A Systematic Review of Global Research on Research Questions

Document Type : Review Paper

Authors

Department of Knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.

10.22059/jlib.2026.408255.1807

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to provide a systematic overview of global research on research questions and to identify the main thematic axes, methodological approaches, and existing gaps in this field. Despite the fundamental role of research questions in shaping scientific inquiry, evidence suggests that this topic has received limited attention in domestic scholarship and, even at the international level, lacks a comprehensive and coherent classification.
Method: This study employs a systematic review methodology. In the initial stage, more than 200 articles were identified. After applying inclusion criteria related to relevance, methodological quality, and scholarly significance, 67 key studies were selected for final analysis. The selected studies were first classified into three main categories and subsequently organized into more specific subcategories.
Results: The findings indicate that research on research questions is primarily concentrated in three areas: criteria for evaluating and formulating research questions, disciplinary domains, and scholarly book-based resources. Within the evaluation criteria domain, the FINER framework remains the most dominant model, while more developed frameworks such as FINERMAPS and RIN.AFE are used far less frequently. In terms of the formulation and structuring of research questions, no clear theoretical consensus exists, with approaches ranging from linear models to dynamic and iterative processes. Regarding disciplinary domains, medical sciences account for the largest share of studies, and the development of structured frameworks such as PICO(T) reflects the specific demands of clinical research. Other fields, including artificial intelligence and the humanities, have adopted diverse but fragmented approaches.
Conclusion: The results suggest that the field of research questions is expanding and evolving globally; however, it remains characterized by conceptual fragmentation and a lack of comprehensive critical frameworks. While the formulation of research questions constitutes the primary focus of existing studies, evaluation criteria have undergone relatively limited theoretical development. By providing a coherent mapping of the current state of the literature, this study emphasizes the need for greater attention within the social sciences and humanities to the theoretical dimensions of research questions. It further demonstrates that improving the quality of research questions plays a crucial role in enhancing research methods education and advancing the production of scientific knowledge.

Keywords

References

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Academic Librarianship and Information Research
Volume 59, Issue 4
December 2025
Pages 1-28

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