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Chapter One Student writing guide

How to Write a Research Problem Statement

A problem statement explains what is happening, who or what is affected, what evidence shows that the issue matters, and what remains unknown or unresolved. It gives your final year project a reason and a boundary. It is a working argument to discuss with your supervisor, not a claim that every part of the problem has already been proved.

A practical guide from FINAL YEAR NG Check your department's current instructions before you submit.

Build the argument in a clear order

Move from the study setting to the specific issue. Name the group, process, material, system or body of texts concerned; explain the observable difficulty; show how you know it exists; then state the consequence and the question your study can reasonably address. Keep background facts that do not support this chain for another section.

  1. Define the setting and the key term in ordinary language.
  2. Describe the current condition using a traceable source, baseline, observation or documented process.
  3. Explain the practical or scholarly consequence without overstating it.
  4. Identify the precise uncertainty or gap that your evidence can address.
  5. End with the purpose of the study and a boundary such as location, period, group or system.

Worked example: make the claim specific

Too broad

Many students do not attend lectures, and this is why their grades are poor.

A researchable direction

If attendance records and approved course results are available, a study could examine the association between recorded lecture attendance and assessment scores among consenting second-year students in one named department during a defined semester. The project would test an association; it could not claim attendance caused a score difference without a design that supports causal inference.

The example describes a feasible scope rather than asserting that the problem or its cause is already established. Replace the placeholder group, records and period only after checking access, privacy rules and supervisor approval.

Common mistakes to remove

  • Opening with a dramatic claim that has no source or local evidence.
  • Calling an issue a research gap simply because you have not yet found a paper about it.
  • Promising a solution before establishing what is wrong or how success will be assessed.
  • Using a title that names several populations, locations and outcomes the project cannot cover.
  • Treating correlation, a small case study or a software prototype as proof of broad causal impact.

Checklist before supervisor review

  • Can a reader identify the setting and affected group from the first few sentences?
  • Does each factual claim have a source you have opened and checked?
  • Is the gap specific enough to become a question, objective and method?
  • Can you access the evidence and permissions needed within the project period?
  • Does the final sentence state what this study will examine without claiming a result in advance?

Sources and further reading

These university writing resources inform the general advice here. They do not replace your department's handbook or supervisor's guidance.

  1. Purdue OWL: narrowing a topic and writing a research question
  2. USC Libraries: Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper
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