Designing a Research Question You Can Actually Answer
The most common reason a project stalls is a question that is too big, too vague, or quietly unanswerable. Here is how to fix it early.
By Ali Wardhere
A good research question is specific, feasible, and falsifiable. Most first drafts fail at least one of those tests, and the failure is usually invisible until months of work are already spent.
Make it specific
"Does education affect income?" is a topic, not a question. "Does an additional year of secondary schooling raise hourly wages for women in this region?" is something you can design a study around.
Make it feasible
Feasibility is about data and identification, not ambition. Before committing, confirm that the data you need exists, that you can access it, and that your design can plausibly isolate the effect you care about.
Make it falsifiable
If no conceivable result would change your mind, you are not asking a research question; you are looking for confirmation. State in advance what evidence would count against your hypothesis.