Assignment: Formulating a Research Question

Research investigators often encounter the following saying: "A problem that goes unnoticed or ignored is a problem without a resolution."

Discuss a problem from the field of forensic psychology that you would like to have resolved through investigative research methods.

Use the following questions as guidelines for formulating the actual quantitative research question with respect to the problem that you identify:

• What is the specific problem?

• What is the evidence of the problem?

• What do you suspect is causing the problem?

• Is the research question clearly expressed without being too general or too narrow?

• Does the question relate to the identified problem?

• Is the research, based on the research question, feasible?

• Will the research, based on the research question, add to the body of knowledge in the forensic psychology field?