# Conclusion

As the activities in this course have shown, writing a good research question is not easy, and even good research questions can still be improved. You have now spent a fair amount of time thinking about research questions, reflecting on both what makes a good research question, and the types of research question one might ask. Writing a good question is a real skill, and it takes time to practise and develop. Just bear in mind that a good research question should be clear and answerable, it should indicate to the reader that the topic under consideration is significant, and that the topic is being approached in an appropriate and coherent way.

Please also remember that this is a reflexive process. It can take time to narrow and clarify the exact scope of a piece of research. As Activity 4 showed, being specific about the cases and timeframe of the research can really help clarify what it is the research will do, as well as ensure that it is based on an answerable research question.

We hoped you enjoyed this OpenLearn course and if you want to learn more about the MA in International Relations from which this was adapted, you can follow this link.

This OpenLearn course is an adapted extract from the Open University course D828 MA International relations part 2. You might also be interested in studying the sister OpenLearn course International relations: exploring territorial divisions which is an adapted extract from the Open University course D818 MA International relations part 1

OpenLearn - Developing a research question in International Relations
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