What’s the Right Size?

After developing a draft research question, you will need to reevaluate its scope as you look for sources. You may find what seemed appropriate is either too narrow (with little or no resources available) or too broad (with far more information than you can handle). A great research question is broad enough to allow for some in-depth exploration of the topic, yet narrow enough that you can fully answer the question within the size of your paper. There are strategies you can use to tailor your question to a perfect fit.

Strategies to Narrow a Research Question

To narrow your question, consider setting time or demographic limits on your topic. Here is an example using a previous sample research question:

How has increasing consumer demand for vintage clothing changed the fashion retail industry in the greater San Diego area?

It is already limited by geography to the San Diego area.  Another way to limit it might have been by time:

How has increasing consumer demand for vintage clothing changed the fashion retail industry since 2010?

Or by age:

How has consumer demand for vintage clothing by millennial customers changed retail industry marketing?

Other limiters you can use to narrow research questions include gender, occupation, ethnicity, education, language, etc. Anything that is both specific and measurable will help narrow your topic.

Strategies to Broaden a Research Question

If you cannot find enough existing resources to adequately answer your question, and you do not plan to do original research to create it, you may need to broaden your question. To broaden a question, remove some of the limitations on your topic by using larger categories or broader terms.  Using the same example research question:

How has increasing consumer demand for vintage clothing changed the fashion retail industry in the Reno/Sparks metropolitan area?

could be broadened by using a wider geographic area:

How has increasing consumer demand for vintage clothing changed the fashion retail industry in the United States?

Need Additional Help?

If you need additional help, librarians at Miramar College can help you with:

  • Finding the best sources
  • Searching tips and tricks
  • Navigating databases
  • Citing sources
  • And much more!

We’re available to help via chat & email or you can schedule an appointment with a librarian (in-person or Zoom). Walk-ins are also welcome in L-200 at the Circulation Desk or Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.