Develop Research Questions

"Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers in turn develop additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field."      

 --ACRL, Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

Research Is All About Exploration

Research means exploring—sometimes ideas, sometimes current issues, sometimes people’s lives or the effects of past events. The key to exploration is asking good questions.

We live in an information-rich society where technology gives us instant answers: movie times, weather forecasts, song lyrics. That’s great for quick lookups—but when it comes to academic research, the sheer volume of information can feel overwhelming.

That’s where research questions come in.

Why Create Research Questions?   

Think of research questions as your shopping list for information. Just as a list keeps you focused in a crowded store, your questions keep you on track in the vast “supermarket” of sources. They help you:

• Locate the most relevant information quickly and efficiently.

• Stay focused so you don’t get lost or sidetracked while exploring.

• Stay organized as you gather evidence and start shaping your paper.

And just like a grocery list, your research questions aren’t fixed. They may grow, change, or shift as you learn more and further refine your topic.

Sample Research Questions

As you shape your research, different types of questions will help you focus on different parts of your paper: introduction, body, and conclusion. The following are sample questions to help you get started. Think of them as a menu of possibilities—some will fit your project, others won’t. Use them as a starting point to spark ideas, and adapt them to fit the scope and goals of your research.

Use these to get background information and define your topic.

• What is ___?

• Why is ___ an important issue?

• What background information is necessary to understand ___?

• What are the different types of ___?

These guide you into deeper analysis and evidence.

• What causes ___?

• What are the effects of ___?

• What are the arguments for ___?

• What are the arguments against ___?

• What is being done about ___?

These help you pull your thinking together and point toward implications or solutions.

• What conclusions can you make about your topic, and why?

• What can you argue about your topic, and why are those arguments valid?

• What should be done to address your topic, and why?