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Researchable
It seems a bit obvious, but you don't want to find yourself in the midst of investigating a
complex research project and realize that you don't have much to draw on for your research. Choose
research problems that can be supported by the resources available to you. Not sure? Seek out
help from a librarian!
NOTE: Do not confuse a research problem with a research topic. A topic is something to read and
obtain information about whereas a problem is something to solve or framed as a question that must
be answered.
This is an example of a research problem that fails the "so what?" test because it does not reveal
the relevance of why you are investigating the problem of having no hospital in the community [e.g.,
there's a hospital in the community ten miles away] and because the research problem does not
elucidate the significance of why one should study the fact that no hospital exists in the community
[e.g., that hospital in the community ten miles away has no emergency room].
Choosing and Refining Topics. Writing@CSU. Colorado State University; Ellis, Timothy J. and Yair Levy
Nova Framework of Problem-Based Research: A Guide for Novice Researchers on the Development of a
Research-Worthy Problem. Informing Science:
https://library.sacredheart.edu/c.php?g=29803&p=185918
https://geographymaterials.blogspot.com/2015/02/problem-research-problem-in-general.html
https://www.answers.com/Q/How_is_research_problem_translated_into_researchable_unit