Research questions: finding, formulating, revising

English & German

Generally speaking, the structures of research questions in English and in German tend to be quite similar.
Structurally, research questions in English and in German share the following characteristics:

  • In English and in German, specific research questions are often preceeded by more general questions in the introduction of the texts.
  • Research questions in English and in German specifically indicate the people, objects, and behaviors under investigation.
  • Research questions in English and in German may be formulated as actual questions with a question mark or as statements with question words such as how, in how far, which, whether, wie, inwiefern, welche, ob, etc. 

In the following examples for research questions, you will see various sections from different research publications in German. First, you will see the sections in which general questions are introduced. Next, you will see the proper, specific research questions for the studies.

The question highlighted in the introductory paragraph is a general, comparatively vague question that sets the scene for the investigation.
The questions above provide a specific focus for the research study and clearly indicate the features that will be analyzed in the study.
In the introductory section above, the general question presents the research interest in broad, comparatively vague terms.
The questions above are specific research questions that clearly establish the focus of the research project.