Literature suggests several variations on criteria selection for constructing a research question, such as the FINER or PICOT methods.
[citation needed] Therefore, the investigator must first identify the type of study (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed) before the research question is developed.
According to Farrugia et al., the FINER criteria "highlight useful points that may increase the chances of developing a successful research project".
Such research may focus on assessment or evaluation of patients or problems, as well as what may be the causal factor(s) with control and experimental groups.
[15][additional citation(s) needed] There have been online surveys used to generate priority research topics which were then classified into broader themes.
[18][19] Concerning control strategies for gene drives, researchers have however cautioned that such may lead to a counterproductive false sense of security.
[20] Not all technological progress may be beneficial in general or in contemporary contexts (environments or systems) and various research may for example result in engineered pandemics.
[24] 80,000 Hours has compiled a small list of "Research questions that could have a big social impact, organised by discipline".
[25] Platforms, e.g. citizen science ones, can "support identification of problems, formulation of research questions, and study design".
[26] Participatory research can "improve study outcomes and foster greater data accessibility and utility as well as increase public transparency".
There has been a suggestion for establishing a public non-profit organization that would identify "gaps in the science that need addressing", referring to the field of sustainable food system.
[35][36] One approach for the generation of research questions is [identifying, highlighting, and] challenging assumptions of existing theories and studies.
[37] Sometimes research questions overlap with or also refer to challenges of a specific theory or field such as how to solve known problems with the Standard Model.
The sources needed for qualitative research typically include print and internet texts (written words), audio and visual media.
The "so what" test means that the writer must construct evidence to convince the audience why the research is expected to add new or useful knowledge to the literature.
The term achieved prominence in 1970 when Hasan Özbekhan, Erich Jantsch and Alexander Christakis conceptualized the original prospectus of the Club of Rome titled "The Predicament of Mankind".