Research questions

Click on the research question that would be appropriate for a college paper from ten to fifteen pages long. Remember that a research question should be focused (not too broad), intellectually challenging (not just factual), and grounded in evidence (not too speculative).

For help with this exercise, see Research questions.

Example

1 of 10

Question

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◯ What is the current medical definition of schizophrenia?
◯ Which treatments for schizophrenia show the most promise?
Research questions – 1

2 of 10

Question

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◯ What can be done to save our national parks from pollution?
◯ What can be done to combat air pollution at Grand Canyon National Park?
Research questions – 2

3 of 10

Question

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◯ To what extent is solar energy an effective and economic alternative to fossil fuel energy?
◯ How many homeowners across the United States use solar energy for part or all of their energy needs, and where do they live?
Research questions – 3

4 of 10

Question

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◯ How have social media affected white-collar productivity in the American workplace?
◯ What impact are social media making on the business world?
Research questions – 4

5 of 10

Question

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◯ How fair is affirmative action when used as a criterion for university admissions?
◯ When states have abandoned affirmative action as a criterion for university admissions, what have been the consequences to minority students and to the campuses at large?
Research questions – 5

6 of 10

Question

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◯ What changes in social services were brought about by Jacob Riis’s photographs of homeless and poor people in New York City at the end of the nineteenth century?
◯ What social services were available in New York City at the end of the nineteenth century?
Research questions – 6

7 of 10

Question

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◯ What laws are needed to regulate the ways in which farmers cultivate and harvest their crops?
◯ Should the US government allow farmers to sell genetically engineered produce?
Research questions – 7

8 of 10

Question

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◯ How can pharmaceutical companies be encouraged to provide low-cost drugs to combat AIDS in Africa?
◯ What drugs are desperately needed to combat AIDS in Africa?
Research questions – 8

9 of 10

Question

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◯ What is morally wrong with allowing prayer—or at least a moment of silence—in public schools?
◯ On what legal grounds has the Supreme Court refused to allow official prayer in public schools, and how has its decision affected elementary education?
Research questions – 9

10 of 10

Question

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◯ What are the provisions of Title IX, the 1972 act that banned gender discrimination in publicly funded US schools?
◯ How has Title IX, which has banned gender discrimination in publicly funded US schools since 1972, affected college athletic programs?
Research questions – 10