How To Formulate A Research Question For A Literature Review?

Start with a focused topic, choose a question type, use PICO or SPIDER, apply FINER, and set clear scope and criteria for your literature review.

What A Good Research Question Does

A strong research question keeps your review on track. It points to a clear aim that the literature can address, sets boundaries you can stick to, and converts neatly into search blocks and screening rules.

Targets one main aim that published studies can answer.
Sets boundaries for population, concept or exposure, place, and time.
Matches the kind of review you plan to run.
Fits your time, word count, and access to databases.
Turns into search strings and transparent screening rules without guesswork.

Start With A Topic And Scope

Pick a topic you can cover with the time and tools you have. Skim recent overview pieces and reference lists to see what is crowded and what still needs clear answers. Then write a short scope note that states:

Population or setting (who or where).
Core concept or exposure you care about.
Outcome or phenomenon of interest.
Time window and language limits.
Study designs you hope to include.

That scope note guides your first rough searches and helps you avoid drift later. If you need a refresher on how a literature review is structured, this clear UNC Writing Center guide walks through core parts and flow.

Common Question Types For A Review

Pick the type before you pick the wording. The type will drive your framework, search blocks, and inclusion rules.

Question Type	What It Asks	Example
Background Mapping	Scope of work done on a topic	What has been studied about school meal programs in low-income districts?
Descriptive	Amount, rate, or distribution	What is the prevalence of burnout among junior doctors within five years of training?
Comparative	Effect of A vs. B on an outcome	Do standing desks reduce lower back pain among office workers compared with usual desks?
Association	Link between an exposure and an outcome	Is air pollution linked with asthma flare-ups in children?
Process / Experience	How people describe, perceive, or use a service	How do first-generation college students describe barriers to campus services?
Diagnostic	Accuracy of a test vs. a reference	How accurate is saliva testing for detecting influenza in clinics?
Prognostic	Features that predict later outcomes	Which baseline features predict return to sport after ankle sprain?

Formulating A Research Question For A Literature Review: Step-By-Step

Draft a plain-language question. Say what you want to know in one sentence.
Pick the question type from the list above.
Choose a framework that fits the topic and the methods used in your field.
Break the sentence into the elements the framework asks for.
List synonyms for each element to power search strings.
Write inclusion and exclusion rules that flow from those elements.
Stress test with FINER. Ask if it is feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant. A clear primer is here: FINER criteria (JHU Welch Library).
Run a pilot search. Check if the wording pulls a manageable set of on-topic papers.
Revise the wording, elements, or scope where needed, then repeat the pilot if needed.
Freeze the final wording and paste it at the top of your protocol or notes.

Use A Framework To Shape The Question

PICO For Interventions And Trials

PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) suits clinical and many public health topics. A concise overview from Cochrane sits here: PICO framework.

Pattern: Among Population, does Intervention compared with Comparison change Outcome within Time?

Example: Among adults with chronic migraine (P), does cognitive behavioral therapy (I) compared with usual care (C) lower monthly headache days (O)?

SPIDER For Qualitative And Mixed-Methods

SPIDER centers on lived experience, views, and service use: Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type. It helps you write search blocks that catch interview and focus-group studies and the way findings are judged.

Pattern: Among Sample, what is the Phenomenon in Design, and how is it Evaluated across the chosen Research type?

Example: Among refugee parents using urban clinics (S), what challenges around vaccination (PI) appear in interview studies (D), and how are these judged by participants (E) across qualitative or mixed-methods research (R)?

SPICE And ECLIPSE When Context Or Services Matter

SPICE (Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation) helps when context shapes outcomes, such as schools or community health.

Example: In rural primary schools (S), from the teacher viewpoint (P), does daily reading time (I) against usual schedules (C) raise reading fluency (E)?

ECLIPSE (Expectation, Client group, Location, Impact, Professionals, Service) is handy for service or policy questions.

Example: For renters facing eviction (C) in large cities (L), do housing court navigators (P) improve case outcomes (I) in pilot programs (S), and what do clients expect (E)?

How To Frame The Research Question For Your Literature Review

Turn the elements into crisp wording. One sentence is ideal. Two is fine when the topic needs short context. Tips that help:

Start with the population or setting, then the main exposure or intervention, then the outcome.
Swap vague verbs for clear ones: increase, reduce, predict, associate, compare.
Name the time frame if it matters.
If you plan subgroups, state them up front.

Two polished versions of the same idea:

Among adults with type 2 diabetes, does an eight-week low-carb plan versus usual diet change HbA1c within six months?
In patients with type 2 diabetes seen in primary care, how does a low-carb plan compare with usual diet for six-month HbA1c?

Turn Words Into Search Blocks

Map each framework element to keywords and subject headings. Use Boolean logic: join synonyms with OR inside each block, then AND the blocks together. Add NOT terms you do not want. Save each block so you can reuse it across databases that support different subject headings.

Pick A Review Approach That Fits The Question

Some questions call for a tight, rules-driven approach; others call for a broader map of a field. Match your wording to the approach. If your aim is effect of an intervention, keep the wording tight and the outcome measurable. If your aim is scope, make the wording neutral and map concepts instead of strict comparisons.

Set Clear Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria Early

Your screening rules should flow straight from the question. Draft them right after you pick the framework and before you search widely:

Population: age ranges, diagnoses, settings, or regions you will include.
Exposure or intervention: name, dose, duration, and delivery mode.
Comparators: active, placebo, usual care, or none.
Outcomes: primary and secondary measures, plus how they are assessed.
Study designs: trials, cohort, case-control, cross-sectional, qualitative.
Time window and languages for eligible work.
Publication types: peer-reviewed articles, dissertations, preprints, or trial registries.

Keep the list short and test it during a pilot screen. If two readers would reach the same decision on a borderline paper, the rules are clear.

Frameworks And Criteria Cheat Sheet

Keep this close while you draft and search.

Tool	Best Fit	Elements
PICO	Trials, interventions, health services	Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
SPIDER	Lived experience, views, service use	Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation, Research type
SPICE	Context-heavy settings	Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison, Evaluation
ECLIPSE	Policy or service questions	Expectation, Client group, Location, Impact, Professionals, Service
FINER	Stress test for your wording	Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant

Test And Refine With A Quick Pilot Search

Pick two or three core databases in your field. Build search blocks from your framework elements and synonyms. Run narrow, then broad. Track how many hits you get and how many look on-topic from titles and abstracts.

Do the first twenty results look like a clean match to your wording?
Do key terms from the best papers appear in your search blocks?
Do you need a tighter time window, setting, or outcome?

Adjust one element at a time, rerun, and stop when the mix of on-topic hits and total volume looks workable for full screening.

Common Mistakes And Simple Fixes

Scope creep: You start with one outcome and soon add four more. Name one primary outcome and park others for a later review.
Over-broad population: “Adults worldwide” will flood your search. Name a setting, age band, or risk group.
Compound questions: “Does program X reduce depression and improve employment?” That is two reviews in one. Split the outcomes or pick one.
Framework mismatch: Using PICO for a views-driven topic can hide rich studies. Switch to SPIDER or SPICE for that case.
Ambiguous wording: Terms like “impact” or “effectiveness” are mushy. Swap in a measurable verb and a named outcome.
Skipping the pilot: A fast road-test catches overloads and blind spots. Run it and tweak.

Mini-Templates You Can Copy

Comparative (Interventions)

Among [population/setting], does [intervention] compared with [comparator] change [primary outcome] within [time frame]?

Association (Exposure / Outcome)

In [population/setting], is [exposure] linked with [outcome] within [time frame]?

Qualitative (Experience / Process)

Among [sample], how is/are [phenomenon] described in [design], and what themes recur?

Diagnostic

In [population/setting], how accurate is [index test] against [reference standard] for detecting [condition]?

Policy / Service

For [client group] in [location], do/does [service or policy] change [impact], and which professionals are involved?

Document Your Choices For Transparency

Keep a running note with the plain-language idea, the final sentence, the framework you used and each element, inclusion and exclusion rules, databases and trial registries you plan to search, draft search strings, pilot runs, and what changed after each run. These notes make write-up faster and cut down reviewer queries later. If you want a quick refresher on how review sections fit together, skim the same UNC resource before you start writing.

Short Worked Example

Topic: loneliness in older adults living at home.

Plain-language idea: “Do group phone calls help older adults feel less lonely?”
Type: comparative.
Framework: PICO.
Elements: P = adults 65+ living at home; I = weekly group phone calls; C = usual contact; O = UCLA loneliness score.
Inclusion rules: peer-reviewed trials; home-dwelling adults 65+; group calls at least weekly; report UCLA score; English; 2000-present.
Pilot search: an initial string such as “older adult* AND group telephone* AND lonel*” in two databases pulls several dozen hits, with a solid fraction on-topic at title and abstract.
Refine: add “random* OR trial” and “UCLA loneliness scale” to improve focus; volume drops while on-topic ratio rises.
Final question: “Among adults aged 65+ living at home, do weekly group telephone calls versus usual contact reduce UCLA loneliness scores within six months?”

Field-Specific Notes

Health And Biomedicine

PICO or PICOS works well. Add time and setting when needed. For complex interventions, state which components you treat as core. Cochrane’s PICO page shows concise phrasing options.

Education And Social Care

Context matters. SPICE helps you name the setting and viewpoint. Mixed designs are common; plan for that in your rules and keep the primary outcome clear.

Policy And Services

ECLIPSE prompts you to state client groups, where the service runs, and how you will judge changes such as uptake, wait time, or cost.

Qualitative Syntheses

SPIDER nudges you to state the kind of qualitative work you want, such as interviews or focus groups, and the way findings are judged. When you build search blocks, include both free-text words and subject headings that catch qualitative methods.

Housekeeping Tips That Save Hours

Keep the question text, framework elements, and criteria at the top of every search and screening document.
Name one primary outcome before you search and stick to it.
Build a list of do-not-want terms to cut recurring off-topic hits.
Store every wording change in a versioned file so you can roll back.
When you are split between two phrasings, run both as mini-pilots and pick the one that yields cleaner first-page results.
Use a simple FINER check one last time before you lock the wording: quick, honest answers to each letter pay off. The FINER explainer is a handy backstop.

Where To Learn More

University guides walk through research questions and review writing step by step. A classic overview sits in the UNC Writing Center handout. For clinical and public health wording, Cochrane’s short note on the PICO framework is crisp. To stress test your idea before you lock it in, skim the FINER criteria and tighten any loose edges.