Narrowing From Topic to Question

Next, you need to narrow your topic to an actual researchable question, make sure it's narrow enough, and then search for evidence about that controversial nutrition question (as you’ll do throughout course for your final wiki assignment). The background information you found in your initial search should help.

ACTIVITY: Ask the Right Question

To figure out how to form your research question, read this tutorial on the 5Ws method of question formation and complete the quiz at the end.

The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge - Thomas Berger

Stating a research question

State your controversy in the form of a research question

Let's say I'm interested in obesity and pediatric diabetes.

Example: "What effect does obesity have on diabetes in children?"

If you need more help in forming your research question, the 5Ws method can help! Also, think in terms of input and output - if you add X to someone's system, what's the effect on Y?

Too Broad? Too Narrow?

Don't make your topic too broad or narrow. Change the dependent variable in your question or consider a specific population to broaden or narrow your topic. We'll discuss this more in Module 3.

  •  obesity and health (Too broad)
  •  obesity and its effect on diabetes
  •  obesity and its effect on pediatric diabetes
  •  obesity and its effect on Type 2 diabetes in toddlers (Too narrow)