De la definición del problema a la búsqueda de literatura: bases para construir una investigación

This session of the SciWrite Lab addresses two fundamental processes for a solid start in writing a scientific article: defining the research problem and searching for relevant academic literature. Both steps form the basis upon which the rest of the manuscript is organized, as they allow for a clear delimitation of what the research aims to investigate, why it is important to do so, what is currently known about the topic, and what gaps justify conducting a new study. The session begins with a central idea: no solid scientific article starts solely with a topic of interest. For research to become a publishable manuscript, it is necessary to transform that topic into a clear, well-defined, relevant, and well-argued research problem. This involves moving from a general concern to a specific situation that can be studied systematically, supported by evidence, specialized literature, and coherent methodological criteria. During the video, it is explained that defining the problem should not be understood as a simple description of a difficulty or need, but rather as an intellectual process of construction. A research problem arises when a researcher identifies a tension, a contradiction, a gap in knowledge, a limitation in previous studies, a contextual need, or an unresolved question in the academic field. Therefore, formulating the problem requires analyzing the context, reviewing background information, identifying gaps, and establishing a clear relationship between the observed reality and the available scientific knowledge. One of the central points of the session is the importance of avoiding research problems that are too broad, ambiguous, or disconnected from the existing literature. Expressions such as “improving education,” “analyzing technology,” or “studying artificial intelligence” can serve as general topics, but they do not, in themselves, constitute scientific problems. To transform them into researchable problems, it is necessary to define the object of study, specify the population or context, identify the central variables or categories, and justify why the study is relevant from an academic, social, educational, or institutional perspective. The session also highlights that a good problem definition should answer several guiding questions: What situation do we want to study? In what context does it occur? Who does it affect or involve? What is known about it? What has not been sufficiently studied? What contradictions exist in the literature? What does this research contribute compared to previous studies? These questions help structure the initial reasoning of the article and allow for a more coherent, argumentative introduction that is aligned with the study's objectives.