As you read about your topic, look for little-explored aspects or areas of concern, conflict, or controversy. Your goal is to find a gap that your research project can fill.
If you do practical research, you can identify a problem by reading reports, following previous research, or talking to people who work in the field or in an appropriate organization. You may be looking for:
What should a problem statement be like for a thesis?
Since the problem statement is supposed to define the research problem, the best place to start is by asking questions that the problem statement answers. Here’s a quick and easy problem statement template you can use for your thesis:
- Sentence 1: What do we already know? Put the problem in context. Define the context of your research problem.
- Sentence 2: What’s up? Explain exactly what your article will be about. If someone asks what your article is about, this one sentence should make it clear.
- Sentence 3: Why is the problem important? Show why the problem is relevant and needs to be solved. If your research is more theoretical, discuss how it can advance or change our understanding of the topic.
- Sentence 4: How are you going to prove it? This is where your approach comes in and how you plan to attack the problem in your thesis.
When should you write a problem statement?
There are several situations in which you would need to write a problem statement.
In the business world, writing a problem statement is often the first step in starting a development project. In this case, the problem statement is usually a separate document.
Why is the research problem important?
An interesting topic is not a strong enough foundation for academic research. Without a well-defined research problem, you can end up with a fuzzy and unmanageable project.
May repeat what others have already said, try to say too much, or ask questions for no clear reason. You need a clear problem to conduct research that provides new and relevant information.
Why is the research problem important?
An interesting topic is not a strong enough foundation for academic research. Without a well-defined research problem, you can end up with a fuzzy and unmanageable project.
May repeat what others have already said, try to say too much, or ask questions for no clear reason. You need a clear problem to conduct research that provides new and relevant information.