Selecting a Research Topic: A Framework for Doctoral Students - Phdassistance.com
                     SELECTING A  
RESEARCH TOPIC: A  
FRAMEWORK FOR  
DOCTORAL 
STUDENTS
An Academic presentation by
Dr. Nancy Agens, Head, 
Technical  Operations, 
Phdassistance  Group
www.phdassistance.com  Email: 
[email protected]
TODAY'S 
DISCUSSION
Outline
Introduction
Don ’t know Where to Start
Framework to Select a Research Topic for Doctoral 
Student  Conclusion
Introduction
A Doctor of Philosophy is the highest university degree in 
 the academic domain all around the world.
Research says that one of the important reasons for failure 
 and dropout is poor dissertation topic selection.
The PhD Dissertation Topic Selection is the basis of the 
 entire research work.
So it is essential to select a good topic for the dissertation.  
This article clearly elaborates the structural framework for
 Doctoral Dissertation Topic Selection.
How to Choose 
 a Good  
Research Topic
Don’t know This is the first hurdle for a PhD Scholar and it is  
 Where to  completely fine even if you're facing the same situation.
Start?
In the due course of the learning process, the scholar 
 gets a broad perspective, clear idea and better  
understanding about the subject.
This will eventually lead to the scholar to select a best 
 dissertation topic for his/her research work.
If the scholar is working independently without a mentor, 
 scholars can utilize the PhD Topic Consultation  
Service on the online for guidance and feedback.
Research Process
Framework to  
Select a  
This is the first phase in selecting a research topic for your 
Research Topic  research work.
 for Doctoral  
Student The research scholar brainstorms the general research 
 topics of genuine interest to him/her.
1. Brainstorm  Generally, it takes 3 to 5 years to complete a phd degree so 
Research Topics  it is advisable to select a topic of scholar’s interest.
 in your Field of 
 Interest This phase is more oriented towards thinking, recalling, 
 understanding and finding your area of interest.
Contd..
Brainstorming: When reading or studying about a  
topic of your interest, always have a pen in your  
hand and take down the key points simultaneously.
T hink out of the box: Revolutionary ideas 
arise  only when the scholar thinks from a 
different  perspective.
Discussion with your partner: Your  
understanding and confidence level will increase if 
 you share your ideas with your partner.
Ask “WHY”: Before selecting something, always 
 ask why?
2.  Preliminary Literature Review is carried out to find the 
Preliminary feasibility  of the selected PhD dissertation topics & thesis 
 Literature  ideas.
Review This phase gives a clear-cut idea and bigger picture about the 
 selected topic.
 ACCESSIBILITY AND AVAILABILITY OF SOURCES:
These two factors play a vital role in developing good
research work.
It is important to check the availability of sources and  
accessibility to the available source to proceed forward with 
 the selected topic.
Contd..
 NARROW DOWN YOUR TOPIC:
The scholar should narrow down the topic and focus on a specific area for his/her
research work.
 FIGURE OUT THE PROBLEM STATEMENTS:
The scholar should figure out a problem statement for the selected topic or the
existing gaps in the previous research works.
3. Develop 
 Your  This phase is purely created to formulate research questions for 
Research   the generated problem statements in the previous phase.
Quest ion
s The scholar can also use the online dissertation topic selection 
 service forums for Dissertation Topic Selection Guidance.
Here is a list of guidelines to followed while developing a
research question:
Make sure that your question is valid and answerable.  
Ensure that your question is clear, simple and manageable.
Contd..
Ensure that your question is worth answering.
Make sure that your question demands an answer about the missing gaps of 
 previous research work.
Devise a question in such a way that it demands an answer addressing the 
 idea to overcome the listed problem statement.
Don't develop a hypothetical question.
4.
Formulate 
Formulating your ideas into a theory for the problem statement 
 Your  
 is the next phase in the selection of the research topic.
Theory for 
 the  
The scholar cannot solve the problems unless he/she
Problem  approaches it strategically.
Statement
Break down the problem statement into smaller pieces.
Magnify and solve the smaller problems.  
Integrate the solved piece and create a theory.
5.
Consul
This is the final phase where the scholar collectively 
t  with  
 presents the entire data about the selected topic to  
Your  
his/her mentor.
Mentor
Your mentor might exactly know the advantages,  
disadvantages, feasibility and other facts & information 
 about the selected topic which you’re unaware of.
So, it is highly recommendable to seek dissertation 
 topic selection assistance from your mentor.
Conclusio
n As quoted by the famous American humorist Mark Twain, 
 “good decisions come from experience.
Experience comes from bad decisions,” similarly a good 
 topic can be selected only out of experience and  
continuous iteration.
This article conclusive illustrates the framework to select a 
 research topic for doctoral students.
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