21/04/2020
Developing a research question
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Once your topic has been accepted by your department, you need to begin the process of refining the topic and turning it into something that is focused enough to guide your project. Try describing it as a research problem that sets out:
- The issue that you are going to be investigating;
- Your argument or thesis (what you want to prove,
disprove, or explore); and
- The limits of your research (i.e. what you are not going
to be investigating).
It is important that you establish a research problem at, or close to the start of, your project. It is one of the key tools you have, to ensure that your project keeps going in the right direction. Every task you undertake should begin with you checking your research problem and asking “will this help me address this problem?”.
You should be willing to revise your research problem as you find out more about your topic. You may, for example, discover that the data you were hoping to analyse is not available, or you may encounter a new piece of information or a new concept while undertaking a literature search, that makes you rethink the basis of your research problem.
NB
You should always talk to your supervisor before you make any substantial revision to your plans, and explain why you think you need to make the change.
