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‘I know the general area … but I’m not quite sure of
my research question.’
Chapter Preview
•• The Importance of Good Questions
•• Defining Your Topic
•• From Interesting Topics to Researchable Questions
•• Characteristics of Good Questions
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD QUESTIONS
Perhaps the first major hurdle in any research project is developing the research
question; and this is generally easier said than done. Some students aren’t sure of
their topic, while others know their topic, but aren’t sure of the aspects they want
to explore. Others come in with their ideas pretty much narrowed down.Very
few, however, can articulate their ideas into well-formed research questions.
But this is crucial, because it is the research question that gives focus, sets
boundaries, and provides direction. Knowing what you want to know, and being
able to articulate it as a well-formed question allows you to assess whether the
question is appropriate for research. If it passes this test, the research question can
then be used as the project’s blueprint.
Now this may sound like research questions are reductionist devices that take all
exploration, creativity, and fluidity out of the research process. Not at all. Research
questions themselves can be designed so that they are open and exploratory.As well,
research questions can,and often do,change,shift,and evolve during the early stages
of a project. Not only is this fine, it is appropriate as your engagement in the literature
evolves both your knowledge and thinking.Yes, research questions define an
investigation and provide direction, but it is up to the researcher to define and
redefine questions so that they can most appropriately accomplish these tasks.
Defining the investigation
A well-articulated research question can provide you (and your eventual audience)
with a tremendous amount of information about your project. A welldefined
research question will:
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•• Define the topic – whether your focus is on youth suicide, environmental
degradation, secularization, etc.
•• Define the nature of the research endeavour – whether your aim is to discover,
explore, explain, describe, or compare.
•• Define the questions you are interested in – whether you are interested in what,
where, how, when, why.
•• Indicate whether you foresee a relationship between concepts you are exploring –
whether you are looking for impacts, increases, decreases, relationships, correlations,
causes etc.
Boundaries
In investigating a topic,you are likely to find yourself facing interesting tangents,and a
well-defined question can help you set boundaries on your research.When faced with
an interesting tangent, ask yourself: ‘What does this have to do with my question?’
I’d suggest that there are three potential answers:
1. ‘Actually nothing … I will have to leave it. I suppose I can always pick this
up in my next project.’
2. ‘Actually it is quite relevant … if you think about it, it really does relate to
my…’ (this can be very exciting and add new dimensions to your work).
3. ‘Well nothing really, but I actually think this is at the heart of what I want to
know. Perhaps I need to rethink my question.’
Providing direction
As well as defining the investigation and setting boundaries, research questions act
as a blueprint for the project.They point to the theory you need to explore; the
literature you need to review; the data you need to gather; and in particular, the
methods you need to call on.
In fact, I would say that it is nearly impossible to define a clear methodology
for an ill-defined research question. Now I know that sounds like common sense,
but it has to be one of the most common research faux pas I see from students.
Students often ask me to have a look at their methods to see if they are on the
right track. When I say, ‘Sure, what are you researching?’, some waffle on for
20 minutes, yet bring me no closer to the heart of their research. And this is
because they are yet to articulate their question in their own heads, let alone share
it with someone else. If you do not know what you want to know, you will not
be in a position to know how to find it out.
DEFINING YOUR TOPIC
All this talk about the importance of research questions is fine, but what if you’re
not even sure of your topic area and you have no idea what interests to pursue?
Well, you’re probably not alone.Yes, there are plenty of students who are quite
clear about what they want to research, but there are also a lot who really struggle
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with the idea of generating a research topic. In fact, many feel that coming up
with something worthy of research is beyond them.
So how do you decide on a topic that can lead to a potential research question?
Well, you work on generating ideas by honing in on your curiosity, using
your creativity, and exploring your options with an eye towards practicalities.
The importance of curiosity
‘Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen,
and thinking what no one else has thought.’
–Albert Szent-Gvorgi
When asked‘What do you plan to research?’students often struggle for an answer.
But if you chat with them about the types of things they tend to think about or
what raises their curiosity, they generally have no problem running off a list of
potential ‘research’ ideas.
Ideas for research are generated any time curiosity or passion is aroused.
Everyday we are surrounded by events, situations, and interactions that make us
wonder, stop and think, or bring emotions of joy, frustration, relief, or anger bubbling
to the surface.This is the rich and fertile ground from which research ideas
are born.Think about what stirs you up, what you argue about with your friends,
family, and peers, and what issues are topical in the world, at home, or in your
workplace. You will soon find that research topics abound.If you can learn to catch
yourself thinking,‘Gee I wonder…’, you will have an unending supply of ideas.
The role of creativity
Is there a role for creativity in the development of research ideas? In a word, yes.
Creative inspiration has surely been responsible for as many advances in science as
the tendency to follow the rules. If you are stuck for ideas you can try creating a
concept map,playing with metaphor,or drawing inspiration from poetry and song.
Concept mapping
We often fall into the trap of thinking in a linear fashion, particularly when it
comes to research. One creative,‘right-brain’ skill you can call on in the development
of your research question is concept mapping. Mapping allows you the freedom
to think laterally as well as linearly. It uses free association to allow the mind
to jump from one idea to another, thereby enhancing creative processes. Concept
mapping can facilitate brainstorming, drawing out connections, and building
themes; and can also be successful in overcoming writer’s block. Figure 3.1 shows
a simple concept map used to draw out potential research topics.
Metaphor
The use of metaphor can allow us to think and express with creativity. For example,
how do you describe the research process? Is doing research similar to choreographing
a dance, completing a puzzle, navigating the sea, following a path, or
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embarking on a journey? Each metaphor suggests a somewhat different orientation
to the task. In developing topics for research, metaphors have the ability to capture
and articulate ideas in ways that go beyond the potential of conventional language.
One metaphor for God that stuck in my mind came from a student who
argued that God was simply Santa for adults.They both know when you’ve been
naughty or nice, they both have wondrous powers, and, for both, existence relies
on ‘faith’.The main difference is that Santa’s wrath is a lump of coal and God’s is
eternal damnation!
Poetry and song
I cannot think of any aspect of the human condition that has not been profoundly
captured in poetry and song.The desire to understand our world is as much the
fodder of the arts, as it is research.While many research ideas will come from academic
literature,do not discount the creative arts.As highlighted in Box 3.1,thinking
about the poems and songs that have had meaning for you, or exploring the
themes in your own creative writing, can be a fountain of research inspiration.
If you ask most people how they came up with their topics, they talk about
intense personal experiences, things related to their work, or issues connected
to theory. Sometimes I feel a bit foolish saying my research was
inspired by a song. I have been a Billy Joel fan for as long as I can remember,
and I love the song ‘James’. I find the lyrics profound. Billy Joel’s ‘hypothesis’,
so to speak, is that it is hard to find internal contentment if you are ‘carrying
the weight of family pride’.
Box 3.1 Coming up with Ideas – Dennis’ Story
Religion
Environment
Youth
My
Interests
Self-esteem
in young girlsPop culture
Changing
Religions
Atheism
Authority,
power, and
control
Sustainable
Development
Catchment
Management
Suicide
Sexuality
Community
Awareness
Government
Rhetoric Community
Commitment
FIGURE 3.1 CONCEPT MAP OF POTENTIAL RESEARCH TOPICS
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For my thesis, I decided to research the same. Using a sample of 200 full-time
white-collar employees aged 25–45, I am exploring relationships between ‘the
weight of family pride’, success, and internal contentment.
Practicalities
As limiting as it may seem, curiosity, creativity, and even passion need to be
checked by practicalities. Sometimes open choice of topic is restricted. Research
students are well advised to consider, discuss, and negotiate:
44 Appropriateness – there are many students who come up with ideas that are not
relevant to the degree they are undertaking. I once had an Industrial Design
student undertake a research project in extraterrestrial abduction (which I think
was based on rich personal experience…). As a topic, maybe there was some
potential, but the requirements of the subject clearly stated that research needed
to be related to developing professional practice, and I’m not sure what the
career options are in AA (alien abduction, of course). Now granted this may be
an extreme example, but there are plenty of research students who, after a
period of time, feel that they are not in the right department. Fitting in and
finding a cohort you can relate to can be crucial to success.
44 Supervision – not many students manage to readily negotiate a major research
project without a great deal of supervisory support. Finding out whether appropriate
supervision for your topic is available before you lock yourself into a project
is well advised.
44 Funding body/employer requirements – if a funding body or employer has sponsored
you to conduct research in a particular area, you may not be able to shift topics.
Even within a defined project, however, there can be scope to concentrate
on particular aspects or bring a fresh perspective to an issue. Open negotiation
and even a ‘sales pitch’ covering the relevance and potential benefits of your
proposed research can give you more creative potential.
FROM INTERESTING TOPICS TO RESEARCHABLE QUESTIONS
If a topic defines the general area you are examining, then the research question
defines what aspects of that topic you plan to investigate. Going from a topic of
interest to a well-defined research question, however, is no easy task.As shown in
Figure 3.2, you need to move from a topic to an issue, narrow it all down to a
manageable scope, and finally generate researchable questions.
Finding an angle
Moving from broad topical interests to questions that can be answered through
the research process often involves finding an ‘angle’. In looking for an angle you
may want to consider:
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•• Personal experiences – sometimes our own experiences of a particular phenomenon,
event, or cultural group can give ‘insights’ worth exploring. For example, you
may have an interest in the topic of racial discrimination because, as an Asian
student in a primarily white school, you felt that those who verbally attacked
you did not appreciate the pain, fear, and anger that resulted from such abuse.
A question you now want to explore is: ‘How is the practice of racial slurs
defended in the school yard?’
•• Theory – theoretical inspiration is most likely to happen when you find yourself
relating theory to a real-world situation; the theory resonates and you
think ‘aha’ maybe that’s why a particular situation is the way it is, or perhaps
that is why they do what they do.A student of mine had such a moment when
he read a work by Althusser that highlights the role of institutions such as the
family, schools, and the Church, in embedding Government ideology into
individual consciousness.The student began to view the role of the Church in
a new light and decided to investigate if and how the Irish Catholic Church
operates as an arm of the Government in the socialization of its citizens.
•• An observation – it can be quite hard to see what surrounds us everyday, so
viewing the world through fresh eyes can provide powerful research insights.
This happened to a student of mine who was on his ‘daily’ train, when he
suddenly became fascinated by the unwritten rules of personal space. He found
himself intrigued by the rules that governed who sat where, how close they
sat, who moved away from whom, and under what circumstances. He watched
with fascination as people jockeyed for seats as the number of carriage occupants
changed with each stop, and decided that he wanted to study the rules
that govern such behaviour.
•• Contemporary/timely issues – sometimes an old topic can take on fresh life. A
topic might suddenly become an agenda at the workplace, or may even
become the focus of global attention.TheWestern world’s interest, fascination,
and judgement of Islamic faith is a case in point.‘Angles’ become easy to find
Researchable Questions
Narrowing and clarifying
Generating Questions
Finding an angle
Defining a Topic
Using creativity and curiosity - minding practicalities
FIGURE 3.2 FROM TOPICS TO RESEARCHABLE QUESTIONS
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and questions such as: How is the media covering the topic?; What is the
policy, practice, and rhetoric of government?;What impact is this having on
school yard racism? become quite easy to generate.
•• Gaps in the literature – the importance of reading for research (covered in
Chapter 6) cannot be overemphasized.When you are conversant with topical
literature, it can be quite easy to find an angle.You can explore whether an
important aspect of an issue has been ignored; whether there are assumptions
underpinning a body of work that need to be re-examined; or whether
further questions have been posed by researchers at the end of their papers. If
you can identify the gaps and holes in the literature, you can quite readily
generate relevant questions.
Narrowing and clarifying
Having an angle is not the end of the task. Once you have an angle, you need to
work on narrowing and clarifying in order to generate that ‘researchable’ question.
Now expansive questions can be the focus of good research,but ambiguity can often
arise when questions are broad and unwieldy. Being bounded and precise makes the
research task easier to accomplish. If you are worried about being too limited, keep
in mind that each question can be likened to a window that can be used to explore
rich theory and depth in understanding.‘Focused’ is not a synonym for ‘superficial’.
The concept map revisited
Just as a concept map can be used to brainstorm research topics,it can also be used
for question clarification.The map shown in Figure 3.3 explores ‘why young girls
have a poor self image’. The student has mapped out some major influences –
peers, parents, and the media – and has begun to think about causes of the ‘problem’.This
leads to some interesting ideas that may all be researchable.The student
then takes this further by asking two things: (1) what aspects am I most interested
in; and (2) do I have any insights that I might be able to add. From this, the student
has two ‘aha’ moments and research questions begin to come into focus.The first
looks at the role of media as a whole and asks:‘What do young girls consider normal
in terms of body image?’ The second comes from an interesting reflection on
the compliments parents give to daughters, and how often they relate to how
‘pretty they are’.The student begins to wonder whether parents are subconsciously
teaching their daughters that worth is determined by external beauty.
The need to define and redefine
Students often think that once they have developed their research question, the
job is done.The question is clear, the terms are well defined and unambiguous;
and the student feels ready to get going. Now while, yes, developing a clear question
is essential for direction setting, it is important to remember that the research
journey is rarely linear. Research is a process that generates as many questions as
it answers. It takes you in unexpected directions and is determined to undermine
your best laid plans.The best advice – set a course, but be ready for the detours.
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Fixed or fluid?
In order to do research you need to do the following:
1. Define your research question so that you can identify the body of literature
you need to become conversant with and eventually review.
2. Extensively read and review a body of literature so that you are in a position
to form appropriate, researchable questions.
What comes first, the chicken or the egg? In the case of reading and question setting,one
need not precede the other;rather,they should be intertwined.Research
generally starts with an idea – the idea may come from life experience, or it may
come from reading. The idea should then lead to more reading, this reading
should lead to the development of a potentially researchable question, the potential
question should lead to more specific reading, and the specific reading should
modify the question. As shown in Figure 3.4, forming a question is an iterative
process, one that needs to be informed by reading at all stages.
A similar situation can occur when you begin to explore your methodology.
Delving into ‘how’ your research might unfold can peak your interest in aspects
of your topic not reflected in your currently defined question.Yet without that
defined question, you might not have gone as far in exploring potential methods.
In fact, as you get going with your research, you may come across any number
of factors that can lead you to:query your aims and objectives;see you modify your
Attraction to
opposite sex
School
ridicule
Peers
Media
Parents
Diet ads
You’re so
pretty!!
Desire to
be popular
Do parents teach
their daughters
that worth is
dependent on
external beauty?
Compliments
Thin TV
Stars Magazine
Models
Poor Self
Image in
Young Girls
Size of ‘stars’
is newsworthy
Weight
obsessed
mother
You look so
nice in that!
Do young girls
have an
unrealistic
perception of
normal?
FIGURE 3.3 MAPPING YOUR QUESTIONS
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question; add questions; or even find new questions.The trick is figuring out what
are ‘tangents’ you should let go, and what are evolutionary developments and
necessary refinements that should be endemic to the process.Discussing the issues with
your supervisor can provide you invaluable support in making such determinations.
Do I need a hypothesis?
This must be one of the most common questions asked by students, and there
seems to be two clearly defined paradigmatic schools of thought driving the
answers. Positivists (see Chapter 1) believe that the hypothesis is the cornerstone
of scientific method and that it is an absolutely necessary component of the
research process. Post-positivists, however, often view the hypothesis as a reductionist
device designed to constrain social research and take all life force from it.
Unfortunately, this tendency for dichotomization offers little assistance to
students struggling to figure out if a hypothesis should drive their research. To
answer this question, students need to know two things: (1) how ‘hypothesis’ is
defined and; (2) whether what they want to know is appropriate to the task.
Hypothesis defined
Hypothesis: Logical conjecture (hunch or educated guess) about the nature of
relationships between two or more variables expressed in the form of a testable
statement.
In other words, a hypothesis takes your research question a step further by offering
a clear and concise statement of what you think you will find in relation to
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Methods
Ideas
Reading
Ideas
The
Research
Question
FIGURE 3.4 CYCLES OF RESEARCH QUESTION DEVELOPMENT
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your variables, and what you are going to test. It is a tentative proposition that is
subject to verification through subsequent investigation.
For example, let’s say you’re interested in research on divorce.Your research
question is‘what factors contribute to a couple’s decision to divorce?’ Your hunch
is that it has a lot to do with money – financial problems lead to divorce. Here
you have all the factors needed for a hypothesis: logical conjecture (your hunch);
variables (divorce and financial problems); and a relationship that can be tested
(leads to). It is therefore a perfect question for a hypothesis – maybe something
like ‘financial problems increase the likelihood of divorce’.
Take another example from the concept map in Figure 3.3, which asks ‘Do
young girls have an unnatural perception of normal (body image)?’ If your answer
is ‘yes – I think so’, and you think you can give a reason, then you can write a
hypothesis. In this case, you may think that young girls have an unnatural perception
of normal body size because of the propensity of the media to use models,
actors etc. who have a body-mass index well below average. Your hypothesis
might be: ‘A proliferation of thin female models and actors in the media gives
young girls an unrealistic perception of normal body size.’ Perception (variable)
depends (relationship) on the size of models/actors in media (variable).
If you have a clearly defined research question – and you’ve got variables to
explore – and you have a hunch about the relationship between those variables
that can be tested, then a hypothesis is quite easy to formulate.
Appropriateness
Not all research questions can be easily ‘converted’ into a hypothesis, nor should
they. The definition of a hypothesis limits its applicability for many types of
research, and many research questions.
A hypothesis may not be appropriate if:
•• You do not have a hunch or educated guess about a particular situation – For example,
you may want to study alcoholism in the South Pacific, but you do not feel
you are in a position to hypothesize because you are without an appropriate
cultural context for educated guessing.
•• You do not have a set of defined variables – Your research may be explorative in
a bid to name the contributing factors to a particular situation. In the case of
alcoholism in the Pacific Islands, your research aim may be to identify the
factors or variables involved.
•• Your question centres on phenomenological description (see Chapter 9) – For example,
you may be interested in the question,‘What is the experience of drinking like for
Pacific Islanders?’A relationship between variables does not really come into play.
•• Your question centres on an ethnographic study of a cultural group (see Chapter 9) –
For example,you might want to ask,‘What is the cultural response to a defined
problem of alcoholism in a South Pacific village?’ In this situation, force fitting
a hypothesis can limit the potential for rich description.
•• Your aim is to engage in, and research, the process of collaborative change (see
Chapter 10) – In ‘action research’, methodology is both collaborative and
emergent, making predetermined hypotheses impractical to use.
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Whether a hypothesis is appropriate for your question depends on the nature of
your inquiry. Again, the hypothesis is designed to express ‘relationships between
variables’. If your question boils down to this, a hypothesis can clarify your study
to an extent even beyond a well-defined research question. If your question, however,
does not explore ‘relationships between variables’, generating a hypothesis is
likely to be an exercise in confusion.
CHARACTERISTICS OF GOOD QUESTIONS
Once you come up with a research question, you will want to know if it is worthy
of research.Try running through the questions discussed below and summarized
in Box 3.2. If you find yourself struggling to answer yes, it may indicate a need to
rethink your questions.
44 Is the question right for you?
They say you need to set a realistic research plan that includes assessing your level of
commitment and the hours you will need to dedicate to the task … then double it.
Research often goes that way.You need to consider whether your question has the
potential to hold your interest for the duration.As discussed in Chapter 2, it’s very
easy to lose motivation,and you are likely to need a genuine interest to stay on track.
There is, however, a flip side. Questions that can truly sustain your interest are
usually the ones that best bring out your biases and subjectivities.As discussed in
Chapter 4, these subjectivities and biases need to be carefully explored and managed
in ways that will ensure the integrity of the research process.You may want
to give careful consideration to:
•• Researching questions where you know you have an axe to grind. Deepseated
prejudices do not generally lend themselves to credible research.
•• Researching issues that are too close to home, i.e. domestic violence or sexual
abuse. While researching such issues can be healing and cathartic, mixing
personal and professional motivations in an intense fashion can be potentially
detrimental to both agendas.
44 Is the question right for the field?
The role of research is to do one or more of the following: advance knowledge
in a particular area/field;improve professional practice;impact policy;or aid individuals.
Research questions need to be significant – not only to you, but to a wider
academic or professional audience as well.
Imagine that you want to undertake a particular project and you are applying
for competitive funds to cover the cost of your research. Before you can convince
a funding body that you are competent to do the research and that your approach
is likely to give meaningful and credible results, you need to convince them that
the topic itself is worthy of funding.You need to be able to articulate:
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•• Why the knowledge is important.
•• What is the societal significance.
•• How the findings will lead to societal advances.
•• What improvements to professional practice and or policy may come from
your research.
An early task in the research process is to be able to clearly articulate a rationale
for your study that outlines the significance of the project.Your question
needs to be informed by the literature and be important to your ‘audience’.
44 Is the question well articulated?
Research questions not only indicate the theory and literature you will need to
explore and review,they also point to the data you will need to gather,and the methods
you will use to collect and analyze this data.This makes clear articulation of research
questions particularly important.Terms need to be unambiguous and clearly defined.
Take the question: ‘Is pornography a problem?’ As a question for general
debate, it is probably fine. As a research question, however, it needs a fair bit of
clarification. How are you defining pornography? What boundaries are you
putting on the term? How are you defining problem? Social, moral, religious,
economic, legal, all of the above? And who are you speaking for? A problem for
whom? The more clarity in the question, the more work the question can do,
making the direction of the study that much more defined.
Another point to consider is whether your question rests on unfounded
assumptions.Take the question:‘How can women in Fijian villages overthrow the
patriarchal structures that oppress them?’There are a few assumptions here that
need to be checked:
1. That there are patriarchal structures. This information might exist and be
found in literature.Assuming this is true…
2. That these patriarchal structures are indeed oppressive to the women concerned.
3. That there is a desire on the part of Fijian women to change these patriarchal
structures.
4. That ‘overthrowing’ is the only option mentioned for change. It is a loaded
term that alludes to strong personal subjectivities.
44 Is the question doable?
Perhaps the main criterion of any good research question is that you will be able
to undertake the research necessary to answer the question. Now that may sound
incredibly obvious, but there are many questions that cannot be answered through
the research process.Take for example the question:‘Does a difficult labour impact
on a newborn’s ability to love its mother?’ Not researchable. For one, how do you
define love? And even if you could define it, you would need to find a way to
measure a newborn’s ability to love. And even if you could do that, you are left
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with the dilemma of correlating that ability to love to a difficult labour.Interesting
question, but not researchable.
Other questions might be researchable in theory, but not in practice. Student
research projects are often constrained by:
•• a lack of time
•• a lack of funds
•• a lack of expertise
•• a lack of access and
•• a lack of ethical clearance
Making sure your question is feasible and that it can lead to a completed project
is worth doing early. Nothing is worse than realizing your project is not ‘doable’
after investing a large amount of time and energy.
44 Does the question get the tick of approval from those in the know?
When it comes to articulating the final question it makes a tremendous amount
of sense to ask the advice of those who know and do research. Most supervisors
have a wealth of research and supervisory experience, and generally know what
questions are ‘researchable’ and what questions will leave you with a massive
headache. Run your question past lecturers in the field, your supervisor, and any
‘experts’ you may know.
IS THE QUESTION RIGHT FOR ME?
• Will the question hold my interest?
• Can I manage any potential biases/subjectivities I may have?
IS THE QUESTION RIGHT FOR THE FIELD?
• Will the findings be considered significant?
• Will it make a contribution?
IS THE QUESTION WELL ARTICULATED?
• Are the terms well defined?
• Are there any unchecked assumptions?
IS THE QUESTION DOABLE?
• Can information be collected in an attempt to answer the question?
• Do I have the skills and expertise necessary to access this information? If
not, can the skills be developed?
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Box 3.2 The Good Question Checklist
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• Will I be able to get it all done within my time constraints?
• Are costs likely to exceed my budget?
• Are their any potential ethics problems?
DOES THE QUESTION GET THE TICK OF APPROVAL FROM THOSE IN THE KNOW?
• Does my supervisor think I am on the right track?
• Do ‘experts’ in the field think my question is relevant/important/doable?
CHAPTER SUMMARY
•• Developing a well-articulated research question is an important part of the process
because it defines the project, sets boundaries, and gives direction.
•• The ability to generate topics for research can be a real challenge. If you can learn
to hone in on your passions, use your curiosity, look for inspiration from the
creative arts, and develop ‘right-brained’ skills like concept mapping, your ability to
generate ideas will undoubtedly grow.
•• Research directions are not always at the full discretion of the researcher.
Practicalities include: appropriateness of the topic; your ability to get supervisory
support; and funding opportunities and commitments.
•• Moving from ideas to researchable question can be daunting. Using insights derived
from personal experience, theory, observations, contemporary issues, and engagement
with the literature can give you an ‘angle’ for your research.
•• Narrowing, clarifying, and even redefining your questions is essential to the
research process. Forming the right ‘questions’ should be seen as an iterative
process that is informed by reading and doing at all stages.
•• Hypotheses are designed to express relationships between variables. If this is the
nature of your question, a hypothesis can add to your research. If your question is
more descriptive or explorative, generating a hypothesis may not be appropriate.
•• Good research questions need to be: right for you; right for the field; well articulated;
doable; and get the tick of approval from those in the know.
DEVELOPING YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION
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