Framework

• The thesis statement is your position or argument, pointing to the direction of your investigation. It can be one sentence or one page long; its length depends on your style of writing and the topic under consideration, and can vary from person to person. A research question, however, is the starting point of the investigation, the question that determines the course of action taken to discover, analyze and present the data in the paper. Being the basic outline of the concept, the question matters significantly in how your paper will pan out, how decisive and conclusive the content of the thesis will be. You arrange the answers to this basic question across the entire paper; in essence, the thesis is the answer to the research question.
  
  

Purpose

• A thesis statement tells the reader your interpretation of a chosen subject. Irrespective of what the reader’s pre-formulated ideas and opinions are, a good thesis statement makes its stand even by disagreeing. It navigates the reader through the path of comprehension you have taken in the paper. The thesis statement builds a strong platform of the basic idea to which the rest of the paper adds layers of detail. A thesis statement propounds a claim that may be disputed, but it has to carry a conclusive gist of your argument supporting the claim. The research question introduces the reader to the topic by posing a problem to which you have an answer. It is the question that identifies the phenomenon you have studied and want the reader to understand as well. It is the foundation of the map you have drawn, representing the details of the subject of research.
  
  

Formulation

• To formulate the research question, the topic at hand needs to be sized down; it cannot be too large or complicated to handle, nor too small and simple, and unworthy of research. After framing the basic question, the entire paper is written. Now, you must check again whether the research question deals with all the questions in short or not, and revise accordingly. A thesis statement requires a somewhat different approach. Although similar steps are taken to create a thesis statement, it must pass the ‘So what?’ test. It must tell the reader why exactly the research is necessary. While formulating the statement, keep in mind its quality, affordability and value others’ opinion.
  
  

Problems to Avoid

• The main problem while forming research questions is that it does not spark enough curiosity in the reader’s mind. The question must not be too exhaustive to research; it must also not be too descriptive or too short in proportion to the research. A thesis statement, on the other hand, must not lose its analytical aspect; it must be to the point without too many details. There should be a claim present in the statement and at the same time explain the validity of the claim. Although the statement needs to be precise, it is unwise to frugally cut down almost all the information.