This page will walk you through how to take a general research topic or problem of practice and transform it into a clear, searchable research question. You'll explore three frameworks, PICO, PICo, and PCC, that will help you define your topic, identify keywords, and build search strings.
You can choose to watch the video or read through the steps below for strategies on how to set up your search.
Master the art of academic searching with the PICO and PICo frameworks! This video guides graduate students through the process of turning a research question into searchable concepts and crafting effective search strings for educational databases.
When developing your research question, it helps to break it down into smaller, searchable parts. The frameworks below, PICO, PICo, and PCC, are common tools used in research.
Each one works best for a different type of inquiry.
| Framework | Best For | Example Question Type |
|---|---|---|
| PICO | Quantitative or Intervention-based studies with measurable outcomes | Does/ What is the effect of/ To what extent |
| PICo | Qualitative or Experiential research | How do/ What are the experiences of/ In what ways |
| PCC | Broad, policy, curriculum, program, or practice-oriented research | How does/ In what ways/ What strategies/ In what context |
Focus: Comparing interventions or approaches with measurable outcomes
Example Research Question:
Does implementing culturally responsive teaching strategies improve reading comprehension outcomes for middle school English language learners compared to traditional instruction?
| Element | Description | Example Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| P - Population | Who is being studied? | "middle school students", "English language learners", "ELL" |
| I - Intervention | What practice or approach is being tested? | "culturally responsive teaching", "culturally relevant pedagogy" |
| C - Comparison | What is it being compared to? | "traditional instruction", "teacher-centered methods" |
| O - Outcome | What result is being measured? | "reading comprehension", "reading scores", "academic achievement" |
Example Search String:
("culturally responsive teaching" OR "culturally relevant pedagogy") AND ("English language learners" OR "ELL") AND ("middle school" OR "junior high" AND ("reading comprehension" OR "reading scores")
Focus: Exploring experiences, perceptions, or contexts
Example Research Question:
How do high school teachers perceive the use of project-based learning to support student engagement in STEM classrooms?
| Element | Description | Example Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| P - Population | Whose experiences are being studied? | "high school teachers", "STEM educators" |
| I - Phenomenon of Interest | What process or experience is being explored? | "project based learning", "PBL", "inquiry-based instruction" |
| Co - Context | In what setting of conditions? | "STEM classrooms", "secondary education", "public schools" |
Example Search String:
("high school teachers" OR "STEM educators") AND ("project based learning" OR "PBL" OR "inquiry-based learning" AND ("secondary education" OR "public schools")
Focus: Understanding policies, programs, or leadership practices in education
Example Research Question:
How do instructional coaching programs support teacher professional growth in K-12 public schools?
| Element | Description | Example Keywords |
|---|---|---|
| P - Population | Who is the focus of the study? | "K-12 teachers", "public school teachers" |
| C - Concept | What is the main topic or idea? | "instructional coaching", "teacher mentoring", "professional growth" |
| C - Context | Where or under what conditions? | "K-12 schools", "district programs", "public education" |
Example Search String:
("instructional coaching" OR "teacher mentoring") AND ("teacher development" OR "professional growth") AND ("K-12 schools" OR "public schools")
Once you've chosen a framework, list possible synonyms, related terms, and variations for each element. This helps you catch different wording used by authors in the literature. Continue expanding this list as you explore the literature and encounter alternative terminology.
Example:
For instructional coaching, you might include:
"teacher mentoring", "peer coaching", "instructional support", "teacher professional development"
Include both broad and narrow terms related to each of your concepts. Not all keywords will be used in every search. You will refine your list as you begin to search.
Use Boolean operators and symbols to connect your terms. Remember, you don't need to use every keyword in every search. Build multiple search strings to find your best results.
| Symbol/Operator | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| AND | Narrows results to include all terms. Words connected with AND have equal importance in the search. | coaching AND teachers |
| OR | Broadens results to include synonyms and related terms | "instructional coaching" OR "teacher mentoring" |
| NOT | Excludes unwanted terms. Try to avoid using NOT in your initial search strings. Use it as a secondary Boolean operator to eliminate terms that clutter the search results. | "college students" NOT "graduate students" |
| Quotation Marks | Keeps words and phrases together in your search. Use quotation marks around any keywords that contain more than two words as well as around abbreviations. | "project based learning", "PBL" |
| Asterisk * | Use for wildcard searching, which will find variations of words based off of the provided root. | educa* = education, educational, educator |
| Parentheses () | Groups concepts together within the search string. Use parentheses to keep your OR terms together before connecting them with the AND boolean operator | (coaching OR mentoring) AND (teachers OR educators) |