This video from the UMD, Global Campus gives a good introduction to research questions.
Once you have selected a topic, you need to develop a research question. You may be used to working with a thesis statement, but a thesis statement is an answer. If you start your research with an answer, you might miss something important or your paper might be too one-sided. Starting with a question allows you to explore your topic while still having it clearly defined.
A good research question is specific and focused.
Topic: Netflix
Research Question: How has the rise of streaming television changed the nature of advertising during television shows?
Topic: the environmental impact of fracking
Research Question: What are some of the most effective ways of protecting local ground water from the waste water produced by fracking?
Tip: Beware of research questions that are too broad or too narrow.
Too Broad: Why is reality television so popular?
Too Narrow: What are the economic and social consequences of the popularity of Jersey Shore on the lives of teenagers living in Omaha, Nebraska?
Tip: be willing to tweak your research question as you go.
Research Question: How has the rise of streaming television changed the nature of advertising during television shows?
Potential Research Finding: Advertising during television hasn't changed much recently.
New Research Question: Why has advertising on television been able to remain the same when how we watch television has changed so much?
The assignment is a 10-15 page paper relying primarily on scholarly resources.
Too Broad
Too Narrow
Just right
