How to Define a Research Problem | Ideas & Examples debates on your topic to find a gap in what is currently

November 2, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George known about it. You might look for:
• A phenomenon or context that has not
A research problem is a specific issue or gap in existing
been closely studied
knowledge that you aim to address in your research. You may
• A contradiction between two or more perspectives
choose to look for practical problems aimed at contributing
• A situation or relationship that is not
to change, or theoretical problems aimed at expanding
well understood
knowledge.
• A troubling question that has yet to be resolved
Some research will do both of these things, but usually
the research problem focuses on one or the other. The type Examples of theoretical research problems
of research problem you choose depends on your The effects of long-term Vitamin D deficiency on
broad topic of interest and the type of research you think will cardiovascular health are not well understood.
fit best. The relationship between gender, race, and income
This article helps you identify and refine a research inequality has yet to be closely studied in the context of the
problem. When writing your research millennial gig economy.
proposal or introduction, formulate it as a problem Historians of Scottish nationalism disagree about the role
statement and/or research questions. of the British Empire in the development of Scotland’s
national identity.
Why is the research problem important?
Having an interesting topic isn’t a strong enough basis for Step 2. Learn more about the problem
academic research. Without a well-defined research Next, you have to find out what is already known about
problem, you are likely to end up with an unfocused and the problem and pinpoint the exact aspect that your research
unmanageable project. will address.
You might end up repeating what other people have
Context and background
already said, trying to say too much, or doing research
• Who does the problem affect?
without a clear purpose and justification. You need a clear
• Is it a newly-discovered problem, or a
problem in order to do research that contributes new and
well-established one?
relevant insights.
• What research has already been done?
Whether you’re planning your thesis, starting a research
• What, if any, solutions have been
paper, or writing a research proposal, the research problem
proposed?
is the first step towards knowing exactly what you’ll do and
• What are the current debates about the
why.
problem? What is missing from these debates?
Step 1. Identify a broad problem area.
Specificity and relevance
As you read about your topic, look for under-explored
• What particular place, time, and/or
aspects or areas of concern, conflict, or controversy. Your
group of people will you focus on?
goal is to find a gap that your research project can fill.
• What aspects will you not be able to tackle?
• What will the consequences be if the
Practical research problems
problem is not resolved?
If you are doing practical research, you can identify a
problem by reading reports, following up on previous Example of a specific research problem
research, or talking to people who work in the relevant field A local non-profit organization focused on alleviating
or organization. You might look for: food insecurity has always fundraised from its existing
• Issues with performance or efficiency support base. It lacks understanding of how best to target
• Processes that could be improved potential new donors. To be able to continue its work, the
• Areas of concern among practitioners organization requires research into more effective
• Difficulties faced by specific groups of people fundraising strategies.
Examples of practical research problems Next steps
Voter turnout in New England has been decreasing, in Once you have narrowed down your research problem,
contrast to the rest of the country. the next step is to formulate a problem statement, as well as
The HR department of a local chain of restaurants has a your research questions or hypotheses.
high staff turnover rate. Other interesting articles
A non-profit organization faces a funding gap that means If you want to know more about the research
some of its programs will have to be cut. process, methodology, research bias, or statistics, make sure
Theoretical research problems to check out some of our other articles with explanations and
If you are doing theoretical research, you can identify a examples.
research problem by reading existing research, theory, and