updated presentation1research question

Study Question

Aziza Sayed Omar, M.D.

In this session, we will…

• Discuss guidelines for creating a ‘good’

research question

• Provide time to revisit and revise your

research questions and plans

• Consider appropriate methods for

investigating your research question(s)

What is Research?

Research is the systematic process of collecting

and analysing information (data) in order to

increase our understanding of the

phenomenon with which we are concerned or

interested.

Research involves three main stages:

planning

data collection

analysis.

The Research Process

• Originates with a question or problem.

• Requires a clear articulation of a goal.

• Follows a specific plan of procedure.

• Usually divides the principal problems into more manageable sub-problems (hypotheses), which guide the research.

• Accepts certain critical assumptions.

• Requires collection and interpretation of data to answer original research question.

Ways to select research topics:

Personal experience.

Whether you want to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention or understand how or why it works

Curiosity about something in the media.

State of knowledge in the field

Solving a problem.

Hot topics under discussion

Personal values

Everyday life.

Gaps in the research and theoretical literature.

Why are research questions

important?

“Well-crafted questions guide the systematic

planning of research.

Formulating your questions precisely

enables you to design a study with a good

chance of answering them.”

A proper research question

is the cornerstone of any

study

RESEARCH QUESTION

P - Who is the patient or what problem is being addressed?

I - What is the intervention or exposure?

C – What is the comparison group?

O - What is the outcome or endpoint?

Architecture of a focused question:

a 4-part review question

+ study design

Richardson et al. The well-built clinical question: a key to evidence-based decisions. ACP Journal Club 1995;A-12

Counsell C. Formulating questions and locating primary studies for inclusion in systematic reviews. Ann Intern Med 1997;127:380-7.

1. Patient: 1. Disease or condition

2. Stage, Severity

3. Demographic characteristics (age, gender, etc.)

2. Intervention: 1. Type of intervention or exposure

2. Dose, duration, timing, route, etc.

3. Comparison: 1. Absence of risk or treatment

2. Placebo or alternative therapy

4. Outcome: 1. Risk or protective

2. Dichotomous or continuous

3. Type: mortality, morbidity, quality of life, etc.

PICO + study design

Study designs:

RCTs

Cohort

Case-control

Cross-sectional

All

Types of questions (domains)

• Etiology [cohort, case-control]

• Therapy [RCT]

• Prognosis [cohort]

• Harm [cohort, case-control]

• Diagnosis [cross-sectional, case-control]

• Economic [cost-effectiveness analysis, etc.]

These domains are usually addressed by different study

designs

Formulation of a therapy question

Is Zinc effective in treating cold?

In children with common cold, is oral Zinc effective in

reducing the duration of symptoms, as compared to placebo?

Intervention Outcome

Intervention Patient/problem

Outcome Comparison + RCTs

Formulation of an etiology

question

Is snoring a risk factor for diabetes?

Are people who snore regularly at a greater risk of developing

type II diabetes mellitus as compared to those who do not snore?

Exposure Outcome

Exposure Patient

Outcome Comparison + cohort & case-control studies

Formulation of a diagnosis

question

Is Positron Emission Tomography (PET) a good test for coronary disease?

Is PET a more sensitive and specific test in diagnosing coronary

artery disease as compared to coronary angiography?

Test (intervention) Outcome

Patient Outcome

Comparison + diagnostic studies [cross-sectional]

Test (intervention)

Remember,

you will spend a lot of time researching and

writing about the proposed project :

{ if it does not interest you in the beginning,

it will certainly become very difficult to write

about in the end.}

To write a strong research question

you will need time.

So; 1.Step away from your computer; 2.Consider what attracted you to your topic. 3.Listen to yourself and start formulating your question by following your own interests.

4. Next, extensively research your topic. 5. What have people said about it? 6. How have they framed their research? 7. What gaps, contradictions, or concerns arise for you as

you read, talk to people, and visit places? After you have done this you can go back to your

computer or note pad and start crafting the question itself.

The research question should be

1

Evocative

2

Relevant

3

Clear

4

Researchable

The research question should be Evocative 1

Evocative questions are ones that catch the interest of the reviewer and draw her/him into the proposal. Also, they easily adhere in the reviewers’ memory after reading the proposal. Questions tend to be evocative because they pose innovative approaches to the exploration of problems, and because of this the answers found are far from obvious. There is no single way to form a conceptually innovative question. However, some of the following qualities are common to successful proposals.


Make it timely Evocative questions are often extracted from very contemporary and recent social, medical or theoretical concerns. For example, questions regarding the energy crisis, international tribunals, bird flu, or the rise of anti-globalization protests are likely to attract the interests of others because they are questions whose relevance will be clearly perceptible by the senses or intellect of reviewer.


Frame it as a paradox (A self contradiction) Frame your question around a provocative paradox. For example, why the incidence of bird flu increases despite the enormous efforts to combat its spread? Or why there is an increased incidence of schistozomal infection despite the huge health education program?


Take a distinctive approach A question that approaches an old problem in a fresh new way, or proposes a surprising view of analysis on a difficult dilemma, is likely to prove evocative for reviewers. This could involve; 1. A new methodology, 2. A new conceptual approach, or 3. The linking of two previously disparate fields of

knowledge.

Questions that clearly demonstrate their relevance to; 1.Society, 2.A social group, or 3.Scholarly literature and debates Are likely to be given more weight by reviewers. As a general rule, research is more likely to be funded if it is seen as part of a larger intellectual project or line of inquiry, not just a way for the researcher to get a degree.

The research question should be Relevant 2

Fill in the missing piece If your proposal can expose a given field or problem and then point to a specific portion that is missing in that field or so , a gap which will be filled by the answer to your research question, your research is likely to obtain a great deal of support and fund. Reviewers will note its importance and recognize its relevance to a larger community of researchers.

The research question should be Relevant 2

The research question should be Clear 3

Clear questions tend to be 1.Short, 2.Conceptually straightforward, and 3.Jargon-free (Blablabla). This does not mean they have to be overly simplistic; but save your efforts for the analysis.


Ground the questions Keep your questions close to the topic or place you are researching. Questions that are too abstract or obtuse make it difficult for the reader to determine your question’s relevance and intent. You must still link your question to a larger context or objective


Limit variables If a question is burdened with too many variables or too many clauses it becomes both difficult to read and difficult to research. For example : a question like “Was the decline of poliomyelitis in Egypt the result of government policies?” is much easier to understand than “Was the decline of poliomyelitis in Egypt related more to health education, the vaccination campaign, or people awareness?”


You may talk about all these factors in your proposal, but the first question allows the reader to focus on the central aspect of your research rather than the variables surrounding it.

The research question should be Researchable 4

Research questions need to be clearly “doable.” One of the most common rationales for rejecting proposals is that the question is simply too expansive (or expensive) to be carried out by the applicant. There are many questions that you will need to ask yourself to avoid this pitfall. Above all else, consider your limitations.


First among them is: How long will the research take to carry out? Next, do you have the appropriate background to carry

out the research? Are there ethical constraints? Is the project likely to be approved by your advisor and

your University’s committee for the protection of human subjects?

Can you obtain the cooperation from all the necessary individuals, communities and institutions you need to answer the question you have asked?

Are the costs of conducting the research more than you will be likely to raise?

If I can’t complete this project well, can I break it down and address the most important component?

Remember that writing a research question is a tedious, repetitive process and such concerns need to be carefully considered in your research design and budget.


CONCLUSSION

When you do, consider that a strong

research question should be:

Evocative,

Clear, and specific

Reflects the objective(s) of the study

It has no answer by common sense

It has no answer in the literature

Finding an answer to the question will solve or at least help

in solving the problem to be studied

ANY QUESTIONS ?

THANK YOU

Outline of a protocol

Background

Problem statement and importance of the problem

addressed

Rationale for the review

Have there been other reviews on this topic?

How will your review be different from others on the

same topic?


Objectives:

Precise statement of the primary objective of the

review, including the intervention(s) reviewed and the

problem addressed.

If there are hypotheses for the review (specific

theories or suggestions being tested), these should

be stated here.


Criteria for considering studies for this review

(PICO)

Types of participants

Types of interventions

Types of outcome measures

Types of studies (study designs)


Search strategy:

What databases and sources will be searched?

What will be the time period?

What search terms and key words will be used?

Will there be language restrictions?

How will conference abstracts be handled?

Will unpublished data be sought?

Who will run the searches?


Methods:

Eligibility:

What will the inclusion/exclusion criteria be?

Who & how many reviewers will screen the articles

for inclusion?

How will the reviewers resolve disagreements?

Will the articles be reviewed in a blinded manner?


Methods:

Data extraction:

Who and how many reviewers will extract data?

What data will be extracted?


Will data extraction be done in a blinded manner?

Will inter-rated reliability be measured?


Assessment of study quality:

Who and how many reviewers will assess study

quality?

What instrument or scale will be used for quality

assessment?

Will a numeric quality score be measured?

Will quality assessment be done blinded?


Will inter-rated reliability be measured?

How will the quality data be used?


Analysis: What software will be used

How heterogeneity will be evaluated

If a meta-analysis will be done, what model will be used for combining data (random vs. fixed effects)

If heterogeneity is found, what approaches will be used to find reasons for heterogeneity

Will subgroup analyses be done

Will sensitivity analyses be done

How will quality of studies affect the analyses

How potential publication bias will be evaluated

Exercise

Individually, for each of the research

questions in the handout, determine:

if the question meets the 8 guidelines discussed

earlier

suggestions for improving the question

Share your results with a neighbor

Be prepared to report to the full group

updated presentation1research question

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