HIST 2210: Ancient Greece (Knapp)

The research question is an important touchstone within every research project. It is the query that you seek to answer through your research. As such, it should be:

• Clear: it provides enough specifics that your reader can easily understand its purpose without needing additional explanation.

• Focused: it is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly within the project's parameters.

• Concise: it is expressed in precise terms (no 'extras').

• Complex: it is not answerable with a simple “yes” or “no,” but rather requires synthesis and analysis of ideas and sources prior to composition of an answer.

• Arguable: its potential answers are open to debate rather than accepted facts.

The specificity of a well-developed research question helps writers: (1) avoid the “all-about” paper, and (2) develop a specific, arguable thesis statement.

Adapted from the George Mason University Writing Center.

This video from The Smart Student YouTube channel provides a great overview of how to to develop an effective research question. You can stop watching at 7:30.