The document discusses selecting a research topic and defining a research problem. It explains that selecting a topic is difficult for novice researchers due to limited experience. A research topic can have many aspects, and the specific aspect being investigated is the research problem. A research problem can be an interesting phenomenon to study, factors that affect it, or an idea or argument that needs supporting. The document also provides a diagram of how topics are selected within a field of study, discusses qualities of a good topic like being investigable and significant, and provides an example scale for evaluating and selecting between multiple topics.

1. Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry
Research Methods
1
- Selecting a research topic
- What is Research Problem?
- Problems associated with topic selection
- A diagram showing how a topic is selected in relation to a
field of study
- A scale of selection among topics
- Difficulties in selecting topics and suggestions for
overcoming them
Lecture 2

2. 2
Selecting a research topic
Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry
Selecting a research topic is the most difficult stage in conducting a research
among novice researchers. This is due to their limited experience in
understanding how research is conducted.
The research topic may consist of many aspects that can be individually
investigated. A specific aspect is referred to as “the research problem” on
which the research is undertaken.
Research Methods
2
The term problem literally refers to a manifested personal or social
difficulty that needs to be solved. However, the problem in research
terminology could be an interesting phenomenon that requires certain
type of investigation or something that motivates researchers’ interest to
find out what it consists of, how it operates, what factors affect it ….. and
so on. In addition, The research problem may not exist, then It comes as a
person interest in the mind of the researcher. It can be viewed in terms of
relationship between two variables (to be discussed later) or idea or
argument that needs to be proven or supported.
What is Research Problem?

3. Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry
Research Methods
3
Problems associated with topic selection
Questions to be asked in selecting a topic:
1) Can the selected topic be investigated?
(Doability)
2) Is the selected topic important enough to be investigated?
(Significance)
3) Is the selected topic big enough to be a research topic?
(Qualification)
4) Is the selected topic specific enough to be investigated
thoroughly? (Focus)

4. A diagram showing how a topic is selected
in relation to a field of study
Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry
Research Methods
Field of Study e.g. Language
Subject
Literature
Subject
Linguistics
Subject
Translation
Area
Phonology
Area
Morphology
Area
Syntax
Topic
Morphemes
Topic
Affixes
Aspect
Infixes
Aspect
Prefixes
Topic
Borrowing
Aspect
Suffixes

5. A scale of selection among topics
It is the technique that a researcher follows in selecting a topic from a
number of topics. The following is an example of a scale of interest and
importance for five topics. The scale has five scores that indicate the
level of interest and importance:
Dr. Hameed Al-Zubeiry
Research Methods
5
T5
T4
T3
T2
T1
Weighing Points
3
5
4
4
5
Interesting
5
5
1
3
4
Personally important
5
4
5
2
1
Socially important
4
3
5
5
3
Clear
3
5
5
5
5
Doable
3
5
2
2
4
Suitable time
5
3
2
2
1
Pioneering
2
5
2
4
4
Available references
30
39
26
27
27
Total scores
1= extremely not 2= not really 3= to some degree 4= yes 5= very much