I'm currently writing a term paper on the appropriation of AAVE in queer culture (specifically by white gay men). While I have already accumulated a lot of material, I find it very hard to phrase my actual research question. My paper should only be about 2000 words long, so I think I have to narrow down my topic even more.
My hypothesis is that white gay men use features typically associated with AAVE to evoke the image of a "sassy black queen", so my first instinct was to phrase my question along the lines of "To what extent do white gay men use AAVE features to evoke a “fierce black woman” personality?", but I don't know whether that might already be taking away my hypothesis.
A research question (RQ) narrows down the investigation topic of interest, highlighting a clear focus in the form of a question that one seeks to answer in their inquiry. A good RQ aligns with the FINER criteria, i.e., it should be feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant. You could refer to Nundy et al. (2022), fully cited below, for details on the FINER criteria.
Nundy, S., Kakar, A., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2022). How to think of a research question? In S. Nundy, A. Kakar, & Z. A. Bhutta (Eds.), How to practice academic medicine and publish from developing countries? A practical guide (pp. 65–69). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5248-6_7
Good luck,
In regard to developing research questions, the guidance as per the following publications may further help:
- Khoo, E. M. (2005) Research Questions and Research Objectives, The Family Physician, 13, 3, pp. 25-26.
- Lipowski, E. E. (2008) Developing great research questions, American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 65, 17, pp. 1667-1670.
- Punch, K. F. (1998) Research Questions, in Punch, K.F. (ed.) Introduction to Social Research: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, pp. 33-44.
- Rowley, J. (2014) Designing and using research questionnaires, Management Research Review, 37, 3, pp. 308-330.
- White, P. (2009) Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
On the basis of objectives, You should set questions to which you will guide to get the true answer. But, the answer will be to meet your research objectives.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Computer Science
- Research Topics