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What is a strong research question for your thesis?

Gepubliceerd: 1 June 2017 • Leestijd: 1 minuten en 34 seconden • English Dit artikel is meer dan een jaar oud.

The search for a strong research question can take as long as the research project itself. This is shown by two successful graduates in an extensive background article in Profielen. Below, we briefly summarise the article and tips again.

Een student, op zoek naar een onderzoeksvraag, doolt rond op zijn scriptie over een oceaan vol vraagtekens.

According to experienced graduate supervisors, the research question (also known as research hypothesis) is crucial to the success of your thesis. ‘If the research question is weak, you have a more than eighty percent chance of going down in flames’, says one. ‘A strong research question improves your chances of success substantially’, according to another.

Why? What is the objective?

The first student relates that it was only after reviewing the literature that he began to understand why exactly he was doing this research project, ‘from then onwards, I was able to insert the “how” and the “what” effortlessly.

Tip 1: Start reading up on the subject of your thesis as soon as possible.

Students often start with relatively factual research questions, such as ‘how’ and ‘what’, a graduate supervisor points out. They don’t always understand what purpose the research project serves. Only after the student starts talking to specialists or a sponsor of the research project, does the research question become more concrete and better defined.

Tip 2: Start talking to experts as soon as possible; preferably before the graduation period starts.

Some study programmes are very strict when it comes to the link between the research question and the conclusion of your graduation thesis. It is possible that a fail mark for this part can result in a fail mark overall.

Tip 3: Don’t just work forward, but also backward; check if your question and the conclusion are mutually reinforcing.

A second student mentions that he had to throw a long-cherished idea overboard after he started his research project. His first research question turned out to be completely inconsistent with the real facts. It seemed such a nice idea, but eventually he had to change course. Luckily, he had started in time (with reading up and interviewing, refer to 1 & 2), ‘otherwise you might not be able to change direction’.

Tip 4: Don’t be afraid to make hard choices. The sooner you do this, the more able you are to insert focus and depth into your thesis.

A strong research question can help you steer the thesis process. However, ‘the research question must not be a straitjacket’, a student indicates. ‘If, in practice, you realise that you want to take a different direction, why not simply adjust your research question?’

Olmo Linthorst

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