How to Write Project Objectives and Research Questions

 How to Write Project Objectives and Research Questions

🧩 1️⃣ UNDERSTANDING PROJECT OBJECTIVES

✅ What Are Project Objectives?

Objectives of the study are specific, measurable statements that describe what your research aims to achieve.

They:

• Give direction to your study

• Help in designing your research methodology

• Provide a basis for evaluation at the end

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🎯 Types of Objectives

🔹 A. General Objective (Main Objective)

• States the overall purpose of the research.

• Usually begins with phrases like:

  • “The main objective of this study is to…”

  • “This study aims to…”

🔹 B. Specific Objectives

• Break down the general objective into smaller, achievable goals.

• Each specific objective should address a particular aspect of the study.

• They are often 3–5 points, written in bullet or numbered form.

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🧠 How to Write Good Objectives (The SMART Rule)

Each objective should be:

Letter	Meaning	Explanation
S	Specific	Clearly state what you intend to achieve
M	Measurable	Must be something you can test or evaluate
A	Achievable	Realistic within your study limits
R	Relevant	Related to your topic and research problem
T	Time-bound	Feasible within your project duration

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✍️ Formula for Writing Objectives

You can use action verbs to start your objectives.
Examples include:

assess, determine, examine, analyze, evaluate, identify, compare, explore, investigate, measure, discuss, establish, describe, find out, explain

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✅ Example 1 – (Education Field)

Topic: The Influence of Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa

General Objective:
To examine the influence of social media on students’ academic performance in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.

Specific Objectives:

1. To determine the extent of social media usage among students.

2. To identify the social media platforms most commonly used by students.

3. To examine how social media usage affects students’ study habits.

4. To analyze the relationship between social media engagement and academic performance.

5. To suggest measures for promoting responsible use of social media among students.

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✅ Example 2 – (Business Field)

Topic: Cashless Policy and Performance of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

General Objective:
To assess the impact of the cashless policy on the performance of deposit money banks in Nigeria.

Specific Objectives:

1. To examine the level of implementation of the cashless policy among Nigerian banks.

2. To determine the effect of cashless transactions on banks’ profitability.

3. To evaluate the influence of electronic payment systems on customer satisfaction.

4. To identify the challenges facing banks in implementing the cashless policy.

5. To propose strategies for improving the effectiveness of cashless policy implementation.

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✅ Example 3 – (Health Field)

Topic: Evaluation of Health Workers’ Attitudes and Practices Toward Health Hazards in Ede South Local Government

General Objective:
To evaluate the attitudes and practices of health care workers toward occupational health hazards in Ede South Local Government.

Specific Objectives:

1. To identify the types of health hazards commonly encountered by health workers.

2. To examine the attitudes of health workers toward safety practices.

3. To assess the level of compliance with standard safety guidelines.

4. To determine factors influencing unsafe work behaviour among health workers.

5. To recommend strategies for improving health and safety compliance.

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🧩 2️⃣ UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS

✅ What Are Research Questions?

Research questions are questions the study seeks to answer.
They are drawn directly from the specific objectives.

Each specific objective should have one corresponding research question.

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🧠 Why Research Questions Matter

• They guide your data collection and analysis.

• They make your study focused and testable.

• They are used to measure if your objectives were achieved.

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🎯 How to Write Research Questions

Rule:

Turn each specific objective into a question.

Use question starters like:

• What…

• How…

• To what extent…

• In what ways…

• Is there any relationship between…

• Does… affect…

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✅ Example 1 – (Education Field)

Topic: The Influence of Social Media on Students’ Academic Performance

Specific Objectives and Corresponding Research Questions:

Specific Objective	Research Question
1. To determine the extent of social media usage among students.	1. What is the extent of social media usage among students?
2. To identify the social media platforms most commonly used by students.	2. Which social media platforms are most commonly used by students?
3. To examine how social media usage affects students’ study habits.	3. How does social media usage affect students’ study habits?
4. To analyze the relationship between social media engagement and academic performance.	4. What relationship exists between social media engagement and students’ academic performance?
5. To suggest measures for promoting responsible use of social media.	5. What measures can be taken to promote responsible use of social media among students?

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✅ Example 2 – (Business Field)

Topic: Cashless Policy and Performance of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

Specific Objective	Research Question
1. To examine the level of implementation of the cashless policy among Nigerian banks.	1. What is the level of implementation of the cashless policy among Nigerian banks?
2. To determine the effect of cashless transactions on banks’ profitability.	2. How do cashless transactions affect banks’ profitability?
3. To evaluate the influence of electronic payment systems on customer satisfaction.	3. What is the influence of electronic payment systems on customer satisfaction?
4. To identify the challenges facing banks in implementing the cashless policy.	4. What challenges do banks face in implementing the cashless policy?
5. To propose strategies for improving the effectiveness of cashless policy implementation.	5. What strategies can improve the effectiveness of cashless policy implementation?

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✅ Example 3 – (Health Field)

Topic: Evaluation of Health Workers’ Attitudes and Practices Toward Health Hazards in Ede South Local Government

Specific Objective	Research Question
1. To identify the types of health hazards commonly encountered by health workers.	1. What types of health hazards are commonly encountered by health workers?
2. To examine the attitudes of health workers toward safety practices.	2. What are the attitudes of health workers toward safety practices?
3. To assess the level of compliance with standard safety guidelines.	3. What is the level of compliance with standard safety guidelines among health workers?
4. To determine factors influencing unsafe work behaviour among health workers.	4. What factors influence unsafe work behaviour among health workers?
5. To recommend strategies for improving health and safety compliance.	5. What strategies can improve health and safety compliance among health workers?

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💡 QUICK TIPS FOR WRITING STRONG OBJECTIVES & QUESTIONS

✅ 1. Align your objectives with your topic and problem statement.
They should address the issue you identified earlier.

✅ 2. Keep them simple and precise.
Avoid long or complex sentences.

✅ 3. Use measurable verbs.
“Assess” is better than “look into” or “study.”

✅ 4. Maintain logical order.
Start with identification, then analysis, then recommendations.

✅ 5. Don’t confuse objectives with hypotheses.
Hypotheses are testable statements (usually in quantitative studies), not goals.

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🧾 SUMMARY TABLE

Type	Description	Example Starter
General Objective	Overall aim of the study	“To examine the impact of…”
Specific Objectives	Measurable sub-goals	“To assess…”, “To determine…”
Research Questions	Derived from each specific objective	“What is the…?”, “How does…?”

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🧠 QUICK EXERCISE

Try this formula:

General Objective: To (action verb) the (main concept) on/of (target group or area).
Specific Objectives:

1. To (first sub-goal)

2. To (second sub-goal)

3. To (third sub-goal)
   Research Questions:

4. What is/are (linked to Objective 1)?

5. How does (linked to Objective 2)?

6. What is the relationship between (linked to Objective 3)?