Published on
April 18, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 21, 2022.
The research question is one of the most important parts of your research project, thesis or dissertation. It’s important to spend some time assessing and refining your question before you get started.
The exact form of your question will depend on on the length of your project, the type of research, the topic, and the research problem. But all research questions should be focused, specific, appropriately complex, and relevant to a social or scholarly issue.
Once you’ve read our guide on how to write a research question, use these examples to work out if your question is strong enough.
Published on
April 16, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 21, 2022.
A good research question is essential to guide your research paper, project or thesis. It pinpoints exactly what you want to find out and gives your work a clear focus and purpose. All research questions should be:
Focused on a single problem or issue
Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
Specific enough to answer thoroughly
Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly
In a research paper or essay, you will usually write a single research question to guide your reading and thinking. The answer that you develop is your thesis statement — the central assertion or position that your paper will argue for.
In a bigger research project, such as a thesis or dissertation, you might have multiple research questions, but they should all be clearly connected and focused around a central research problem.
There are many types of research question that correspond to different types of research.
Published on
April 15, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 21, 2022.
A research problem is a specific issue, difficulty, contradiction, or gap in knowledge that you will aim to address in your research. You might look for practical problems aimed at contributing to change, or theoretical problems aimed at expanding knowledge.
Bear in mind that some research will do both of these things, but usually the research problem focuses on one or the other. The type of research problem you choose depends on your broad topic of interest and the type of research you want to do.
Published on
April 15, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
July 21, 2022.
After you have identified a research problem for your project, the next step is to write a problem statement. An effective problem statement is concise and concrete. It should:
Put the problem in context (what do we already know?)
Describe the precise issue that the research will address (what do we need to know?)
Show the relevance of the problem (why do we need to know it?)
Set the objectives of the research (what will you do to find out?)
Published on
April 4, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
January 13, 2020.
Deciding on a topic for your thesis, dissertation or research project is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:
Your institution and department’s requirements
Your areas of knowledge and interest
The scientific, social, or practical relevance
The availability of data and sources
The length and timeframe of your dissertation
If you have no dissertation ideas yet, it can be hard to know where to start. Follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.
The conclusion should be concise and engaging. Aim to leave the reader with a clear understanding of the main discovery or argument that your research has advanced.
Published on
March 21, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
October 13, 2020.
The discussion chapter is where you delve into the meaning, importance and relevance of your results. It should focus on explaining and evaluating what you found, showing how it relates to your literature review and research questions, and making an argument in support of your overall conclusion. There are many different ways to write this section, but you can focus your discussion around four key elements:
Interpretations: what do the results mean?
Implications: why do the results matter?
Limitations: what can’t the results tell us?
Recommendations: what practical actions or scientific studies should follow?
There is often overlap between the discussion and conclusion, and in some dissertations these two sections are included in a single chapter. Occasionally, the results and discussion will be combined into one chapter. If you’re unsure of the best structure for your research, look at sample dissertations in your field or consult your supervisor.
An abstract is a short summary of a longer work (such as a dissertation or research paper). The abstract concisely reports the aims and outcomes of your research, so that readers know exactly what your paper is about.
Although the structure may vary slightly depending on your discipline, your abstract should describe the purpose of your work, the methods you’ve used, and the conclusions you’ve drawn.
One common way to structure your abstract is to use the IMRaD structure. This stands for:
Published on
February 26, 2019
by
Shona McCombes.
Revised on
October 13, 2020.
The introduction is the first chapter of your thesis or dissertation and appears right after the table of contents. It’s essential to draw the reader in with a strong beginning. Set the stage for your research with a clear focus, purpose and direction. The introduction should include:
Topic and context: what does the reader need to know to understand the dissertation?
Focus and scope: what specific aspect of the topic will you address?
Relevance and importance: how does the research fit into existing work on this topic?
Questions and objectives: what does the research aim to find out and how?
Overview of the structure: what does each chapter of the dissertation contribute to the overall aim?
Your research methodology discusses and explains the data collection and analysis methods you used in your research. A key part of your thesis, dissertation, or research paper, the methodology chapter explains what you did and how you did it, allowing readers to evaluate the reliability and validity of your research.
