Final answer:
The correct answer is c) be something you can make a claim about. A good research question is open-ended, debatable, answerable through evidence, and consequential. Option c.
Step-by-step explanation:
A strong research question is a fundamental part of any academic project. It drives your investigation and guides your research process. Answering the student's question directly, the correct option is c) be something you can make a claim about.
A good research question is typically open-ended with multiple plausible answers, stimulates debatable ideas, and is answerable through evidence and existing source material. It should be consequential, meaning that the outcomes and debates around the question should matter and have significance for others.
It is essential to form a thesis statement that is focused and specific enough to be provable within the boundaries of your investigation.
As you research and gather evidence, your understanding of the topic will deepen, which might lead you to refine your question to align it better with your findings and the properties of a substantial research question.
Remember, a question that only requires a single-word answer or is subjective only to your personal knowledge is not suitable for research purposes.
Conducting research also involves consulting existing knowledge on the topic. Engaging with scholarly work already done in the field allows you to position your question within the broader discourse and identify a unique angle for your own study.
Utilizing these approaches ensures your research will contribute valuable insights to the existing body of knowledge. Finally, throughout this process, you may refine your research question to ensure it encompasses the characteristics of being answerable, consequential, open-ended, and debatable.
So Option c is correct answer.