First, you should define the topic of policy sociology that you like to address (education, social problem, political issue, health and so like). Second, read literature dealing with this topic to learn more and to avoid repetition (i.e., a researcher might have asked the same question). Third, focus on policy makers who might be involved in the subject matter (topic) you are addressing.

First, you should define the topic of policy sociology that you like to address (education, social problem, political issue, health and so like). Second, read literature dealing with this topic to learn more and to avoid repetition (i.e., a researcher might have asked the same question). Third, focus on policy makers who might be involved in the subject matter (topic) you are addressing.

Firstly, research questions are outlined in the introduction part. Then you should change questions into hypotheses if you test them

If not

You can outline them in a part of methodology

Or you can also write them in a seperate title.

There are may policies, you need to focus on any one of them. Then write any 5 questions which should be dealing with your hypothesis.

I think clearly outline the social issue you want fo address and explain how your research questions will provide insight into it. If you want policy change you need to identify the area of change, with evidence based research and literature, and outline a clear change pf policy to putto government and explain how it will solve the problem.

I'm not certain about the question, except perhaps indirectly.

However, there is an approach to research that is called "action research".

Use Google Scholar to search for "action research methodology." The first item on the search results page when I did that was a power point summary of the methodology.

I agree with what others have said about focusing in on one aspect of social innovation. After you read the literature as someone suggested and find the aspect that interests you, how much information is available will help you determine if you want to do a qualitative or quantitative study.

In the US, for example, universal healthcare is being debated. There are enough countries who have universal health care so a researcher could get information from these countries on what works and what does not and then come up with a policy. That would be more quantitative looking at data and results.

If you want to improve on something that has not been studied much, you could us a qualitative approach. Something like Grounded theory developed by Glaser and Strauss, expanded upon by Corbin and Strauss, might be useful. Say you wanted to find a theory on how people develop small businesses. I don't believe there is much good research on that topic. A qualitative approach interviewing, observing etc successful and even failed attempts at business start ups would give you some good information.

Remember also the PhD research is just the beginning. One of your goals is to graduate. Start small knowing you can build on what you have done later. Good luck.

Two research questions as stated below may be helpful. .

1. What are the commonalities and differences in the processes of social innovation in Romania?

2. What are the factors which influence social entrepreneurship in Romania?

The first thing to be done is to do intensive review of literature about the identified topic to really check if there are gaps or issues that need be prioritized as basis for policy review and formulation. With the identified issue from the shortlisted gaps in literature, you may write the top research problem that is most commonly identified in the latest literature reviewed. Your methodology can best be identified from the research problem you formulated. As most policies are often backed up by data that will support the need for its formulation, the facts that you gathered can be used in the rise of one significant societal policy that will benefit the public. Congratulations in advance to your research work.

In teaching (qualitative methods and research) I encourage my students first to clarify the topic, research question(s), potential connections and interpendencies in the making of a detailled and growing mindmap. where you sort your thoughts and preconcepts. Afterwards, like the others suggest, research fitting literatur with the catchphrases you identify. You will find different ways and possibilities to write down your research question(s) and in the progress of the study the questions will be further adapted or discarded.

To formulate research questions, first you have to do thorough literature review (LR) on the proposed topic. Remember to have clear concepts on D.V and IV for effective LR. In your LR, spot the gaps which you can do in three ways:

*Confusion spotting (where there arecompeting explanations)

*Neglect spotting (overlooked areas, or areas that lack empirical support or under researched areas)

*Application spotting (if you want to extend or complement existing literature).

For your case you can go beyond gap spotting and do problematizing by trying to disrupt the reproduction and continuation of a line of reasoning. Still you can claim innovation by not following any route mapped by literature.

Once the gaps are clear, outline questions that you think can solicit for answers to the identified problem or bridging the identified gaps. For quality research questions, be informed by a research tradition that will also direct your Methodology, research design and methods of data collection. Depending on the methodology chosen, your research questions may be revised during data collection.

In developing a research question, there is a likelihood that you will incorporate bias into your question if you insist on ending up with 'policy change'. Such is not likely to be research, but lobbying.

However, I'd suggest that if you wish to follow the direction provided by Saul Alinsky, you go into the community first, before looking to the literature. Community member will be very clear (unless they are fearful of government) about specific policy areas they want changed. Then, I'd suggest you focus on a concrete, small, and behaviouraly-defined problem area; that will give you best likelihood of measurable results. Then, search the literature to sharpen your research question.

Good fortune, Ioana, Paul

Psychologist Paul McGaffey PhD(ABD)

I like the response of Paul O Mcgaffey - particularly for action research project.

I would add one more layer. Form a focus group outside the context that will challenge you about your biases and about any lack of clarity in the formulation of the research question.

In addition to what other colleagues have highlighted on contextualising the problem you intend to answer, I would add the need to review the existing policies and get convincing evidence of what is lacking (this will give you a gap to fill). Then do not forget the suggestions of John Carr and Paul O Mcgaffey especially if you are thinking of Action Research Project.

Formulating research question in social science, one must reach conclusion "So What?" Research problem should focus on means for answering "So what?". There must be commitment on the part of researcher that they have gone thouroughly the reviews of previous study. They must ensure significance of research problems and imply it in creating new knowledge and understanding.

The simplest version. Never use scientific terms. Question making is the master level of real research desigh. Validity is a quality of question. Field work on testing the question, always keeping in the mind the sense, on your friends, relatives, occasional people. This is basic for your reserach and sociological interpretation.

Many have provided excellent answers to your inquiry. I agree with all and would like to add to the responses. When I guide doctoral students in research development I give them the same or very similar advice as you have seen here. How, I also advise them to look at the end of other completed dissertations that may be similar to so.e degree and look at the questions the researcher suggests as a needed area to study. If you discover that it is in your area of interest and has not been well studied, then try to consider using the format suggested by the author of the completed dissertation. In your literature research, look at s number of dissertations that are close to your topic and evaluate how they formulated their research questions. Remember, you may have one ultimate question about, but in your methodology section you will potentially list a number of RQs that will potentially lead you to the answer of your ultimate question.

Hi Ioana, following the scientific method, the topic of inquiry or research topic can generate the question, based on many factors. One of the most important preliminary steps to the research question is a comprehensive literature review. This is where you find out what gaps there are in current knowledge and what research is needed. When you create the research, question remember that without a clearly defined, measurable question, you likely will have an underdeveloped study that lacks needed focus. All components of a study flow from your research question. All variables must be clearly defined with operational definitions. The question you write must be measurable.

This is an interesting discussion and there are two main problems that I see. The question you asked us is how a research question should be written so that the research result leads to policy change. First, until a study is over, you don’t know the results. Creating the research question is part of developing the study and is done before the study begins. Maybe the results will lead to policy change, but you can’t change the research question. Second, you can have very significant results that could have a major positive impact on your issues of interest. However, once you publish the findings, you have no control over how it is used. That was a long way of saying that using an ethical scientific approach to conduct a study and then disseminate what you found, policy change is out of your control. If you get significant results and your dissertation is well-written, it could lead to you having more influence. I hope that helps.

I recommend a question: a) point to the literature review related to political changes, in the case of this kind of research. b) lead research subjects to reflect on changing contexts or express possibilities in this regard. c) the question can also capture impressions of ethical action, based on reflections on a specific case. I would recommend reflections in these ways.

This is an important question and some good responses. I would reframe this entirely more in terms of final audience. I personally think the RQ framing is probably less importance than how the final results are disseminated. The comments from Paul O Mcgaffey get at some of this, but I'd like to be more direct.

The research world doesn't influence policy as quickly or directly as many of us would like. It can take decades for research to be applied to the real world. Policymakers aren't generally reading research.

As an example, I was mentoring a medical resident in some research she was doing on psychiatrists in a general medicine hospital unit. She was insistent on publishing (not a bad thing). I asked her what her ultimate goal was. She said to get the hospital to fund a psychiatrist regularly on the unit. I told her a published research paper wouldn't do that. It's a different audience. Doing a business publication. Or better, a business presentation, like at the hospital association, would be far more likely to achieve that goal.

These are not mutually exclusive, of course. Frame the RQ in a way that speaks to the research world and supports good publishing if that's one of your goals. Then figure out how to translate that to the business/policy world and disseminate and present in different contexts. As Paul O Mcgaffey noted, this can be similar to lobbying, but not 100%. Participating in stakeholder and advisory groups is a way to help advocate for good services, systems, etc. And your experience and research can influence that.

Joshua Morgan provides a very useful elaboration: No matter how popular advocacy is among today's students, research is not advocacy. That is why I pointed up the work of Saul Alinsky. Alinsky is a social scientist who provides guidance for anyone intending to effect community changes.

Good fortune to those who follow such a direction ! However, do not confound advocacy with science. I am happy to agree with Joshua Morgan's contribution here.

Joshua amd Paul - while I agree with what Paul wrote, there is a methodology called "Action Research" (referred to in my previous post in this discussion thread) which is focussed on effecting change.

Hello, John - Yes, Saul Alinsky initated the field of action research, and as this article points out, the field has grown in precision: Are academics irrelevant? Roles for scholars in participatory research, R Stoecker  - American Behavioral Scientist, 1999 (p. 96) "The community organizer, a role many associate with Saul Alinsky (1946/1969 … Researchers with organizer skills can practice an initiator approach in disorganized communities, helping people define their needs and organizing action research projects... "

In addition to suggestions stated, what your research wants to address is key to your questions. Which will guide you to the " what, how, to what extent etc". It should conform with your objectives, findings and subsequent recommendations.

Ioanna, the research question should be derived and written on the basis of and informed by the social policy and policy change literature. Very best in this interesting research.