Video: Formulating a research question (4:43 minutes)

Developing a Research Question

Developing Your Research Question

Developing your research question is one of the most important steps in the evidence synthesis process. At this stage in the process, you and your team have identified a knowledge gap in your field and are aiming to answer a specific question:

  • If X is prescribed, then Y will happen to patients?

OR assess an intervention:

  • How does X affect Y?

OR synthesize the existing evidence

  • What is the nature of X? ​

​​Whatever your aim, formulating a clear, well-defined research question of appropriate scope is key to a successful evidence synthesis. The research question will be the foundation of your synthesis and from it your research team will identify 2-5 possible search concepts. These search concepts will later be used in step 5 to build your search strategy. 

Search Concepts

Research Question Frameworks

Formulating a research question takes time and your team may go through different versions until settling on the right research question. To help formulate your research question, some research question frameworks are listed below (there are dozen of different types of these frameworks--for a comprehensive overview, see this guide from the University of Maryland)

Think of these frameworks as you would for a house or building. A framework is there to provide support and to be a scaffold for the rest of the structure. In the same way, a research question framework can also help structure your evidence synthesis question.  Probably the most common framework is PICO:

PICO for Quantitative Studies

  • P       Population/Problem
  • I        Intervention/Exposure
  • C       Comparison
  • O      Outcome

Example: Is gabapentin (intervention), compared to placebo (comparison), effective in decreasing pain symptoms (outcome) in middle aged male amputees suffering phantom limb pain (population)?

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While PICO is a helpful framework for clinical research questions, it may not be the best choice for other types of research questions, especially outside the health sciences.  Here are a few others (for a comprehensive, but concise, overview of the almost 40 different types of research question frameworks, see this review from the British Medical Journal: Rapid review of existing question formulation frameworks)

PICo for Qualitative Studies

  • P       Population/Problem
  • I         Phenomenon of Interest 
  • Co    Context

Example: What are the experiences (phenomenon of interest) of caregivers providing home based care to patients with Alzheimer's disease (population) in Australia (context)?

​​SPICE

  • S    Setting
  • P   Perspective (for whom)
  • I    Intervention/Exposure
  • C   Comparison
  • E   Evaluation

Example: What are the benefits (evaluation) of a doula (intervention) for low income mothers (perspective) in the developed world (setting) compared to no support (comparison)?

SPIDER

  • S     Sample
  • PI   Phenomenon of Interest
  • D    Design
  • E     Evaluation
  • R    Study Type

Example: What are the experiences (evaluation) of women (sample) undergoing IVF treatment (phenomenon of interest) as assessed?

Design:  questionnaire or survey or interview

Study Type: qualitative or mixed method

Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion and exclusion criteria are developed after a research question is finalized but before a search is carried out. They determine the limits for the evidence synthesis and are typically reported in the methods section of the publication. For unfamiliar or unclear concepts, a definition may be necessary to adequately describe the criterion for readers. 

From University of Melbourne Library LibGuide

How a Librarian Can Help

How Librarians Can Help

Librarians can help you learn how to search for existing information on your topic. Finding existing reviews on your topic will inform the development of your research question, identify gaps, and confirm that you are not duplicating the efforts of previous reviews. Email us at systrev_help@cornell.edu to learn more about developing a research question.