Research brainstorming

Research brainstorming is the work of generating and refining research questions and approaches before formal research begins. This page is a place to brainstorm research ideas and to ask a simple question: what sort of research should and could be pursued? It also gives practical methods for turning everyday problems into questions that can be studied and answered.

Why it matters

Good research starts with a good question. A vague question such as "How can I have more money?" is hard to study because it has no clear focus. A sharper question such as "Which budgeting method helps people paid every two weeks avoid overdraft fees?" points to specific sources, data, and people to ask.

Brainstorming before research helps you find the real problem, avoid weeks on a question that is too broad or already answered, compare approaches, and connect research to problems in living, a phrase used by the psychiatrist Thomas Szasz for the ordinary difficulties people face in work, money, relationships, and community life.

Research can help people improve their economic situation, and economics is one part of life alongside health, learning, family, and community.

Techniques

The word brainstorming was made popular by advertising executive Alex Osborn in the 1940s and 1950s. Many methods have been developed since then.

Free writing

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write without stopping about a topic. Do not edit or judge. Then underline any sentence with a question or surprise.

Mind mapping

Write a central topic in the middle of a page, such as "food costs." Draw branches for related ideas: groceries, cooking skills, transportation to stores, food banks, gardening. Add smaller branches under each.

Question storming and the Question Formulation Technique

The Question Formulation Technique (QFT) was developed by Dan Rothstein and Luz Santana of the Right Question Institute. It starts with a focus statement, and participants produce as many questions as they can. The rules are: ask as many questions as you can; do not stop to discuss, judge, or answer; write every question exactly as stated; and change any statement into a question. Next, they sort questions into closed and open, practice changing one type into the other, choose priorities, and plan next steps.

Five whys

The five whys method is associated with Sakichi Toyoda and the Toyota production system. You state a problem and ask "why?" about five times, each time answering the previous answer. The goal is to move from a symptom to a possible root cause that can be researched.

SCAMPER

SCAMPER is a checklist compiled by Bob Eberle, building on earlier questions by Alex Osborn. The letters stand for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify (sometimes Magnify or Minify), Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse (or Rearrange). Applied to research, you might ask: "What if I combine two existing studies?"

Reverse brainstorming

Instead of asking how to solve a problem, ask how to cause it or make it worse. For example: "How could a town make it as hard as possible for adults to learn new job skills?" The answers point to barriers that can be studied.

Brainwriting

In brainwriting, people write ideas silently instead of speaking. A well-known version is the 6-3-5 method described by Bernd Rohrbach: six people each write three ideas in five minutes, then pass their sheets to the next person, who builds on them. It helps quieter people contribute.

From a problem in living to a research question

These steps turn a personal or community problem into something you can study. See also Solving problems in living.

1. State the problem in plain words.
2. Ask why it happens, using the five whys or a mind map.
3. List who is affected and who might know more.
4. Choose one part of the problem that you can study with the time and resources you have.
5. Write the question so it can be answered with evidence.
6. Check the question against criteria such as FINER (below).
7. List possible sources and methods.

Example 1: Running out of money before payday

• Problem: "Why do I keep running out of money before payday?"
• Why? Spending is uneven during the month. Why? Large bills come due in the first week. Why? Bill dates were never matched to pay dates. Why? I did not know that some companies let you change the due date.
• Narrowed focus: bill timing and budgeting methods.
• Research question: "For a worker paid every two weeks, does moving bill due dates and using a zero-based budget reduce the number of days with a balance under $50 over three months?"
• Related question: "What small-dollar loan or savings programs do local credit unions offer as alternatives to payday loans, and what do they cost?"
• Methods: track your own balances for three months, read consumer finance guides from government agencies, and call two or three local credit unions to ask about their programs.

Example 2: Access to local learning

• Problem: "Adults in our neighborhood say they want to learn computer skills, but few attend the free classes at the library."
• Reverse brainstorm: What would keep people away? Classes at inconvenient times, no childcare, no bus route, or not knowing the classes exist.
• Research question: "What are the main reasons adults in our neighborhood do not attend free library computer classes, and which change would most increase attendance?"
• Methods: a short survey at the library and a local grocery store, interviews with librarians, and a comparison with attendance at online learning options.

Checking a question

The FINER criteria come from the textbook Designing Clinical Research by Stephen Hulley and colleagues. They are useful well beyond medicine. A good research question is:

• Feasible: you have enough time, money, skills, and access to data.
• Interesting: you and your audience care about the answer.
• Novel: it adds something new, confirms an earlier finding, or applies it to a new group or place.
• Ethical: it does not harm participants and respects privacy and consent.
• Relevant: the answer could make a difference to people, practice, or further research.

If a question fails one test, revise it. A question too large to be feasible can often be limited to one town, year, or group.

Finding sources

• Library databases: public and university libraries provide access to journals and newspapers. Librarians can help.
• Google Scholar: a free search engine for scholarly articles, theses, and books.
• Government data: census figures, labor statistics, and public health data are usually free and well documented.
• Open access sources: many journals and repositories publish research that anyone can read without a subscription.
• Interviewing people: workers, teachers, and community leaders can explain what data does not show. Ask permission first.
• This wiki: related pages such as Research and Page ideas can help you find existing work and suggest new pages.

Using AI for brainstorming

AI chat tools can be helpful early in research. Useful tasks include:

• Producing a long list of possible questions on a topic.
• Suggesting ways to narrow a broad question.
• Acting as a critic who points out weaknesses in a plan.

AI tools also have limits. They can state wrong facts with confidence, and they can produce citations to articles that do not exist. Treat AI output as a starting point. Check every fact and every source yourself in a library database, Google Scholar, or the original publication. Never cite a source you have not found and read.

Group brainstorming tips

• Set a clear focus statement or question before starting.
• Separate idea generation from judging. Collect ideas first, evaluate later.
• Use brainwriting or a round where each person speaks in turn so that everyone contributes.
• End by choosing next steps and assigning a person to each.

Common mistakes

• Starting with an answer and looking only for evidence that supports it.
• Choosing a question that is too broad, such as "Why are people poor?"
• Ignoring ethics, such as interviewing people without consent.
• Relying on AI output without checking it.

Discussion questions, essay ideas, and learning related AI prompt ideas

Discussion questions

1. What is one problem in your daily life that could be turned into a research question?
2. How does the five whys method change the way you see a problem?
3. When is group brainstorming more useful than working alone, and when is it less useful?
4. Which of the FINER criteria is hardest for you to meet, and why?
5. How should a learner decide whether to trust an AI suggestion?

Essay ideas

1. Take a personal money problem and show, step by step, how you turned it into a researchable question.
2. Compare two brainstorming techniques from this page and explain which works better for a specific topic.
3. Describe a community problem in your area and propose a small research project to study it.
4. Discuss the benefits and risks of using AI tools in the early stages of research.

AI prompt ideas

1. "I keep running out of money before payday. Help me ask the five whys and turn the result into a research question I can study in three months."
2. "Give me 20 open questions about access to adult education in a small town, then help me sort them into closed and open questions."
3. "Check this research question against the FINER criteria and suggest a more feasible version: [paste your question]."
4. "Use SCAMPER to suggest five new angles on a research project about affordable housing."
5. "List types of sources I could use to research local credit union programs, and tell me how to verify each one. Do not invent citations."

See also

• Research
• Brainstorming
• Ideas
• Problems in living
• Solving problems in living
• Opportunity engineering
• Online learning
• Teaching
• How to run a personal wiki
• Page ideas

External links

• What is the QFT? from the Right Question Institute
• Brainstorming on Wikipedia
• Google Scholar
• The research problem and question from the University of Southern California Libraries