Turning Your Topic Into a Question
Once you've successfully narrowed your research topic so that it fits the scope of your research assignment, it's important to turn your topic into a question. This helps make your research much more targeted, as it means you are looking for answers to a question you are asking, rather than any random sources that are related to your topic.
Unless your professor requires you to use a research question with a yes or no answer, the best words to turn your topic into a question are "how" and "why".
For example, if your narrow research topic is The ethics of creating genetically modified organisms, you can turn this into a question like the following: How ethical is it to produce genetically modified organisms?
The graphic from Spokane Falls Community College in the box below can help you visualize the process from umbrella topic to narrow research question.
Research Question Help
Making Your Research Question Arguable
One important aspect to consider when you are creating your research question is whether it is open for debate. Put more simply, it's important that your research question has more than one answer! If there is only one answer to your question, you are most likely not asking a question that is suitable for research--instead, it's more likely that you are stating a fact.
For example, "Was George Washington America's first president?" is not a good research question because there is only one answer--George Washington WAS America's first president, and you will not find anyone to disagree with you! This means your research and your paper will be very one-sided, and you will not have to create an argument in your paper. Your professor would be likely to give you a very poor grade if your research question looked like this.
To create a good research question, make sure there are 2 or more answers to your research question!