What Makes a Good Research Question? (Essay Sample)

A Good Research Question
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What Makes a Good Research Question?
A good research question should have several qualities that make it easier for the entire research process to be straightforward and successful. In this regard, a good research question needs to be focused and well defined according to the problem, intervention, comparison, outcome and time, that is, PICOT-structured criterion. This structure helps to specify the scope of the research endeavor. The research question should use clear concepts, which can be pursued objectively and where necessary embody a cause and effect relationship (Alvesson & Sandberg, 2011, 247-271). Since the ultimate success of research may determine whether the research question was good or not, a good research question ought to be aligned with the interests of the researcher. Moreover, a good research question should reflect a research niche that needs to be filled by a research process (Lim, 2014, p. 66-88).
A good research question ought to satisfy the SMART criterion. By SMART, it is implied that the research question should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. By specific, the research question should be able to address questions of what, who, how, why, which and where (Bright Hub, 2015, n.p). For instance, a good research question should specify where the research will be conducted, when it will be conducted, how (methodology), by who and for what reasons. The specificity of a research question is a quality of the research question that will help to avoid ambiguity in the research process. By measurability, it is required that the research objective inherent in the research question should have objective parameters to enable assessment of progress. A good research question should include being attainable, which only means that the research objective should be realistic and achievable in light of the available constraints. The relevance of a research question implies that it should not be obsolete given the...