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Developing a Research Question

Research Questions are concrete, are measurable, and answer a pressing research need.

Steps in Developing a Research Question

1) Define: define the broad area you want to study (for example, "private prison efficacy," "alternatives to use of police force on the mentally ill," "prison educational opportunities and recidivism")

2) Describe:  describe the problem in simple terms (for example, "X number of lethal force incidents in Y community involve mentally ill individuals undergoing a psychotic break.)

3) Specify:  specify what we (the larger research community) don't know about this topic (for example, "Does the creation of specially trained police units to deal with mental health problems decrease lethal force involving individuals experiencing a psychotic break?" or "Are strategies adopted by larger municipalities able to be scaled down for smaller populations with the same results?).  Too broad a question will hinder you in being able narrow down to a single answerable question, too narrow a question will hinder you in finding enough research to answer.

4) Create:  create your research question based on the information you've gathered.  Make sure your question is concrete, specific, measurable, and answerable.

You may go between these three steps multiple times before hitting on a good research question.  Don't be discouraged if you try a few dead ends before you have gathered enough information to write your research question.

Research Databases

Communication & Mass Media Complete 

Find popular and scholarly articles on communication and mass media studies, including some full text.

PsycINFO

The major index for articles, books, chapters, dissertations, and reports in psychology. The American Psychological Association offers a YouTube playlist on using PsycINFO via EBSCOHost.

Subject Guides

You can view lists of resources based on subject by clicking on "Browse by Subject" on the Libraries' homepage (libs.uga.edu)

Sage Research Methods

Sage Research Methods 

Sage Research Methods supports research at all levels by providing material to guide users through every step of the research process.

Your UGA Librarian

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Elizabeth White
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