SIX STEPS TO HELP YOU SELECT YOUR RESEARCH TOPIC Are you one of the rare souls interested in research? Do you like the idea of planning an entire study and then sharing your findings with the whole world? Well, if you are a researcher, then you must know that planning and executing a study is not child’s play. And the first and most timeconsuming step of conducting research is selecting a research topic. Without a research question to answer, there will be no research, but finding a research question that you and a larger population would want an answer to is by far the most taxing task a researcher might come across. Here are a few steps that may help you organise your thoughts better if you find yourself stranded at this stage. Pick an area: ● You will probably spend the next couple of months or years trying to find all that there is and all that you can add to a particular area of research; therefore, pick a research area that interests you or you care about. ● Brainstorm with your friends, colleagues, and seniors. ● Think about a topic that is focussed and interesting but broad enough for you to find adequate information on it. Perform background research: ● Get as much information as you can on the general area of your research. ● Refer to books, journal, internet, and your notes on the chosen area. ● Do not limit your search with keywords or Boolean phrases at this stage. Note the keywords: ● Make a list of the words that are identified most with this area of research when you are searching for general information. Choose your topic: ● Apply the restrictions that help to be more focussed with your area of interest. ● Be flexible with your restricting criteria as it may change until you finally begin executing the study. Frame a research statement: ● This may be the answer to your research question. ● Be precise and articulate “what” and “why” will your research prove. Read up on your research topic:
● Although you would have already performed an extensive search on your topic by now, you need to gather more and recent information on the specific area of research involving your topic. ● Use the list of keywords you have prepared previously to search catalogues, article databases, and search engines. Below is a list of question that may help you select a research topic: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
Do you feel strongly about a current issue in your academic domain? Did you recently read a journal that may have caught your attention? Do you have a personal issue that you might want an answer to? Why does this topic interest you or a selected population? Who has provided information about this topic and will benefit from reading about your topic? What are the different opinions that already exist about your topic? Where will be your topic and the information it’ll provide most valued? Which time frame does your topic hold the maximum importance? What will be the restrictions you wish you set for your research question? (Geography, time, culture, discipline, population group, etc.)