Knowing where to start is sometimes the hardest part of deciding what to research! This is why we devised a 3-step research plan to help you choose a research topic that is aligned with your unique experiences.
Step 1: Brainstorm
The first step towards developing a research topic is by choosing an area of interest. Spend some time brainstorming your interests, your skills and any problems you want to solve. It can be useful to find research ideas through journaling, staying up to date with current news, reading existing literature or even bringing ideas from your life. Another useful way to brainstorm topic ideas is by discussing with peers, family or supervisors to obtain different perspectives. When you are starting, no idea is too big or too small, make sure you write everything down.
Step 2: Narrow down your topic
The purpose of research is to identify gaps in current research, therefore by creating a narrow research topic you will focus on a niche area and develop a unique but impactful idea. Moreover, narrowing down your topic will enable you to better investigate a specific area of research within the given time constraints. To help narrow your topic, conduct a search of current literature as this will help you determine what has been researched, any limitations and future perspectives.
To help you narrow down your topic, use the 4 W’s: What? Who? Where? When? By doing this you can break down your topic by subject (themes), by demographics (age, occupation, gender, education status), by geographical location (continent, institution) or by time period (past, present, decade).
Step 3: Evaluate your topic
Before you finalise your topic, you must consider the audience your research is for and therefore the type of terminology you may use. Also, evaluate whether your topic is clear, focused and unique as your research should build and improve on current literature. Lastly, your topic should be manageable for your time constraints and depending on resources you may have available.