A strong and clear question is key to any successful systematic review. Here's how to approach it:
⚖️ Consider Answerability – Make sure your question is answerable. If answering it would be unethical or impractical, rethink it.
🔍 Include Exemplars – Your systematic review should list studies (exemplars) that will be included. These help shape your search strategy and act as evidence that your question can be answered. If you can't find studies to include, your question might need revisiting. 📚
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Frameworks such as PICO, PEO, SPIDER, SPICE, and ECLIPS are useful tools for developing a well-defined research question. The table and example provided below were developed by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Libraries.
Frameworks that can help you formulate a focused research question include PICO, PEO, SPIDER, SPICE, and ECLIPSE, among others.
PEO
The PEO question format is useful for qualitative research topics.
PEO questions identify three concepts: population, exposure, and outcome.
| PEO | Definition | |
| Population | Who is my question focused on? | |
| Exposure | What is the issue I'm interested in? | |
| Outcome | What, in relation to the issue, do I want to examine? |
Research question: What are the daily living experiences of mothers with postnatal depression?
PICO
The PICO question format is useful for clinical and quantitative research topics (therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology/harm, and prevention questions).
PICO questions identify 3-4 concepts: patient/population, intervention, comparison (optional), and outcome.
|
PICO |
Definition | |
| Patient/Population/Problem | Who is my question focused on? | |
| Intervention | What is the proposed new intervention? | |
| Comparison (optional) | What is the current or alternative state? | |
| Outcome | What is the measurable outcome being impacted? |
Learn more about PICO, and how to frame questions.
Watch the 4 min. video on how to frame a research question with PICO.
SPIDER
The SPIDER question format is useful for qualitative or mixed methods research topics focusing on "samples" rather than populations.
SPIDER questions identify five concepts: sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and research type.
| SPIDER | Definition | |
| Sample | Who is the group of people being studied? | |
| Phenomenon of Interest | What are the reasons for behavior and decisions? | |
| Design | How has the research been collected (e.g., interview, survey)? | |
| Evaluation | What is the outcome being impacted? | |
| Research Type | What type of research (qualitative or mixed methods)? |
Research question: What are the experiences of young parents in attendance at antenatal education classes?