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Identifying a research question

GRACE MELO, TEXAS A&M

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“The hardest part of research is always to find a question that’s big enough that it’s worth answering, but little enough that you actually can answer it.”

— Edward Witten (Physicist)

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What is a “good” research question

  • Relevant
    • Why is it interesting or significant for non-academic readers?
  • Novel
    • Is this an old question applied to another population or using a new method?
    • Is it actually new?
      • Working papers (SSRN, NBER, etc.)
      • Ask experts

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“Research is creating new knowledge”

- Neil Armstrong (Astronaut)

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GRACE MELO, TEXAS A&M

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Process

No recipe!

  • Source: news, conferences, online seminars, papers, interdisciplinary journals, own experiences, twitter, etc…
  • Grant calls? (David Zilberman use previous grants to answer “novel” questions)
  • Brainstorming sessions
    • With existing and potential collaborators
  • Pitch the idea to others
    • Expert in the field (academic conferences, seminars)
    • “Kill my idea” meeting (Mark Anderson)

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GRACE MELO, TEXAS A&M

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Process

  • Do some research
    • Would I be able to answer this?
      • Is there data?
      • Would I be able to identify anything?

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    • Would I be able to find a home for this?
      • Econ journals publish/will publish this?
      • Will the topic be relevant in three years?

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GRACE MELO, TEXAS A&M

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Final thoughts

  • First mover advantage
    • Economic value of attributes of immigration policies (Melo et al 2014)
    • Consumer avoidance of genetically modified foods (Zilberman et al 2019)

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  • Research questions are everywhere

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  • “Keep your radar open for natural experiments”

Mark Anderson (Economist)

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GRACE MELO, TEXAS A&M

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