Research Question WOMAN AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH UNIT, FERNANDEZ HOSPITAL, HYDERABAD, INDIA 1

The Question  The Research Question forms the basis for the research and is arguably the most important part of the research  The research question is derived from the hypothesis and is a logical continuation of the hypothesis 2

Importance of the Question  The research question helps you plan the research in an appropriate manner conserving resources that include your time, effort and costs  A vague question or a series of unrelated questions will clutter the research process and make it difficult to obtain clear answers  More clutter leads to more noise and less focus 3

The Research Question A well thought out research question will inform about  The focus of the research,  The scope of the research 4

Different Questions The most common questions in research are  Questions whose time has passed  Questions whose time is now  Questions whose time has not yet come  Questions that look bad because the answers make them look bad 5

Finding the Questions A question of interest may come in to your mind in many ways  A critical reading of the scientific literature  Clinical experience  Personal experience  Interactions with peers and experts  Observations 6

Research Questions-SMART S- Sharp, Specific, Simple to understand (not couched in layers of complex language) and Seeking new knowledge M- Measurable- Able to assess pertinent variables and outcomes A- Achievable within a realistic (realistic from the point of several stakeholders) timeframe R- Relevant and not Rehashing- value additions to existing knowledge or adding new knowledge T- Time bound-Preferably obtain relevant answers within the lifetime of the investigators 7

Question-Hypothesis driven Start from the answer. Write down the answer you seek. The final result may or may not be the same as the answer you seek, so this does serve like a hypothesis. Explore your answer or hypothesis critically. Is it sharp and focused? Is it too broad or too narrow? 8

Question-Hypothesis driven  Framing a smart question is difficult if the hypothesis is too vague.  Framing a smart question is difficult if the hypothesis is too broad  Framing a smart question is possible if the hypothesis is too narrow, however, one needs to consider if the research maybe worth the while if it cannot be generalized to a larger population. 9

Question-Hypothesis driven  Rephrase your hypothesis. Write down alternate hypothesis (at least two and up to 5). If you cannot write at least two alternate hypotheses, maybe the hypothesis is too narrow. If you can write many alternate hypotheses, maybe the hypothesis is too broad.  Critically examine the hypothesis and the alternate hypotheses. Which is the most focused and sharp of them all (Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, help me out here, please). 10

Question-Hypothesis driven After writing down the hypothesis, start work on writing the research question.  Write the research question that addresses the hypothesis  Write down 2-5 alternate research questions that address the stated hypothesis  Critically examine the questions. Which one of these questions are most smart or pertinent to the stated hypothesis 11

Focused Questions If you have no inkling of what the answer to a question maybe, you will end up on a fishing expedition. The answers may stare you in the face but you will not see them because the mind is not aware of them, or there are just too many fish that you are unable to find the fish you seek! NO HYPOTHESIS- NO QUESTION NO QUESTION- NO RESEARCH- NO ANSWERS 12

Caveat Not all questions can be pursued to their logical conclusions even if the questions are focused and relevant Focused questions need not necessarily lead to clear answers- the answers may very well end up muddying the waters! 13