Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Students, Researchers and Practitioners »

PATRICK WHITE is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Leicester. He has written a number of chapters and articles on teaching and research in education.

Undertaking a research project is a crucial, but often overwhelming aspect of any social sciences degree, and selecting a research question can be one of the toughest parts of the process. What makes an appropriate topic for research? How do you transform an idea into a 'researchable' question? And, once you've got a question, where do you go from there?

Developing Research Questions steers readers through the complex process of starting a research project. The book explains how to break down initial ideas from broad topics into appropriate research questions, and gives detailed guidance on how to refine questions as the research project develops. Each chapter is packed with handy hints, tips and examples that show how to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls in the research process. Linking hypotheses and questions with research design and methods at every step, this text takes readers from the start through to the final stage of answering their questions and drawing conclusions.

This is a no-fuss, practical guide to forming your own research question. It is an indispensable resource for social scientists carrying out research projects at all levels.

1 Where do research ideas come from ? 5

2 What makes a research question? 33

3 What makes a question 'researchable'? 59

4 Questions, methods and indicators 89

5 Answering research questions: claims, evidence and warrant 112

Bibliography 124

Index 131