Formulating a research question

Chapter 3 and 4 explain the initiating phase of a research project: how to find a topic within a certain subject matter, and formulate a precise research question. After having selected a substance to asses, the book’s recommended process of formulating the research question follows the three-step formula of: 1) a topic, 2) an analyzable question around the topic, and 3) the significance of this (motivation of its relevance). Chapter 6 provides ideas on how to make the research more interesting. When narrowing down the research question, “creative disagreement” stood out to me as an approach that lends itself well to data visualization-fueled projects. Data that is visualized in a new or original way, can debunk prevailing ideas, expectations or urban myths - exactly because it is visualized. Based on the reading, do you think that the proposed research question should be fairly clear to the audience of a data visualization project? Or do you find it more interesting if the data visualization does not communicate a question, but leaves it up for the audience to discover its own questions?

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