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Research Guides

GGR301 - Fluvial Geomorphology

How to write a research question

Follow these steps to develop your research question:

  • Choose your topic
  • Do some initial research to find out what has been written about your topic. Think about how you will conduct the research. If you are limiting your research to academic articles for example, which database(s) will you use?
  • Identify the research problem (the specific issue you'd like to address).

  • Formulate your research question. Think about exactly what you want to know. Your question should be focused and clearly stated.  Don't be afraid to tweak your question if necessary. You don't want to make your question too narrow (you may not have enough to write about) or too broad (you might end up not being able to adequately cover all the material).

NOTE:  your question should allow you to be able to analyze your topic rather than simply describe the topic.