A research problem statement identifies the specific gap, contradiction or unresolved issue your research will address. A strong problem statement explains the problem, establishes why it matters, and shows what your research can do about it, while keeping the scope realistic and aligned with the proposed study.

What Is A Research Problem Statement?

A research problem is the specific gap, contradiction or unresolved issue that your research is going to address. A problem statement is that research problem written down in a structured, formal way.

It usually does three things:

1. States the issue.
2. Shows why it matters.
3. Points towards what your research is going to do about it.

The problem itself needs to be specific and direct. A common issue is that students discuss the problem at a much broader conceptual or global scale than their proposed research could actually address.

For example, in research about students' experiences of clinical placement learning opportunities, the problem is not the wider issue of wasted learning opportunities. That is the significance of the problem. The research problem is more specific: students are complaining about a lack of learning opportunities, but we do not know why they feel this is the case.

How Do You State The Research Problem?

The first part of your problem statement is the problem itself. State it in one or two sentences.

Be very specific and direct. Avoid going off tangent or turning a relatively simple research problem into an excessively broad discussion.

The problem you identify needs to match what your proposed research can actually investigate. If your research is about students' experiences, for example, your problem should relate directly to the unanswered question about those experiences.

This is important because the problem statement demonstrates your understanding of the topic and the issue that needs resolving. It should establish a problem that your research can realistically address rather than presenting a much larger problem that would require a different study.

The research problem should therefore provide a clear starting point for the research that follows.

Why Does The Research Problem Matter?

The second part is significance. Ask: Why does this gap matter?

Consider who is affected by the problem. This could include practitioners, policymakers, patients or whoever your field serves.

Keep the significance measured and realistic within the context of your study. Students sometimes overstate the consequences of a problem in an attempt to make their research sound more impactful.

For example, a lack of understanding about teaching methods in robotic general surgery does not directly lead to high patient mortality. It may, however, lead to poorer surgical competency attainment.

Your claims about significance should also be supported by academic literature. Be careful about making sweeping statements simply to make the problem sound more important than it is.

The significance explains why the research problem deserves attention. It should remain connected to the actual scope of your proposed research.

What Can Your Research Do About The Problem?

The third part is what your research can do to resolve the problem.

This is usually one sentence that signals what your research will do. It is not your full methodology. Instead, it gives the broad aim of the study.

You might use wording such as:

• "This study will examine..."
• "This research investigates..."

This sentence should close the loop with the first part of the problem statement. The problem you identify and what your research proposes to investigate need to align closely.

The research proposed after the problem statement should also be capable of producing findings that address the issue you have identified. If your research cannot actually achieve what your problem statement suggests, there is a fundamental alignment problem.

How Long Should A Research Problem Statement Be?

A good problem statement should be concise. You should be able to present the problem, its significance and what your research can do about it within 150 words.

Think of the structure as a simple progression:

1. Problem: What is the specific unresolved issue?
2. Significance: Why does this gap matter, and who is affected?
3. Research response: What will your research do about it?

If you cannot present the problem correctly, it becomes difficult to show how your research can solve or address it.

A good problem statement indicates your understanding of the topic, the issue that needs resolving, what your research can achieve and the limitations of what it can address. The proposed research should then align with that problem rather than attempting to solve a much broader issue.