How To Pick A Dissertation Research Topic

How do I choose a dissertation research topic?

Choosing the right topic for your dissertation can be a tough decision. Particularly if you have no idea what you want to do when you graduate, it may seem like there are too many options available. That’s why we’ve created this guide to help students like you pick the perfect dissertation topic for your needs.

The choice of a dissertation topic is one of the most important decisions you need to make as a student. It’s crucial for your career long-term, and when you’re choosing the best research topic, it should be an idea that excites you and gives you something to write about.

Choosing the right topic can be a daunting task, especially when you’re first starting out. But don’t worry! We’ve got you covered with our list of tips for picking out a good dissertation topic.

Find out what inspires you

It’s critical to figure out what inspires and excites you because you will need to maintain interest throughout this long process and stay motivated to write and continue your research.

Creator: qimono | Source: Pixabay

So, let’s think about the things that excite you. Write down some answers to the following questions.

What are your favorite movies or TV shows?
What kind of music do you like?
What kind of books, social media channels, or magazines do you read?
What do you talk about with your friends and family?
Why did you decide to go to your college or university?
What passions did you have as a child that you still pursue or wish you pursued?

These types of questions will help you discover ideas and patterns about what you enjoy. For example, if you enjoy watching technology-related TVs and books, and enjoy writing in your free time, perhaps you will want to pursue research in artificially intelligent content creation.

Now, group those ideas, and make a list of topics according to your interest:

Not interested
Possibly interested
Definitely interested

Find out what doesn’t inspire you

Maybe you are having a tough time figuring out what inspires you, so flip it around. This exercise can help you to determine what kind of research you want to do, and what kind of topics you want to avoid. Perhaps history is something that just not excite you at all, and you are more concerned with futuristic or forward-thinking topics. Maybe you cannot stand statistics and math, and prefer research where you will interview people or delve into social issues.

Now, keep building your columns and listing topics in each area.

Again, it should look like this:

Not interested

Topic 1

Possibly interested

Topic 2
Topic 3

Interested

Topic 4
Topic 5

We’re going to keep revising and adding to this list.

Read the literature

You need to start reading the literature about your potential topics. Do a scholarly search to see how much is written about your particular topic. This will let you know if your topics are worthwhile for exploring, and if there are any specific niches within the topic that excite you.

Check out the professional journals in your field, and other dissertations that have been written in your department, and other departments. You should also check out dissertations that were written in other schools. The ProQuest website will show you other dissertations that are written. Scan the dissertations for recommendations for future research, which can be a treasure Trove of future topics.

Similarly, there are now countless dissertation defenses available online and on YouTube. Watch these defenses to get an idea of how other people have approached research topics and potential ideas for future research. Look at the previous Publications written by your faculty and others in the department. Additionally, there will be several references in your field such as handbooks, encyclopedias, and guides. Performing a Google search of your topic plus one of these words will yield excellent results. The point here is to read and become steeped in the literature to give you more ideas. As you keep reading, continue to add to your list of not interested, possibly interested, and interesting topics.

What criteria should I use to select a topic?

How can you figure out if your topic is worthy of a dissertation? There are no specific rules, but most would agree that the dissertation is an original research project that contributes to the body of knowledge. Here are some general rules of thumb.

First, you need to be interested in the topic. This research will likely take you longer than you expect, so you must be invested and motivated by your topic.

Next, your research needs to be doable. This means that it needs to be specific yet large enough to contribute to the field. Understand that your dissertation doesn’t need to change the world. It is a starting point for you to lunch or academic Journey and paved the way for future research. Your research also needs to be practical. In other words, you will need to be able to fund it and spend the right amount of time. If your research requires costly equipment that you cannot fund, you may want to consider other more reasonable options.

Your research must also significantly contribute to the body of knowledge or fill a missing gap in knowledge. This means that your research topic needs to be one that has not been overly researched but still contains a basis of information for you to expand on.

Finally, your research needs to be approved by your committee. You must communicate with your adviser and your dissertation committee while forming your research ideas to make sure they buy in and support your research. They will be guiding you and helping you along the way, so they must be invested in your topic. Be sure that you has thoroughly researched your topic and can expand on your ideas when explaining it to your adviser and your committee.

Conclusion

Okay! Now we have a starting point. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got this completely right at this point. We can change it as we go down the line. The point is that you’ve moved the ball forward a little bit and have started thinking about what’s important to you. Remember this moment. This is your first step in completing a major journey.

Creator: Free-Photos | Source: Pixabay

Choosing a dissertation research topic is one of the most important decisions you will make in your academic career. Your choice will help shape the focus of your dissertation research and form the basis for its structure, organization, and narrative.