1) define at least one potential root cause

2) give a relevant research question that would test the relationship between the cause(s) you identified and the outcome of interest

3) note the variables that would be included in the resulting research project.

Imagine that you are on the board of directors for a company that was debating whether to recall its staff back to the office following COVID. The board approves the recall. However, after it does, several high-performers in the organization quit!

This is a problem. But could it be a research question too? To answer this:

1) List a few possible causes for the problem.

2) Come up with a research question that clearly notes the relationship you want to study.

3) Name the variable(s) in your research question.