How to write the problem statement in your research proposal, manuscript or thesis

I am going to show you how to captivate your reader so your paper or proposal will be the absolute best. In this video I am going to talk about making the research problem clear. If you are watching this, you probably already know that you need a problem statement. But did you know that articulating your problem statement may actually be the most important step for justifying your research purpose?

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References

Annersten, M., & Wredling, R. (2006). How to write a research proposal. European Diabetes Nursing, 3(2), 102-5.

Colling, J. (2003). Demystifying nursing research. Demystifying nursing research: defining the problem to be studied. Urologic Nursing 23, no. 3: 225-226.

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

LoBiondo-Wood, G., Haber, J., Cameron, C., & Singh, M.D. (2013). Nursing research in Canada: Methods, critical appraisal, and utilization (3rd Edition). Toronto, Canada: Mosby/Elsevier.

Merrill, K. C. (2011). Developing an effective quantitative research proposal. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 34(3), 181-186. DOI: 10.1097/NAN.0b013e3182117204

Siedlecki, S. (2008). Making a difference through research. AORN Journal, 88(5), 716-6+. doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2008.07.023
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Clearly articulating the gap in current knowledge logically leads the reader to how your study will contribute to existing knowledge. This gap is broken down in the background section by critiquing previous research, but you also need to make sure you explicitly outline the gap in a problem statement. Your goal is to make it clear enough that anyone will see the problem the way you do.

Make sure you understand what the problem is before you start to write. In order to create a logical argument to study an issue you need to know what the problem is. Your problem should be interesting, clinically significant and feasible. If you aren’t sure what the problem is talk to people in the field because they are the best position to identify meaningful issues in need of study and ask important questions that will impact outcomes. If you pick a problem that aligns with the needs of an organisation or funding agency you are more likely to get funding.

... A general problem statement should be found in the introduction section of a paper. Tell the reader why the topic matters. This statement will lead to the background or literature review, which examines the scope and magnitude of the issue in more detail. The purpose of placing a problem statement in the introduction section of your paper is to catch the reader’s attention early. Your teacher may call this part of the paper or proposal the significance of the issue.

... Before you state the problem you should start by recapping what you just told the reader the current state of knowledge is about your topic within your discipline. Think of this sentence as the lead-in to the problem.

Now comes the critical step of articulating the problem that your study will then help to solve. The actual problem statement serves as a clear transition from the literature review to the study purpose. Your purpose or research question will help to solve your problem. Therefore the problem statement and research purpose need to support each other.

By the time the reader reaches your purpose they should already have an idea what it will be and know why it is an important.

It is also helpful to state the consequences of either filling or not filling the gap in knowledge. If you establish the importance of the issue for your audience here your proposal will be more likely to get the attention of other researchers, key stakeholders or funding agencies.

... Articulating the problem statement is a difficult task. Like the purpose, you should revisit, critique and revise it several times throughout your proposal or paper writing process. Every time you make a decision about the study ask yourself if what you are doing helps to solve your problem and answer your question.

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