---
title: "Research question"
chunk: 3/3
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_question"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:42:55.419390+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Does _________ (name the theory) explain the relationship between _________ (independent variable) and _________ (dependent variable), controlling for the effects of _________ (control variable)?
Alternatively, a script for a quantitative null hypothesis might be as follows:

There is no significant difference between _________ (the control and experimental groups on the independent variable) on _________ (dependent variable).
Quantitative studies also fall into two categories:

Correlational studies: A correlational study is non-experimental, requiring the writer to research relationships without manipulating or randomly selecting the subjects of the research. The research question for a correlational study may look like this: What is the relationship between long-distance commuters and eating disorders?
Experimental studies: An experimental study is experimental in that it requires the writer to manipulate and randomly select the subjects of the research. The research question for an experimental study may look like this: Does the consumption of fast food lead to eating disorders?

=== Mixed study ===
A mixed study integrates both qualitative and quantitative studies, so the writer's research must be directed at determining the why or how and the what, where, or when of the research topic. Therefore, the writer will need to craft a research question for each study required for the assignment. A typical study may be expected to have between 1 and 6 research questions.
Once the writer has determined the type of study to be used and the specific objectives the paper will address, the writer must also consider whether the research question passes the "so what" test. The "so what" test means that the writer must construct evidence to convince the audience why the research is expected to add new or useful knowledge to the literature.

== Related terms ==

=== Problematique ===
Problematique is a term that functions analogously to the research problem or question used typically when addressing global systemic problems. The term achieved prominence in 1970 when Hasan Özbekhan, Erich Jantsch and Alexander Christakis conceptualized the original prospectus of the Club of Rome titled "The Predicament of Mankind". In this prospectus the authors designated 49 Continuous Critical Problems facing humankind, saying "We find it virtually impossible to view them as problems that exist in isolation – or as problems capable of being solved in their own terms... It is this generalized meta system of problems, which we call the 'problematique' that inheres in our situation."
Situations similar to the global problematique in their complexity are also called problematiques. These situations receive different designations from other authors. In organizational theory and related fields, researchers C. West Churchman, Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber, and Chris Argyris called these situations wicked problems; Russell Ackoff called them "messes".

== See also ==

== References ==

== Further reading ==
The Little, Brown Guide to Writing Research Papers
White, Patrick (2017). Developing Research Questions (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-49047-6.
Creswell, John W. (2014). Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. pp. 131–133. ISBN 978-1-4522-2609-5.

== External links ==

Developing a Research Question (esc.edu)