How to Develop Research Questions: The First Stage of The Social Research Toolbox, QGAP [How-to Guide]

The research question is the foundation for any social research process. It is the thing that sparks the impetus and direction for the research that will follow. Questions are fundamental for your research journey - but they are surprisingly difficult to develop. This guide takes you through a step-by-step process which will help you move from a broad research topic to a researchable and feasible research question. You will learn why research questions are important, where to get inspiration for research questions and how to refine your research questions so they have the potential to generate robust and relevant social research. This guide has been developed as part of the social research toolbox series (QGAP), where asking questions forms the first part of the toolbox.