A good research question is not the most interesting question you can imagine, but the one you can answer convincingly with the time, sources, and skills you have. Many weak essays fail not because the student lacks insight, but because the question is too broad, too vague, or implicitly unanswerable.

Start by moving from topic to problem. “Medieval kingship” is a topic; “how early medieval kings made authority visible in rural society” is a problem. A research question should point to tension, uncertainty, or debate, not just describe a subject.

Next, limit the scope deliberately. Ask yourself:

• When exactly? (e.g. 300-1200 is manageable; “the Middle Ages” is not.)
• Where? (a kingdom, region, or type of society)
• Which actors matter most? (kings, elites, peasants, clergy)

If you cannot state these limits in one sentence, the question is still too large.

Then, test the question against your sources. A workable question must be answerable using the material available to you – texts, archaeology, law codes, narrative sources, or modern scholarship. If your question requires evidence you cannot reasonably access, it needs revision.

A useful test is the “argument test”:

• Can you imagine at least two plausible answers?
• Can you defend one of them with evidence?If the answer is “no,” the question may be descriptive rather than analytical.

Finally, phrase the question so it invites explanation, not judgment. Questions beginning with how, why, or to what extent tend to produce stronger essays than those beginning with was or did.

In short, a strong research question is specific, bounded, source-aware, and argumentative. It should feel slightly uncomfortable at first – narrower than you expected – but that discomfort is usually the sign that the question can actually be answered well.