Research Question Builder Pro

What are you investigating?

Describe your research area in plain language. Don't worry about structure yet.

Research Topic or Idea

Be as specific as you can about the population, intervention, and outcome you're interested in.

What type of research is this?

Quantitative Qualitative Mixed Methods

Purpose

Proposal/Funding Thesis/Dissertation Evaluation/MEL Exploratory

Choose Your Framework

Select the framework that best fits your research type.

PICO — For Quantitative Research

Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome. Best for impact evaluations, RCTs, quasi-experiments.

SPIDER — For Qualitative Research

Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type. Best for qualitative and mixed-methods studies.

PICO Components

Break your question into its core components.

P — Population

Who are you studying? Be specific about geography, demographics, and eligibility.

I — Intervention

What treatment, programme, or exposure are you examining?

C — Comparison

What is the counterfactual? What happens without the intervention?

O — Outcome

What measurable result are you looking for?

SPIDER Components

Break your question into its core components.

S — Sample

Who or what is your sample? Describe the group you're studying.

PI — Phenomenon of Interest

What phenomenon, behaviour, or experience are you investigating?

D — Design

E — Evaluation

How will you evaluate or analyse the data?

R — Research Type

Refine Your Question

Review and polish your research question. Edit it to be clear, specific, and feasible.

Generated Research Question

Edit freely. A good RQ is specific, measurable, and answerable with available data.

Quality Checklist

Your Research Question

Here's your structured research question with analysis and method suggestions.

Research Question

Research Question Builder Pro

What are you investigating?

Choose Your Framework

PICO Components

SPIDER Components

Refine Your Question

Your Research Question

Suggested Methods