HO - 1 - Formulating a Question

• Characteristics of a Good Research Problem

  • Relevant
  • Manageable
  • Substantial and Original
  • Consistent with the requirements of the Assessment
  • Clear & Simple
  • Interesting
• Relevant


  • The question will be of academic and intellectual interest to people in the field you have chosen to study
  • The question arises from issues raised in the literature or in practice
  • You should be able to establish a clear purpose for your research in relation to the chosen field
• Manageable


  • Manageable in terms of research and in terms of your own academic abilities
  • You need to be realistic about the scope and scale of the project
  • The question you ask must be within your ability to tackle
  • Availability of the people/experts, data, statistics and other documents necessary
• Substantial and Original


  • With original dimensions
  • You should not simply copy questions asked in other modules
• Consistent with the requirements of the Assessment


  The question must allow you the scope to satisfy the learning outcomes of the course
• Clear & Simple


  • Specific or singularly focused question
  • Having one key question will guide your research, just add sub-components to the question if necessary
  • A simple question will become more complex as you think about the situation and when you undertake the literature review, so just think what will happen if you will start with an already complex question
• Interesting


  • The question needs to intrigue you and maintain your interest throughout the project
  • It is your interest that will motivate you to keep working on your research
• How to Prepare A Title


  • Avoid long and cute titles
  • Make specific title
  • Avoid waste words like "A", "An", "The", "Studies on", "Investigations on", "Observations on"
  • Never use abbreviations, chemical formula, property names, jargon (difficult words) and the like
• Exam Grades


  • Sleep vs. Exam Grades
  • Effect of Sleep on Students Performance on Biology Exams
• Action of Antibiotics on Bacteria


  • Action of Streptomycin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Inhibition of Growth of Streptomycin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Inhibition of Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Streptomycin
• Characteristics of a Good Research Problem

  • Relevant
  • Manageable
  • Substantial and Original
  • Consistent with the requirements of the Assessment
  • Clear & Simple
  • Interesting
• Relevant


  The question will be of academic and intellectual interest to people in the field you have chosen to study, the question arises from issues raised in the literature or in practice, you should be able to establish a clear purpose for your research in relation to the chosen field
• Manageable


  Manageable in terms of research and in terms of your own academic abilities, you need to be realistic about the scope and scale of the project, the question you ask must be within your ability to tackle, availability of the people/experts, data, statistics and other documents necessary
• Substantial and Original


  With original dimensions, you should not simply copy questions asked in other modules
• Consistent with the requirements of the Assessment

  The question must allow you the scope to satisfy the learning outcomes of the course
• Clear & Simple


  Specific or singularly focused question, having one key question will guide your research, just add sub-components to the question if necessary, a simple question will become more complex as you think about the situation and when you undertake the literature review, so just think what will happen if you will start with an already complex question
• Interesting


  The question needs to intrigue you and maintain your interest throughout the project, it is your interest that will motivate you to keep working on your research
• How to Prepare A Title

  1. Avoid long and cute titles

  2. Make specific title

  3. Avoid waste words like "A", "An", "The", "Studies on", "Investigations on", "Observations on"

  4. Never use abbreviations, chemical formula, property names, jargon (difficult words) and the like
• Exam Grades


  • Sleep vs. Exam Grades
  • Effect of Sleep on Students Performance on Biology Exams
• Action of Antibiotics on Bacteria

  • Action of Streptomycin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Inhibition of Growth of Streptomycin on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Inhibition of Growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Streptomycin