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Defining Research Problem

Articulating Problem Statement

Developing Central Research Question(s)

Literature Review

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A research problem is simply an empirical puzzle or a theoretical puzzle.

1. Empirical Puzzle: It derives from practical experience, and the search for social
change.

2. Theoretical Puzzle: It derives from competing theories and their limits in explaining
certain social phenomena.

1. How to Find an Empirical Puzzle:

Observe a social or political phenomenon

Find a social or political issue that requires change.
Look at the performance of a system.
Is it working well?
Look at the performance of an organization.
Does it experience a challenge in its operations?
Areas of concern among practitioners.
Are practitioners satisfied with the way they are working?
An unresolved issue or a longstanding problem
Why is the issue remained unresolved even after so many years of intervention?

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Examples of Empirical Puzzle:

Bangladesh and Maynmar signed a bilateral MoU in 2017 for the repatriation of Rohingya. Yet,
Rohingya repatriation remains a distant reality.

The Government has taken a number of initiatives to improve the English language skills of
students.Yet, English language proficiency of school and college students remains unsatisfactory?

The Covid-19 situation in the world has largely improved with lower infection and death rates.Yet, Country
X and Country Y are dealing with increasing infection and death rates.

2. How to Find a Theoretical Puzzle:

Find an under-studied phenomenon.

A theory may needs to be tested in light of new circumstances or new case studied.

There are two or more theories which provide competing explanations.

The relevance and validity of the rival theories and their competing explanations need to be tested.

A particular theory has failed to provide a satisfactory answer to a question.

What would be an alternative theory.

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Examples of Theoretical Puzzle:

1. The theory of crime-terror nexus argues that criminals and terrorists often cooperate with each other
for mutual gains. But, this theory remains under-studied in the context of South Asia.

2. According to Tamara Makarenko, criminals and terrorists often develop nexus in the underground. Phil
Williams argue that the link between criminals and terrorists cannot be accurately described as‘nexus’
because they rarely develop closer relations.Which theory is more valid?

3. The theory of Liberal Internationalism argues the humanitarian protection guides the foreign policy of
Bangladesh toward the Rohingya asylum-seekers. But, how would one explain many of the restrictive
policies adopted by GoB to deal with the Rohingya?

Researchers should develop one or two central questions to guide the entire research project.
The research question should flow from the Problem Statement.

Example:

Problem Statement: Terrorists often rely on criminals to procure smuggled arms and
explosives, raise their funds through criminal methods, and as a result governments around the
world find it difficult to reduce the threats of terrorism.

Research Question(s): How do terrorists develop nexus with criminals, at what level of the
organizational hierarchy the nexus is formed, and what is the process of nexus formation?

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The research problem should describe relations between two or more variables.

The research problem should create the context for deriving a central question.

The research question must be answerable through a process of data-driven hypothesis-

testing.

There has to be a debate in addressingthe research question.

A scientific researcher must be able to collect and analyze data to contribute to the debate.

The aim of a Literature Review is to survey the existing knowledge base on a research
topic.

Through a thorough literature review, a researcher gets familiar with the following:

Leading scholars in the research field, who have worked on the research topic
Dominant theory and alternative theory on the research topic
Research method employed by earlier researchers
Findings of prior research conducted in different settings/country or social contexts
Methodological challenges encountered by earlier researchers

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It is an ‘indispensable’ component of a research at various stages:

Research/Dissertation Proposal
Research Paper/Dissertation/Thesis

Through a literature review, a researcher finds gaps in existing research and identifies
the proposed contribution to the field of study.

Journal Articles

Books

Dissertations

Government Reports

Scientific Studies

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Talk to an expert in the field.

Talk to your proposed supervisor.

Talk to a researcher you know.

Find a database

Social Science
JSTOR: https://www.jstor.org/
Project Muse: https://muse.jhu.edu/
Psychology:
PsychInfo: https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/psycinfo
Law
Westlaw: https://legal.thomsonreuters.com/en/products/westlaw
Lexis: https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/gateway.page
Business Studies
EBSCO (E Business Source Complete): https://www.ebsco.com
Nursing & Health
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
Education
ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): https://eric.ed.gov/

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Questions?