Developing research ideas and formulating research questions
Chris Brunsdon
1
Research Projects in general
Most research projects share the same general structure
Broad area of interest may be too broad to study in any single research project
From
Hourglass
You have done some background research
Reading the literature around your topic
Talking to supervisors
The aim is narrow down your Question
Formulate a hypothesis or research question
Then for the actual dissertation (not the proposal)
You will be engaged in direct measurement or observation of the question of interest
At the narrowest point
After basic data is collected you will
Begin to try to understand it
Perform analysis
After analysis you will
Start to formulate some initial conclusions
Generalize from the results of your study to other work
Hourglass
Background research
Narrow down your research question
Direct measurement
Analysis after basic data is collected
Reflections
Research Question
Initial research ideas are often very general
But good research questions need to be quite specific, so that:
– appropriate methods can be chosen
– required resources can be identified
– criteria for success are clear
– work can be planned realistically
– useful objectives can be met
Research ideas
General ideas may flow from a number of basic aims
Professional – ‘I want to develop a new spatial analysis technique’
Methodological – ‘I want to use R-based image processing software’
Ethical – ‘I want do something that makes a difference to the environment’
Turning ideas into questions
A good research question is clear and specific
Answerable using data / resources available
Consider the subject matter:
who, what & why?
Consider the practical:
where, when & how?
Then review the question to see if it really requires research
The subject matter
‘Who’ are the ‘subjects’?
General: land cover change
Specific: tropical rainforest
‘What’ is the test?
General: remote sensing
Specific: fuzzy classification vs. other methods
‘Why’ considers is this a good thing to do?
General: to manage remote sensing uncertainty
Specific: to improve monitoring of specific forest resources
Practical issues
‘Where’ is it possible to do this?
General: Tropical rainforest areas, Data
Specific: Bolivian jungle
‘When’ – is there time to do this analysis?
General: this year
Specific: complete research by August 12th
‘How’ can the plans be implemented?
General: I have the necessary skills
Specific: I will have learn to use new RS software
Research question
If the general idea was to analyse land cover change, then the specific question might be:
‘Does fuzzy classification of remotely sensed imagery improve land cover change monitoring in tropical rainforest environments?’
It should be clear from thinking about the practical issues that it not realistic to answer this question robustly using an analysis of just one rainforest area!
Research Question
Your final research question should be realistic
The methods should be appropriate to meet the stated objectives
‘Comparison of Fuzzy and Boolean classification methods for analysing tropical rainforest change: a Bolivian case study’
Evaluate Your Own Research Question
Is the topic interesting to you?
Does the question deal with a topic or issue that interests me enough to spark my own thoughts and opinions?
Is the question easily and fully researchable?
What type of data do I need to answer the research question?
The research question, “What impact has the ‘Agenda for Change’ had on the provision of Primary care in Nottingham” will require certain data:
statistics on Primary care before and after (illness, location)
statistics on Primary care providers, (type, location)
information about practice before and after ‘Agenda for Change’ recommendations
Evaluate Your Own Research Question
Is the scope of this information reasonable
Given the above …
…the type and scope of the information needed
is the question too broad, too narrow, or okay?
What sources will have the information that I need to answer the research question?
journals, books, Internet resources, government documents, people
Can I access these sources?
Given my answers to the above questions, do I have a good quality research question that I actually will be able to answer by doing research?
