170+ Research Question Examples to Guide You

Few people immediately know what they should investigate the moment they start working on a research paper. That’s natural; settling on a good research question is a slow, iterative process.

As tedious as it might be, it’s well worth the effort. Without a good research question, writing a paper is like trying to navigate the seas without a GPS or even a good old paper map.

After all, a good research question doesn’t just justify the whole reason why you’re writing a research paper. It also sets a clear direction and streamlines everything from finding the right sources to concluding the paper.

But what separates a good research question from a subpar one? And how do you come up with a strong question? DoMyEssay’s pay for a research paper experts explain below — and illustrate the tenets of good questions with 170+ examples of research questions.

What Makes for a Strong Research Question?

Before writing a research paper or even brainstorming possible research questions, you need to learn how to distinguish between a strong and a weak research question. Here’s your cheatsheet:

To evaluate whether your research question is strong enough to carry the whole paper, use the FINER criteria:

• Feasible: You have enough resources to work on the question (e.g., time, data, institutional support, skills and expertise, third-party sources).
• Interesting: The topic both sparks your personal interest and appeals to the scientific community at large.
• Novel: The topic addresses a clear gap in knowledge in the field (limitations of other studies, unknown areas, or unvalidated other studies).
• Ethical: The topic won’t harm those participating in it and will comply with applicable ethical guidelines.

Relevant: The topic will help advance or improve society now or in the future.

Going from Broad to Narrow: 3 Steps for Defining a Question

To develop a specific, interesting, and relevant research question that comes with a great hook, you need to start somewhere. In practice, that means starting with a broad, general topic and refining it through preliminary research and working questions. Here’s how to do it:

170+ Examples to Help You Brainstorm

Ready to kick off your search for the perfect research question? Check out our list of 170+ good research question examples across 13 disciplines. Use this list as an inspiration board in your brainstorming; this is exactly what we created it for!

Education

Educational Technology

• Descriptive: What types of digital tools are most commonly used by high school teachers for classroom instruction?
• Comparative: How does student engagement differ between classes that use interactive learning platforms and those that use traditional teaching methods?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between students’ frequency of technology use and their academic performance in mathematics?
• Explanatory: How does teachers’ digital literacy influence student learning outcomes?

Teacher Training

• Descriptive: What are the most common professional development activities attended by elementary school teachers?
• Comparative: How does the impact of in-person professional development programs compare to that of online ones?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between the number of professional development hours completed and teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management?
• Explanatory: How does sustained professional development participation lead to improved instructional practices among teachers?

Educational Psychology

• Descriptive: What motivational strategies do secondary school teachers most frequently use to encourage student participation in class?
• Comparative: How does academic motivation differ between students in high-achieving and low-achieving schools?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between students’ intrinsic motivation and their academic achievement in science subjects?
• Explanatory: How do teacher feedback styles influence the development of students’ intrinsic motivation over time?

Engineering & Technology

Computer Engineering

• Descriptive: What types of AI algorithms are most commonly implemented in industrial automation systems?
• Comparative: How does the performance of AI-based predictive maintenance systems compare to traditional rule-based systems in manufacturing?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between the accuracy of machine learning models and the quantity of training data used in industrial automation?
• Explanatory: How does the integration of AI-driven automation influence productivity and workforce adaptability in manufacturing industries?

Electrical and Energy Engineering

• Descriptive: What renewable energy technologies are most widely adopted in rural electrification projects?
• Comparative: How does the efficiency of solar photovoltaic systems compare to that of small-scale wind turbines under similar environmental conditions?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between solar panel efficiency and ambient temperature in tropical regions?
• Explanatory: How does government policy support affect the large-scale adoption of renewable energy technologies in developing countries?

Civil Engineering

• Descriptive: What types of smart infrastructure technologies are currently deployed in urban transportation systems?
• Comparative: How do smart traffic management systems differ in effectiveness between mid-sized cities and metropolitan areas?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between the level of smart infrastructure integration and traffic congestion reduction?
• Explanatory: How does the implementation of IoT-based infrastructure contribute to the sustainability and resilience of smart cities?

Agriculture & Forestry

Sustainable Agriculture

• Descriptive: What specific soil conservation techniques are most frequently employed by organic farmers in the Midwestern United States?
• Comparative: How does the long-term soil health differ between farms practicing crop rotation versus monoculture farming methods?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between a farm’s proximity to urban markets and its adoption rate of direct-to-consumer sustainable practices (e.g., CSAs)?
• Explanatory: How does the use of cover cropping influence water retention and nutrient cycling in vineyard ecosystems?

Precision Agriculture

• Descriptive: What precision agriculture technologies are currently adopted by commercial farmers in maize production?
• Comparative: How does the efficiency of crop monitoring using drone imagery compare to satellite-based remote sensing methods?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between farmers’ technological literacy and their adoption rate of precision agriculture tools?
• Explanatory: How does the integration of precision agriculture technologies influence resource use efficiency and farm profitability?

Environmental Conservation

• Descriptive: What are the dominant tree species found in community-managed forests in tropical regions?
• Comparative: How does biodiversity differ between protected forests and logged forests in the same ecological zone?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between deforestation rates and changes in local biodiversity indices?
• Explanatory: How do community-based forest management practices contribute to forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation?

Architecture & Urban Planning

Green Building Design

• Descriptive: What sustainable materials are most commonly used in contemporary green building projects?
• Comparative: How do energy consumption levels differ between buildings constructed with conventional materials and those using sustainable materials?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between building orientation and natural lighting efficiency in sustainable architectural designs?
• Explanatory: How does the integration of passive design strategies contribute to reducing the overall carbon footprint of buildings?

Urban Mobility

• Descriptive: What modes of public transportation are most frequently used by residents in medium-sized urban areas?
• Comparative: How does the accessibility of public transit differ between high-density urban zones and suburban areas?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between public transportation availability and private vehicle ownership rates in metropolitan regions?
• Explanatory: How does the development of integrated transportation networks influence commuter behavior and traffic congestion in urban centers?

Housing and Community Development

• Descriptive: What are the most common housing types found in low-income urban communities?
• Comparative: How does resident satisfaction differ between government-subsidized housing and privately developed housing projects?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between neighborhood design features (e.g., green spaces, walkability) and residents’ quality of life?
• Explanatory: How do inclusive housing policies contribute to social cohesion and community development in urban neighborhoods?

Arts & Visual Design

Digital Design

• Descriptive: What design elements (e.g., color, typography, layout) are most frequently used in digital advertisements for social media platforms?
• Comparative: How does audience engagement differ between minimalist and complex digital design styles in online marketing campaigns?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between visual hierarchy in digital designs and viewer comprehension or message retention?
• Explanatory: How does the application of user-centered design principles enhance the effectiveness of visual communication in digital media?

Cultural Expression

• Descriptive: What recurring themes are represented in contemporary indigenous art exhibitions?
• Comparative: How does the use of color symbolism differ between traditional and modern indigenous artworks?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between artists’ cultural backgrounds and the thematic choices in their visual works?
• Explanatory: How do socio-political contexts influence the evolution of visual styles and narratives in contemporary fine arts?

Interior & Spatial Design

• Descriptive: What are the most common sustainable materials used in modern interior design projects?
• Comparative: How does user satisfaction differ between open-plan and compartmentalized office interior layouts?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between spatial layout and perceived comfort or productivity in workspace design?
• Explanatory: How does biophilic interior design contribute to psychological well-being and creativity among occupants?

Business & Finance

Business Management

• Descriptive: What types of business models are most commonly adopted by startup companies in the technology sector?
• Comparative: How does business performance differ between startups that receive venture capital funding and those that rely on bootstrapping?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between entrepreneurial experience and the survival rate of new businesses?
• Explanatory: How does innovation capability influence the long-term growth and competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?

Financial Technology

• Descriptive: What types of financial technology services are most frequently used by consumers in urban areas?
• Comparative: How does customer satisfaction differ between users of traditional banking services and digital banking platforms?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between consumers’ digital literacy levels and their adoption rate of FinTech applications?
• Explanatory: How does the rise of FinTech innovations influence the operational efficiency and competitiveness of traditional banks?

Investment Analysis

• Descriptive: What financial instruments are most frequently used by institutional investors in emerging markets?
• Comparative: How does the risk-return profile differ between equity investments and fixed-income securities during economic downturns?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between a firm’s capital structure and its profitability ratio?
• Explanatory: How do macroeconomic variables (such as inflation and interest rates) influence investment decisions in the stock market?

Marketing

• Descriptive: What digital marketing strategies are most commonly used by retail businesses to attract Gen Z consumers?
• Comparative: How does consumer trust differ between brands that use influencer marketing and those that use traditional advertising?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between brand loyalty and customer satisfaction in the e-commerce sector?
• Explanatory: How does social media engagement drive consumers’ purchasing decisions in online retail environments?

Computer Science

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

• Descriptive: What types of machine learning algorithms are most commonly applied in image recognition tasks?
• Comparative: How does the accuracy of deep learning models compare to traditional machine learning algorithms in natural language processing?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between dataset size and model performance in supervised learning?
• Explanatory: How does the choice of neural network architecture influence the generalization capability of AI systems?

Information Security

• Descriptive: What cybersecurity threats are most frequently encountered by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?
• Comparative: How does the effectiveness of biometric authentication compare to password-based authentication in preventing unauthorized access?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between employee cybersecurity awareness and the number of security breaches in organizations?
• Explanatory: How do advanced encryption methods reduce vulnerabilities in cloud-based data storage systems?

Software Engineering

• Descriptive: What software development methodologies are most commonly used by agile teams in the tech industry?
• Comparative: How does the project success rate differ between teams using Agile methodologies and those using the Waterfall model?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between code review frequency and software defect rates in development projects?
• Explanatory: How does continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) influence software quality and team productivity?

Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

• Descriptive: What design elements are most frequently used in mobile applications to enhance user engagement?
• Comparative: How does user satisfaction differ between minimalist and content-rich interface designs?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between interface simplicity and task completion time in user experience testing?
• Explanatory: How does the application of usability heuristics improve the overall user experience of interactive systems?

Environmental Science

Climatology

• Descriptive: What are the most significant greenhouse gases contributing to rising global temperatures in the past decade?
• Comparative: How do temperature and precipitation trends differ between coastal and inland regions over the last 20 years?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between carbon dioxide concentration and global average temperature anomalies?
• Explanatory: How do human industrial activities influence the rate of atmospheric greenhouse gas accumulation?

Hydrology

• Descriptive: What are the most common pollutants found in freshwater bodies near industrial areas?
• Comparative: How does water quality differ between agricultural runoff zones and urban wastewater discharge zones?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between nutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus) and algal bloom frequency in freshwater ecosystems?
• Explanatory: How do agricultural practices contribute to eutrophication and biodiversity loss in aquatic environments?

Waste Management

• Descriptive: What types of solid waste are most commonly generated in urban households?
• Comparative: How does waste segregation efficiency differ between communities with and without formal recycling programs?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between public awareness of environmental issues and participation in recycling programs?
• Explanatory: How do government waste management policies influence the reduction of landfill waste and the promotion of sustainable practices?

Medical Sciences

Pharmacology

• Descriptive: What classes of medications are most commonly prescribed for the management of cardiovascular diseases?
• Comparative: How do treatment outcomes differ between patients using generic versus branded antihypertensive drugs?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between medication adherence and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients?
• Explanatory: How does patient education on medication use influence treatment effectiveness and reduction in disease complications?

Biomedical Research

• Descriptive: What types of diagnostic imaging technologies are most frequently used in tertiary hospitals?
• Comparative: How does the diagnostic accuracy of AI-assisted imaging systems compare to that of conventional radiological assessments?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between the duration of medical technology use and improvements in diagnostic precision?
• Explanatory: How does the integration of advanced medical technologies impact the efficiency and quality of patient diagnosis and treatment?

Public Health

• Descriptive: What are the most prevalent lifestyle-related diseases among adults in urban communities?
• Comparative: How does vaccination coverage differ between rural and urban populations?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between socioeconomic status and the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension?
• Explanatory: How do community-based health education programs influence the incidence and prevention of communicable diseases?

Nursing Research Question Examples

• Descriptive: What patient-centered care practices are most commonly implemented by nurses in hospital settings?
• Comparative: How does patient satisfaction differ between units with higher nurse-to-patient ratios and those with lower ratios?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between nurse workload and the incidence of medication errors in clinical wards?
• Explanatory: How does effective nurse-patient communication influence recovery outcomes and patient compliance with treatment plans?

Humanities

Literature & Cultural Studies

• Descriptive: What recurring themes of identity and resistance are found in postcolonial African literature?
• Comparative: How does the portrayal of gender roles differ between 19th-century European novels and contemporary feminist literature?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between historical context and the depiction of social justice themes in modern fiction?
• Explanatory: How does literature serve as a medium for shaping cultural identity and challenging societal norms across generations?

History

• Descriptive: What major social reforms emerged during the Industrial Revolution in Europe?
• Comparative: How did the effects of colonization differ between Southeast Asia and Africa in terms of political and cultural development?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between economic change and social mobility during major historical transitions, such as the Enlightenment or Renaissance?
• Explanatory: How did historical revolutions contribute to the transformation of class structures and human rights movements?

Philosophy

• Descriptive: What ethical theories are most commonly referenced in contemporary debates about artificial intelligence?
• Comparative: How do Eastern and Western philosophical traditions differ in their understanding of moral responsibility?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between ethical awareness and decision-making among professionals in the field of bioethics?
• Explanatory: How do philosophical perspectives on utilitarianism and deontology influence ethical policymaking in modern societies?

Sociological Research Question Examples

• Descriptive: What social factors most commonly influence young adults’ participation in community-based volunteer activities?
• Comparative: How does social media usage differ between urban and rural populations in shaping public opinion?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to higher education opportunities?
• Explanatory: How do cultural norms and social structures influence individual identity formation and group behavior in modern societies?

Linguistics

Sociolinguistics

• Descriptive: What are the most common linguistic variations found among speakers of English in multilingual urban communities?
• Comparative: How does language use differ between younger and older generations in bilingual households?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between socioeconomic status and code-switching frequency among bilingual speakers?
• Explanatory: How do social identity and cultural context influence patterns of language variation and change in speech communities?

Language Processing & Cognition

• Descriptive: What types of speech errors occur most frequently during spontaneous conversation?
• Comparative: How does reaction time in word recognition differ between native and non-native speakers?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between working memory capacity and sentence comprehension accuracy?
• Explanatory: How does bilingualism influence cognitive processing during language production and comprehension tasks?

Applied Linguistics

• Descriptive: What instructional strategies are most commonly used by English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers in secondary schools?
• Comparative: How do students’ language proficiency outcomes differ between traditional classroom instruction and technology-assisted language learning?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between students’ motivation levels and their second language acquisition success?
• Explanatory: How does the use of communicative language teaching methods enhance learners’ speaking fluency and confidence?

Social Sciences

Economic Development

• Descriptive: What are the most prevalent causes of income inequality in developing countries?
• Comparative: How does employment growth differ between countries implementing export-led versus import-substitution economic policies?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between access to education and household income levels in low-income communities?
• Explanatory: How do government investment policies in education and infrastructure contribute to long-term economic development?

Political Science Research Question Examples

• Descriptive: What factors most commonly influence voter turnout in national elections?
• Comparative: How does political participation differ between democratic and authoritarian systems?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between citizens’ trust in government institutions and their likelihood of engaging in civic activities?
• Explanatory: How does the spread of misinformation on social media platforms influence public opinion and voting behavior?

Sociology & Social Change

• Descriptive: What social issues are most frequently discussed in community organizations addressing urban poverty?
• Comparative: How does social mobility differ between rural and urban populations?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between family background and career achievement among young adults?
• Explanatory: How do cultural values and social institutions shape patterns of inequality and social change in modern societies?

Mathematics & Statistics

Algebra

• Descriptive: What patterns can be identified in the distribution of prime numbers within a specified numerical range?
• Comparative: How do the computational efficiencies of different factorization algorithms compare when applied to large integers?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between the complexity of algebraic equations and the convergence rate of their numerical solutions?
• Explanatory: How do advancements in abstract algebra contribute to the development of modern cryptographic systems?

Mathematical Modeling

• Descriptive: What mathematical models are most commonly used to predict population growth in urban environments?
• Comparative: How does the accuracy of linear models compare to that of nonlinear models in forecasting economic trends?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between model complexity and prediction accuracy in simulation-based research?
• Explanatory: How does the application of optimization models improve resource allocation efficiency in transportation systems?

Statistical Data Analysis

• Descriptive: What statistical methods are most frequently used in analyzing large-scale health data sets?
• Comparative: How does the performance of parametric tests differ from non-parametric tests in small-sample research designs?
• Correlational: What is the relationship between sample size and the reliability of statistical estimates in hypothesis testing?
• Explanatory: How does the use of advanced statistical models (e.g., Bayesian inference) enhance decision-making in predictive analytics?

4 Common Pitfalls to Beware

Before settling on your research question, look at it with a fresh pair of eyes and make sure you haven’t made one of these four common mistakes:

• Posing yes/no questions. Such a question, even when phrased in a sophisticated way, still doesn’t lay the foundation for an interesting inquiry. It’s too easy to answer, in other words. Paraphrase your question using “how,” “to what extent,” or “why” to fix this mistake.
• Making assumptions or being too biased. Research, by definition, is objective and leaves no room for personal opinions or biases. So, review your question and get rid of any indication that you’re jumping to conclusions in it. Stick to a formal, neutral language, too.
• Using ambiguous terms. Similarly, vague language also has no place in solid research. Replace any terms that may be too ambiguous or easy to misinterpret with their more specific counterparts.
• Not phrasing it as a question. If your research question is phrased as a statement, then you’re stating the topic instead of posing a research question. To correct this shortcoming, turn your statement into a full-fledged question, question mark and all.

In Closing

It’s okay to start with a somewhat vague idea of what you want to investigate within your next paper; it’s a natural part of the process. That said, you’ll need time to turn it into a well-defined, compelling, clear research question that meets FINER criteria.

So, go ahead and start brainstorming the broad topic. Take time to conduct preliminary research and identify gaps in existing knowledge. Then, look at it through different lenses and tinker with various types of questions before settling on the one that sparks your curiosity the most.

As frustrating and time-consuming as finding a good research question can be, it’s worth it. Strong research questions give you a sense of direction, lay the foundation for valuable findings, and drive learning and discovery.