How to Formulate Research Questions

A good part of any research depends on the right questions asked. If you are asking wrong questions, your entire research may go off track. Therefore, understanding what questions you need to ask is essential for your research. If you are on the way to your research but don’t know how to start framing the right research questions, we have just the right information for you. This article discusses the process of formulating research questions.

15.06.2021

How to Formulate Research Questions

This article discusses the process of formulating research questions. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.

A good part of any research depends on the right questions asked. For anyone remotely aware of how research works, let us describe it in simple words— you think of a research topic, determine your key objectives for the research, formulate questions based on which you conduct your research, and create a report based on your findings.

In this process, you can see how important the role of a research question is. If you are asking the wrong questions, your entire research may go off track. Therefore, understanding what questions you need to ask is essential for your research. If you are on the way to your research but don’t know how to start framing the right research questions, we have just the right information for you. Let’s start!

Start with a topic for your research questions

First off, you would need a topic for your research to begin with. We suggest you start with a broad topic that can give you the scope to explore. Once you have chosen your area of interest, start exploring other subtopics by using means of concept maps and brainstorming. It is always better to choose an area in which you are genuinely interested. That way, you will be constantly motivated for your research.

Try listing themes and materials that can provide for a good research topic. The main aim of this step is to channel down your options so that you have something concise and precise to work with.

Begin with the initial research for research questions

After you have decided on a topic, it is time to start the initial research. The main purposes of this research are:

  • To know about related matters being currently discussed in the academic and research world.

  • To look for limitations or issues that are not yet answered or explored in your concerned area of interest.

Once you know what has already been researched and what is yet left to be researched, it will get easier for you to understand what you need to look for. Hence, it will become clear to you what kind of research questions you need to ask and find answers for.

For example, you may find out after your initial research that existing research already informs you of certain issues prevalent in your area of interest. However, no one has found any solutions to those issues. In that case, your research questions can be centered on what kind of solution can be presented to resolve the issue.

Decide on a niche to work with

With your initial research, you will have a lot of data and information on your hand that can then help you decide on the particular niche with which you would like to work. As mentioned in the earlier step, you can look for the limitations or gaps in which are not yet explored. You can base your research questions on the areas which have not yet been focused on.

Another way to construct your research questions is by means of problematization. This process is to review and investigate existing views and assumptions by challenging what people already know. For example, existing research may present certain methods as a solution to a prevailing issue. After your research, you discover that maybe the methods are not eco-friendly. You can then form your questions regarding this problem and how there can be a better method. 

Review your questions

Finally, when you have a set of questions for your research, it is time to review them. Though they might seem promising to pursue, they might not be that good from a research perspective. In that case, look out for the following things:

  • How feasible are the questions and their related topics?

  • How interesting are the questions to the community?

  • Do the questions contribute more knowledge to the relevant area of study?

If you need us to make your manuscript shine, contact us unhesitatingly!

Best Edit & Proof expert editors and proofreaders focus on offering manuscripts with proper tone, content, and style of academic writing, and also provide an upscale editing and proofreading service for you. If you consider our pieces of advice, you will witness a notable increase in the chance for your research manuscript to be accepted by the publishers. We work together as an academic writing style guide by bestowing subject-area editing and proofreading around several categorized writing styles. With the group of our expert editors, you will always find us all set to help you identify the tone and style that your manuscript needs to get a nod from the publishers.

English manuscript formatting service

You can also avail of our assistance if you are looking for editors who can format your manuscript, or just check on the particular styles for the formatting task as per the guidelines provided to you, e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles. Best Edit & Proof editors and proofreaders provide all sorts of academic writing help, including editing and proofreading services, using our user-friendly website, and a streamlined ordering process.

Get a free quote for editing and proofreading now!

Visit our order page if you want our subject-area editors or language experts to work on your manuscript to improve its tone and style and give it a perfect academic tone and style through proper editing and proofreading. The process of submitting a paper is very easy and quick. Click here to find out how it works.

Our pricing is based on the type of service you avail of here, be it editing or proofreading. We charge on the basis of the word count of your manuscript that you submit for editing and proofreading and the turnaround time it takes to get it done. If you want to get an instant price quote for your project, copy and paste your document or enter your word count into our pricing calculator.

How to Formulate Research Questions

24/7 customer support | Live support

Contact us to get support with academic editing and proofreading. We have a 24/7 active live chat mode to offer you direct support along with qualified editors to refine and furbish your manuscript.

How to Formulate Research Questions

Stay tuned for updated information about editing and proofreading services!

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn,  Facebook, Instagram, and Medium.

For more posts, click here. 

They Also Read

Academic Writing
9 Basic Principles for Effective Content Writing
15.06.2021

The writer is expected to be very selective with the style and approach of writing custom-made. Here in this article, the primary and essential elements to be taken under consideration while developing engaging content will be illustrated. This article discusses 9 basic principles for effective content writing.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing
7 Tips to Write an Effective Research Paper
15.06.2021

Preparing a research paper is the most painstaking and challenging task for many individuals. However, with rigorous practice, it would be much hassle-free for you to sum up entirely. Are you thinking of the best ways to write an impactful research paper? We are here to help you! We present an easy-to-follow rubric that will help you draft an impeccable research paper.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing Academic Publishing
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Research
15.06.2021

Whether you are new to academics or have been around for a while, you must understand that research is a critical segment of the academic field. Therefore, it is essential to know the WHATs, WHYs, and HOWs of it. Pertaining to that, this article discusses different types of research methods that you will come across. Namely, they are — quantitative research and qualitative research. Here, we will learn what these types of research are, how they are different, and when they are used. This will be especially helpful for researchers and students who are just starting with their research.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing Academic Publishing
How to Choose the Right Research Design
15.06.2021

There are various types of research designs that researchers can opt for. However, to opt for the right design, you first need to know the differences. Also, do not forget that the type of design depends on various variables from your research. Therefore, understanding these variables is of importance. If you are new to academic work or are just here to refresh your memory, this article has just the right content for you. Today, we will focus on the different types of research designs.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing
5 Common Academic Writing Problems | How to Deal with Them
15.06.2021

Writing for academic purposes demands extreme finesse. It is not just the language that should be exemplary. Even the diction, the tone, and the context of the text should be on point. However, the path to achieving this finesse is a troublesome one. Many scholars, while treading this path, come across a myriad of academic writing problems that they find it too cumbersome to overcome. These problems can concern their language skills, research capabilities, or lack of awareness regarding their field of study. The purpose of this article is to address some of these recurring academic writing problems and suggest ways to deal with them.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing Dissertation & Thesis
How to Write an Abstract for A Dissertation or a Thesis
15.06.2021

An abstract, is an important part of an academic work and a synopsis of a longer study such as a dissertation or thesis. Its most critical aspect is precise reporting of the objectives and outcomes of your research. Thus, the readers can learn about your work by perusing your abstract.

Continue Reading
Academic Writing Researching Statistics
How to Determine Central Tendency
15.06.2021

Finding a dataset's middle or average is critical and involves measuring central tendency. The central tendency's most common measures include the mode, median, and mean. The mode is the most repeated measure in a data set.

Continue Reading