Characteristics of Good and Bad Research Questions
The figure below gives some examples of good and "not-so-good" research questions.
|
Good Research Questions |
Bad Research Questions |
|---|---|
|
Have no simple answer - are open-ended and consider cause/effect |
Have simple or easy answers - can be answered with one word, a number, or a list |
|
Are "researchable" - can be answered with accessible research, facts, and data |
Cannot be answered -- there is no answer, or the information to answer the question is not accessible |
|
Open the door for other areas of research and inquiry |
Can only be answered with an opinion |
|
Often begin with - how, why, what, which? |
Often begin with - who, when, where, how much, how many? |
|
Pass the so what test - are interesting to others |
Do not pass the so what test - no one really cares about the answer |