What are the guidelines in formulating questions in research?

The proper formulation of a research question depends on whether the study is qualitative or quantitative (with mixed being a combination of both).

For qualitative, focus on how, why, or what questions, such as:

1. How can the corona virus be cured?

2. Why is the corona virus so contagious?

3. What are the factors contributing to the spread of the corona virus?

For quantitative, the focus is on the relationship or differences among independent (predictor) variables (IV) and dependent (outcome) variables (DV). Two forms of quantitative research questions are correlational and causal comparative, as follows:

1. To what extent does [IV] relate to [DV]? (correlational)

2. To what extent does [DV] differ, based on [IV]? (causal comparative)

For the above quantitative RQs, correlational typically applies with both the IV and DV are interval-type data, and causal-comparative applies when the IV is nominal/categorical-type data and the DV is interval-type data.

Source: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-guidelines-in-formulating-questions-in-research/answer/Lawrence-Ness-4

For more on this topic, see:

• Lawrence Ness's answer to Why it is important to consider research design issues before conducting the research study and formulating the research question?

• Lawrence Ness's answer to What are the four types of research questions of the same topic?

• Lawrence Ness's answer to What is the best way to generate research questions?

• Lawrence Ness's answer to Academic Research: How do I choose a research question?

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Additional Resources

Researching and Writing Dissertations: A Complete Guide for Business and Management Students Buy on Amazon

Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches Buy on Amazon