Writing Research Questions: It's time to write it.

Once you've done enough background research to get to know your topic and subtopic, it's time to write the research questions.

Here are some guidelines. The research question...

• focuses on a single area of the topic.
• can't be answered by yes/no (too narrow).
• shouldn't begin with why (too broad).

Useful research question stems:

• How do ____ and ____ compare in ____?
• What effect does/did _____ have on ____?
• What action should ____ take to defend/protect ____ against ____?
• What are the factors that occurred in _____ to cause ____?

...and so on. There are many stems you can craft to best suit your research question.

My example research question:

What effect does government-mandated self-isolation have on an individual's mental health during a pandemic?

As you continue to research your topic, your focus might shift a little from your initial question, but if you have a good research question, you shouldn't have to abandon it entirely.

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