Writing 101: Writing in the Disciplines - Psychology (Downey)

Coming up with a research question can be challenging, but it's all part of the research process. In some cases, your instructor may give you a topic or in other cases, you may join a lab that is already working on a project with a defined research question, but if you are on your own, this page will give you some guidance.

Part of coming up with a manageable research question is also knowing what your "information need" is. In other words, what kinds of sources do you need to help you answer your question?

Tip: Remember that the research process is non-linear and sometimes messy. You will need to search for and read (or at least skim) some information sources to know if your research question is going to be manageable.  Skip to Step 4 for some reading tips!

Ask a question of interest.

By asking a research question, you are keeping an open mind about what the research may reveal.  See if your question is TRUE for these five criteria.  If so, then your research question is probably workable. 

1. It cannot simply be answered with a yes/no. 
2. It has a problem associated with it.
3. It has social significance.
4. There is reliable evidence available to address it.
5. It has appropriate scope.

Together: You will have to do some preliminary research to really discover if all of these statements are TRUE for your proposed research question.

Long description of "From Topic to Question" for Web Accessibility

Narrow Your Topic

It's very common to select a topic that's too broad.  When the scope of your topic is too big, it's hard to dig through the huge volume of  information available to find something relevant.  It's also hard to write a paper or give a presentation of with any depth.  Most scholarly research examines fairly narrow topics and looks at relationships between concepts.  For example, affirmative action is a huge topic, but looking at the relationship between affirmative action and self esteem might be a more manageable topic.

There are many ways to narrow a topic that is too broad.  Let's use affirmative action as an example:

• affirmative action and the law (what)
• affirmative action and self esteem (what)
  
• affirmative action and the military (what)
• affirmative action and medical education (what)
  
• affirmative action in California (where)
• affirmative action and women (who)
  
• affirmative action and latinos (who)
• affirmative action and blacks (who)
  
• affirmative action in the 1970s (when)
  

Use these concepts develop a research question on the topic of affirmative action:

• Has affirmative action changed medical education for women?
• Have latinos in California benefitted from affirmative action?
• Are there more high ranking black officers in the military because of affirmative action?

Broaden Your Topic

It is possible to generate a topic that's too narrow.  When the scope of your topic is too small, there may not be enough information available for your paper or presentation.  For example, this affirmative action-related topic is probably too narrow:

Did affirmative action policies benefit medical education opportunities for women from Atwater, California in the 1970's.

To find enough information, you might need to broaden the who (change women to minorities) and the where (change Atwater to California) concepts in this question.  You might also need to omit the limited time frame.

Here are a few more examples of narrowing a broad topic down to a manageable topic one step at a time.

• political correctness > political correctness and universities > Are universities equally tolerant to politically correct and politically incorrect viewpoints?
  
• social media > social media and bullying > The effect of social media on bullying behaviors among U.S. teenagers
• academic freedom > academic freedom and politic* > Does academic freedom exist on both sides of the political aisle? 

In order to prepare to search in library databases and other search tools, you need to have some keywords. 

Brainstorming Keywords

1.Define your research question or topic

Why? Understanding your topic before you dive into searching keeps you focused on your topic and less likely to get sidetracked by irrelevant material.

2.Break it down – Pick out the core concepts

How? Focus on nouns or noun phrases. Avoid generic words like ‘impact’ that can cause you to get general or irrelevant results.

3.Identify related terms for each core concept

Why? Search engines and some databases can suggest related topics, but it’s useful to try multiple searches using similar terms.
How? Brainstorm or search online for synonyms or related words

HOW IT WORKS:

1. What is the impact of dams on the fish of the Klamath Basin?

2. What is the impact of dams on the fish of the Klamath Basin?

3. Dams – hydroelectric dam, “Copco Number 2 Dam,” diversion dam, floodgate, water management 

Fish – C’waam, “Lost River sucker,” Koptu, “Shortnose sucker,” salmon, trout

Klamath Basin – “Klamath river,” Oregon rivers, California rivers, “Upper Klamath,” drainage basin, watershed

TIPS: Search exact phrases by using quotation marks; Use broader or narrower terms and related words as synonyms

Step 1, Your Research Question, not only requires that you come up with a research question or topic that is narrow enough to explore for an undergraduate research paper, but it also requires that you consider what type of information you will need to find in order to answer your research question.

1. Is your topic so large you could write a whole book or PhD dissertation on it? If so, you should try to narrow your topic down to something manageable within the time you have and the number of pages or words your instructor is requiring. Tips for narrowing your search can be found in step 3.
2. Is your topic so specific that you can't find information about it? Go to step 3 to learn how to search more strategically and broaden your search out a bit.
3. Do you need some basic facts, dates, or names of historical people or specific theories? If so, go on to step 2: Find Background Information.