Research question — English definition

Defined in 5 courses:

A specific question that evidence could help answer. (English 6)
A specific, focused question that guides an entire research project. (English 9: Experience, Perspective & Inquiry)
A specific, answerable question that guides an entire research project. (English 10: Choices, Conscience & Consequences)
The focused, arguable question a sustained research project sets out to answer. (English 11: American Voices, Identity & Public Memory)
The focused, arguable, and significant question a sustained independent project sets out to answer. (English 12: Complex Texts, Independent Inquiry & Public Voice)

Where it is taught

Research Questions, Notes & Source Credit — Research, Media, Discussion & Presentation, English 6, Grade 6
The Research Process — Research & Source-Based Writing, English 9: Experience, Perspective & Inquiry, Grade 9
Research Questions & Inquiry — Research & Source-Based Writing, English 10: Choices, Conscience & Consequences, Grade 10
Developing a Research Question — Research & Source-Based Writing, English 11: American Voices, Identity & Public Memory, Grade 11
Independent Research — Research & Source-Based Writing, English 12: Complex Texts, Independent Inquiry & Public Voice, Grade 12

In use

'Climate change' is not a research question — it is a topic the size of an ocean, and no single paper could drink it.
The Research Process

A research question is narrower than most people expect, and learning to build one is the first real move of any project.
Research Questions & Inquiry

Every sustained research project stands or falls on its research question, and at this level the single feature that separates a strong question from a weak one is whether it is arguable.
Developing a Research Question

Questions using research question

Problem 1

Which is the MOST focused research question?

What is video game addiction?
Are video games bad?
How does daily screen time above three hours affect sleep quality in teenagers, according to recent studies?
Tell me about video games.

Answer and explanation

How does daily screen time above three hours affect sleep quality in teenagers, according to recent studies?

Only this option is specific enough — a measurable factor, a population, and a clear relationship to investigate — to guide real research.

Problem 2

Take the broad topic 'sports' and narrow it into one focused research question.

Answer and explanation

Answers vary; accept any specific, answerable question, such as, 'How has the increase in youth specialization in a single sport affected injury rates among high schoolers?'

Problem 3

Which of these is the strongest RESEARCH question — arguable and appropriately scoped?

What year was the printing press invented?
What is a printing press?
To what extent did the printing press cause the Reformation, rather than only accelerating changes already under way?
Tell me about the printing press.

Answer and explanation

To what extent did the printing press cause the Reformation, rather than only accelerating changes already under way?

Only this option is both arguable (informed people could disagree about how much the press caused) and scoped to a specific, researchable relationship; the others are factual, definitional, or not even questions.

Problem 4

Explain the difference between an arguable research question and a merely factual one, and why a sustained research project needs the arguable kind.

Answer and explanation

A factual question has one correct answer you can simply look up, like a date or a definition, while an arguable question stays open to more than one reasonable answer, so informed people could disagree. A research project needs an arguable question because there must be something genuine to investigate, weigh, and defend — a factual question is answered and finished in a single sentence.

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