How to Write A Problem Statement and Research Question for Your Thesis or Paper

How to Write A Problem Statement and Research Question for Your Thesis or Paper.

A research question is the question around which you center your research. It should be:

clear: it provides enough specifics that one’s audience can easily understand its purpose without needing additional explanation.
focused: it is narrow enough that it can be answered thoroughly in the space the writing task allows.
concise: it is expressed in the fewest possible words.
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.


The Research Question you ask should be developed for the discipline you are studying. A question appropriate for Biology, for instance, is different from an appropriate one in Political Science or Sociology. If you are developing your question for a course other than first-year composition, you may want to discuss your ideas for a research question with your professor.

research problem should have the following characteristics:

It should address a gap in knowledge.
It should be significant enough to contribute to the existing body of research.
It should lead to further research.
It should be of interest to the researcher and suit his/her skills, time, and resources.

A problem statement should describe an undesirable gap between the current-state level of performance and the desired future-state level of performance. A problem statement should include absolute or relative measures of the problem that quantify that gap, but should not include possible causes or solutions.

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