Scientific Writing Knowledge Hub

Research questions

2 min read

Formulate precisely

Formulating precise, specific questions is key to writing a strong paper. Vague questions lead to vague conclusions that don’t really say anything.

Vague words: an effect, the effect, an influence, to affect, to influence, to impact; some, most, many, few, several, a considerable amount of, a lot of, several; it, that, those, which, the latter, these, there, ‘was altered

❌We determined the effect of the treatment.
✅We determined the effect of caffeine consumption on cognitive performance in college students.

❌ Many studies suggest an effect of diet on health. ✅Several longitudinal studies indicate that high dietary sugar intake increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in adults.

How specific should your question be?

specific enough to be answerable with an interesting argument. too specific in your answer become too short, too broad and your question requires an entire book to answer

Something about abstraction

The questions you answer in the Results section are not entirely the same questions as the ones you answer in the Discussion. Generally, the questions in the discussion are slightly broader.

Research questions are shapeshifters

(explanation on shape shifting/abstraction)

the question shape-shifts as you move through sections, but it must remain logically tethered or the paper falls apart.

Think of it as a question family, not a single question:

  • The conclusion question (Discussion/Implications): “How does pollution affect fish development?”
  • The results question: variables you studied (Results): “How does 20 µg/L nitrate affect growth rate in juvenile Atlantic salmon?”
  • The data question: data you actually collected (data points): “What was the mean growth at Week 4 for Tank 3?”

The rule: You must be able to draw a straight line from data → result → conclusion without logical breaks. If your Discussion claims “pollution threatens global fisheries” but your Results only answered “Tank 3 grew slower”, you are missing a logical step in your reasoning.

Example of nested question structure:

  • How does nitrate impact early life stages in fish?
    • Does nitrate affect growth?
      • How does 20 µg/L nitrate affect growth rate in juvenile Atlantic salmon?
    • Does nitrate affect survival?

Workflow for asking specific research questions

Per question

Step 1: State your question

Step 2:

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