Research Question Rules

There are several important rules for writing research questions for investigations.

Research questions...

•            are always stated in question form.

 

•            avoid simple yes or no responses by beginning with phrases such as “To what extent” and “In what        ways.” For example: To what extent are people willing to spend extra money for compact fluorescent light bulbs? In what ways has the vegetation around the student parking lot been affected by automobile air emissions?

 

•            always indicate a population or area. The population refers to a group on which the research question is focused (high school students, power plant employees, snail darters, etc.). The area refers to the geographic area in which the data will be collected (the city of Eagle River, Southeastern Wisconsin, Green Bay West High School, etc.).

 

•            for this project are always derived from and related to an effect of energy development or use.

 

•            specify the variables to be measured when possible. A variable is a given factor or condition (e.g., number of cars, location, number of people in a car, time, etc.). The following research question specifies the variable to be measured: How many cars traveling through the intersection of Main Street and Michigan Avenue in the city of Stevens Point in Wisconsin have more than one person in them during morning and evening rush hour traffic?

 

•            specify a relationship between two variables if possible. The following question seeks to find the extent that one variable (such as gender) affects or relates to another variable (amount of time spent in the shower): Do male or female high school students spend more time in the shower?

 

•            for this project are important in a social and environmental sense. For example, they contribute to an understanding of how energy resource development and use affects our lives, financial security, culture, government, and environment.