Criteria for evaluating research questions

Research questions should meet the following criteria for a dissertation:

  • Questions should be clear: questions framed should be understandable to the researcher, supervisor and the research fraternity.
  • Questions should be researchable: questions should be capable of development into a research design, so that data could be collected in regard to the. This implies that extremely abstract terms are unlikely to be suitable.
  • Questions should connect with established research and theory: there has to be a literature on which the researcher can draw to assist in highlighting the framing the research questions. Making connection between research and theory would also let the researcher reveal how the work contributes to understanding and knowledge.
  • Questions should be linked to each other: questions that are not related would not be acceptable as an argument develops in the dissertation. The researcher would not readily be able to construct one argument in relation with research questions that are not related.
  • Questions should have potential for making a contribution to knowledge:  questions should be holding the prospect of being able to impart contribution in some form to the topic.
  • Questions should be neither too narrow nor too broad: the questions should not require huge grant to understand them nr too small as one would not be able to make important contribution to the area of study.

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