Skip to Main Content

Evidence Based Practice

Welcome! This guide should be used to provide assistance with Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) research. Links, worksheets, tools, and other relevant information are provided for each step of the process.

How to Ask Good Questions

Red Question Mark with Figure
Note."question mark" by WingedWolf is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0  .

How to Ask a Good Question

A strong research question should always pass the so what? test.

  • What is the purpose of this research?
  • Who will this help?
  • Why should anyone care?
  • How will these answers benefit practice?

Picking Your Topic Is Research

Forming Your Question

Person, Interest, ContextPICo

PICo questions are primarily used to examine more qualitative questions. PICo is a acronym that stands for:

  • P: Population being studied
  • I: Phenomena of Interest
  • Co: Context
Rathbone, J., Albarqouni, L., Bakhit, M., Beller, E., Byambasuren, O., Hoffmann, T., Scott, A. M., & Glasziou, P. (2017). Expediting citation screening using PICo-based title-only screening for identifying studies in scoping searches and rapid reviews. Systematic Reviews, 6(1), 233. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-017-0629-x

Example:

  • Population: High school students from low-income families
  • Phenomena of Interest: Impact of peer tutoring on academic achievement
  • Context: Urban public school districts

PICo Question: What is the effectiveness of peer tutoring programs in improving academic achievement outcomes (e.g., standardized test scores, GPA) among high school students from low-income families attending urban public schools?

PICOT chart

PICO(T)

PICO(T) is an acronym for the five parts of a well-articulated clinical (often quantitative) question:

P: Patient, Population, or Problem

I: Intervention

C: Comparison

O: Outcome

T: Time*

*Time is not always used.

Richardson, W. S., Wilson, M. C., Nishikawa, J., & Hayward, R. S. A. (Eds.). (1995). The well-built clinical question: A key to evidence-based decisions. ACP Journal Club, 123(3), A12. https://doi.org/10.7326/ACPJC-1995-123-3-A12

Example:

  • Population: Middle school students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  • Intervention: Integration of mindfulness-based techniques into the classroom curriculum
  • Comparison: Traditional classroom instruction without mindfulness components
  • Outcome: Reduction in ADHD symptoms and improvement in academic performance
  • Time: Throughout the academic year

PICO(T) Question: In middle school students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (P), does the integration of mindfulness-based techniques into the classroom curriculum (I), compared to traditional classroom instruction without mindfulness components (C), result in a reduction in ADHD symptoms and improvement in academic performance (O) throughout the academic year (T)?

How Should You Format Your Question?

  • If you are doing quantitative research, then use PICO(T).
  • If you are doing qualitative research, then use PICo to frame your question.
  • For qualitative and mixed method studies, try SPIDER.
  • For qualitative evidence, use SPICE to organize your question.
Spider Web
Note. SPIDER Diagram. From “ Beyond PICO: The SPIDER Tool for Qualitative Evidence Synthesis.,” by A. Cooke, D. Smith, Booth A. , 2012, Qualitative Health Research, 22(10), doi:10.1177/1049732312452938. Copyright 2012

SPIDER

The SPIDER method is useful for qualitative and mixed method research studies.

S: Sample

PI: Phenomenon of Interest

D: Design

E: Evaluation

R: Research type

Cooke, A., Smith, D., & Booth, A. (2012). Beyond PICO: The SPIDER tool for qualitative evidence synthesis. Qualitative Health Research, 22(10), 1435–1443. doi:10.1177/1049732312452938.

Example:

  • Sample: Elementary school teachers in urban public schools.

  • Phenomenon of Interest: The integration of project-based learning (PBL) into the science curriculum.

  • Design: Longitudinal qualitative study using interviews and classroom observations.

  • Evaluation: Examination of teachers' experiences with PBL implementation, changes in student engagement and achievement, and perceived barriers and facilitators over time.

  • Research type: Longitudinal qualitative inquiry aimed at understanding the implementation and impact of PBL in elementary science education.

SPIDER Question: How do elementary school teachers in urban public schools perceive the integration of project-based learning (PBL) into the science curriculum over time, and what changes are observed in student engagement and achievement, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to PBL implementation?

SPICESPICE

SPICE is a mnemonic for

S: Setting

P: Perspective

I: Intervention

C: Comparison

E: Evaluation

 

Booth, A. (2006). Clear and present questions: Formulating questions for evidence based practice. Library Hi Tech, 24(3), 355–368. https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830610692127

Example

  • Setting: In a primary school classroom for students with learning disabilities.
  • Perspective: From the viewpoint of a special education teacher.
  • Intervention: How does the implementation of personalized learning plans tailored to each student's individual learning style impact academic performance and engagement?
  • Comparison: How does the effectiveness of personalized learning plans compare to standardized teaching methods in improving academic performance and engagement for students with learning disabilities?
  • Evaluation: What assessment strategies are utilized to measure the progress and effectiveness of personalized learning plans for students with learning disabilities?

SPICE Question: How do personalized learning plans tailored to individual learning styles compare to standardized teaching methods in improving academic performance and engagement for students with learning disabilities in a primary school classroom setting, as evaluated by special education teachers?