This document discusses various aspects of choosing a research topic, including: - It is important to choose a topic you are interested in that is complex yet compelling. The topic should set the stage for your future research career. - Generating ideas from course materials, news, the internet, advisors and literature. Attributes of a good topic include being feasible within the given resources and timeframe, and being worthwhile and providing new insights. - Narrowing a topic by asking questions to refine the focus. Choosing a researchable question that is fact-based, relevant and action-oriented to provide direction for the research process.

1. Hafiz Muzzammel
BZU, Lahore Campus

2. It is really important to do the right research
as well as to do the research right.
You need to do ‘wow’ research, research that
is compelling, not just interesting.
George Springer,
chairman of the aeronautics and astronautics department at Stanford University

3.  Choosing a research problem to work on is a tough
decision to make, and the relevant advice is rather
infrequent.

4. Choosing Research Topic
 Identifying the right research area, and the right research
topic.
 The right topic will be interesting to you, complex, and
compelling.
 The research you do as a student will set the stage for your
research as future research and career.
 Choosing the right topic as a student will help you insure
that your research will be viable in the future.

5. There is nothing new under the sun!
Stealing from one source is plagiarism, while stealing from many is
research
Jacob Kraicer, U Toronto
Getting ideas for your topic

6. Getting ideas for your topic
 Course Material: Go back over lecture notes or textbook
chapters to find a topic.
 Brain Storming : Take the general topic and create a
concept map for it. From there you may find some aspect
of the topic you would like to explore.
 News: Yahoo News, CNN.com, local broadcast news all
cover recent events and may pique your interest for further
exploration of the story.
 Internet: There are many reliable educational and current
event resources available on the Web that are excellent
sources of ideas for selecting research topics. Keep in mind
that because of the open nature of the Web, many
resources vary in quality.

7. Getting ideas for your topic
 Advisor/ Committee members/ colleagues
 Reading literature/publications
 Library/internet
 Conferences/seminars
 Look what has been funded, who gets funded and by
whom?
 Draw inspiration from anywhere you can
 What is a great idea?

8. Formulating and clarifying your research topic
The important steps
 Identifying the attributes of a good research topic
 Generating ideas that help you select a suitable
topic
 Turning ideas into clear research questions and
objectives
 Writing your research proposal

9. Attributes of a good research topic (1)
Capability: is it feasible?
 Are you fascinated by the topic?
 Do you have the necessary research skills?
 Can you complete the project in the time available?
 Will the research still be current when you finish?
 Do you have sufficient financial and other resources?
 Will you be able to gain access to data?

10. Attributes of a good research topic (2)
Appropriateness: is it worthwhile?
 Will the examining institute's standards be met?
 Does the the topic contain issues with clear links to
theory?
 Are the research questions and objectives clearly
stated?
 Will the proposed research provide fresh insights into
the topic?
 Are the findings likely to be symmetrical?
 Does the research topic match your career goals?

11. Attributes of a good research topic (3)
And - (if relevant)
Does the topic relate clearly to an idea
you were given -
possibly by your organisation ?

12. I wish, I would have thought of it, first!
 Need based (~50%)
 Solving a problem that exists
 Something is unknown so fill in the gap
 He/she did it and I will repeat in my lab
 Less chance of survival
 INNOVATIVE IDEA!
 Try to think big and out of the box!!!

13. PI: the Principle InvestigatorSimple very complex
Doable Fundable Impossible
•Is it worth doing?
•Can the PI do it?
•Is the timetable realistic?
•Is it institutional priority?
•Is the money asked for sufficient?
•Does the PI work alone or with others in the community?
•Cross the borders! Shake hands but keep some reviewers
•Make the idea palatable, interesting to strangers
•Once in a blue moon, you will get idea that will shake the foundation!

14. Choose an interesting topic
There is more motivation to do a research assignment if
there is genuine interest in the topic. If the research
assignment is unrestricted, relate the topic to some
personal experience or issue of personal relevance. If you
have no personal interest in the assigned topic, pick an
aspect of the topic you are curious to know more about.

15. You’ve been assigned a research paper, or you’ve
chosen a subject that’s interesting to you.
How do you figure out what part of your subject to
research? There are so many possibilities!
You need to focus.
Narrow your subject to a
specific topic that is suitable
for research.

16. Apprehension of Topic Selection
 Settling a research topic is often a low point even
for the most successful students
 Why? Because it is very important!
 It’s the next two (or three) years of your life
 It will define the area for your job search
 You may be working in the same area (or a
derivative) for years after

17. Things to Consider
 Do you have a “preassigned” research advisor or do
you have to find one?
 What kind of job are you interested in?
 Teaching, gov’t lab, industry
 What are your strengths? weaknesses?
 What drives you? bores you?
 Technology, puzzles, applications, interdisciplinary

18. More Things to Consider
 Does your advisor know anything about the
topic? What is your advisor’s style?
 Are you more comfortable working as part of a
team or alone?
 Do you (i.e., your advisor) have funding for you
to work in the area?

20. 1) Flash of Brilliance Model
 You wake up one day with a new insight/idea
 New approach to solve an important open
problem
 Warnings:
 This rarely happens
 Even if it does, you may not be able to find an
advisor who agrees

21. 2) The Apprentice Model
 Your advisor has a list of topics
 Suggests one (or more!) that you can work on
 Can save you a lot of time/anxiety
 Warnings:
 Don’t work on something you find boring,
fruitless, badly-motivated,…
 Several students may be working on the
same/related problem

22. 3) The Phoenix Model
 You work on some projects and think very hard
about what you’ve done looking for insights
 Re-implement in a common framework
 Identify an algorithm/proof problem inside
 The topic emerges from your work
 Especially common in systems
 Warnings:
 You may be working without “a topic” for a long
time

23. 4) The Stapler Model
 You work on a number of small topics that turn
into a series of conference papers
 E.g., you figure out how to apply a technique (e.g.,
ILP) to a number of key problems in an area
 You figure out somehow how to tie it all together,
create a chapter from each paper, and put a big
staple through it
 Warnings:
 May be hard/impossible to find the tie

24. 5) The Synthesis Model
 You read some papers from other subfields in
computer science/engineering or a related field
(e.g., biology)
 And look for places to apply insight from another
(sub)field to your own
 E.g., databases to compilers
 Warnings:
 You can spend a career reading papers!
 You may not find any useful connections

25. 6) The Expanded Term Project
Model
 You take a project course that gives you a new
perspective
 E.g., theory for systems and vice versa
 The project/paper combines your research project
with the course project
 One (and ½) project does double duty
 Warnings:
 This can distract from your research if you can’t
find a related project/paper

26. Don’t be Afraid to Take Risks
 Switching areas/advisors can be risky
 May move you outside your advisor’s area of
expertise
 You don’t know the related work
 You are starting from scratch
 But it can be very refreshing!
 Recognize when your project isn’t working
 Remember, its hard to publish negative results

27. Phases of the research process
(Norwood, 2000)
Thinking
-identifying
problem & purpose
-reviewing literature Planning
-Choosing study
design & planning
approach to sample,
data collection etc.
Implementing
- Recruiting
participants &
collecting data
Analyzing
- analyze data and
interpret findings
Informing
-disseminating results
(journal articles,
presentations etc.)

28. Steps in identifying a research problem
5. Identify the purpose for your study
4. Identify a research problem
3. Narrow your topic
1. Outline areas of interest
2. Choose a topic
Observe your
environment
Be curious
Ask questions
Read about your
interests
Talk to your
Colleagues
Find out what
others are
doing

29. 1. Areas of Interest
 Start with an area you are familiar with
 Begin broadly and think of things that interest
you in your practice
• What do you find frustrating?
Perplexing?
• What do you think works well?
What could be improved?
 Be creative and try to “think outside the box”
 Brainstorm about general areas of interest
 Write down all your thoughts and ideas

30. 2. Choosing your topic
1. Significance/relevance: Is this an important
problem for nurses/nursing practice? Is it
timely?
2. Gaps: What is already known about the
topic? Have others already examined this
issue? Is more research needed?
3. Interest: Is this something you would like to
explore further?
 Choose one area of interest
as a topic you will focus on
 To help you select a topic consider:

31. 3. Narrowing your topic
 Refine your topic by becoming more specific
about what you are interested in
 Pose some questions about your topic to help
you narrow your focus
 Polit & Beck (2008) suggest some question stems
to use to assist in refining your topic
 What is going on with….
 What is the meaning of…
 What influences or causes…
 What is the process by which….
 What factors contribute to….
 How effective is…..

32. Narrowing your topic:
Choosing a researchable question
 Narrow down the questions you have posed by
eliminating those that are not researchable
 According to Brink & Wood (2001)
researchable questions are
 Focused on fact not opinion – answers will help to
describe or explain a phenomenon
 “Now” questions - deal with current, significant
issues
 Relevant - Generate useable information
 Action oriented - usually require you to do
something and provide direction for the rest of the
research process.

33. 5. Identifying the research problem
 To decide on your research problem consider
the potentially researchable questions about
your topic you identified earlier
 Select one that you would like to explore in
more depth
 In choosing your focus consider
 Your interests
 The literature
 Feasibility of studying the problem

34. Moving from the problem
to a research project: Next steps
 Reviewing and critiquing the literature
related to your problem
 Find out what is known
 Identify approaches to studying the problem
 Consider theoretical approaches to studying the problem
 Further refine your problem & purpose
 Move to the planning phase of your study

35. 37
Robert Smith, “Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences”
1. Can it be enthusiastically pursued?
2. Can interest be sustained by it?
3. Is the problem solvable?
4. Is it worth doing?
5. Will it lead to other research problems?
6. Is it manageable in size?
7. What is the potential for making an original
contribution to the literature in the field?
11 points to consider in finding and
developing a research topic.

36. 38
8. If the problem is solved, will the results be reviewed
well by scholars in your field?
9. Are you, or will you become, competent to solve it?
10. By solving it, will you have demonstrated
independent skills in your discipline?
11. Will the necessary research prepare you in an area of
demand or promise for the future?
11 points to consider in finding
and developing a research topic.