GRASP

How to create a meaningful research question

August 7th, 2025, by Karen Tag(s): Research questions

How to create a meaningful research question

Most students begin their research journey by formulating a research question. But this is the wrong place to start, according to Prof. Tara Brabazon, Dean of Graduate Studies at Flinders University.

Before you even get to formulating a research question, you need to do some groundwork by probing your relationship with the topic or idea.

Here are the steps that Tara recommends:

1. Explore what you know

Write down what you already know about this area. Don’t judge or question yourself — you need to know what you know.

2. Map the disciplinary landscape

Identify the disciplines that intersect with your topic and note down key researchers, including (and perhaps especially) the emerging researchers, the “ones to watch” who are doing new and interesting things.

3. Define your relationship to the topic

This is more subjective and personal. What lens are you viewing the topic through? What do you think and feel about it? What excites you? What worries you?

What makes a good research question?

Research questions are the centre of your research. They’re like “a razor through your knowledge system”, slicing and cutting off the bits you don’t need, moving you from merely describing an area to analysing it.

A good research question must be:

Clear, concise and precise: Make sure there are no built in assumptions with enough detail to be understandable for your audience.

Written for your audience: Who are you writing for? Research questions are configured differently depending on your audience.

Answerable: Make sure your question is narrow and precise enough to actually answer in the timeframe you have.

How to construct a good research question

Initial exploration

  • Identify your general research area.
  • Do an initial search (eg Google Scholar) with precise keywords plus researcher names.
  • Examine what’s been done, when, and how.
  • Check dates and look at the longitudinal trajectory. Is there currency? Has there been a lapse in the research? If so, ask why.

Finding the gaps

  • Notice what appears repeatedly in the literature.
  • Pay attention to odd questions that emerge.
  • Look for absences. What aren’t they talking about? This might be where your research question lies.

Draft some research questions

  • Focus on crafting ‘how and why’ questions, rather than ‘what’ questions.
  • Write down lots of potential questions which you can revise, sharpen and refine.
  • Try combining questions together.

What makes research questions researchable?

  • Ask yourself: Can I design a research project that answers the research question?

  • Always craft a research question you don’t know the answer to. If you already know the answer, why bother doing the research? It won’t be an original contribution to knowledge.

  • Craft research questions that allow you to explore different sides of a topic, and might surprise you by what you find. If you’re going to spend years of your life answering this question, make it worthy of your time. It needs to be meaningful - for you, your discipline and the world.

  • Research questions are really useful in a number of ways. They help to organise your thinking and research and focus on what is important. They can also contribute to shaping, framing, and limiting your literature review, preventing them from becoming so big they mean nothing. Research questions also guide you toward appropriate methodology, methods, and what kind of data and information you need.

  • When you’re stuck, ask yourself: “What am I trying to do here?”

To recap what Tara has been arguing in the video: Start by creating a genuine relationship with your topic, and be curious, rigorous, and imaginative. Remember that research questions do matter and are useful in organising your thinking and guiding meaningful scholarship that makes a real contribution to knowledge.

This summary is based on Tara Brabazon’s excellent YouTube video “How to write a research question”. I highly recommended it for all HDR students seeking practical, no-nonsense advice on this fundamental research skill.



Please make any comments on this post, or suggestions for further posts at this link. Comments are anonymous, although you can add your email if you would like a response.

Image by Evan Dennis on Unsplash