It is always a little daunting to start a larger research project, but a good place to start is to ask yourself:
For more on this see the short video tutorial on starting research for your project.
As you read more, you will hopefully start to identify more specific areas or angles within your topic that are interesting and that you want to follow up; one of these may turn into your eventual research question.
Finding a research question may take some trial and error, so don’t panic if you don’t hit on the question straight away. Take some time to read and explore.
A top tip for finding a research question is to ask yourself questions about what you have found out. The kinds of questions to ask yourself, once you have done some initial reading, may include:
For more on this watch this short video tutorial on defining a research question:
There is also a section on going from a topic to a research question in the following study guide:
Once you have decided on a topic for your review you need to spend some time planning and defining the scope of your study. Think about...
You may wish to do some scoping searches of relevant databases to find out how much has been written, and what limits you should apply.
It may be beneficial to use the PICO framework to help your research and ensure you have clear parameters for your search. It is not essential to use this framework.
Review title | The effect of blueberries on cognition and mood: a systematic review of human intervention trials |
Population | Individuals of all ages, without regard to gender, race or ethnicity. |
Intervention | Supplementation with blueberries, relevant blueberry products or extracts from blueberries. This may include freeze-dried blueberries, blueberry concentrate, or blueberry juice. |
Comparator | Placebo or control groups. |
Outcome | Changes in cognitive function based on cognitive screening measures (such as Mini mental state examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment), neuropsychological interview, informant/carer responses to assessment tools or changes in mood. Secondary outcomes include: changes in biochemical levels in biological fluids. Of particular interest are inflammatory markers, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and markers of gastrointestinal health. |
This example is extracted from: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018100888.