Examples
A dissertation question must support a clear contribution while remaining answerable within your time, access, methods, and word limit. A narrower question investigated well is stronger than an ambitious question the evidence cannot answer.
01How do source labels influence university students’ trust calibration when reading AI-generated news summaries?
Why it works
Defines a mechanism, population, context, and evaluable outcome.
02How do informal professional networks shape financing access for women entrepreneurs in early-stage retail businesses?
Why it works
Connects a process, population, and bounded sector.
03What explains variation in municipal adoption of heat-health action plans between 2018 and 2025?
Why it works
Names the outcome, unit of analysis, and period.
04How do maintainers of open-source projects coordinate repairs after responsible security disclosures?
Why it works
Focuses a process suitable for interviews and repository evidence.
05To what extent does dynamic electricity pricing change peak-hour consumption in apartment buildings?
Why it works
Defines policy exposure, outcome, and setting.
06How do museum visitors negotiate conflicting historical narratives in participatory exhibits?
Why it works
Supports an interpretive contribution in a defined context.
Check your wording
- State the contribution the answer could make.
- Check access to evidence before finalizing the wording.
- Make the unit of analysis explicit.
- Ensure the chosen method can support each verb in the question.