Start with a question you want to resolve
Begin with something you have read, noticed or questioned. Interests might involve culture, science, society, technology or the environment; these are starting points, not limits on possible projects.
Write down what you do not yet understand. A useful question gives the project something to investigate, rather than asking for a summary of everything about a topic.
Narrow the scope
Restrict the issue, context, period or criteria. “Is technology good?” has no workable boundary. “How should a specified school evaluate the benefits and limitations of one proposed technology?” identifies a decision that can be researched.
A narrower question is not automatically weaker. It often makes room for closer analysis and a conclusion that the evidence can actually support.
Test viability before you commit
Read a small initial range of credible sources and make brief notes on disagreements, gaps and access. Do not promise interviews or surveys you cannot carry out safely and with permission.
- Can you explain what counts as an answer?
- Can you access enough relevant evidence?
- Are there different positions to evaluate?
- Can the project be completed in the available time?
- Does the plan satisfy your school’s rules?
Questions to avoid
Avoid a title so broad that the project becomes a catalogue, or so narrow that it can be answered in a sentence. Avoid building the question around a conclusion you have already decided to prove.
Take a provisional title, a short source list and the main uncertainties to your supervisor. Refining the question is part of the work, not a sign that the original idea failed.
Check your school’s current specification and supervisor guidance. AQA’s qualification overview illustrates one awarding body’s requirements; formats and criteria can differ.