Looking for research question examples? Below are more than 40 worked examples — qualitative, quantitative, comparative, constructivist and discourse-analysis questions — each paired with a short note on why it works or how to sharpen it. A strong research question is often the hardest part of the research process, so this guide gives you ready-made models to copy the structure of and a simple test to check your own.
Whether you are writing a research paper, a thesis or a dissertation, a clear, focused question sets the stage for an in-depth analysis and a meaningful investigation. This guide covers good-vs-weak examples, a discipline-by-discipline list across every major question type, a quick checklist to test your own, and a six-question FAQ. For step-by-step instructions on building a question from scratch, see our guide on how to write a research question.
What makes a strong research question?
Before working through the examples, it helps to know what you are aiming for. A good research question is the engine of your study: it guides your research design, your data collection, your analysis, and the interpretation of your results. Get it right and the rest of the project has a clear direction; get it wrong and every later stage drifts. A well-framed question also tells the reader exactly what your research problem is, so they understand the purpose of the work from the outset.
The examples that follow are grouped by type, but they all share the same DNA: a single, specific focus, a defined population or setting, and a scope you can actually investigate within a dissertation. The comparison below shows that difference in action.
“A problem well stated is a problem half-solved.” — Charles Kettering, on why the framing of a question matters as much as its answer.
Good vs weak research question examples
These seven research question examples come from real education and arts research. Each is judged on whether it can be answered or is simply too broad, vague or assumption-laden to investigate. Read the verdict column to see the exact change that turns a weak question into a workable one.
| Research Question | Verdict & how to improve it |
|---|---|
| 1. How gifted children aren’t having their needs met in schools. | Weak. It states a result and makes an assumption. Reshape it objectively: ‘A review of the claim that academically gifted children require additional support at the pre-pubertal stage in school.’ |
| 2. Preschool children on gallery visits: which workshop pedagogies best help them engage with artworks at Tate Britain? | Strong. It has a clear perspective, a single focus and a precise location that can be related to other settings. |
| 3. A review of support for children with dyslexia in schools in the UK. | Weak. Far too ambitious to put into practice. How many schools? Any age filter? How would it be measured? The scope is not specific enough to answer. |
| 4. A review of the Son-Rise and Lovaas methods for helping children with autism: which is most effective for encouraging verbal communication in a small group of seven-year-olds? | Strong. Clear, focused and comparative; it cites specific methods and a defined sample, and requires no intervention. |
| 5. Learning in museums: how well is it done? | Weak. Indefinite and uncertain — it spawns more questions. What type of learning? Who learns? Which museum? What is the sample population? |
| 6. How well do school children manage their dyslexia in maintained primary schools? A case study of a Key Stage 2 boy. | Promising. It has a precise focus and a defined case, but needs a narrower, clearly justified rationale to become a strong contribution to current practice. |
| 7. An investigation into the problems of children whose mothers work full-time. | Weak. It assumes there are problems. A fairer version: ‘A survey of full-time employed parents and their children’, with a specific location added to sharpen it. |
Research question examples by type
Different methodologies call for differently shaped questions. The table below summarises the main types, and the sections beneath give a full set of research question examples for each — across the sciences, social sciences, business and the humanities — so you can find a model close to your own topic and adapt its structure.
| Question type | What it asks | Typical opener | Example from this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative | Meanings, experiences and characteristics of a phenomenon | What / How / Why… | What are the experiences of patients with chronic illness in accessing healthcare? |
| Quantitative | Measurable relationships, effects and amounts | What is the relationship between… / How much… | What is the correlation between sleep duration and productivity among office workers? |
| Comparative | Similarities and differences between groups or cases | What are the differences between… | What are the differences between the economic policies of developed and developing countries? |
| Constructivist | How individuals build meaning and understanding | How do people construct… | How do employees respond to organisational change initiatives? |
| Discourse analysis | How language shapes ideology, power and identity | How is discourse used to… | How does advertising discourse construct gender stereotypes? |
| Descriptive | The state, frequency or features of something | What proportion… / What are the characteristics… | What percentage of city residents support a ban on plastic bags? |
Qualitative research question examples
Qualitative research questions focus on meanings, experiences and characteristics rather than numbers. They are flexible and exploratory, and usually open with what or how. Common sub-types include contextual, descriptive, evaluative, explanatory and exploratory questions.
- Example 1: What are the defining characteristics of ATP synthase?
- Example 2: What factors contribute to homelessness in urban areas?
- Example 3: What are the challenges faced by immigrants in learning a new language?
- Example 4: What are the underlying causes of increased violence among young adults?
- Example 5: What are the spiritual experiences of individuals who practise meditation regularly?
- Example 6: What are the experiences of patients with chronic illness in accessing healthcare services?
- Example 7: How do final-year nursing students experience the transition from placement to qualified practice?
Quantitative research question examples
Quantitative research questions measure and quantify variables to identify relationships and correlations. They answer ‘how many’ or ‘how much’ and are common in fields that rely on statistical analysis and numerical data.
- Example 8: What is the correlation between sleep duration and productivity levels among office workers?
- Example 9: What percentage of city residents support a ban on single-use plastic bags?
- Example 10: What is the relationship between TikTok usage and academic performance among college students?
- Example 11: What is the effect of a high-protein diet on muscle growth in recreational athletes?
- Example 12: What is the relationship between social-media usage and depression in young adults?
- Example 13: How does dietary fibre intake affect blood-sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes?
- Example 14: What effect does internet speed have on work productivity in the IT sector?
Constructivist research question examples
Constructivist research questions explore how individuals interact with the world and build meaning from it. They examine the processes that shape a person’s understanding, perspectives and knowledge, and sit naturally within an interpretive, qualitative tradition.
- Example 15: How do employees learn and respond to organisational change initiatives?
- Example 16: What effect do different teaching methods have on students’ perception of learning?
- Example 17: How do individuals construct their identities in relation to their cultural backgrounds?
- Example 18: What variables shape an individual’s perception of justice?
- Example 19: How does the media shape people’s perception of social issues?
- Example 20: How do students construct their understanding of complex mathematical concepts?
- Example 21: What challenges do marginalised groups face in media production?
Discourse analysis research question examples
Discourse analysis research questions — also called discursive questions — ask how language constructs meaning, power and social identity in a particular context. They investigate the way language shapes ideologies and social structures.
- Example 22: How does discourse in health advertisements promote products and services?
- Example 23: How is discourse in criminal-justice policy used to shape public attitudes towards punishment?
- Example 24: How is national identity constructed through the discourse of flags and national anthems?
- Example 25: How is discourse used to confront racial stereotypes?
- Example 26: How is classroom discourse used to maintain power relations between professors and students?
- Example 27: How does advertising discourse construct gender stereotypes?
- Example 28: How is discourse in political campaigns used to win support for specific candidates?
Comparative research question examples
Comparative research questions identify the similarities and differences between two or more cases, phenomena or groups. They contrast variables to reveal trends, practices and relationships, and are useful when your contribution lies in the comparison itself.
- Example 29: What are the similarities and differences in political systems between democracies and authoritarian regimes?
- Example 30: What are the differences between the economic policies of developed and developing countries?
- Example 31: How do recovery outcomes differ between in-person and online cognitive behavioural therapy?
- Example 32: What are the differences in employee retention between remote-first and office-first companies?
- Example 33: How does academic performance compare between single-sex and co-educational secondary schools?
- Example 34: What are the similarities and differences in branding strategy between two leading fast-fashion retailers?
Descriptive research question examples
Descriptive research questions set out the state, frequency or features of something without manipulating any variables. They are a good starting point when a field is under-explored and you first need to map what is there.
- Example 35: What are the most common reasons UK undergraduates give for choosing their degree subject?
- Example 36: What proportion of small businesses adopted contactless payment between 2019 and 2024?
- Example 37: What are the characteristics of households that switched energy supplier in the last year?
- Example 38: What features do students most value in a virtual learning environment?
- Example 39: What is the typical reading-engagement pattern of pupils in maintained primary schools?
- Example 40: What are the demographic characteristics of volunteers at urban food banks?
Stuck on framing your research question?
Our subject experts can help you scope a clear, researchable question and plan the study around it. thesis writing services are available too.
How to test your own research question
Once you have drafted a question, run it through a quick checklist. If it fails on any line, narrow the focus, add a setting, or swap a yes/no framing for an open one. A question that passes all six is one you can build a whole project around, from your research aims and objectives through to your conclusions.
- Focused: it targets one issue, not several at once.
- Researchable: it can be answered with evidence you can realistically collect.
- Specific: it names a population, setting or timeframe so the scope is clear.
- Measurable or analysable: you can see what data — numbers or accounts — would answer it.
- Feasible: it fits the time, access and word count you actually have.
- Original: it adds something rather than repeating a settled answer.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most weak questions fail for the same handful of reasons. Watch for these traps before you commit:
- Stating a conclusion instead of asking a question (“Why social media harms teenagers…”).
- Asking something so broad no single study could answer it (“Is education effective?”).
- Bundling two or three questions into one sentence.
- Using a yes/no framing that closes off analysis.
- Choosing a question you cannot get data or access for.
Why the research question matters so much
It is worth pausing on why so much rests on a single sentence. A research question is central to the whole study for three reasons. First, it directs every methodological choice you make: it tells you what kind of research design fits, how much and what type of data you need to gather, and how that evidence should be analysed and interpreted. A question about lived experience points you towards interviews and thematic analysis; a question about measurable effect points you towards a survey or experiment and statistical testing.
Second, the question is how you signal your research problem to the reader. Without a clearly stated question, an examiner has to guess what gap you set out to fill, and a vague aim invites a vague mark. Third, the question keeps the project honest. By naming the population, scope and focus up front, it stops the study quietly drifting into a different topic halfway through — a common reason dissertations lose coherence between the introduction and the results. In short, the question is both the compass and the boundary fence of the research.
From research question to finished study
Your research question is the first link in a chain. Once it is settled, it shapes how you choose your research design, what data you gather, and how you write up your findings. If you are weighing the scale of your project, our comparison of a PhD thesis versus a master’s dissertation shows how the same question can be pitched at very different depths. Whatever the level, the examples above are templates: borrow the structure, swap in your own topic, and test the result against the six-point checklist. For a full walk-through of building a question step by step, our guide on how to write a research question takes it from a broad topic to a polished, single-sentence question.
Browse more guidance across the research process and dissertation categories to keep your project on track — from framing the question to defending your conclusions.
