Research topic: what is it and how to choose it correctly?

Choosing a good one research topic is one of the first tasks that every researcher must complete at the beginning of their career and especially when completing a dissertation or research project.

Therefore, in this article we have put together everything you need to know to ensure that your choice of topic is sufficiently justified to be able to carry out your project successfully.

What is a research topic?

A research topic is an idea or area of ​​interest that is typically established at the beginning of a research project and serves as a guide for the researchers' remaining work.

Research topics provide a focus and help researchers identify important areas and ways to research and analyse those areas.

In general, the choice of a topic in academic research should be related to something that can be found in the existing literature and have a narrow enough focus so that the key concepts are fairly clear and well integrated.

In addition, the topic should be of interest or relevance to the research area and can be addressed within a limited time and resource framework.

The importance of the research topic

A well-defined topic is the starting point that enables a successful and manageable research design. Researchers often need to set manageable boundaries in their work, even when identifying areas for future research.

So choosing a topic helps to set appropriate boundaries for research, which are important to ensure that it can be carried out within a certain time frame and that the necessary resources are available.

5 criteria for selecting a research topic

If you want to know how to choose a research topic, you should make sure it meets the following criteria:

1. The topic is interesting

An interesting topic will maintain the interest of the researcher and participants throughout the process.
To determine whether a topic is interesting or not, one must be able to identify current trends, problems and norms. In addition, a good topic is interesting because it has theoretical or practical significance.
The chosen topic should correspond to the researcher's current level of knowledge.

2. The topic is researchable

A researchable topic means that it can be effectively addressed through data collection and subsequent analysis.
Therefore, when choosing a topic, make sure that there is enough data that you can collect and/or use. It should not be just a matter of opinion, but should be able to be studied using a clear research methodology that allows you to arrive at reliable results.

3. The topic makes sense

A meaningful topic contributes in some way to the improvement or understanding of scientific research, whether in educational theory or practice. In other words, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge.

4. The topic is manageable

A manageable topic is consistent with the researcher's level of research skills, resource needs, and time constraints.
If you e.g. For example, if you are conducting an ethnographic study, you should not choose a topic that would take you more than 10 years to complete if you only have 6 months.

5. The topic is clearly formulated

The main idea is that the research topic should be written in simple language. Your topic should read as an idea that can be expressed in simple language that most people can understand.
So stay focused and detailed: don't get lost in the maze of all the possibilities you want to learn about or relate to.

   |  Also learn how to use one Research problem formulated.

5 steps to narrow down the research topic

Now that you know some important criteria for a good research topic, here are the 5 steps you should take to properly define your topic:

1. Choose a general topic

This is the starting point for your research. You don't need to have a specific research question in mind at this point, just a general topic that you want to research.

Remember that there are different Types of research and consider some key aspects you would like to examine:

• Choose a research topic that really interests you.
• Make sure it is relevant to the task.
• Think of something important enough to warrant the research.

2. Assess the feasibility of the research topic and whether it is able to sustain your interest.

In this step, you should ask yourself why you chose the research topic and what interests you about it, what the main issues of this topic are, and what debates and viewpoints you need to take into account.

Find out, how information on this topic is obtained and who might publish information on this topic. You should also find out who is affected by the issue and how important it is, e.g. B. whether it is located at a local, national or international level.

3. Look for background information

Now that you have a general topic in mind, it's time to narrow it down to a specific topic.

In order to narrow down your topic, it is important that you collect background information at the beginning of your research to get an overview of the topic as a whole. In addition we recommend:

• Find out about the key questions and controversies.
• Give an idea of ​​how the topic area relates to other topics.
• Introduce technical vocabulary and key terms of the topic.

4. Translate your interest into a general research question.

Once you've gathered the background information, one of the easiest ways to approach the topic is to frame it as a research question. Remember that research is not passive information, but a search for answers.

5. Modification of the topic

Remember that you will change the research topic throughout the research process, depending primarily on whether:

• Whether there is too much information.
• When there is too little information.
• When new questions arise during the research process that need to be addressed.

   |  Also find out which ones Research methods you can apply in your study.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to choose a research topic and how important this process is to the success of your project, we recommend that you take advantage of the various tools available to you for free.

One of them is QuestionPro, an online survey platform that allows you to systematically collect information through various forms of distribution.

Create a free account now and discover everything you can use to successfully complete your research topic!

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KEYWORDS OF THIS BLOG POST

Research topic | Research | Subject