How to write a research question

If the right research questions are asked, market research can improve business-critical decisions, optimise products and services, reduce risk and improve the customer experience.

Strong research questions are essential as they set the foundation for the overall efficacy and actionability of your research results. They guide the process of data collection and analysis, ensuring that the information gathered is relevant and impactful for decision-making processes.

Fortunately, we know quite a bit about writing questions, and we’re ready to help you write your own effective research questions.

Let’s discuss how to write a research question.

The best research questions are subjective. The Net Promoter Score® (NPS®) survey question is an industry-standard question that enables you to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, if your goal is to measure the customer effort score (CES), the NPS won’t be of any use to you.

Strong research questions help you to answer a question and achieve an objective. Let’s explore the characteristics of a good research question based on the FINER model.

Related: 7 best practices for writing good survey and poll questions

Now that we know the criteria for writing a research question, it’s time to examine how to write one of your own. Imagine the process as an inverted pyramid, with each step getting smaller as you reach the tip of the pyramid, i.e your final research question.

You need to prove that it’s worthwhile diving into an issue.

The first step is to define why you need to conduct research in the first place and select a broad topic for your research question.

Opt for a topic that piques your interest. Your research topic should arise from a business problem, personal curiosity, professional experience or knowledge gaps that were identified in prior research.

These considerations will guide you in forming a meaningful and relevant research question that holds significance both to you and the wider community.

Your research problem will shape your research question.

Aligning research questions with your research topic will ensure that your study remains focused, relevant and purposeful. A focused research question helps you to shape your research design, data collection and analysis.

Addressing your core issue increases the likelihood of generating meaningful, actionable insights. Without this alignment, the research process may become scattered and ineffective, resulting in inconclusive or unusable results.

Consider the following research question examples:

Begin your preliminary research by conducting a literature review, including academic articles, research papers and studies related to your general topic.

This step will help you to identify easily found facts that can help you to determine whether further research is necessary, thus saving you time and effort in your research process.

Taking time to review academic writing relating to a particular topic can also help you to identify different perspectives and methodologies that researchers have utilised in their investigations. This will provide you with a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter.

You should identify any gaps in the existing literature that can help focus your potential research question.

Write your potential research questions.

For each question, ensure that it aligns with the qualities of a strong research question, i.e. it must be feasible, interesting, novel, ethical and relevant.

Good research questions should also aim to explore the relationships between variables, the roles of specific factors within a process or the impacts of particular interventions or phenomena.

By focusing on these aspects, researchers can develop research questions that not only guide meaningful investigation but also yield valuable and credible results.

Don’t focus on the format of your research questions just yet; we’ll address that soon.

To get the most value from your research, your research questions should directly align with your research topic.

Whether you’re exploring customer satisfaction, testing product features or evaluating brand awareness, each question should serve a clear purpose.

Avoid vague or overly broad questions as these often lead to unclear results. Instead, focus on specificity in order to uncover actionable insights that support targeted decisions.

Consider the following research question examples:

Finally, carefully review your refined research questions to ensure that they are directly aligned with and relevant to your overall research objective.

Although this step may feel redundant, it’s the final step before starting the research design process. Your final question will have a direct impact on your research results and subsequent steps.

Consider the following questions:

Reviewing your questions through this lens will help you to eliminate any that are too broad, redundant or off-topic. Once you’ve identified the strongest question, confidently select it as your final research question.

Writing effective research questions is key to achieving your research goals. You can ensure that the objectives, focus, purpose and scope of your research are always clear by writing questions that meet the FINER criteria.

When you’re ready to begin your study, let us help you to create your survey questions and find your target audience quickly and easily. 

Choose your demographics, send your survey and analyse your results all in one place with SurveyMonkey Audience.

Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc. and Fred Reichheld.