Finding a research idea

This document provides guidance on developing a research idea and question. It recommends starting with personal interests and reviewing existing literature to identify an unanswered question. Potential sources of ideas include interests, observations, and practical problems. The literature should be reviewed to understand what is known and identify gaps. An interesting, specific research question should ask about relationships between variables. A hypothesis stating the expected relationship allows the research to be designed to test the hypothesis. The hypothesis must be logical and testable based on theory and previous evidence.