Step 4. Draft a Research Question
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RQ Resources
On this page you can find help with developing your preliminary research question. See:
Steps to Developing a Research Question
You've chosen a subject and topic that interests you, and carried out some preliminary reading. What are the next steps?
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Consider the emerging questions. You should now begin posing open-ended questions about your topic. These questions will usually be framed "how", "why", or "to what extent."
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Evaluate the question. Once you have posed possible research questions you should evaluate them. This evaluation should be based on whether the question is clear, focused, and arguable.
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Clear - Will the reader understand the nature of my research? Will it direct the research being undertaken?
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Focused - Will the research question be specific enough to allow for exploration within the scope of the task (that is, the number of words and time available)?
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Arguable - Does the research question allow for analysis, evaluation and the development of a reasoned argument?
Consider research outcomes. Once you have decided on a provisional research question you should start thinking about the direction your research might take. You could do this by:
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suggesting possible outcomes of your research
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outlining the kind of argument you might make and how your research might support this
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considering options if the research available is not sufficient to support a sustained argument
Sample Research Questions
The table below gives some examples showing the difference between unclear and unfocused research questions and those that are appropriately clear and focused, lending themselves to in-depth research.
An important note:
A question that is unclear or too broad will result in a narrative overview of the issue or event being discussed and provide little scope for analysis and reasoned argument. The result of this is that IB examiners will not be able to apply the range of marks available in the assessment criteria, particularly in relation to criterion C (critical thinking).
Practice exercise: Formulating well-focused research questions
IB Command Terms & Glossaries
Command terms are the key terms and phrases used in examination questions for IB classes. The lists below give the terms, and definitions, for specific IB subjects.
These lists are glossaries of terms used in film and dance.
Research Question Formats for History Extended Essays
Students writing History Extended Essays can use these formats to help write research questions on their topics.
Writing a Research Question
In order to write a good research paper, you first need to have a good research question. It will guide your paper and direct you towards what you want to find out. Because of this, it is crucial that you start with a strong research question.
A good research question is...
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Focused on a single problem or issue
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Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
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Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
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Specific enough to answer thoroughly
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Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
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Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly
The Steps
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Choose a broad topic
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Do some preliminary reading to find out about topical debates and issues
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Narrow down a specific niche that you want to focus on
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Identify a practical or theoretical research problem that you will address
Can I research this?
When writing a research question, it is important to make sure that the question can be fully answered within the requirements of the project. Since the Extended Essay has a maximum word count of 4,000 it is important to make sure your question can be answered within those parameters. You need to ensure that your questions is...
Focused on a single topic and problem
Your central research question should follow from your research problem to keep your work focused. If you have multiple questions, they should all clearly relate to this central aim.
Does not ask for a subjective value judgement
Avoid subjective words like good, bad, better and worse, as these do not give clear criteria for answering the question. If your question is evaluating something, use terms with more measurable definitions.
Uses specific, well-defined concepts
All the terms you use in the research question should have clear meanings. Avoid vague language and broad ideas, and be clear about what, who, where and when your question addresses.
Cannot be answered with yes or no
Closed yes/no questions are too simple to work as good research questions — they don’t provide enough scope for investigation and discussion.
Provides scope for debate and deliberation
The answer to the question should not just be a simple statement of fact: there needs to be space for you to discuss and interpret what you found. This is especially important in an essay or research paper, where the answer to your question often takes the form of an argumentative thesis statement.
Contributes to a topical social or academic debate
The question should aim to contribute to an existing debate — ideally one that is current in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can build on.
Answerable using primary or secondary data
You must be able to find an answer by collecting quantitative and/or qualitative data, or by reading scholarly sources on the topic to develop an argument. If such data is impossible to access, you will have to rethink your question and ask something more concrete.
Answerable within practical constraints
Make sure you have enough time and resources to do the research required to answer the question. If you think you might struggle to gain access to enough data, consider narrowing down the question to be more specific.
Does not ask for a conclusive solution, policy, or course of action
Research is about informing, not instructing. Even if your project is focused on a practical problem, it should aim to improve understanding and suggest possibilities rather than asking for a ready-made solution.
Cannot be answered with easily found facts and figures
If you can answer the question through a Google search or by reading a single book or article, it is probably not complex enough. A good research question requires original data, synthesis of multiple sources, interpretation and/or argument to provide an answer.
Addresses a problem relevant to your field or discipline
The research question should be developed based on initial reading around your topic, and it should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge.
Has not already been answered
You don’t have to ask something groundbreaking that nobody has ever thought of before, but the question should have some aspect of originality (for example, by focusing on a specific location or taking a new angle on a long-running debate).
Adapted from : https://www.scribbr.com/research-process/research-questions/
Videos and Links
The videos and links below will explain how you craft a research question. It is suggested that you watch these before creating a question.