Formulating a clear, well-defined research question is the foundation of any evidence synthesis project. The research question should be meaningful and address a knowledge gap in your field. Justify the need for your review in the context of already existing or in-progress reviews.
How to structure your question:
OR assess an intervention:
OR synthesize the existing evidence:
Research question frameworks are tools that help researchers break a complex topic into clear, manageable parts. They act as scaffolding—supporting the development of a focused, answerable question that will guide the rest of the evidence synthesis process. Using a framework allows you and your team to systematically define the key concepts in your question, making it easier to design search strategies, identify relevant studies, and communicate your focus to others.
There are dozens of different frameworks available, and not all will suit every field or research aim. Part of the process involves exploring which framework fits best—and being open to refining your question as your understanding deepens.
Example: In patients with type 2 diabetes (Population), does continuous glucose monitoring (Intervention) compared to traditional finger-stick blood glucose testing (Comparison), improve glycemic control as measured by HbA1c levels (Outcome)?
Helpful framework for clinical research questions
Example: What are the lived experiences (phenomenon of interest) of first-generation college students (population) navigating academic support services in U.S. community colleges (context)?
Example: What are the experiences (evaluation) of telehealth counseling (intervention) for veterans with PTSD (perspective) in rural areas (setting) compared to traditional in-person therapy (comparison)?
Design a protocol—a structured and detailed plan that outlines your research question, objectives, and methods. Think of it as a blueprint for your evidence synthesis project: it helps guide your team, ensures transparency, and promotes methodological rigor. A well-developed protocol, ideally made publicly available before the review begins, helps demonstrate that your methods were established in advance, not influenced by findings that emerge during the process.
By registering your protocol early, you also help prevent research waste by signaling your review is underway—potentially saving other teams from duplicating the same work. If changes need to be made to your original protocol, documenting these changes reinforces transparency and trust in your findings.
