How to formulate a strong research question that isn't too broad or too narrow

[Anthony]

I feel like Goldilocks with research questions. This one is too broad. This one is too narrow. This one is just right... but I can never find it on the first try! After a disastrous first draft where my question was so broad I could have written a book, my professor gave me a framework that saved my life.

She called it the "Who, What, Where, When, and So What?" test.

Start with a broad interest. Let's say: social media and mental health. That's a book, not a paper. Too broad.

Now, apply the filters:

• Who? (Population) → Let's narrow it to "teenage girls."
• What? (Specific aspect) → Let's narrow it to "body image issues."
• Where? (Geographic context) → Let's narrow it to "in the United States."
• When? (Time period) → Let's narrow it to "since the rise of Instagram (2010-present)."

Now you have: "The impact of Instagram on body image issues among teenage girls in the United States since 2010." That's better. It's focused. But we need the "So What?"—the analytical angle.

• So What? (The conflict/angle) → Are we looking at cause and effect? A comparison? A gap? Let's add: "A comparative analysis of Instagram's impact on body image issues among teenage girls in the US versus the UK since 2010." Now you have a comparative angle. Or: "The role of Instagram's algorithm in exacerbating body image issues among teenage girls." Now you have a specific mechanism to investigate.

The key is to keep narrowing until you have a question that is specific enough to answer in 10-15 pages, but broad enough that you can find sources on it. It takes practice, but the "Who, What, Where, When, So What?" framework really helps.

 

[MateoBrown]

Anthony this is literally what my thesis advisor drilled into me and it saved my entire project. I started with "social media and politics" (lol kill me) and ended up with "how do Twitter engagement metrics influence the spread of misinformation about vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic among US adults aged 18-35?"

Specific population? Check. Specific platform? Check. Specific timeframe? Check. Specific outcome? Check.

It took like 6 drafts to get there but once I had that question, the rest of the thesis basically wrote itself. The question is everything. If your question is fuzzy, your whole paper will be fuzzy. If your question is sharp, everything else has direction.