1. How to Formulate
a Research Question
Dr. Bassem S. Kurdi, MBBS
Demonstrator
Department of Pediatrics
Faculty of Medicine, KAU

2. Objectives
l What is a research question?
l Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
l Sources for the RQ
l What makes a good RQ?
l Common problems in RQs
l What’s after the RQ
l References

3. Objectives
INSPIRATION!

4. What is a Research Question?
l The first methodological step to resolve a
scientific uncertainty.
l It is an organized and more specific
inquisitive statement of the topic under study
that can be translated into a research project
l “The single most important component of a
study... It is the keystone of the entire
exercise” (1)

5. Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
Interest Topic RQ Hypothesis

6. Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
l Interest: A general interest in a specific field
l Topic: A broad idea requiring further analysis
– Could include population, variables, etc.
l RQ: Brings a piece of the topic into focus
l Hypothesis: A tentative explanation that
accounts for a set of facts and can be tested.
– Conjectural statement that identifies the predicted
relationship between two or more variables. (2)

7. Topic vs. RQ vs. Hypothesis
Interest: Endocrinology. Type II DM.
Topic: Vit. D3 and its relationship to Type II DM
RQ: Does administration of 4’000 IU of Vit. D3
daily in addition to Metformin in adults with
newly diagnosed T2DM improve glycemic
control, compared to Metformin alone?
Hypothesis: Our expected answer for the RQ!

8. The Hypothesis!
Terms of interest: (3)
l Null Hypothesis: Ho
– Innocent till proven guilty
l Alternative Hypothesis: H1
l Directional vs. Non-directional Hypothesis
N.B. PICO Clinical Question in EBM

9. It’s Only the Beginning!

10. Sources for the RQ
l Clinical Experience
l Mentor
l Literature Overview
l Conferences
l Research Experience

11. Clinical Experience
l Parents of infants with colic use caraway to
sooth their babies. A primipara mother asks
you if this home remedy a safe and effective
treatment for her newborn child.

12. Mentor
l Discuss ideas with an experienced physician
in the area of your interest.
l Other benefits.
l Do your homework

13. Literature Overview
l Journals: Pediatrics, NEJM, JAMA, Saudi
Medical Journal, etc.
l Online Databases: MedLine. PubMed,
Google Schoolar
l Local university publications database
l Don’t re-invent the wheel!

14. Conferences
l Latest updates in the field
l Abstracts book
l Meeting the experts

15. Research Experience
l One’s previous research experience
l Do one and it will lead you to another

16. What Makes a Good RQ?
FINER Criteria (4)
l Feasible
l Interesting
l Novel
l Ethical
l Relevant

17. FINER: Feasible
l Time. Can this be done in a reasonable time
frame for me?
l Money. Can sufficient funding be collected?
Is it too expensive?
l Population. Can a large enough sample size
be secured?
l Skills. Are any special skills required and
available?
l Resources. Can I secure the required
resources?

18. FINER: Interesting
l Is it interesting to me?
l Is it interesting to others around me?
l Is it interesting to journal editors?

19. FINER: Novel
l Don’t reinvent the wheel
l Am I addressing something new?
l Am I addressing something old in a new
way?

20. FINER: Ethical
l Are there any ethical issues?
l What are the risks vs. benefits?
l Will my Local Research Ethics Committee
accept the proposal?

21. FINER: Relevant
l What will it add to the existing body of
knowledge?
l Will the results be applicable?
l Will the results be generalizable?

22. FINER is Fine!

23. Common Problems
l Reinventing the wheel: Review literature
thoroughly, give it a new spin
l Ethically questionable: Local research
committee
l Question too broad or too narrow: revise your
question. Discuss with a mentor
l Unavailable resources: patient records,
money, investigations: Allah m3ak!
l Unsupportive faculty: find someone else!

24. What’s Next?
l Extensive literature review
l Revise your RQ and Hypothesis
l Determine variables and confounding factors
l Discuss your project with an expert
l Check local university & college policies
l Proceed to study design

25. References
1. Bordage G, Dawson B. Experimental study design
and grant writing in eight steps and 28 questions.
Med Educ. 2003;37(4):376-85
2. Geri LoBiondo-Wood & Judith Haber. Nursing
Research: Methods and Critical Appraisal for
Evidence-Based Practice, 7th Edition
3. Steps Statistical Glossary v1.1
http://www.stats.gla.ac.uk/steps/glossary/index.html
4. Hulley SB, Cummings SR, eds. Designing clinical
research. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1998

26. How to Formulate a Research Question
This presentation can be found at:
www.bassemkurdi.com
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