Turn a vague question into researchable ones

The question is important, and too big to start on.

My question is too broad to research directly. Break it down.

1. Tell me what I am really asking. Often a broad question hides a specific decision. Name the decision if you can see it.
2. Split it into five to eight sub-questions that are each answerable with a finite amount of work.
3. For each sub-question: what kind of evidence would answer it, roughly where that evidence lives, and how long it would take.
4. Rank them by (how much this changes my answer) divided by (how hard it is to find out). Tell me which one to do first.
5. Identify any sub-question where the answer is already knowable without research because it follows from something I have said.

My question:


What I would do with the answer:

Starting on a new topic. Mapping an unfamiliar field, scoping the question, and finding somewhere real to begin reading.