Typically, a good research question:
- Doesn't have an obvious answer (not just yes or no)
- Requires research and analysis of that information
- Has appropriate scope (not too narrow and not too broad)
- Is built on sound assumptions
Ask yourself (or a friend) to check your research question against these four common pitfalls:
- Is the answer to my research question obvious where there is no possibility of different outcomes or opinions?
- Will the research needed to answer my question be minimal (a single Google search) with no analysis of the information?
- Is my question too broad, unclear, or vague? Have I mistakenly combined multiple research questions into one?
- Have I used faulty assumptions that make the research question less credible?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, meet with your instructor, a writing tutor, or a research coach to help revise your research question into the best one yet! (Also, check out the Formulating Your Research Question quick guide from Vanderbilt University.)
Be sure to also watch this brief video [2:35] that provides excellent tips on writing research questions.
