COLLAPSE Discussion question #1 Your specific aims section is very important and is the first thing reviewers read. Therefore, you need to be clear about what you hope to accomplish in your research study. The specific aims section must accomplish a great deal in a short amount of space (1-2 pages). You need a clear statement of the problem you want to study and the question you plan to investigate. Using your proposal questionnaire -- what is your research question? Remember, for a pilot study you should have just one research question. The research question should be narrow enough for a pilot study but not too narrow. Research questions are different depending on the method.