INSTRUCTOR: So you have to write a research question. But what exactly is a research question? Simply put, a research question is a question related to your topic that needs to be answered. For many students, this is one of the hardest parts of the research process. It's quite possible you don't know enough about your topic to even know what questions to ask, but even if you do, you may know less than you thought. 

At this point, it's usually a good idea to do some background research, try a web search, or look at some news articles. This should be enough to give you some ideas for directions you can explore. Now that you have some information that will help you, there are a few things to consider when deciding what makes a good research question. Your question should not be too narrow or too broad. You should not be able to answer your questions with a few words, a list, or a quick answer. On the other hand, if you would need to write an entire book to properly answer your research question, it's probably not a good question either. Your question needs to be specific. 

Questions such as, "are smartphones bad for schools?" are very vague. Make your question more precise by asking questions like, "how do smartphones' adverse effects on student achievement outweigh their potential as a learning tool?" research questions should answer a "so what?" question. It should interest you, but also be important to others. Research questions should also be questions that can be answered. For example, you'll never know what decisions made in secret meetings caused Apple to develop the iPod. 

Finally, try focusing on emerging topics rather than asking questions that have already been asked and answered over and over again. If you remember to ask questions that are specific, answerable, and interesting to yourself and to others, then you are well on your way to becoming a good researcher.