Frameworks that can help you formulate a focused research question include PICO, PEO, and SPIDER, among others.
The PICO question format is useful for clinical and quantitative research topics (therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology/harm, and prevention questions). PICO questions identify 3-4 concepts: patient/population, intervention, comparison (optional), and outcome.
| PICO | Definition |
| Patient/Population/Problem | Who is my question focused on? |
| Intervention | What is the proposed new intervention? |
| Comparison | What is the current or alternative state? |
| Outcome | What is the measurable outcome being impacted? |
The PEO question format is useful for qualitative research topics. PEO questions identify three concepts: population, exposure, and outcome.
| PEO | Definition |
| Population | Who is my question focused on? |
| Exposure | What is the issue I'm interested in? |
| Outcome | What, in relation to the issue, do I want to examine? |
The SPIDER question format is useful for qualitative or mixed methods research topics focusing on "samples" rather than populations. SPIDER questions identify five concepts: sample, phenomenon of interest, design, evaluation, and research type.
| SPIDER | Definition |
| Sample | Who is the group of people being studied? |
| Phenomenon of Interest | What are the reasons for behavior and decisions? |
| Design | How has the research been collected (ex. interview, survey)? |
| Evaluation | What is the outcome being impacted? |
| Research Type | What type of research (qualitative or mixed methods)? |
Adapted from Systematic Reviews Guide, https://musc.libguides.com/systematicreviews/researchquestion