Literature Review: The Research Question

For additional help formulating your research question, explore these Library titles.

Your chosen topic will provide the broad base for constructing your research question.

Your lecturer may assign a topic for you.  However, if you are to identify your own topic:  

• Undertake background reading from a variety of sources (books, journals, multimedia sources etc)
• Strike a balance between broad and narrow topics:  too broad can make the review unmanageable; too narrow will limit the amount of literature available 
• Aim for a topic that has an existing body of research publications 

Use your background reading of the topic to generate ideas for your research question.  Think about:

• Specific areas of the topic that interest you
• Gaps in the research that were emphasised in your reading
• The literature that is available on your topic

Most importantly, discuss your research question with your lecturer.