Step 4b: Types of Research Questions

Disciplinary differences may also dictate the types of research questions you will ask. Keep in mind that no particular research question is "better" or superior." The only criterion is "appropriate." And whether it is appropriate depends on your interests and what you want to discover. Research is about choices, and often the choice is yours.

Descriptive Questions:
Ask us to precisely describe general patterns, tendencies or a set of facts. A descriptive question is a "what happened" question. Example: Who were the people who stormed the Bastille in 1789 to start the French Revolution - master workers, shopkeepers, apprentices, women, soldiers? What does the answer tell us about the nature of the Revolution?

Theoretical Questions:
Explore the full set of factors that cause a condition, event or process. An example is: "Why does democracy develop?" Look for different answers to this question in the literature and evaluate these theories or come up with your own.

Causal Questions
Ask whether a change in one variable will bring change to another variable. An example is "Does the development of capitalism lead to the development of democracy?" The hypothesis implicit in this question is that capitalism leads to democracy, and possibly that more capitalism leads to more democracy.

Predictive Questions
Ask what the likelihood is that X will occur. An example is: Will China try to reclaim Taiwan using military means? What factors will affect the outcome?

Policy Arguments
Ask whether one policy is better than another. How do the policies accomplish their objectives? Involves cost/benefit analysis. Are there bad side effects from the policies? Do they achieve the stated objective? Are there other side benefits? An example is: Is it better to have bilingual education or English-only education in U.S. public schools? And why?

Normative Questions
Questions that ask about preferences or values about what ought to happen. An example is: "Is the death penalty wrong?"