Research question
A focused, answerable question that defines what an investigation seeks to discover. It guides the choice of evidence, methods, and scope.
Research problem: An issue, gap, or uncertainty that motivates systematic investigation. The research problem is the broader concern a focused question turns into an investigable inquiry.
PICO (clinical questions): A framework for structuring clinical questions around population, intervention, comparison, and outcome. PICO turns many treatment questions into searchable, comparable components.
Clinical research: Research involving human health, including studies of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Clinical questions often compare interventions or identify factors associated with health outcomes.
Thesis statement: A concise claim that expresses the central argument of an essay or scholarly work. A thesis asserts a position; a research question identifies an uncertainty to investigate.
Research aim: A broad statement of what a study intends to accomplish. An aim states the study’s overall purpose; the research question expresses what it will answer.
FINER criteria: A framework assessing research questions for feasibility, interest, novelty, ethics, and relevance. FINER tests whether a proposed question is practical and worth investigating.
Educational research: Systematic inquiry into teaching, learning, educational systems, and their effects. Educational questions can investigate learning processes, classroom practices, or institutional outcomes.
Topic sentence: A sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph. A topic sentence organizes prose, whereas a research question organizes an investigation.
Hypothesis: A testable proposed explanation or prediction about a phenomenon. A hypothesis predicts an answer, while a research question asks what evidence will establish.
Research design: The plan that links a study’s question to its data, procedures, and analysis. The wording and type of question constrain which design can answer it.