DEVELOPING A RESEARCH QUESTION

How do you develop a usable research question? Choose an appropriate TOPIC OR ISSUE for your research, one that actually can be researched (EXERCISE 1). Then list all of the questions that you'd like answered yourself. Choose the best question, ONE THAT IS NEITHER TOO BROAD NOR TOO NARROW. Sometimes the number of sources you find will help you discover whether your research question is too broad, too narrow, or o.k.

If you know a lot about the topic, you can develop a research question based on your own knowledge. If you feel you don't know much about the topic, think again. For example, if you're assigned a research topic on an issue confronting the ancient Babylonian family remember, by virtue of your own family life, you already know a great deal about family issues. Once you determine what you do know, then you're ready to do some general reading in a textbook or encyclopedia in order to develop a usable research question.

It's a good idea to evaluate your research question before completing the research exercise (EXERCISE 3) and to ASK THE WRITING TUTOR FOR FEEDBACK ON YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION. And you also should check your research question with your course tutor.