The research question or statement is crucial. A well-formulated question will focus your information needs, help to identify key search concepts, and guide you in the direction of potential resources.
- Quantitative Questions aim to discover cause-and-effect relationships by comparing two or more individuals or groups based on differing outcomes associated with exposures or interventions
- Qualitative Questions aim to discover meaning or gain an understanding of a phenomenon
There are a variety of frameworks that can be used to formulate your research question and identify possible search concepts for your literature search. Here are some selected frameworks to help you:
PICO(T): Quantitative Research
Population/Problem, Intervention/Exposure, Comparison, Outcome, and Time Period/Type of Study.
In ____[P]_____, do/does ____[I]____ result in ____[O]___ over ___[T]______?
E.g. In emergency room visitors, do hand sanitizing stations result in fewer in-hospital infections when compared with no hand sanitizing stations over a year-long pilot period?
PS: Qualitative Research
Population/Problem, Situation
How do/does ___ [P] ___ experience ____[S]_____?
E.g. How do caregiver-spouses of Alzheimer patients experience placing their spouse in a nursing home?
Additional Frameworks
PIE (Population, Intervention, Effect / Outcome)
PEO (Population/Problem, Exposure, Outcomes/Themes)
FINER (Feasibility, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant)
SPICE (Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation)
SPIDER (Sample, Phenomena of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type)
