Research Questions and Planning
Strong academic writing usually fails or succeeds before drafting begins. If the topic is too broad, the evidence is weak, or the scope is unrealistic, the final paper will be unstable no matter how polished the language looks.
Start With a Topic, End With a Question
A topic is broad. A research question is focused, arguable, and answerable with evidence.
- Topic: social media and politics
- Weak question: How does social media affect politics?
- Better question: How does exposure to short-form political content on TikTok influence political participation among first-year university students?
Criteria for a Good Research Question
- Focused: narrow enough for the assignment length
- Researchable: answerable with accessible sources or data
- Arguable: requires analysis, not a definition
- Relevant: connected to a broader academic conversation
- Feasible: manageable within time, method, and word limit
Narrowing a Topic
Reduce scope by choosing one item from each category:
- Population: who?
- Place: where?
- Time: when?
- Mechanism: through what channel?
- Outcome: with what effect?
Example:
- Broad topic: academic stress
- Narrowed question: How do weekly low-stakes quizzes affect perceived stress and study consistency among first-year economics students during their first semester?
Turn the Question Into a Working Claim
Before writing, propose a tentative answer.
- Question: What does the paper ask?
- Claim: What does the paper currently think the answer is?
- Reasoning: Why might that claim be true?
- Evidence: What kinds of sources could support it?
This working claim can change after deeper reading. The point is to make the paper directional early.
Search Planning
Build search terms in layers:
- Core concept terms
- Synonyms and related terms
- Population or context terms
- Method terms if needed
Example search string:
("political participation" OR "civic engagement") AND (TikTok OR "short-form video") AND (students OR undergraduates)
Source Triage
Do not treat every source equally. Classify them early.
- Foundational theory
- Recent review articles
- Key empirical studies
- Method references
- Background or policy reports
Prioritize review articles and high-quality recent studies first. They help you map the field faster.
Research Planning Checklist
- What is the exact question?
- What type of paper are you writing: essay, literature review, empirical report, thesis chapter?
- What is the expected contribution: explanation, comparison, critique, synthesis, recommendation?
- What evidence will count as convincing?
- What is outside scope?
Minimum Planning Template
Use a short planning note before drafting:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Topic | |
| Research question | |
| Working claim | |
| Why it matters | |
| Main concepts | |
| Likely sections | |
| Key sources to find | |
| Scope limits |
Common Mistakes
- Starting from a title instead of a question
- Choosing a moral opinion topic with little academic framing
- Collecting sources without a classification system
- Ignoring the assignment's word limit and evidence expectations
Takeaway
A precise research question saves time at every later stage: reading, outlining, drafting, and revision.