How to choose a research question that genuinely matters

(And one that you can actually answer)

Find your perfect research question today. Image generated with the new DALL-E.

I remember those days vividly. Sitting in my supervisor’s office, a whirlwind of half-formed ideas gurgling in my head, feeling the immense pressure to pick the one. The perfect topic. The killer research question that would define my graduate work, maybe even my career. No pressure.

Does this sound familiar to you?

Choosing a research question is arguably the most critical — and often the most paralyzing — step in any research project, let alone in the graduate school journey. It’s like being asked to choose your soulmate from a lineup of strangers. The stakes feel impossibly high. And despite AI tools, there is no Tinder for good research questions.

Many otherwise highly talented students stumble here, not for lack of intelligence, but for lack of a clear process. Textbooks often jump straight into methodology, assuming you already know what you want to study. It’s like being handed a map without knowing your destination. Run, Forrest, run.

Today’s guide is the conversation I wish I’d had early in my grad school career. I want to break down the process of finding, refining, and evaluating a research questions — minus the jargon and abstract theorizamazations…