FROM RESEARCH INTEREST → RESEARCH QUESTION
A simple, clinician-friendly way to get unstuck
Most people don’t get stuck because they lack ideas.
They get stuck because they jump straight to writing the question.
Instead, think of it as translation.
👉 A research interest becomes a research question by dissecting it into parts.
💡 90% of the time, your question will fit into one of these:
• PICO – population, intervention, comparison, outcome
• PECO – population, exposure, comparison, outcome
• PIRT – population, index test, reference test, target condition
• SPICE – setting, perspective, phenomenon of interest, comparison, evaluation
No need to force all elements:
✔ No comparison? That’s okay for descriptive studies
✔ Diagnostics? Use PIRT, not PICO
✔ Systems, policy, experiences? SPICE
A simple 4-step process:
1️⃣ Dissect the interest into parts
2️⃣ Refine (groups, outcomes, time points)
3️⃣ Phrase it as a question
4️⃣ Check if it meets FINER criteria
Strong questions lead to strong studies—and easier methods sections.
