Research is the edge of human imaginations. It is the tool with which humans are shaping and reshaping the world. Research has made it possible for humanity to excel from the eons of fear and mysteries to an epoch of opportunity and excitement. Ever-evolving research topics are further expanding the scope of human capabilities.
Research has become the badge of exceptional human beings in science, literature, or philosophy. This is the reason that research has gained extreme importance in academic institutions. Students work under top professors to create new things or find efficiently innovative solutions to existing problems.
Research, due to its importance, is now an integral part of all higher education degrees. Candidates need to conduct novel research in their respective fields as a partial obligation for the degree's completion. Hence, the importance of identifying research topics is one of the most crucial decisions in a student's academic career. However, a lot of students struggle to find a worthy research topic.
How to search for a research topic?
Many professors and research supervisor complaint that students come up with either naïve research topic that lacks potential or topics that are already saturated and does not offer any novelty. The reasons they put forward is a student's inability to review the literature and identify research questions with ambiguous answers thoroughly.
Many students consider research a liability hence lacking passion for research. Amongst the prerequisites of research are curiosity, passion, persistence, and observations that hold pole positions. Looking for research topics is not an impossible task, but it requires keen enthusiasm and work-ethics.
Brainstorm ideas for a topic
Brainstorming is the best start for any project. If you seek something exceptionally innovative, then get your head together with your colleagues, professor, or supervisor and search for the ideas and tabulate top ideas that you like. You can start pondering on the questions that remain unanswered or with less credible answers to date.
Sorting out the best ideas
The Premier Dissertations team suggests several brainstorming sessions for more and more ideas on paper. Once all the ideas are scribbled, start pondering on every topic.
- Remove those ideas that are vague or saturated with research in the respective domain.
- Identify the questions with the potential to change the world.
- Create a priority list with the best research ideas, both scope and originality wise.
- Discard other remaining topics.
Check the feasibility of ideas.
Once you have identified the topics that you want to work on, start discussing them with your research supervisor to check the ideas' feasibility and applicability. Check that if your proposed research can be conducted with campus facilities. Thoroughly discuss the scope and originality of the topic.
In several instances, a campus might lack the essential equipment for the research so, keep the methodology and material in the context of available facilitates and availability of materials. Otherwise, the research cost might increase from available funding, and financial difficulties may lead to altering your research midway.
Extensive literature
Once you have shortlisted two or three topics, start reading about the already available literature on relevant topics. It would help if you focused on that because it is an essential help in charting out the methodology for your work and justifying and defending your thesis. A literature review will also help you see the topic from different perspectives.
Compatibility with personality
Many students make a common mistake to choose a topic that does not resonate with their personality and don't care about the topic. Such students might suffer as they are prone to lose interest halfway and fail their dissertation ideas. So, it is essential to choose a topic that resonates with your interests and personality.