In this module, you will learn to:
Before starting your research for your assignment, it is important to develop a research question. A good research question gives you directions on the kind of information you need to compile for your topic.
Here are the steps to help you develop a good research question.
Step 1. Choose a topic that interests you
Think about what matters to you, or any issues you've discussed in class that you'd like to learn more about. Do check with your supervisor and see if they have defined some topics for you to choose from. Watch the video "Picking Your Topic IS Research" to get a better idea on the process for choosing a topic.
Step 2. Do some preliminary reading on the topic
To get general understanding on the topic and its key concepts, you can google the topic and read from various webpages. But a better source to get background information would be the reference materials, such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks. Try Credo Reference, where you can find millions of reference entries written by professionals on various subjects in one place.
Mind-mapping is a good way to develop and explore concepts related to your topic. It helps you visualize your ideas and find connections between them. Watch the video "Mind Mapping" to learn how you can apply this technique to find a proper research topic.
| Picking Your Topic IS Research [3:10] |
Mind Mapping from Joshua Vossler [2:59] |
Step 3. Narrow your topic
After you have some basic understanding on your topic, you can try to narrow your topic using these questions:
For example, the topic you'd like to research on is "air pollution in built environment". You can write down the answers to these questions in a table to help yourself narrow the topic to a more specific issue.
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Who? | ⇒ Local residents / local communities |
| What aspect? | ⇒ Health, Economy | |
| What time period? | ⇒ Last 5 years | |
| Where? | ⇒ Hong Kong |
Step 4. Refine your topic
Then, you can further refine your topic by filling in this structure. This helps you find the main issues you'd like to focus on in your research, and the reasons why you are doing this research (Significance).
| Topic | I'm researching the topic of _________ | I'm researching on air pollution in built environment |
| Indirect question (what you don't know) |
because I want to find out (what/why/how/if) _________ | because I want to find out how it affects the human health and economy of local communities |
| Significance (why you want your readers to know it) |
in order to help my readers understand _________ | in order to help my readers understand the urgency of introducing effective air quality measures in built environment in Hong Kong. |
Step 5. Formulate an open-ended research question
Finally, you can start formulating a research question based on the information you have in Step 4. A good research question is usually an open-ended question. It should not be simply answered by yes or no, or some facts. An open-ended question often begins with "How" or "Why". Watch the video "Research Questions" to learn what makes an open-ended question.
Research Questions from Joshua Vossler [3:09]
Based on the previous example, the possible open-ended questions could be:
The research questions can also be reframed into a research title. For example,
In summary, your research question needs to be:
Do check with your supervisor or instructor and make sure the research question is feasible and manageable within your given time frame.
You have come up with your research question. Now it's time to find the related information to answer your question. It is important to note that doing research is never a linear process, which means you may need to refine your research question based on the resources you can reach, and the findings you read from other research studies.