Research question
Purpose of a research question
The purpose of a research question is to drive the review process. This process finds, critiques and synthesises available research evidence to help answer your research question.
Research questions are varied which has resulted in the development of the many review types that can be undertaken.
Click on the flip cards to learn more:
Note
A research question and review type informs the inclusion criteria and the exhaustiveness of your search strategy developed later in the review process.
If unsure about the review type you have chosen to address your research question. Check out the type of review in Module 1.
Suitable studies for your review
Study designs are strategies, processes, techniques or methods used to gather research evidence on a specific question. Understanding this can help when searching for relevant studies.
In a review, research evidence is gathered and analysed from studies to address research questions. Certain study designs are better suited to addressing different types of research questions.
Click on the plus (+) icons below to explore the three most common types of research.
Qualitative
Qualitative studies assist researchers in understanding complex concepts, social interactions or cultural situations.
Qualitative studies gather evidence from people about their lived experiences, emotions or behaviours. Evidence is collected through documents, focus groups, interviews, observation, surveys & questionnaires.
Evidence from these studies is investigated to discover how, what or why things have occurred, based on an individual's interpretations and meanings they draw from a particular event.
For example, you want to gather people's experiences with using a particular type of drug. Qualitative methods, such as interviews or focus groups, are best at addressing this type of question.
Quantitative
Quantitative studies gather evidence as numerical data. The numerical data can be in the form of durations, scores, counts of incidents, ratings, or scales. Numerical data also looks at specific groups or samples of the general population.
These studies apply statistical analysis to find patterns, relationships, rankings, measures or categorisations in the numerical data.
For example, you wonder about the effectiveness of a specific medication in reducing seizures in teenagers. Quantitative study designs, such as randomised controlled trials (RCTs), are considered ideal at addressing questions about effectiveness of interventions. Perhaps you want to see the incidence rates of pneumonia to elderly people in regional areas after having Covid-19. Quantitative study designs, such as cohort studies, are useful study types to address questions about exposure.
Mixed methods
Mixed methods combine and analyse the numerical data from quantitative studies with deeper contextualised insights from qualitative studies.
For example, you want to explore the effectiveness of a drug treatment combined with patient’s experiences. You would use a quantitative study to find out if the drug treatment was effective, and a qualitative study to find out about patient’s experience with the drug treatment.
The table below matches research questions with research types and possible frameworks.
| Example questions | Study area | Possible frameworks |
|---|---|---|
|
Qualitative |
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Quantitative |
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Mixed Method (Qualitative and Quantitative) |
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Note
Guidelines for certain review types may recommend particular frameworks.
Remember and reflect
Key takeaway
Ensure your choice of framework matches the type of research question you are trying to answer in your review. Different study areas are used to address certain types of research questions.
Consider
Reflect on the study area/s you need to explore to gather research evidence to address your research question.
Before you begin your review, think about conducting a preliminary search to determine the extent of literature and if there are existing reviews on your research topic. Through the process of undertaking a preliminary search you’re likely to find a few key articles to help develop your search strategy.