Question Peer Review

Posing Good Questions

A good research question should be evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Have you posed a question or merely identified an area of interest?
   
   
2. Is the question too broad or too specific to lend itself to meaningful research?
   If so how can you sharpen or expand the focus?
   
   
3. Is the question too basic to lend itself to interesting analysis?
   Can you change the question so that it will allow for more analysis instead of just summarizing of information?
   
   
4. Is the question realistic?
   Will the resources you need be available?
   Do you have, or can you acquire, the necessary background information?
   
   
5. Is the question significant and relevant?
   Are you posing an unanswerable hypothetical question?
   
   
6. A good research question must be one in which you can identify the information necessary to obtain an answer and anticipate the form the answer will take. Can you do so for this question?

Remember the four step method of questions if you are answering no to these question.

1. What materials are available?
2. How does it act?
3. How can I change the set of materials to affect the action?
4. How can I measure or describe the response to the change?