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

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

3. Objectives
INSPIRATION!

4. What is a Research Question?
 The first methodological step to resolve a
scientific uncertainty.
 It is an organized and more specific
inquisitive statement of the topic under study
that can be translated into a research project
 “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
 Interest: A general interest in a specific field
 Topic: A broad idea requiring further analysis
– Could include population, variables, etc.
 RQ: Brings a piece of the topic into focus
 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)
 Null Hypothesis: Ho
– Innocent till proven guilty
 Alternative Hypothesis: H1
 Directional vs. Non-directional Hypothesis
N.B. PICO Clinical Question in EBM

9. It’s Only the Beginning!

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

11. Clinical Experience
 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
 Discuss ideas with an experienced physician
in the area of your interest.
 Other benefits.
 Do your homework

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

22. FINER is Fine!

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

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