A well-constructed and thought-out research question is key to a successful research project. There are many mnemonic tools that help you think through your research question so that it is specific enough. Some common ones are listed below:
- PICO(T): Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time Period
- PCC: Population, Concept, Context
- PCC is good to use when you are planning a scoping review
- SPIDER: Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research Type
- PEO: Population, Exposure, Outcome
- Good not non-numerical data or qualitative research
- PIRD: Population, Index Test, Reference Test, Diagnosis of Interest
If you need help constructing a useful research question, make sure you ask the librarians for help!
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