Tips on Choosing a Research Topic
Research projects are critical to learners for various reasons. For example, conducting this kind of academic exercise helps you understand your coursework. In fact, research is a self-learning process that reminds you of what you learned from your first day in college.
These projects lead to the evaluation and elimination of biases that exist around a particular issue. However, benefiting from research projects is only possible if you choose an excellent research topic. Several qualities are necessary for this topic. Some of them are clarity, brevity, and definitiveness. Unfortunately, many individuals fail when it comes to choosing the subject matter for this exercise. Follow these tips when it comes to selecting a topic.
• Brainstorm and Ask the Experts in the Industry
The first step lies in spending some time brainstorming on possible topics. Think about everything that you have learned on campus. Is there an issue that caught your mind? Is this issue a problem in society that requires a bit of study? Researching on topics that you can tackle is an excellent idea as well. Focus on your books, examine your notes, and listen to your instructors intently. Go to the library.
Read educational materials especially peer-reviewed articles. Find gaps in these materials and explore them as possible topics in your research. Finally, talk to the experts in the industry. Is there a problem that they need to solve? Is there any data that is missing from the industry? Perhaps studying this problem is something that you need to do.
• Select a Highly Specific Topic
Specificity is critical in research projects because it determines the workload and the relevance of what you are doing. Vague topics are irrelevant because implementing the recommendations that will result from the essay is difficult. For example, questions on the usefulness of eating are of little use to academicians. However, the nutritional benefits of consuming oranges regularly may be of interest to nutritionists, dietitians, and people who are trying to lose weight.
More importantly, topics should be compelling. In other words, they should be of interest to society so that they can make an impact on others. Otherwise, spending time and resources on topics that are of little concern to humanity is unnecessary.
• Make Sure That a Sufficient Level of Material Exists
Many people come up with a topic investing time and money in it. They also tell their instructor assuring the instructor that they are working on the subject matter in question. Unfortunately, they take these steps without analyzing the topic carefully. Eventually, they discover that gathering primary data on the issue in question is difficult. Some of the barriers include distance, language differences, and constraints on time. These people realize that secondary data on the topic is difficult to find or nonexistence.
Changing this research topic at this time is a challenging process. In some cases, doing so is impossible if the instructor refuses. Avoiding this situation is possible if you choose a topic that has a sufficient level of literary material.