A well-defined research question helps identify the concepts to search to answer your question. Search frameworks help you create a research question by suggesting elements you to consider. Not all questions are suited for a single framework. Several of the more common frameworks are found below.
Population/Patient/Problem - What is the population or characteristics?
Intervention/Exposure - What is the intervention, exposure, prognostic factor, treatment, etc.?
Comparison - What is the comparator, if any?
Outcome - What are the expected outcomes, improvements, measures, etc?
Population/Patient/Problem - What is the population or characteristics?
Intervention/Exposure - What is the intervention, exposure, prognostic factor, treatment, etc.?
Setting (if appropriate) - Hospital, Outpatient, School, Rural
Comparison or intervention (if appropriate) - What are you comparing the intervention with?
Outcome - What is the outcome you want to measure or achieve
Setting - What is the setting/context? Where?
Population/Perspective - Who are the users, potential users, stakeholders of the particular service? For whom?
Intervention - What is being done?
Comparison - What else has been tried?
Evaluation - What measurement will be used to determine the success? What is the result?
Expectation - Why is the information needed?
Client Group - Who needs, or will use, the information?
Location - Where is the service taking place?
Impact - What is being evaluated? How will success be measured?
Professionals - Who provides the service?
Service - What is the service being evaluated?
Sample – Who is engaging in the research?
Phenomenon of Interest – What or how are we trying to understand (experiences, behaviors, decisions) of participants?
Design - Theoretical framework (questionnaire, survey, interview, etc.)
Evaluation - What measurement will be used to evaluate the PI?
Research Type - Qualitative or mixed methods