Q: Can you please help me with my statement of the problem (SOP) as I don't know how to start it?

We have made some edits to your question as some parts were not clear. Also, it’s not clear if your challenge with developing the problem statement is due to a lack of resources or due to challenges (of any sort) due to the COVID-19 crisis. Nevertheless, we can provide some guidance in both cases.

Help with resources

A problem statement (or statement of the problem), quite simply, is a concise expression of the research problem. It describes the existing state regarding the problem, the ideal or desirable state, and the remedies that will help attain this ideal state. You need to work out the problem statement by working through your research problem keeping these points in mind. For your topic, you will need to think about various aspects around riding a motorcycle without a registration plate, including legal, safety, civic, and social.

What would also help is to read up more about the problem, through existing literature. This will help you identify some gaps that exist, which you may choose to address in your study.

Here are some resources to help you on this:

• The basics of writing a statement of the problem for your research proposal
• 8 Things to remember when writing a statement of the problem
• Can you help me write a problem statement for my thesis?

Help with challenges

Now, you haven’t mentioned the kind of challenges you are facing regarding COVID-19.

If you are looking for more information on the pandemic, you may look up our site using ‘COVID-19’ as a keyword. You will find articles, videos, researcher stories, and other content regarding the crisis, including how other researchers are dealing with it.

For research-related information on the disease, you may refer to our AI-powered resource site: COVID19.Researcher.Life

And if you need to connect with other researchers, to perhaps know how others are coping with the crisis, both in terms of work and personally, you check out Researcher Voice, a group on Facebook that brings together researchers and academics from across the world, sharing insights, inputs, and thoughts – along with motivation and cheer – on various aspects of the researcher life.

Hope that helps. All the best for your study!