The document discusses framing research questions and formulating hypotheses, which are critical steps in research. It defines key terms like background questions, foreground questions, and the PICO framework for developing questions. Hypotheses are conjectures between variables expressed as testable statements. The types of hypotheses discussed are the null hypothesis, alternate hypotheses, and how they can be directional or non-directional. Selecting good research questions involves considering feasibility, novelty, ethics and relevance, while properly scheduling and saving questions is also important.

1. FRAMING RESEARCH QUESTION AND
FORMULATING HYPOTHESIS FOR
TESTING: CRITICAL STEP IN RESEARCH
Presented by : Dr AMBILI NANUKUTTAN
2nd YEAR POST GRADUATE
1

2. CONTENTS
 Why this Article was chosen
 Introduction
 Research Question Designing
 Background Questions
 Foreground Questions
 PICO 2

3.  Selecting
 Scheduling
 Saving
 Research Question and Hypothesis
 Types of Hypothesis
 Conclusion
3

4. WHY THIS ARTICLE WAS CHOSEN
In this advancing world with day to day newer
achievements in each and every field , its very difficult to
practice without updating present knowledge or any topic
of interest.
To get updated and to improve knowledge for taking
better decision and action, unknown answers has to be
answered and is done by setting up research question. A
successful research will largely depend on its research
question. 4

5. INTRODUCTION
 New advances
 Need to update
 Conduct research
 Depending on various aspects of healthcare
 Need for successful research and hypothesis
5

6. RESEARCH QUESTION
DESIGNING
6

7. http://www.theresearchassistant.com/tutorial/2-1.asp
 A Research Question is a statement that identifies the
phenomenon to be studied.
To develop a strong research question :
 Know the field and its literature well
 Important research questions in the field
 Areas that need further exploration
 Should lead to greater understanding
7

8.  Knowledge about any other research already been
conducted in this topic area
 Has this study been done before
 Is the timing right for this question to be answered
 Would funding sources be interested
 Is the target community interested
 Will the study have a significant impact on the field
8

9. 9
Goel et al. Framing Research Question and
Formulating Hypothesis for Testing: Critical
Step in Research. Ind. J. Youth Adol. Health
2016; 3(1)
 Already possess the required knowledge- only
reinforcement is required which is termed as
“cognitive resonance”.
 When we do not possess the required knowledge. -
A response is created within ourselves, which is
termed as “cognitive dissonance”

10. http://www.nonjudgmentday.org/judgment-card-
gallery--blog/a-guide-to-cognitive-resonance
 Cognitive resonance: Brain is only a receiver. In
this universe there is a core from which we gain
knowledge, inspiration, and strength.
10

11. McLeod, S. A. (2014). Cognitive Dissonance.
Retrieved from
www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-
dissonance.html
 Cognitive dissonance refers to a situation involving
conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviors. This produces
a feeling of discomfort leading to an alteration in one of
the attitudes, beliefs or behaviors to reduce the
discomfort and restore balance etc.
 For example, when people smoke (behavior) and they
know that smoking causes cancer (cognition). 11

12. McLeod, S. A. (2014). Cognitive Dissonance.
Retrieved from
www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-
dissonance.html
 Forced compliance behavior,
 Decision-making,
 Effort.
12

13. BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
 Basic questions
 Concerned to the general knowledge about the condition
 Should have two components
Question root
Health condition
13

14. WHSL Asking the Clinical Question: Background and
Foreground Questions:A guide to creating a successful
search strategy for EBM searching .UNIVERSITY OF
THE WITWATERSRRAND JOHANNESBURG
Background questions usually concern conditions, and
consist of two parts:
 The root question (5WH)
[who, what, when, where, why, how]
 Problem
14

15. FOREGROUND QUESTIONS
 Knowing these will help us in making better decisions
concerning specific situations.
 Arise in central issues around the clinical work like about
clinical findings of the patient.
15

16. WHSL Asking the Clinical Question: Background and
Foreground Questions:A guide to creating a successful
search strategy for EBM searching .UNIVERSITY OF
THE WITWATERSRRAND JOHANNESBURG
Foreground Questions
 Concern choices, are specific to decision-making, and
are asked by more experienced clinicians who are able
to use the specialized knowledge typical of experts in the
subject field
16

17. WHSL Asking the Clinical Question: Background
and Foreground Questions:A guide to creating a
successful search strategy for EBM searching
.UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRRAND
JOHANNESBURG
 What is diabetes mellitus? --B
 To what extend does diabetes effects
periodontium? --F
17

18. PICO
 Population or problem
 Intervention/ treatment of interest
 Comparison/ control
 Outcome
18

19. 19
Example:
P (Problem or
Patient or
Population)
hospital acquired infection
I
(intervention/in
dicator)
hand washing
C (comparison) no hand washing; other solution; masks
O (outcome of
interest)
reduced infection
Guide to locating health evidence.
Framing the Research Question– Does hand washing among
healthcare workers reduce hospital acquired infections?

20. Guide to locating health evidence.
 Foreground questions needs to be framed by –
Identifying the PICO (T)
 (T)= time factor, type of study (optional)
20

21. Users guide to the Medical Literature-Manual for
evidence based clinical practice.
Types of Clinical Questions
 Therapy
 Harm
 Differential diagnosis
 Diagnosis
 Prognosis
21

22. SELECTING
 Feasible
 Interesting
 Novel
 Ethical
 Relevant
22

23. 23
FINER
F: Feasibility
Sufficient resources in terms of time, staff, and funding
Use of appropriate study design Manageable in scope
Adequate sample size Trained research staff
I: Interesting
Interesting as a researcher or collaborator Investigator’s
motivation to make it interesting
N: Novel
Thorough literature search New findings or extension of
previous findings Guidance from mentors and experts
E: Ethical
Following ethical guidelines Regulatory approval from
Institutional Review Board
R: Relevant
Influence on clinical practice Furthering research and
health policy
Aslam S ,Emmanuel P.Formulating a researchable
question: A critical step for facilitating good clinical
research. Indian J Sex Transm Dis. 2010 Jan-Jun; 31(1):
47–50.

24. SCHEDULING
 Deciding whether it is appropriate to have our
question answered at this very time
24

25. SAVING
 Unsaved questions become unanswered questions.
 So we must record the questions for later retrieval
and searching.
25

26. RESEARCH QUESTION AND HYPOTHESIS
 Well-defined research question will lead the
researcher to select an appropriate study design
and methodology.
 Hypothesis can be defined as a logically
conjectured estimation or association between two
or more variables expressed in the form of a
testable statement.
26

27. Oral health epidemiology. Principles and practice-
Amit Chattopadhyay
 Research hypotheses:
Specific
Clear
Sequential sets of questions addressed
27

28. http://www.managementstudyguide.com/select-the-
correct-hypothesis-test.htm
 Hypothesis Testing
Hypothesis testing is one of the statistical method
used to confirm the effect that critical few inputs have on
the outputs. Hypothesis testing must be used when the
inputs are measured discretely.
28

29. Oral health epidemiology. Principles and practice-
Amit Chattopadhyay
 Hypothesis Generating
The recognition that the study was not
designed for testing the involved questions in post hoc
analysis.
Indicates that they can be used only as
indicators of potentially new information.
29

30. http://www.managementstudyguide.com/select-the-
correct-hypothesis-test.htm
Criteria for selecting a hypothesis:
 The Number of Groups Being Tested
 Whether the Y’s are Discrete or Continuous
 Population Parameter Being Compared
30

31. TYPES OF HYPOTHESIS
Null Hypothesis:
 When a hypothesis is stated negatively, it is called a null
hypothesis
 “no difference,” “no association” hypothesis
Alternate Hypothesis:
 It is the hypothesis that describes the researcher’s
statement that there exists a difference
31

32. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS - BOOKLET
H1: Alternative Hypothesis
we are attempting to demonstrate
(or support)
 Attributive - Descriptive
 Associative - Predictive
 Causal - Causal(Understanding)
32

33. http://www.managementstudyguide.com/select-
the-correct-hypothesis-test.htm
Alternate hypothesis can be:
 Directional
 Non Directional
33

34. Banerjee et al.Hypothesis testing, type I and type
II errors.Ind Psychiatry J. 2009 Jul-Dec; 18(2):
127–131.
Types of hypotheses
 Null and alternative hypotheses
 One- and two-tailed alternative hypotheses
34

35. www.studylecturenotes.com
Types of hypothesis:
 Simple
 Complex
 Empirical
 Null
 Alternative
 Logical
 Statistical
35

36. CONCLUSION
For getting specific and correct answer to a
specific question, it is necessary to have a good research
question. To design a good research question, PICO criteria
is used and for selecting a question, FINER criteria is used.
Scheduling and saving questions are also important to save
time and other resources.
36

37. REFERENCES
 http://www.theresearchassistant.com/tutorial/2-
1.asp
 Goel et al. Framing Research Question and
Formulating Hypothesis for Testing: Critical
Step in Research. Ind. J. Youth Adol. Health
2016; 3(1)
 http://www.nonjudgmentday.org/judgment-card-
gallery--blog/a-guide-to-cognitive-resonance
37

38.  McLeod, S. A. (2014). Cognitive Dissonance.
Retrieved from
www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-
dissonance.html
 WHSL Asking the Clinical Question: Background
and Foreground Questions:A guide to creating a
successful search strategy for EBM searching
.UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRRAND
JOHANNESBURG
 Guide to locating health evidence.
 Users guide to the Medical Literature-Manual for
evidence based clinical practice.
38

39.  Aslam S ,Emmanuel P.Formulating a
researchable question: A critical step for
facilitating good clinical research. Indian J Sex
Transm Dis. 2010 Jan-Jun; 31(1): 47–50.
 www.studylecturenotes.com
 http://www.managementstudyguide.com/select-
the-correct-hypothesis-test.htm
 Oral health epidemiology. Principles and
practice- Amit Chattopadhyay
 Research hypotheses - booklet
39