Research paperResearch topic development

HCA 812 Week 5 Problem Statement/Research Questions

A problem statement is not a topic with more words. The brief tells you exactly what it is made of, and the gap is the part that has to be evidenced rather than asserted.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 25, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

A gap is a claim about the literature, not about your interest

The commonest failure here is a problem statement that is really a topic statement: "nurse turnover is a problem in rural hospitals" names a subject, gestures at a setting, and stops well before saying anything a study could actually be built on. The brief supplies the anatomy that fixes it, and it is worth answering the four questions literally and in order. The area of research narrows the field; the key concepts name the variables you will actually have to define and measure; the context fixes setting, sector and time, because a problem in critical access hospitals in 2026 is not the same problem as one in academic medical centres a decade ago; and the subjects say whose data you will collect. Written that way the statement stops being an opinion and becomes a specification, and every sentence of it constrains what your study can and cannot be.

The gap is the part that has to be evidenced, and the brief is precise about the standard: at least four current and relevant sources. A gap is a claim about what the literature has not established, so it survives only if you have read enough to say so, and the three defensible shapes are worth knowing. The relationship has been studied in one population but not yours; it has been studied with a design that cannot support the causal claim being made; or the findings conflict and nobody has reconciled them. "Little research exists" is none of these and is usually false. Then derive the four research questions backwards from the data: for each one, name the variable, the source and the analysis, and if a question cannot be answered by anything you could realistically collect, it is a discussion prompt rather than a research question.

Likely learning objectives

Distinguish a problem statement from a topic statement using the brief's four elements.
Evidence a gap in one of three defensible shapes rather than asserting scarcity.
Derive research questions from collectable data rather than from the topic.
Align each research question with a variable, a source and an analysis.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Directions: Write a paper (750-1,000 words) in which you articulate a potential problem statement for your dissertation research and pose several potential research questions that could address the problem statement. Include the following in your paper: A clearly articulated and focused potential problem statement for the dissertation study you might conduct. What is the area of research you intend to explore? What are the key concepts of your focus? What is the context of the problem? Who are the subjects of this research focus? A research-supported rationale for exploring the problem. What is the need or defined gap as supported by at least four current and relevant sources of research literature? Four potential research questions that could guide your collection of data in addressing the problem statement. Reflect upon the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the problem statement to gain a broader perspective on the problem statement. What analytical questions need to be asked related to the data that must be collected to address the defined gap? Articulate these ideas into research questions that focus on the relevant data that needs to be collected.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. HCA 812 Week 5 Problem Statement Research Questions One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

What Week 5 requires

01A paper of 750-1,000 words.
02A clearly articulated and focused potential problem statement naming area, key concepts, context and subjects.
03A research-supported rationale for exploring the problem, with at least four current and relevant sources.
04Four potential research questions that could guide data collection.
05Questions that reflect the who, what, where, when, why and how of the problem statement.
06APA formatting to doctoral standard.