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Home » Blog » How to Write Good Research Questions | EasyMarks

Academic Writing Tips

How to Write Research Questions

The specific, answerable questions that drive your entire study.

6 min read · Written by UK academic writers

Quick Answer

A good research question is focused, specific, answerable and researchable within your study. It guides your methodology and analysis, so it must be neither too broad nor too narrow, and should align with your aims and objectives.

Your research questions are the engine of your dissertation: everything you do should help answer them. Weak questions lead to unfocused research. Here is how to write strong ones.

Make It Focused and Specific

A strong research question targets a precise issue. Broad questions cannot be answered within a dissertation, while overly narrow ones may not sustain a whole study.

Make It Answerable and Researchable

Your question must be answerable with the data and methods available to you. Avoid questions that are purely opinion-based or impossible to investigate empirically.

  • Can it be answered with evidence?
  • Do you have access to the necessary data?
  • Is it suited to your methods and timeframe?

Choose the Right Type

Different questions suit different research. Descriptive questions ask what; relational questions ask how variables relate; causal questions ask whether one thing affects another.

Align With Aims and Methods

Your questions should follow from your aim and objectives and point clearly towards a methodology. If a question does not suggest how you would answer it, refine it.

Refine and Test It

Check your question against feasibility and clarity. A good test is whether a reader immediately understands what you are investigating and how it could be answered.

Key Takeaways
  • Keep research questions focused and specific
  • Ensure they are answerable and researchable
  • Choose the question type that fits your study
  • Align questions with your aims and methods
  • Refine until the question is clear and feasible

Frequently Asked Questions

How many research questions should a dissertation have?

Often one main question with a few sub-questions, or two to four focused questions, depending on scope.

What makes a research question weak?

Being too broad, unanswerable, based purely on opinion, or impossible to research with your resources.

What is the difference between an aim and a research question?

The aim is your overall goal; research questions are the specific questions your study answers to meet that aim.

Can research questions change?

Minor refinements are normal early on, but they should be settled before you design your methodology.

Related Guides & Services

Aims and ObjectivesChoosing a TopicChoosing a MethodologyDissertation Writing ServiceMaster's Dissertation Help

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