What is a good research question?

After we have the general sense of the different types of the research, the second part is about what a good research question is. A good research question should meet the following criteria. It should be academic. It should be realistic. It should be theoretical. And it’s also innovative. Lastly, it has to be feasible.

If we look at the different features of these terms, academic means specialized, systematic, and designated area for the research target. Realistic means research questions should be closely related to social life, especially in real life practice. Innovative means that the importance of a research problem is reflected in its ability to deepen the understanding of the important problem in practice.

And feasible refers to the full consideration of the actual ability of the researcher, the feasibility of time, and the feasibility of the data collection, etc. Theoretical means it should depart from theoretical underpinnings. So if we link these terms together, we can see that a good research question should depart from theoretical base. It should be written in an academic way. You should have an academic logic. Also, the topic should be innovative. It should be something new, or it should be something that is constructive for the social life. Finally, it must be feasible. That researcher has time and resource to achieve the final research objectives. There are three principles of topic selection.

First, the topic is specific, which means making a breakthrough point over a minor issue. So try to narrow the problem to a range that you can handle with. Just start from a small problem. The second is to be clear. Clear means that for the topic you’re writing, you must think clearly, and the logic is clear. The third one is innovative, which requires that you must be creative. Try to think out of the box. New material, new problem, new method, new perspectives can all be taken into consideration. And indeed the most important and difficult part is to raise new and innovative question. This part is even difficult for some big scholars.

The third aspect in this session is about the importance of the topic. Researcher should follow the basic principles of the topic and determine the direction of the topic in a short period of time. The topic is not the final title of the paper, it’s just a plan or an anticipation for your research. The topic is a premise, and it is the first step that determines the direction and the scope of your research. Topic answers what. If what is not clear, how and how to do it will not be discussed. Although all of above instructions are necessary, the key is to work hard by yourself and to find the direction for your own research.