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1. How to ChooseHow to Choose
ResearchTopicResearchTopic
Dr Faisal Al Haddad
Consultant of Family Medicine & Occupational Health
Director of Bed Management Department, KFHH
Trainer-Saudi Board of Family Medicine
PHC CBAHI Surveyor

2. Step 1: Brainstorm for ideasStep 1: Brainstorm for ideas
 Choose a topic that interests you
 Do you have a strong opinion on a current medical
controversy?
 Did you read a newspaper article, or see a TV
broadcast recently that piqued your curiosity?
 Do you have a personal issue, problem, or interest
you'd like to know more about?
 Is there an aspect of one of your courses you are
interested in learning more about?

3. Step 2: Read generalStep 2: Read general
background informationbackground information
Read a general information on the topic you are
considering to get an overview of the topic.
 If you can't find an article on your topic, try using
broader terms and ask for help from a librarian.
Use online databases to scan current articles on
the topic.
Use web search engines to find web sites on the
topic.

4. Step 3: Focus in on your topicStep 3: Focus in on your topic
 Keep it manageable. A topic will be very difficult to research if it is
too broad, or too narrow.
◦ Lung cancer
◦ Risk factors of lung cancer in Saudi Arabia
◦ Risk factors of lung cancer in Saudi Arabia among males aged 40 to 60
 One way to narrow a broad topic is to limit your topic:
◦ by geographic region
◦ by time frame
◦ by population group
 If you have any uncertainties about the focus of your topic:
◦ discuss your topic with your instructor
◦ discuss your topic with a librarian

5. Step 4: Make a list of usefulStep 4: Make a list of useful
keywordskeywords
Look for words that best describe your topic.
Find synonyms, broader and narrower terms
for each keyword you find in order to expand
your search capabilities
Keep a list of these words to use as keywords
later as you search in catalogs and other online
databases

6. Step 5: Be flexibleStep 5: Be flexible
You may find too much articles and need to
narrow your focus, or too little and need to
broaden your focus.
When researching, you may not wish to
change your topic, but you may decide that
some other aspect of the topic is more
interesting or manageable.

7. Step 6: Define your topic as aStep 6: Define your topic as a
focused research questionfocused research question
You will often begin with a word, develop a
more focused interest in an aspect of
something relating to that word, then begin to
have questions about the topic.
PICO
◦ Population
◦ Intervention
◦ Comparison
◦ Outcome

8. Step 7: Research and readStep 7: Research and read
more about your topicmore about your topic
Use the key words you have gathered to
research in the catalog, article databases and
web search engines
You will need to do some research and reading
before you select your final topic.
Can you find enough information to answer
your research question?

9. Feasibility of the researchFeasibility of the research
Subjects
Data
Time
Fund
Resources

10. Feasibility of the researchFeasibility of the research
Subjects
Data
Time
Fund
Resources