On this page you can find help with developing your preliminary research question. See:
Steps to Developing a Research Question
Practice Exercise: Formulating Well-Focused Research Questions
You've chosen a subject and topic that interests you, and carried out some preliminary reading. What are the next steps?
Consider the emerging questions. You should now begin posing open-ended questions about your topic. These questions will usually be framed "how", "why", or "to what extent."
Evaluate the question. Once you have posed possible research questions you should evaluate them. This evaluation should be based on whether the question is clear, focused, and arguable.
Consider research outcomes. Once you have decided on a provisional research question you should start thinking about the direction your research might take. You could do this by:
The table below gives some examples showing the difference between unclear and unfocused research questions and those that are appropriately clear and focused, lending themselves to in-depth research.
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Unclear, unfocused, and unarguable research questions
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Clear, focused, narrow research questions lending themselves to in-depth research
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| What was the impact of Ho Chi Minh's allegiance to Lenin? | To what extent was nationalism the guiding factor in Ho Chi Minh's adoption of Leninism in 1920? |
| What is the history of Chinese theatre? | How does the legacy of Mei Lan Fang contribute to modern Jingju? |
| How important is chlorophyll to plant life? | What is the effect of different concentrations of kinetin on leaves aging and the biosynthesis of chlorophyll? |
| How can the US government's spending policy be reformed? | To what extent did the rising COE prices affect the demand for new and used cars by the consumer population and hence affect the revenue generated by the Singaporean economy for the period 2012-16? |
| Step 1. Choose your subject area |
Which subject area is of most personal interest to you? Is there something you are especially curious about in one of your IB courses? Did one of your ERP's from an earlier grade spark an idea that can be researched? |
| Step 2. Choose a topic that interests you |
Describe your work in one sentence. I want to learn about __________________________. Example: I want to learn about public funding for the arts. |
| Step 3. Suggest a question |
Try to describe your research by developing a question that specifies something about your topic. I am studying ______________________ because I want to find out (who, what, when, where, whether, why or how) ___________________________. Example: I am studying public funding for the arts because I want to find out how accessible the arts are to those people who are on low incomes. Direct question: To what extent are the arts accessible to people who belong to the class of the working poor? Include a command term from your subject area to help form the research question. Will you be able to argue a specific position? What are some possible issues or arguments? |
| Step 4. Evaluate your question |
Answer the questions: Is there a range of perspectives on this topic? Does the research question allow for analysis, evaluation and the development of a reasoned argument? I am studying __________________ because I want to find out ____________________________ in order to understand (how, why or whether) ________________________________________________. Example: I am studying public funding for the arts because I want to find out how accessible the arts are to the working poor so I can determine whether tax dollars support cultural enrichment for all citizens regardless of their socio-economic status. |
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Step 5. Restate your question using a different command term |
Asking the question in a different way might help you view your topic in a different way. How does analyzing … To what extent … |
| Step 6. Review with your supervisor |
Is your supervisor able to understand the nature of your research? Is it clear to your supervisor how and why your topic is relevant in your subject area? |
| Step 7. Reflection |
If you can adequately respond to the “so what?” question, you may be on your way to a clear and focused research question using your initial topic idea. |
5. Formulate a preliminary research question. Try to incorporate an IB command term in the research question if possible.
Command terms are the key terms and phrases used in examination questions for IB classes. The lists below give the terms, and definitions, for specific IB subjects.
These lists are glossaries of terms used in film and dance.
Students writing History Extended Essays can use these formats to help write research questions on their topics.
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