A well-defined research question helps identify the concepts to search to answer your question.  Search frameworks help you create a research question by suggesting elements you to consider. Not all questions are suited for a single framework. Several of the more common frameworks are found below.

PICO (Clinical and Quantitative)

• Population/Patient/Problem - What is the population or characteristics?

• Intervention/Exposure - What is the intervention, exposure, prognostic factor, treatment, etc.?

• Comparison - What is the comparison?

• Outcome - What are the expected outcomes, improvements, measures, etc?

PISCO or PICOS (Quantitative)

• Population/Patient/Problem - What is the population or characteristics?

• Intervention/Exposure - What is the intervention, exposure, prognostic factor, treatment, etc.?

• Setting (if appropriate) - Hospital, Outpatient, School, Rural

• Comparison or intervention (if appropriate) - What are you comparing the intervention with?

• Outcome  - What is the outcome you want to measure or achieve
   

PEO or PIO (Qualitative)

• Population/Problem/Patient - Who or what is my question focused on?

• Exposure/Issue/Intervention - What is the issue of interest?

• Outcome - What, in relation to the issue, is being examined?

SPICE (Qualitative)

• Setting - What is the setting/context? Where?

• Population/Perspective - Who are the users, potential users, stakeholders of the particular service? For whom?

• Intervention - What is being done? 

• Comparison - What else has been tried?

• Evaluation - What measurement will be used to determine the success?  What is the result?

ECLIPSE (Qualitative)

• Expectation - Why is the information needed?

• Client Group - Who needs, or will use, the information?

• Location - Where is the service taking place?

• Impact - What is being evaluated? How will success be measured?

• Professionals - Who provides the service?

• Service - What is the service being evaluated?

SPIDER (Qualitative or Mixed-Methods)

• Sample – Who is engaging in the research?

• Phenomenon of Interest – What or how are we trying to understand (experiences, behaviors, decisions) of participants?

• Design -  Theoretical framework (questionnaire, survey, interview, etc.)

• Evaluation - What measurement will be used to evaluate the PI?

• Research Type - Qualitative or mixed methods