Choosing a research topic

Bola Ola

Choosing a research paper topic

Requires one to learn about: the language of the internet, the power of imagination, information literacy, organizing skills, higher level reading skills, and discerning motives, among others. It gives the researcher an opportunity to explore their personal interests with enthusiasm.

Getting Research Ideas

Becoming an Active Reader and Listener It is very important to make the transition from the passive mode of learning that traditional lecture courses encourage to an active and critical learning style.

Ask yourself these canonical questions:

Whenever you read technical material, or listen to a research talk: From where did the author seem to draw the ideas? What exactly was accomplished by this piece of work? How does it seem to relate to other work in the field? What would be the reasonable next step to build upon this work? What ideas from related fields might be brought to bear upon this subject?

Other ?s
What is the Research Question in the Study? Did the Researcher Focus on the Wrong Group/subjects? Did the Research Leave Some Group or Something Out? Is the Methodology Faulty? Were the Findings Faulty? Can I Pursue the Authors Recommendation for Future Research? What Are the Limitations of the Study?

One technique that some find helpful

keep a written log of technical reading and listening. Review it periodically to see if some of the ideas begin to fit together. Set aside some time every week for trying to generate research ideas.

Some possible catalysts are:

Make a weekly effort to read at least the abstracts from the premier journals in your field. Choose an article or two to read in depth and critique. Make a weekly search to find preprints in your field. Read selectively and critique. Attend a research seminar or colloquium series. Listen and critique.

Logging habit
Add these to your log, and ask the canonical questions. As you review the log 6 months from now, you may find something that has become important to you but was beyond you when you first encountered it.

Taking a step from a general subject area

You may have to start by thinking only of a general subject area, and thereafter your goal is to narrow and focus your subject until, you come up with a research topic, which is often stated in the form of a question.

Subject and topic

A subject is a broad area of interest from which a more specific topic can be chosen. A research topic, therefore, is a relatively narrow area of interest that can be thoroughly researched and discussed within the page length guidelines given by your instructor.

Examples of subjects and topics are given below:

SUBJECT Elementary education TOPIC "What are effective methods for teaching children how to read? "What are the effects of corporate ownership and media monopolies on news reporting and editorial freedom?"

Journalism

Open-minded approach
Notice that each of the two research topic examples are open-ended questions, i.e. they are phrased in such a way that the researcher is deliberately inviting different perspectives. This open-minded approach to all viewpoints is essential.

Beware
If you begin your research with your conclusions and point of view already determined, you are not undertaking a true research project in the sense it's being described in this course. You would very likely fall victim to research bias, a flawed approach in which you only consider information and evidence that supports your preconceived opinion and ignore information and evidence that does not.

Beware
It is only after reading broadly, carefully gathering and evaluating several viewpoints and types of evidence that you can feel justified about reaching your own conclusions and expressing them in a concise thesis statement.

What are the broad areas in psychiatry?

Old age, child and adolescent, community, psycho-substance use disorders, forensic, psychopharmacology, and genetics are some areas to mention just a few. Another layer perspective may be preventive, treatment, rehabilitation, and stigma.

some suggestions that may spark ideas:

Choose a subject that interests you. The more curiosity you have about an area, the more enthusiasm and motivation you'll bring to the project, which will in turn be reflected in the quality of your work. You're going to be spending so much time with this project, and your quality of life will be much better if these hours are spent enjoyably.

So
What's more, the quality of your research, writing, and arguments will be much better if you feel genuine passion for your work. Choose a topic you find both fascinating and socially significant. Never let someone pressure you into writing about a certain topic!

Pick a topic that will be helpful in your career path.

If your goal is an academic career, pick a topic that you can easily modify into journal articles or a book, and that will lend itself well to future research. If you want to work at a teaching oriented institution, consider a topic you can use in the classroom.

Find a topic that establishes your niche in your field.

Do your research and find a topic that fits into existing bodies of literature, but that builds upon theory and expands it.

Think carefully before you choose a controversial topic.

Academics are a sensitive lot, and in every field there are certain topics and positions that will send highly educated people into intellectual temper tantrums. This doesn't mean you should avoid topics that push people's buttons. However, if you choose a controversial topic, think carefully about whether it might restrict your employment, tenure, or publishing opportunities.

Pick a topic that you already have some expertise about.

This will help preserve your sanity and get you out the door faster. This isn't the time to explore a brand new area. Along the way, be active in your research groups and write papers that will help you write your dissertation or thesis.

Pick a manageable topic.

This is a huge project, but it isn't your life's research. A good advisor will help you narrow down your topic so that you don't remain in residency for many long years

Browsing for ideas

Browsing the internet, your textbooks, lecture notes, current journals, and annual review sources may give you ideas. Preliminary reading in these types of sources will familiarize you with your subject area and help you gain a sense of its scope and complexity. Write down any key words or concepts that may be of interest to you. Could these terms help be used to form a more focused research topic?

Your topic as a statement and select the main concepts

Once you have your topic, write it out as a short sentence or question and look at the different components that make up your statement. The research statement "Is memory loss related to aging?" has two main concepts: 1) memory loss 2) aging

Start making a list of words to describe your topic:

The Reference Desk can help you find specialized dictionaries and thesauri to define unfamiliar terms and quickly build a useful list of key words to search on. For example, the topic "Is memory loss related to aging?" might have key words that fall into two general categories: 1) memory loss or amnesia or Alzheimer's. 2) aging or aged or elderly, seniors

Conduct a preliminary exploration of your subject

Now that you have decided on a general subject area for your research, it is important to gain a sense of what your subject area entails. In other words, what is your subject all about and how much information exists on this subject?

More precisely, you should ask yourself the following questions:

What area of study does it fall into? How has this subject developed or changed over time? What key concepts and terms are used in this subject area? What are some of the currently disputed or controversial questions concerning this subject? Who are the key thinkers and researchers in this area? What are some of the key publications in this subject?

Narrow and shape your subject into a specific topic

At this stage of the process, you should be able to articulate at least a tentative topic for your research project. Beware of choosing a topic that is too narrow or too broad. A good rule of thumb to remember is this: If there are entire books written about your topic, it is too broad for a research paper. Conversely, if your research question can be fully answered in a few paragraphs, your topic is too limited.

Also
Also beware of choosing a topic that is too recent, obscure, or specialized for you to find published material in a variety of formats. If, however, you initially choose a topic that is too narrow, too broad, or too esoteric, keep in mind that zeroing in on an appropriate topic can sometimes continue well into later stages of the research process.

Research topic in ? form

As stated earlier, research topics are often stated in the form of a question. For example, "How does illegal immigration affect the United States economy?" When phrasing your research topic, keep in mind it will usually include at least two aspects or main ideas, often referred to as concepts.

Another example
For example, you may have chosen law as your general subject, in particular criminal justice. After some preliminary research and background reading, you might discover that one major area of debate is the death penalty and whether or not it provides a deterrent to violent crime. Your first concept is death penalty. The second concept is violent crime rates.

Concepts in relation to each other

The two (or often three) concepts in relation to each other as follows: "The effect of ___(concept #1)___ on ___(concept #2)___ ." "The role of ___(concept #1)___ in ___(concept #2)___ ." "The use of ___(concept #1)___ in ___(concept #2)___ ."

Example
After conducting your preliminary topic exploration in the subject area of criminal justice and finding a particular focus that interests you, a plausible research topic is: "The effect of the death penalty on violent crime rates in Nigeria." _____(concept #1)______(concept #2) Reword this topic in the form of a question, it now becomes: "How does the death penalty affect violent crime rates in Nigeria?"

Formulate a thesis statement

Write your topic as a thesis statement. This may be the answer to your research question and/or a way to clearly state the purpose of your research. Your thesis statement will usually be one or two sentences that states precisely what is to be answered, proven, or what you will inform your audience about your topic. The development of a thesis assumes there is sufficient evidence to support the thesis statement.

For example, a thesis statement could be:

Frank Lloyd Wright's design principles, including his use of ornamental detail and his sense of space and texture opened a new era of American architecture. His work has influenced contemporary residential design. The title of your paper may not be exactly the same as your research question or your thesis statement, but the title should clearly convey the focus, purpose and meaning of your research. For example, a title could be: Frank Lloyd Wright: Key Principles of Design For the Modern Home

Testing the question

This is critical, not least because many researchers are simply too close to their research to see it, objectively, for what it is. Edward Huth, a distinguished editor of the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommended two crucial tests of any research question: The who cares? test and The so what? test.

First test
The who cares? test involves presenting your research idea to trusted colleagues and obtaining their reaction to its likely relevance, utility or interest. Candid responses at this stage, particularly if the question fails the test, can save much work and disappointment at a later stage.

The so what? test

The so what? test is also important because it involves considering the implications of your research, when it is completed. Again colleagues can help with this, and if the study that you have conceived is likely to do no more than satisfy your own intellectual curiosity, it may be worth thinking about how potential assessors of this research would regard work unlikely to produce a useful message.

Think of the who, what, when, where and why questions:

WHY did you choose the topic? What interests you about it? WHO are the information providers on this topic? Who might publish information about it? Who is affected by the topic? Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic? WHAT are the major questions for this topic? Is there a debate about the topic? Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider? WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national or international level? Are there specific places affected by the topic? WHEN is/was your topic important? Is it a current event? Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Where does your ? fit within the literature on the subject?

The existing literature in your area of choice, for all its interest, depth, gaps, faults, brevity or complexity, represents the relevant tradition of scholarly enquiry against which your own contribution will be measured. That body of data, received opinion and methodology will normally go beyond the limits of your own knowledge. The issue you have to determine is whether you are contributing to that body of scholarship. Are you going to add something of value? Does the question you are formulating have the capacity to generate original answers?

Clinical research by nature...

1. Evaluates occurrence or presence of a disease (or an attitude, behavior etc.) (incidence /

prevalence studies)
2. Evaluates etiological factors of a disease (or

attitudes, behaviors etc.) or factors influencing

outcomes (prognostic studies) 3. Evaluates a diagnostic test 4. Evaluates a therapeutic intervention

Study design too may shape feasibility

Hospital or Community study Hospital: PHC, General, Teaching Hospital or Specialist Hospital: outpatient or patients on admission; new or old patients Community: urban or rural etc. Observational or experimental; longitudinal or cross-sectional; prospective or retrospective

After all said and

*Find a study that has already been done and duplicate that study. Replication is an important part of the research process. -or *Find a study that has already been done and replicate it using new definitions of some of the variables in the study. -or *Find a study that has already been done and replicate it using additional moderator or control variables -or-

After all said and

*Find an existing study and develop a different way to test the hypothesis -or *Follow an authors suggestions for further research needed usually found at the end of an article -or *Contact the author of an interesting study using the internet for ideas for further study -or *Choose a problem, analyze it, and invent a completely new study -or *Use a combination of the above techniques