Narrowing Down to a Research Question

To visualize the process of developing a research question, it is helpful to picture a funnel. We start with our general interests about social science theories or current issues and narrow them down to a more refined research area. Then, conducting a review of existing research in that area helps us identify a question that both builds upon and contributes to the body of literature. Let’s learn more about these stages in developing a research question on this page.

Where do you begin? Research Interest

The research process always begins with a broad research interest. A research interest is defined as a broad topic that a researcher wants to investigate more thoroughly, like pandemics or housing insecurity or student learning experiences, for example. You can identify a research interest based on observing, reading about, and/or being exposed to a particular issue in the social world.

Due to the expansive nature of research interests, researchers will often begin their projects without a clear vision for a particular method or result in mind. This lack of direction can be daunting at first, but it is really an aspect to be embraced and appreciated: it allows you, as a researcher, the freedom to adapt to your resources and interests, making the endeavor more exciting for you to conduct and engaging for your audience.

How do you narrow down? Research Area

A research interest can contain a variety of potential research topics, but how do you know what those topics are? There are various exercises that can help. In the beginning stages, it can be useful to write a list of keywords, utilize word diagrams or construct a mind map. Using these methods to organize your thoughts allows you to expand your understanding of your area of interest before narrowing down. This ensures that your topic is not only focused and specific, but also something you are truly interested in. For example, if your research interest is pandemics, potential research topics may include the Spanish Flu, the Black Death, or Covid-19. 

Once you have established a solid list, the next step would be to complete preliminary research on these key terms. There are a variety of approaches you can take and sources to consult when attempting to narrow down to a research area:

What gaps exist in current research? Research Question

To move from a research area to a research question, it is vital to review the existing literature on this topic to understand what has been covered by other researchers and what questions remain unanswered. This is called a literature review—something you have read about earlier in this section. In its broadest sense, a literature review is a critical evaluation of the existing research on a particular topic. It can be as simple as a brief summary of relevant scholarly sources, but usually it does much more than that. A good literature review provides insight into a variety of interpretations of relevant material. It can provide an overview of the history and methods of the field, including major topics and changing theoretical approaches. An in-depth literature review that evaluates the state of the literature on the subject will also help you determine which sources might be most helpful to your end research question.
This is not an area to gloss over, since a good literature review allows you to better identify gaps in the existing research and discover related questions of interest, new subtopics, or ideas for new approaches. Your literature review will also give you useful information about research methods used to investigate specific research questions. This will come in handy when you consider different methods you can use to explore your research question!