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Research Questions Are The Basic Building Blocks Of A Research

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Research questions are the basic building blocks of a research project. Developing good research questions is one of the first steps in the research process (Taylor, 1999). When developed correctly using precise language and when it is properly investigated beforehand, research questions should guide the research project and assist in the topic’s investigation (Taylor, 1999). When approaching a new Research project one must ask, “what information do I need to know and what kind of questions can I ask to obtain the information I’m looking for?” In research there is either a broad topic or a narrowed down topic. This is where research questions come into play. Creating a good research question can eliminate any unnecessary information.…show more content…
This should begin by identifying a topic that can be investigated then doing general research about the topic to find any information or research that already exists (Taylor, 1999). Choose a question that is simple yet will uncover other questions of detail; make sure your question has an in-depth understanding of what your topic is. (Brause, R. S. 2000) The topic should be somewhat of interest to the author, and not just a convenient topic (Tosi, 1984). Research questions should be of interest to the writer but, not so personal that it does not apply to others outside their circle. “Studies that are linked to the concerns of the larger community are more likely to be of interest to that larger community and to contribute to the larger conversation” (Kennedy, M. 2006). Typical problems include areas of improvement and areas of difficulty (Biddix, 2009). Questions can also seek to relate items to each other, such as a human resource professional trying to find a correlation between pay scales and turnover rates. Creating a list of potential open-ended “how” or “why” research questions will help narrow down the topic to which areas might make for good research (Taylor, 1999).

It is important not to create research questions that have already been adequately researched, as well as to not create research questions that cannot be answered (Tosi, 1984). One should consider “conduct(ing) preliminary research on the topic in
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