A good research question can be the key to attracting interest in you, your work, and your area of interest. The FINER framework is a way to think through your idea at any stage of your development process. Using this framework, you shape your research question by considering five aspects. Is your research question:
A second research framework, commonly used in the sciences. is PICOT. PICOT stands for:
Some questions to answer as you develop your research proposal:
| Population | -What is the target population? -Is the target population narrow or broad? -Is the target population vulnerable? |
| Intervention | -What is the intervention? (treatment, diagnostic test, procedure) -Is the intervention the most appropriate for the study design? |
| Comparator | -Are there any ethical concerns related to the use of placebo? -Will statistical analyses be adjusted for multiple comparisons? |
| Outcome | -What is the primary outcome? -What are the secondary outcomes? |
| Time frame | -How long will the recruitment phase take? -What is the time frame for data collection? |
