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Review
. 2025 Jan:17:1564.
doi: 10.34172/ahj.1564. Epub 2025 Feb 22.

Biomedical Research: Formulating a Well-Built and Worth-Answering Research Question

Zahra Bahadoran  1 , Parvin Mirmiran  2 , Khosrow Kashfi  3 , Asghar Ghasemi  4
Affiliations
Review

Biomedical Research: Formulating a Well-Built and Worth-Answering Research Question

Zahra Bahadoran et al. Addict Health. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Research begins with a problem that must be translated into an answerable research question. The research question is a structured interrogative statement based on an unsolved problem, which the researcher tries to answer through the study. The art of articulating a good research question is a crucial part of the research process as it sets the stage for the rest. A critical challenge in biomedical research lies in the frequent shortcomings of research question formulation and presentation. This paper aims to provide a practical guide to assist researchers in formulating answerable and worth-answering research questions in biomedical research. The PICOT/PECOT strategy (addresses population, intervention/exposure, comparator, outcome, and time) is essential to develop an excellent relational quantitative research question. The formulated research question should pass the FINER (feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant) criteria, determining the worth-answering aspect of the research question. Research questions are presented as questions, hypotheses, and propositions.

Keywords: Biomedical research; Research problem; Research question.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests None declared.

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