Before you begin writing your research question, it is first important to craft a purpose statement. What can be a purpose of your study? Examples of a purpose for a quantitative study include: Examples for a qualitative study include: Once you define the purpose of your study, you can then create a clear purpose statement. Purpose statements help you define your research in a straightforward manner. Here is an example of a well-defined purpose statement. This purpose statement explicitly answers these questions: After you have decided on the purpose of your study and have written your purpose statement, you can then craft your research question. Research questions provide an overarching direction for your study to follow. It guides the type of study you will choose, the type of data you will collect, and the type of analysis on the data that you will perform. Writing good research questions, then, is an important step in framing your study. What makes a good research question? Research questions should be clear, concise, specific, neutral, and focused. They should also be complex enough that the question requires more than just a yes or no answer. An example of a thorough research question for a quantitative study follows:
