What is the FINER criteria for research questions?

I've been learning how to formulate good research questions and kept seeing references to the FINER criteria. Finally looked it up and it's a total game-changer.

FINER stands for:

F - Feasible
Can you actually do this research? Do you have access to data? Time? Skills? If your question requires a year-long study with expensive equipment and you have one semester, it's not feasible.

I - Interesting
Interesting to YOU and interesting to others. If you're not interested, you'll quit. If no one else cares, why do the research?

N - Novel
Does it add something new? Doesn't have to be earth-shattering, but should it fill a gap, look at a new population, or use a new method.

E - Ethical
Can you study this without harming anyone? Vulnerable populations? Informed consent? Privacy?

R - Relevant
Does it matter to the field? To practice? To real people? Why should anyone care about the answer?

A CUNY assignment uses this framework to help students evaluate both their own questions and AI-generated suggestions . You draft your question, then use ChatGPT to get feedback, then apply FINER to see if the AI's suggestions actually improve your question .

My question before FINER: "How does social media affect teenagers?" (too broad, not novel, been done)

After applying FINER + AI feedback: "How does daily TikTok use correlate with self-reported anxiety levels among female adolescents aged 14-18 in the U.S.?" (specific, feasible, interesting, relevant)

Huge difference. Anyone else use FINER? It's helping me so much

The CUNY assignment using AI to evaluate questions is from a faculty seminar on teaching with AI . They had students draft questions, get AI feedback, then apply FINER. The goal was to teach students that AI can help but YOU need to evaluate. Love that approach.

For your question, the AI probably suggested narrowing to a specific platform, age group, and outcome. Good AI suggestion. But you applied FINER to make sure it was actually feasible and relevant. That's the right balance.

The "ethical" criterion with teens is important — you'll need parental consent if they're under 18. FINER forces you to think about that upfront, not after you've already started collecting data.