Introduction

Knowledge is like a vast ocean. No matter how much a person learns, there always remains plenty to discover and explore. Pursuing research is like taking a deep dive into this massive ocean of knowledge, and emerging out of it with some fresh discoveries and insights. Having an awareness of the vast nature of knowledge is crucial when one decides to pursue research. The starting point of all research activity is choosing a research question, with the goal of research being to either generate new knowledge or fill gaps in the existing understanding of phenomena, which are called ‘research gaps.’ Considering that there is a vast amount of knowledge available under the sun, and much more waiting to be discovered, it is natural for a researcher to feel daunted by the enormity of what lies ahead. How does one go about looking for a question which is novel, a road less or not travelled, in this diverse web of information? In this article, we will look to demystify the process of choosing a starting point for research, i.e., selecting a research question.

Finding the inspiration for the research question

Choosing a research question is all about ensuring that one is not overwhelmed by a deluge of information. In order to maintain one’s footing, a systematic approach is needed to go about finding that question. Hence, a broad research topic is needed, which provides the overarching framework within which the potential research question is placed. “The topic you choose will determine the direction of your research, the resources you will need to gather, and the overall success of your paper.” (Nacke) A good way to begin would be to engage in a proper brainstorming session, and jot down all potential topic ideas which come to one’s mind. One should refrain from judging or evaluating these ideas at the very beginning, as one can find a sudden burst of inspiration from a seemingly innocuous-looking idea. (“Research Process”) In order to streamline the brainstorming process, a researcher should think along these lines, while considering issues such as what his/her interests within a discipline are, any coursework or theories which are of particular interest, issues within the discipline which have not garnered enough attention, personal passions, etc. The power of observation becomes an important tool here, as there have been many instances wherein researchers found their inspiration to pursue their research question from their daily life experience. For e.g., Stanley Milgram’s famous research on obedience to authority, for example, was inspired in part by journalistic reports of the trials of accused Nazi war criminals, many of whom claimed that they were only obeying orders. (Cherry) This led him to wonder about the extent to which ordinary people will commit immoral acts simply because they are ordered to do so by an authority figure. Another method can be researchers getting inspired to pursue a certain question as a result of facing certain problems during their lifetime, which they wish to address through research.

Moving from the broad idea to that particular question

With the ideas in place, the researcher should narrow them down to some actionable key words. This narrowing down could be done by assessing factors like feasibility for research in terms of accessibility of sources, adequate availability of prior research work, scope of research, etc. There are many cases wherein a researcher wants to pursue research on a certain topic, but it is practically not feasible to do so, as data collection is either impossible, or involves unethical practices, or is simply beyond the researcher’s financial or physical means. For example, analysing the effects of starvation on a person’s intellectual capacity would involve depriving someone of food, which would be unethical.

Once there is clarity with regards to what to pursue, the researcher then formulates her/his research question by connecting the variables of interest or reforming existing theories by introducing new variables. While formulating the question, the researcher must also keep in mind certain things like what the puzzle is trying to address, why is the puzzle relevant, who the target audience is for this research question, and the chronological and geo-spatial context of the question (i.e., the when and where). With the research question thus formed, the overall research process gets a definite shape and direction, and proceeds accordingly.

However, it should be noted that it is not always a given that the researcher will immediately get the inspiration required for pursuing a specific research question. There can be moments wherein one wants to pursue a question, but finds that there is already enough body of work that has been done on the topic, and it is not a question worth pursuing. In such cases, the researcher can conduct a literature review in order to prise out a research question from the existing body of knowledge.

Literature Review

An important part of the research process is conducting a literature review, which involves a broad scan of the research done by scholars previously. A variety of sources need to be examined, like books, scholarly articles, journals, and web resources like blogs, news, and debates. The prospect of going through pages after pages, filled with bewilderingly diverse data, can seem daunting at first. Hence, a strategic approach can be adopted while handling certain texts like research reports and journal articles, focusing on the abstract of the text, discussion and conclusions, and remarks on scope for future research.

Similarly, books are a great source of background information and history for a topic. But as not all books are peer-reviewed, preference should be given to ones published by university presses or edited books with a list of editors. (“Research Process”) With regards to web sources, however, abundant caution should be exercised, as a lot of material on the Internet can be based on dubious claims, or lacks academic rigour. Also, one must not shy away from exploring work from outside the chosen discipline. Knowledge is not necessarily categorised into silos; it can be understood and processed through various means and perspectives. A research question can be approached through the prism of multiple academic disciplines. For e.g., exploring a question such as ‘can rising sea levels lead to disputes between countries’ can involve the intersection of environmental science, sociology, history, political science, and law. This would necessitate the researcher analysing the question from different viewpoints and preparing his/her research process accordingly. The research methods deployed in order to answer the puzzle will also become multidisciplinary, for e.g., we can see a mix of econometric statistical analyses being employed alongside ethnographic field surveys in studies assessing the phenomenon of economic growth in a more comprehensive manner.

After scouring through all the relevant literature, a researcher would get the hang of the prevailing research trends and theories in the topic field. It is only after this scanning that the researcher would be able to identify research gaps and zero in on future avenues for research. Additionally, there can be situations wherein the researcher can feel that existing theories or concepts are running contrary to present-day observations or settings, which need to be modified. These situations also present themselves as a ‘research gap’ which researchers would look to fill. After all, “science is a kind of large-scale collaboration in which many different researchers read and evaluate each other’s work and conduct new studies to build on it.” (Price et al. 24) It is through this way that research leads to knowledge creation and dissemination, in the form of a river flowing into the ocean of knowledge and enriching it.

It should be kept in mind that a literature review can be done either before or after figuring out the research question. In the former case, the researcher has the advantage of crafting a foolproof research question after surveying the body of work. Alternatively, if the researcher is passionate enough, or driven by a sense of purpose, s/he can come up with a research question prior to the review. In that case, literature review acts as a way of testing or falsifying the hypothesis, and based on the observations, the researcher can either reframe the hypothesis or continue with that question.

Conclusion

In conclusion, figuring out the research question is an integral part of the research process, for it sets the tone for the researcher with regards to the overall plan. Since there is a vast amount of knowledge out there, and there is much more left to be discovered, it is important to take a systematic approach when it comes to formulating the puzzle. Researchers start from a broad standpoint, or a research topic, and then they look to narrow it down to an actionable research question. Literature review involves taking a deep dive into the body of prior research work done in the field, analysing a plethora of sources and texts, and then identifying research gaps, which could be in the form of creation of new theories or reforming existing theories. Once the researcher is able to identify the gap, the researcher then frames the research question with the help of the relevant variables. With the research question in place, the researcher can then proceed with his/her research process accordingly. However, there is flexibility in the process, as a researcher can come up with a concrete research question very early on, and the literature review can be used later to test out the hypothesis.