Access
 The ability to obtain the information needed to answer a research question
 Research costs
 All monetary expenditures needed for planning, executing, and reporting
research
 Time expenditures
 The time it takes to complete all activities of a research project from
the planning stage to the final report
Chapter Summary
 Research questions can vary in scope and purpose
 A review of the literature is essential
 Planning a study
 Time
 Money
 Access to data
Quiz
 Some topics that may be interesting and important but gaining access
to the population may be very difficult. Which of the following presents
the greatest obstacles?
a. College students living in the halls
b. Individuals who are members of a club
c. Children who are hospitalized for minor illness
d. Individuals who are members of a secret cult
e. Singles who go on singles’ cruises
 The end

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Identifying and Formulating a Research

Question & Research Problem

 1) Narrow down an area of interest (e.g marketing, operations,

Note: before you identify a research question it is crucial that you

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