What is a research question?

A focused question that your project sets out to answer, using evidence. It guides your reading, your methods and the structure of your findings, and it should be specific, answerable and worth asking.

What is the difference between aims, objectives and research questions?

The aim is the overall purpose in one sentence. Objectives are the steps you will take to achieve it. Research questions are the specific questions your data will answer. Some programs use only questions or only objectives, so follow your guidelines.

How many research questions should I have?

Usually one main question and two to four sub-questions for a dissertation. More than that can make the project too broad, unless your department expects them.

Can a research question be yes or no?

It can, but open questions beginning with how, what or why usually lead to richer analysis. If your question can be answered yes or no, consider whether you need to ask how much, in what way or under what conditions.

Can I change my research question?

Early on, yes. Questions often sharpen as you read. After you collect data, changes need your supervisor's approval, and you should explain them in your methodology.

Research Questions and Objectives: How to Write Them

Everything in a research project hangs from the question. It decides what you read, what you measure, how you analyze and what your conclusion can claim. A vague question produces a vague project. A clear one makes many later decisions easy.

This guide explains what a good research question looks like, how aims, objectives and questions fit together, and how to test and refine your own. The examples are illustrations, not tested studies.

What a research question does

A research question turns a topic into a task. It tells readers what you will find out, and tells you what to leave out. If a source, a method or a chapter does not help answer it, you probably do not need it.

Compare a topic and a question:

Topic: Remote work and productivity.
Question: How do remote and in-person staff in mid-sized software firms differ in self-reported task completion rates?

The question names who, what and how, which makes it testable.

Qualities of a good question

Quality	What it means
Clear	A reader understands it without extra explanation
Focused	It is limited by population, place, time or aspect
Answerable	You can answer it with evidence you can gather
Complex	It needs analysis, not a one-line fact
Relevant	It matters to a field, a practice or a community
Feasible	It fits your time, access and skills
Neutral	It does not assume the answer

A question that fails the neutrality test often contains a hidden conclusion, such as "Why is remote work harmful?". Asking "What effects does remote work have on...?" leaves room for the evidence to decide.

Types of research questions

The type of question points to the kind of study.

Type	What it asks	Example
Descriptive	What is the situation?	What study habits do first-year nursing students report?
Comparative	How do groups differ?	How do commuter and residential students differ in library use?
Relationship	Are variables associated?	Is weekly work time related to course grades?
Causal	Does one thing affect another?	Does spaced practice improve exam scores compared with massed practice?
Exploratory	How do people experience something?	How do new teachers describe their first year of mentoring?
Evaluative	How well does something work?	How effective is a peer tutoring program at raising pass rates?

Quantitative studies often use descriptive, comparative, relationship and causal questions. Qualitative studies often use exploratory ones. Our guide to qualitative vs quantitative research explains how to match them.

Aims, objectives and questions

These three terms are used differently in different programs, so check yours. A common pattern:

Aim: one sentence stating the overall purpose. To understand how peer mentoring affects new nurse retention.
Objectives: the steps. To review the literature on mentoring. To compare retention before and after a mentoring program. To explore nurses' experience of mentoring.
Research questions: what the data will answer. Did retention differ before and after the program? How do nurses describe their mentoring experience?

Some departments want only questions, some only aims and objectives and some all three. Do not duplicate: if your objectives repeat your questions word for word, merge them.

Building a question step by step

Start with your topic and the gap you found in the literature.
Choose the main concept, such as retention, achievement or experience.
Add boundaries: who, where, when.
Choose a type of question that fits what you can measure or explore.
Write a first draft and read it aloud.
Test it against the quality table.
Revise until a stranger could tell what data you need.

Examples across fields

Field	Weak	Stronger
Education	Does technology help students?	How does the use of tablets in primary math lessons relate to test scores in grade 3 classes in two districts?
Nursing	Is staffing a problem?	How do nurses on medical wards describe the effects of staffing levels on missed care?
Business	Is marketing important?	How does social media advertising spend relate to new customer sign-ups in small retail firms?
Psychology	Does sleep affect memory?	Does one night of restricted sleep reduce word recall in university students compared with normal sleep?
Sociology	How does inequality work?	How do first-generation students describe barriers to accessing campus support services?

Each stronger version states a population, an aspect and an approach.

Sub-questions

A main question is often too big to answer in one step. Sub-questions break it down. For the main question "How does peer mentoring affect new nurse retention?", sub-questions might be:

What was retention before and after the program?
How do new nurses describe the mentoring they received?
Which features of mentoring do mentors and mentees value?

Aim for two to four. Each should connect to a section of your findings.

Questions and hypotheses

In many quantitative projects, a question is followed by a hypothesis, a testable prediction. For example: "H1: Students who practice with spaced sessions will score higher than students who practice in one block." Our guide to writing a hypothesis covers how to build one. Qualitative projects usually do not use hypotheses, because they explore instead of testing.

Testing your question

Run through this list.

Can someone else understand it without help?
Does it name what you will study and who it concerns?
Could the answer be something other than what I expect?
Can I gather evidence to answer it in my time?
Does it need ethics approval, and have I allowed time?
Does it need more than a quick search to answer?
Does it connect to the gap in the literature?

If you hesitate on any, refine the question.

When your question needs to change

Questions often evolve. Reading may show that your idea is too large or already answered. Early data may show a different focus. Before the proposal is approved, change freely. After data collection starts, discuss any change with your supervisor, because it may affect your methods and ethics approval. In your write-up, explain changes briefly and honestly.

Improving a weak question: a short walk-through

Take the draft question "How does social media affect students?" It is too broad, assumes an effect and names no outcome. Step one: pick an outcome, such as sleep. Step two: pick a group, such as first-year university students. Step three: choose a type of question, such as relationship. Step four: remove the assumption. The result: "Is evening social media use associated with sleep quality among first-year university students?" Now a reader knows what you will measure, in whom, and that the answer could be no.

Notice how each change reduced ambiguity. When you revise your own question, ask what a reader could still misunderstand, and fix that.

Questions in qualitative projects

Qualitative questions look different from quantitative ones, because they explore meaning and process instead of measuring amounts. They often begin with "how" or "what" and use words such as experience, perceive or understand: "How do first-generation students describe the process of seeking academic help?" Avoid words that imply measurement, such as effect or relationship, unless you really mean them. Qualitative questions can also evolve more during the project, which is acceptable if you document the reasons.

Common mistakes

Too broad. "What causes poverty?" cannot be answered in a dissertation.
Too narrow. A question with a one-word answer needs no project.
Yes or no questions with no depth.
Loaded questions that assume the answer.
Several questions in one, joined with "and".
Unanswerable with your resources.
Mismatch with method, such as a causal question with only interviews.
Restating the topic and calling it a question.

A quick checklist

Is my main question clear, focused and answerable?
Does its type match my method?
Do my sub-questions add up to the main one?
Have I used aims, objectives and questions as my program expects?
Is the question neutral?
Has my supervisor seen it?

Final thoughts

Spend real time on your question. It is the shortest part of your project and the one that most determines whether the rest works. Write several versions, test them, and ask your supervisor which is clearest. A sharp question will guide your reading, your methods and your writing from start to finish.