Formulating the Research Question, Objectives and Hypothesis

Course Description:

Welcome to this short course on formulating research questions and objectives. Whether you are preparing your very first protocol, your master’s dissertation, your thesis, or you are an experienced researcher looking to refresh your foundations, this course will help you turn a vague idea into a clear, structured, and feasible research question.
Many studies fail not because of a lack of scientific interest, but because the starting question was poorly formulated — too broad, not feasible, or misaligned with the objectives and methodology. These problems are avoidable, and this course addresses them directly.
Across two complementary modules, you will learn to use the PICO(T)(S) framework to structure your questions, the FINER criteria to evaluate them, and the SMART criteria to write solid objectives — all illustrated with concrete examples from the African context.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• • Distinguish a research topic, a research question, an objective, and a hypothesis
  • Formulate a clear research question using the PICO(T)(S) framework
  • Adapt PICO to the six major types of questions (descriptive, etiological, diagnostic, prognostic, interventional, qualitative)
  • Evaluate a research question using the FINER criteria
  • Write a general objective and specific objectives aligned with your question
  • Apply the SMART criteria to produce measurable and achievable objectives
  • Connect question, objectives, and hypothesis into a coherent system ready for a protocol