How to determine the research question in a discipline field?

Identifying a research question involves pinpointing a specific, significant gap or unresolved problem within your field that merits systematic investigation. It requires synthesizing existing knowledge and formulating a focused inquiry that drives the research process. Determining a viable research question necessitates a thorough literature review to comprehend the current state of knowledge and identify genuine theoretical or empirical uncertainties. The question must demonstrate scholarly significance, address a meaningful problem, and offer potential for contributing new insights. Crucially, it must be scoped precisely enough to be feasible given available resources, time, and methodological constraints, while remaining sufficiently complex to warrant rigorous academic inquiry. The process typically starts with immersion in the literature to identify broad topics of interest and prevailing knowledge gaps. Through systematic synthesis and critical analysis of existing research, specific unresolved issues emerge. These potential questions are then progressively refined through iterative evaluation against criteria such as novelty, importance, clarity, and methodological practicality. Consulting peers and advisors further validates the question's viability and relevance, ultimately leading to a well-defined, focused inquiry capable of generating valuable new knowledge and insights in the discipline.