Getting Started: From Idea to Research Question

Uncertainties arising from clinical practice and personal experience lead to the origin of research questions. Developing an appropriate research question is an essential, albeit challenging, step in clinical research. Not only does a well-formulated question aid a study in achieving pertinence and scientific rigor, but the type of question also plays a role in determining the study design. In this chapter, the reader will learn about various strategies for formulating an appropriate research question to constitute a feasible and valid study plan, ensuring that meaningful evidence will be generated. The chapter will describe the PICO (population, intervention, comparator, and outcome) and the FINER (feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, relevant) frameworks for developing a well-defined research question. We will also apply the aforementioned concepts to a sports medicine example.