Succinctly defining the research question is critical to designing a successful research project. In their book, Designing Clinical Research, Hulley and Cummings describe the use of the mnemonic FINER1 in developing the research question.  FINER is defined below:

Feasible  
Adequate number of subjects
Adequate technical expertise
Affordable in time and money
Manageable in scope

Interesting to the Investigator
 
Novel
Confirms or refutes previous findings
Extends previous findings
Provides new findings

Ethical

Relevant
To scientific knowledge
To clinical and health policy
To future research directions

(Reference: 1. Cummings SR, Browner WS, Hulley SB. Conceiving the Research Question. In: Hulley SB, Cummings SR, eds. Designing Clinical Research. Vol 1. 1 ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1988:12-17.)

In preparing to formulate a study idea, new investigators and their research advisors should consider national health care priorities. For example, the ASHP Health-System Pharmacy 2015 Initiative goals and objectives provide guidance on priorities for the improvement of pharmacy practice in health systems. Another example of key national health care priorities is the 8th Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Statement of Work. 

Along with the research question, well-defined specific aims or objectives are key to the successful completion of a research project. The specific aims should answer the question “What are you going to do?” Specific aims should be designed to increase the value of the study. For example, a study that addresses outcome data rather than process data could have an important impact on practice. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provides guidance on writing specific aims. Similar to the review of the research question, the specific aims should be reviewed by experienced researchers.

Hypothesis statements are developed primarily to provide a basis for statistical analysis.  The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases also provides more detailed information on the generation of a hypothesis statement.