So, you are finally done with your coursework and about to start your dissertation. Or perhaps, you are preparing to write your dissertation proposal and need to find a suitable topic. Either way, choosing a dissertation topic is the most challenging task that you are going to face. As a student, you must be thinking about how on earth you can choose an easy-to-research topic that will go smoothly. Finding such a topic is difficult, but with today’s guide, it will become a lot easier. It is because today’s guide is about describing the top tip or ways you must follow in choosing a good dissertation research topic. Before jumping into the main discussion, let’s discuss why selecting a good is so important.
Why Is Choosing A Dissertation Topic Important?
Choosing a research topic is important in many ways. The first way is that the topic guides you throughout the whole research. It tells you what your research questions are and what your aims are. It also allows identifying what type of research articles you have to use in your research. So, all these things make it imperative to have a good research topic. Also, a good dissertation can only be written if you have a good research topic.
Guidelines On Choosing A Dissertation Research Topic
Within the context of PhD programs, there are numerous approaches to choosing a research topic for PhD dissertation. To offer you some direct insights into this topic, I personally interviewed the top professors of different universities in the UK. So, keep in mind that these guidelines have come directly from their mouths. Hence, a brief description of all the guidelines is as follows:
Get An Understanding Of The Research Process
It may sound like a vague point, but believe me, many students make such mistakes. They skip the fundamental part in the process of selection of a dissertation topic. That fundamental part is understanding the research process. It means that students must pay dear attention to the teacher’s guidelines and requirements.
In order to get this understanding, it is better to start reading any handout and instructions you have been provided with. For example, it can be a course handbook or verbal in-class instructions. Understanding the research process also includes knowing the methods being used in your field. This much understanding will help you a lot in choosing a topic that is worth researching.
Review Previous Dissertations Published In Your Area
It is quite impossible to say that you are taking a completely new course. Every student studies a course that is well established. In this scenario, there will be many, many students who have already passed through this phase. They have selected their topics in the past and have written their dissertations. To select the dissertation research topic, you should review those published dissertations. Also, make sure to read the ones that are relevant to your field. Reading such dissertations will give you a better idea of the research topics.
Now, there is one more question, using which source you can read such pieces of information. The answer is simple. You should frequently visit your university library. Online journals are also the best places for such things.
Start The Dissertation Topic Process By Analysing The Collected Literature
Let’s first take a review of the previous steps. Until now, you have understood the research process, and you know your teacher’s requirements. You have also got an idea of what type of dissertations have been published in the past related to your subject area. As you know all this, you should better start the ideation process of choosing a dissertation topic.
Start the ideation process by critically reviewing the academic literature. Academic literature means everything. It includes your class notes, course modules, and recently published papers in your subject area. The analysis of these things is going to take you one step close to choosing a research topic.
Identify Your Potential Dissertation Research Topics
Now that you have a decent understanding of the literature in your field, it is time to start listing the research topics. To make this list, generally, three approaches are being used worldwide. A brief description of those approaches to make your life easy is as follows:
FRIN Approach: at the end of many journal articles, you might have seen the words “further research.” These words mean that this topic needs to be researched further. So, you can list such topics before.
Uncensored Brainstorming: The second approach is uncensored brainstorming. It does not matter how stupid, feasible, or plan your idea is; just write it down. All that matters at this point is your interest in a topic.
Put An Industry-Specific Spin On The Topics: The third option is to put an industry-specific spin on the theory. Consider the theories that are well established in terms of industry. So, list them also in this process.
Narrow Down, Evaluate, And Make A Decision
The last and the most important step is narrowing down the selected topics. This step is followed by a critical evaluation and then the decision. At first, select 5 topics. It means that among all the topics that you have listed above, select only 5 topics. These topics must be of your interest and relevant to your field. After selecting those topics, evaluate them on the basis of the requirements of your teacher and subject.
The end result of the evaluation process must be in the form of a single dissertation research topic. An important thing to remember here is that you should stick to your decision. Do not change the topic after spending this much time.
Conclusion
Choosing a dissertation research topic is hard. Undoubtedly, you have to research and read a lot to get to one topic that represents your interest. Take all the steps mentioned above to select a worthwhile research topic. If you think you cannot do these steps and need some help, search for dissertation writing services.
