Unit 4: Fundamentals of Academic Essay Writing
21 Creating a Research Question
Use a research question (RQ) to guide your research. As you read your sources and review your notes, look for answers to the research question.
A Research question has two parts:
- It identifies the topic, as a noun or noun phrase.
- It includes a focus, indicating what you will say about the topic. The focus serves as a guide so you know what type of information to look for as you read.
Example research question
| Why do people become addicted to social media? |
In the example above, the general topic is “addicted to social media” and the focus is about why they become addicted to social media, or in other words, the causes. If this were your topic, you would review your sources and notes looking for answers to why people become addicted to social media.
EXERCISE: Types of focus
Adapted from: Dollahite, N.E. & Huan, J. (2012). SourceWork: Academic Writing for Success.
YOUR TURN: For each research question, identify the following:
- The topic
- The type of focus
- The information to look for
Example #1: How much do test preparation courses impact students’ TOEFL and IELTS scores?
Example #2: Should the age to get a driver’s license be raised from 16 to 18?
Example #3: How do the university school systems in the United States and South Korea compare with each other?
Research questions with more than one focus
Example research question:
- In what ways can understanding the causes of smart phone addiction help a person to stop using it compulsively?
In the example above, the research question has two focuses:
- The causes of smart phone addiction (cause)
- The methods for stopping them (process)
