Interesting – must answer “so what” 

Scope – must not be too broad like “how to fix Asia” or too narrow that it does not advance research (not yes or no questions) 

Informed by wider academic audience – make sure question is not already answered, must follow trail of scholarship and do literature review before hand before embarking on research project 

Clarity – audience must be able to understand the question asked, even to people that are not specialists in field 

Originality – bring a different angle at topic, or new topic, can bring a new take on a topic 

Practical – need to have some sense that the research goal is tangible and is available