How to write a research question

Market research can improve business-critical decisions, optimize products and services, reduce risk, and improve the customer experience, with the right research questions.

Strong research questions are essential as they set the foundation for the overall efficacy and actionability of your research results. They guide the process of data collection and analysis, ensuring that the information gathered is relevant and impactful for decision-making processes.

Fortunately, we know quite a bit about writing questions, and we’re ready to help you write your own effective research questions.

Let's discuss how to write a research question.

The best research questions are subjective. The Net Promoter Score® (NPS) survey question is an industry-standard question, allowing you to measure customer satisfaction and loyalty. However, if your goal is to measure Customer Effort Score (CES), NPS won't serve you any good.

Strong research questions help you answer a question and achieve an objective. Let’s look deeper at the characteristics of a good research question based on the FINER model.

Related: 7 best practices for writing good survey and poll questions

Now that we know the criteria for writing a research question, it’s time to examine how to write your own research question. Imagine the process as an inverted pyramid, with each step getting smaller as you reach the fine point—your final research question.

You want to prove that it’s worth diving into an issue.

The first step is to define why you need to conduct research in the first place and select a broad topic for your research question.

Opt for an area that piques your interest. Your research topic should arise from a business problem, personal curiosity, professional experience, or identified knowledge gaps in prior research.

These considerations will guide you in forming a meaningful and relevant research question that holds significance both to you and the wider community.

Your research problem will shape your research question.

Aligning research questions with your research topic ensures that your study remains focused, relevant, and purposeful. A focused research question helps shape your research design, data collection, and analysis.

Addressing your core issue increases the likelihood of generating meaningful, actionable insights. Without this alignment, the research process can become scattered and ineffective, resulting in inconclusive or unusable results.

Consider the following research question examples:

Begin your preliminary research by conducting a literature review, including academic articles, research papers, and studies related to your general topic.

This step will help you easily identify easily found facts that can assist you in determining whether further research is necessary, saving you time and effort in your research process.

Taking time to review academic writing on a particular topic can also help identify different perspectives and methodologies researchers have utilized in their investigations. This will provide you with a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter.

Identify any gaps in the existing literature that can help focus your potential research question.

Write your potential research questions.

For each question, ensure that it aligns with the qualities of a strong research question—feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant.

Good research questions should also aim to explore the relationships between variables, the roles of specific factors within a process, or the impacts of particular interventions or phenomena.

By focusing on these aspects, researchers can develop research questions that not only guide meaningful investigation but also yield valuable and credible results.

Don’t focus on the research questions format just yet; we’ll address that soon.

To get the most value from your research, your research questions should directly align with your research topic.

Whether you're exploring customer satisfaction, testing product features, or evaluating brand awareness, each question should serve a clear purpose.

Avoid vague or overly broad questions—they often lead to unclear results. Instead, focus on specificity to uncover actionable insights that support targeted decisions.

Consider the following research question examples:

Finally, carefully review your refined research questions to ensure that they are directly aligned with and relevant to your overall research objective.

While this step may feel redundant, it's the final step before starting the research design process. Your final question will have a direct impact on your research results and subsequent steps.

Consider the following questions:

Reviewing your question through this lens will help eliminate those that are too broad, redundant, or off-topic. Once you’ve identified the strongest question, confidently select it as your final research question.

Writing effective research questions is critical in providing goals for your research studies. By writing questions that meet the FINER criteria, you clearly state the objectives, focus, purpose, and scope of your research.

When you’re ready to begin your study, let us help you create your survey questions and find your target audience quickly and easily. 

Choose your demographics, send your survey, and analyze your results all in one place with SurveyMonkey Audience.

Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.