Refine your research topic to an answerable question that is innovative, clearly defined, and focused on problem resolution. Your question should include distinct concepts for analysis and not be too broad or too narrow in scope.
A research question framework such as PICO or PEO can help you develop your research question. The framework can help you develop your research question by asking who, what, where, and when.
Once you have established an answerable research question, determine your question’s research need. Does your question address a "gap" within the literature? Does it address a larger societal impact or importance? If not, you may have to formulate a new or modified question.
To assess your topic’s research need, conduct a preliminary literature search in at least one appropriate database. Based on search results, refine your topic by either addressing a related unanswered question, choosing another population, or shifting to another topic altogether.
Source: Adapted from "Research, Writing and Publishing: Review Scholarly Literature," The Maguire Medical Library, Florida State University
PEO Research Question Framework
PEO: Simple framework for many types of qualitative research questions.
Example research question: In teenage girls, is there an association between social media use and the development of anxiety disorders?
Sources:
Forming Focused Questions from PICO, University of North Carolina Libraries: https://guides.lib.unc.edu/pico/frameworks
Framing a Research Question, University of Maryland Libraries: https://lib.guides.umd.edu/SR/research_question