Feasible in FINER focuses on time, scope, resources, expertise, and funding
When using the FINER framework, writing feasible research questions ensures that researchers are taking on a research project that can actually be completed. Feasible research questions can be answered. The feasibility of research questions focuses on objective aspects of the immediate empirical or clinical environment (time, scope, resources, expertise, funding, etc.).
Statistical power is also a central focus of feasibility. Researchers need to have access to a large enough pool of participants to sample from to conduct meaningful research. Without a large enough sample size, statistical power will decrease, meaning that researchers will be less likely to detect significant treatment effects.
Collaboration with other researchers is highly suggested to share the work load and integrate multiple viewpoints into the research question. In terms of scope, researchers should seek to be more deductive rather than inductive in order to write feasible research questions.
Talking with a statistical consultant or experienced researcher is wise when determining the feasibility of a research question.
Feasible research questions and FINER
Here are some questions to answer when writing feasible research questions with FINER.
- Can the research question be answered in the current and future clinical or empirical environment?
- Do researchers have access to an adequate pool of potential participants from the population of interest?
- Is there enough time to conduct the study?
- Does the scope of the study lead to attainable objectives?
- Is the effect size large enough to be detected and still hold clinical relevance?
- Do the researchers possess the necessary resources and expertise to conduct the study?
- Have the researchers consulted a statistician or methodologist regarding the feasibility of the study?
- Have researchers conducted a pilot study to establish a preliminary measure of effect size for an a priori power analysis?
Click on the Interesting Research Questions button to continue working through the FINER framework.
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Published on October 26, 2022 by Shona McCombes. A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your
research paper, dissertation, or thesis. All research questions should be:
You will usually write a single research question to guide your progress in a research paper or academic essay. Your answer then forms your thesis statement—the central assertion or position that your paper will argue for.
A bigger research project, such as a thesis or dissertation, may necessitate multiple research questions. However, they should all be clearly connected and focused around a central research problem.
How to write a research question
You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:
- Choose your topic
- Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
- Narrow your focus to a specific niche
- Identify the research problem that you will address
The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.
Describing and exploring |
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Explaining and testing |
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Evaluating and acting |
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Using your research problem to develop your research question
Teachers at the school do not have the skills to recognize or properly guide gifted children in the classroom. | What practical techniques can teachers use to better identify and guide gifted children? |
Young people increasingly engage in the “gig economy,” rather than traditional full-time employment. However, it is unclear why they choose to do so. | What are the main factors influencing young people’s decisions to engage in the gig economy? |
Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research, the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.
What makes a strong research question?
Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.
Focused and researchable
Your central research question should work together with your research problem to keep your work focused. If you have multiple questions, they should all clearly tie back to your central aim. |
Your question must be answerable using quantitative and/or qualitative data, or by reading scholarly sources on the topic to develop your argument. If such data is impossible to access, you likely need to rethink your question. |
Avoid subjective words like good, bad, better and worse. These do not give clear criteria for answering the question.
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Feasible and specific
Make sure you have enough time and resources to do all research required to answer your question. If it seems you will not be able to gain access to the data you need, consider narrowing down your question to be more specific. |
All the terms you use in the research question should have clear meanings. Avoid vague language, jargon, and too-broad ideas.
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Research is about informing, not instructing. Even if your project is focused on a practical problem, it should aim to improve understanding rather than demand a ready-made solution.
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Complex and arguable
Closed-ended, yes/no questions are too simple to work as good research questions—they don’t provide enough scope for robust investigation and discussion.
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If you can answer the question through a single Google search, book, or article, it is probably not complex enough. A good research question requires original data, synthesis of multiple sources, and original interpretation and argumentation prior to providing an answer. |
Relevant and original
Your research question should be developed based on initial reading around your topic. It should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge in your field or discipline. |
The question should aim to contribute to an existing and current debate in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can later build on. |
You don’t have to ask something that nobody has ever thought of before, but your question should have some aspect of originality. For example, you can focus on a specific location, or explore a new angle. |
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