Successful research depends on asking the right kind of questions.

Use the following list to guide you while creating quality questions before and during the research process.

1. Cause Question:  Why did this action/event happen? What are the causes of an action/event?Example:  Why did the South implement Jim Crow laws after the Civil War?  

2. Effect Question:  What effect does this action/event have on an action/event?Example:  What effect does peer pressure have on underage drinking?

3. Comparison Question:  How are two things/events alike or different?Example:  How are King Lear and the Julius Cesar similar?

4. What are Factors Question:  What are all the factors that affect something?Example:  What are all the factors involved in choosing a college or university?

5. Processes Question:  How does something happen?  What processes make something happen?Example:  How do images portrayed in popular media impact the perception body image in adolescent girls and boys?

6. Strategies Question:  What are the best strategies for accomplishing something?Example:  What are the best strategies for evaluating websites for authoritativeness and reliability when conducing research?

7. Function or Purpose Question:  What is the function or purpose of something?Example:  What is the purpose of adding honey instead of sugar to a dessert recipe?

8. Ways To Achieve Purpose Question:  How can something be done or achieved?Example:  How does preparing for an exam help students succeed in school?

9. Types Question:  What are all the different types of something?Example:  What are the different types of class structure in American society?

10. Properties/Characteristics Question:  What are the characteristics of something?Example:  What are the properties of water? What are the characteristics of the principle Greek Gods?

11. Stages Question:  What are the stages that something goes through?Example:  What are the stages of the scientific process?

12. Structural Question:  How are the parts of something interrelated?Example:  How does the circulatory system work to bring oxygen throughout the body?