How to write a research question
Use caseA topic is not a question. Write who, what you compare, and what you will count.
What do I actually do?
A question fails when it is only a theme, such as effects of exercise. Name the people, the action, and the outcome. If you cannot name the outcome, you cannot screen.
What are the steps?
- Name the people. Age, setting, or condition. One sentence.
- Name the action. A treatment, a tool, or an exposure. Not a theme.
- Name the outcome. What you will extract. If it is not measurable, drop it.
- Write the exclude rules. Study types you will not read. Languages you will not read. Years, if you have a reason.
What does PICO Portal Individual do at this step?
PICO Portal Individual takes that question as the search. It does not write the protocol. You still choose the criteria.
How long does this take for one person?
Count the records first. A topic is not a question. Write who, what you compare, and what you will count. The time follows the count, not the size of a team.
What do I write down before I stop?
The rule, the date, and the count. A question fails when it is only a theme, such as effects of exercise. Name the people, the action, and the outcome. If you cannot name the outcome, you cannot screen.
Do I need a second reviewer?
Not to start. PICO Portal Individual does not score a second reviewer. If the protocol asks for dual review, a second person sees the same record.
What is the usual error?
A file with no reason. A question fails when it is only a theme, such as effects of exercise. Name the people, the action, and the outcome. If you cannot name the outcome, you cannot screen.
How do I know this step is done?
The count matches the records. If a flow-diagram box would not match, the step is not done.
What goes in the methods?
The rule, the date, and the count. A reader must be able to open the same record.
Can I skip this step?
No, if you will call the work a systematic review. If you skip it, write what you did. Do not hide the gap.
What if I cannot finish?
Stop. Write how far you got. Records you did not screen are not exclusions.
What does a supervisor check?
The rule, a sample of decisions, and the passage.
What is outside this step?
A guideline panel, a CRO, and a GRADE meeting. PICO Portal Individual takes that question as the search. It does not write the protocol. You still choose the criteria.