In some cases your professor may require you to create a research question rather than just a research topic.
A research question:
- is a question you ask about your topic that creates the purpose and direction for your paper
- involves an aspect of the topic you are interested in and want to know more about
Why bother to have a research question?
- it helps you keep an open mind about your topic, and makes sure you investigate both/all sides
- it helps you create your thesis statement--your thesis statement is the one-sentence summary of the answer to your research question
Characteristics of Research Questions
- debatable: requires analysis, interpretation, and decision making, not just description; answers are not definite and can be different
- feasible: able to be investigated and answered in the amount of time/space allotted for the research
- researchable: sources of an appropriate type must exist about the topic
For example, the question, "What effect does blue slight have on sleep?" is not a research question because the answer is a well-established fact in medical science/health. There is nothing to analyze or make a decision about.
The question, "Should high schools have later start times?" is a research question because:
- it requires the researcher to investigate the topic, weigh the benefits and drawbacks of multiple options, and make a decision about what the best option should be, and
- different people could come to different conclusions about the answer
- one person could say that high schools should start later because teenagers have biological rhythms that cause them to fall asleep and wake up later at night and in the morning;
- another person could say that high schools should continue to have early start times so that parents can get their kids to school before the workday starts at 8 or 9am.