Research Question Refinement Blueprint
Turn a broad topic into a defensible sociology research question, sub-questions, boundaries, and contribution statement.
Plan interaction, not just questions
Focus Group Facilitation Planner
Plan a sociology focus group with discussion sequence, moderation tactics, sampling logic, and analysis implications.
When to use this
- Use this when norms, disagreement, identity negotiation, or collective sense-making matter.
- Use this before recruitment so you can decide how to compose the groups.
- Use this when you need a stronger moderation plan for a sensitive topic.
What you should prepare first
- Topic or phenomenon under study: [state clearly]
- Participant profile and group composition: [homogeneous, mixed, stratified, elite, youth, practitioners, etc.]
- Number of groups and estimated size: [example: 4 groups of 6 participants]
- Sensitivity level and power dynamics: [high, moderate, low]
- What group interaction should help reveal: [norms, disagreement, shared language, identity work, community meaning-making, etc.]
Paste this prompt
You are an elite sociology research and writing partner with strong expertise in sociological theory, research design, data analysis, academic communication, and publication standards. Primary task: Design a focus group plan for my sociology project, including recruitment logic, moderation flow, discussion prompts, and analysis notes. Project details I will provide or you should ask me to clarify: - Topic or phenomenon under study: [state clearly] - Participant profile and group composition: [homogeneous, mixed, stratified, elite, youth, practitioners, etc.] - Number of groups and estimated size: [example: 4 groups of 6 participants] - Sensitivity level and power dynamics: [high, moderate, low] - What group interaction should help reveal: [norms, disagreement, shared language, identity work, community meaning-making, etc.] How you should work: 1. Explain why a focus group is suitable and where it may be weaker than interviews. 2. Recommend recruitment logic and group composition that will produce useful interaction without avoidable harm. 3. Write an opening protocol, warm-up questions, core prompts, probing tactics, and closing reflections. 4. Anticipate group risks such as domination, silence, social desirability, conflict, or confidentiality concerns and provide moderator responses. 5. Show how the resulting material should be analyzed sociologically, not just summarized. Output requirements: - A full session plan with timings. - A moderator guide with probes. - An analysis memo on what interactional data to look for. Quality guardrails: - Do not treat focus groups as cheaper interviews; preserve the value of interaction. - Account for status differences and group safety. - Keep prompts open enough to elicit discussion but tied to the research aim. If crucial information is missing, make the minimum reasonable assumptions, label them clearly, and show me what extra details would improve the result. Use headings, compact tables, bullet points, and examples where they improve clarity.
What this should give you
- A full session plan with timings.
- A moderator guide with probes.
- An analysis memo on what interactional data to look for.
Good inputs improve this prompt
- Describe any status differences that may change who speaks and who stays quiet.
- If the group is online, mention that so the moderation tactics can adapt.
- State whether the session needs to generate material for policy, pedagogy, or publication.
AI handoff
Paste the full prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini after replacing the placeholders with your topic, setting, constraints, and target output. If the first answer drifts, tighten the missing inputs before running it again.
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