How to Write a Research Question

As you conduct your research, one way to ensure you are spending your time effectively is to designate a research question. This is a question that will guide you as you move through books, articles, and databases. The purpose of your paper is to answer it. (The answer to a well-designed research question will often wind up becoming the paper’s central thesis!)

Here are some steps and tips to help you craft a good research question:

1. Choose a Broad Topic: Begin by selecting a broad topic within your English or literature course that interests you. You could focus on a specific literary work (a poem, play, short story, or novel), a literary movement (examples: the Beatniks, the English Metaphysical poets), multiple works by a single author, or a genre of writing (examples: romance novels, westerns, love sonnets).
2. Narrow Down Your Topic: Once you have a broad topic, narrow it down to a specific aspect that you want to explore. For example, if your broad topic is “George Bernard Shaw’s plays,” (multiple works by a single author), you might narrow it down to “the portrayal of women in George Bernard Shaw’s comedies.”
3. Review Existing Literature: As you contemplate your question, it can be helpful to do a cursory search of the college library database about your author/text. At this point, you just want to skim articles for their main point(s), rather than do deep reading. You are on a hunting expedition to find out what questions scholars have already asked about this author and text. Two questions to pay attention to are:
   • Are there any ongoing, unsettled arguments about a dimension of the author’s work? For example, literary critics Alan Helms and Hershel Parker famously argued about the legacy of Walt Whitman’s poem “Live Oak, With Moss” in the 1990s, and scholars have continued to debate its cultural impact in the years since.
   • Is there any question scholars don’t seem to be asking (yet)? 
4. Ask Plenty of Early Questions: Brainstorm questions related to your narrowed topic. When doing so, avoid yes/no questions, and push yourself to ask questions with potentially complex answers. For instance, in the case of “the portrayal of women in George Bernard Shaw’s comedies,” a student might ask:
   • How are women portrayed in Shaw’s comedies? Do any archetypes (or stereotypes) emerge?
   • What role(s) do male characters play in the comedies’ plots as they unfold, and how do these roles differ from the female characters’ roles?
   • How do Shaw’s comedies challenge (or reaffirm) conventional roles for women in Western society at the time he was writing?
5. Consider the Significance: Think about the significance of these initial questions. Why are they important or interesting? What gaps in knowledge might they address? A strong research question will address an important issue, or a compelling dimension of the text.
6. Revise and Refine: As you develop a more sophisticated understanding of the topic, the types of questions you are interested in posing — and answering! — may evolve. This is a common experience, so don’t be afraid if it happens to you! Just check in with your instructor and continue to work through your ideas about the text.
7. Seek Feedback: Speaking of checking in with the course instructor, it is a good idea to share your developing research question with others (classmates, tutors, the course instructor). Use their feedback to further refine the focus of your question.
8. Narrow Down to One: Ultimately, your final research question should encourage mature exploration and analysis of the text. This question will serve as the roadmap for your paper, and answering it should produce your thesis statement.