I have an idea, now what?

Once you have narrowed down your research topic and done some preliminary background reading on your topic, it’s time to start thinking about—and writing down—what you already know about your topic and what you are interested in finding out. Identifying the gaps in your knowledge will help you to create research questions that will guide your research.

A research question is a question that research sets out to answer.

Research questions should be not be able to be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" and should be clear, concise, and focused.

For instance, if you have decided to research the effects of divorce on children, you’d want to first think about what knowledge you already have on that topic.

Next, write down what you do not know but are curious to find out.

What I know:

- Divorce is common in the United States
- Sometimes children are negatively affected by their parents getting divorced

What I don’t know:

- Is there a certain age that children are more prone to the negative effects of divorce?
- Can children carry negative effects of divorce with them into adulthood?
- How can divorce impact academic performance?
- How can the effects of divorce be mitigated?

Choosing the Right Question

Once you have a list of several aspects of your topic that you are curious about, choose one that interests you most and create a research question from it. Research questions that are too vague will leave you swimming in a sea of irrelevant information, while a research question that is too specific will make it very difficult to find enough information sources to support your research.

Too broad: What is the impact of divorce on academic performance?

Too narrow: What is the impact of divorce on female student’s grades during fifth grade in the United States?

Just right: How can divorce affect a student’s GPA in high school?

Citations and Attributions

Content adapted from Library 10 by Cabrillo College Library, licensed under CC BY 4.0