Choosing a Research Topic

 

Choosing a Research Topic

The choice of a topic involves identifying a general subject area, defining a topic and narrowing it, and stating the topic as a question or hypothesis.  The students who choose a subject with regard to his own interests, his abilities, the availability of materials, the length of the paper to be written, and any other considerations which the instructor may suggest. On the basis of his existing knowledge, and of a quick survey of the resources of his library, he should then limit his subject as precisely as possible, realizing that he meet and probably will have to make further adjustment later.

 

A source of selecting a topic

you can employ one of the following methods to make your choice:

• Reading a magazine article:  a current news magazine can Direct you to a subject that interests you in order to lead you into a research project.
• Drawing upon past experiences:  personal experiences such as travel on direct observations may lead to a subject.
• Relying on previous knowledge: books, academic courses and the previous research projects can sometimes provide you with an appropriate subject.  If you have read a book, some of its ideas may direct you towards a topic an earlier research project may have suggested ideas that you were unable to first you all the time; review or harry working of an earlier report or paper may meet need to a new research work.
• Communication with others: conversations discussions and even argument can be there geniuses of research papers this cussing ideas in a group or with a friend you might hear an approach to an old problem that could evolve into a subject.
• Using references works and guides: reading about a particular subject or several topics in a general reference work such as encyclopedia can give you a general idea and lend use ground for the investigation. Some books on research include lists of suggestions for research paper Projects.

 

 what to avoid in choosing a subject?

1.     Conversational subjects

2.     Highly technical subjects

3.     Distasteful subjects

4.     Subjects hard to investigate

5.     Subjects that are too Broad

6.     Subject that are too narrow

7.     Vague or up secure subject

8.     Too contemporary recent subjects

Criteria for selecting a topic

• Interest: you must be keen on the subject because you will be widely and deeply involved with the investigation of your research project.  If you are bored, your paper will reveal unhappy facts.
• Importance: naturally, you will want to devote your time to a topic of considerable importance and interest to your readers. Your instructor or adviser should confirm the importance of your topic, and your paper should convince readers of it is significance.
• Background: you must have that around to treat the subject you should not be away from new subject you had better to handle such subjects with adequate preparation
• Availability of resources: you should choose a subject about which adequate information is available in a variety of sources. You must be able to locate the importance forces with a minimum of difficulty.
• Objectivity:  you should keep in mind that the research paper is impersonal in nature.  You should be sure that your work is not subjective and argumentative.
• Appropriateness:  this can be applied this through the certainty of the sources of tenable whether they are primary or secondary. Research writing requires accurate facts and evidence to support your work project contents.
• Manageability: careful limiting of a topic will help you contact research successfully. If a topic is too vague or broad, to narrow or too specialized you may not be able to find enough suitable material.

 

in a brief the topic for a research paper must meet three demands 

1.     it must examine a significant issue

2.     it must address and knowledgeable reader and carry that reader to another   plateau of knowledge

3.     it must have a serious purpose analyses of the issues reduce from a position and explains complex details.

Restricting the subject

    documented and accurate fact and evidence to support your research project.  Vague, indefinite statements about a too expensive, too generalized subject will lead you to an effective paper.  your judgement and opinions will persuade your audience effectively on directly is supported by a clear on specific detail and reference material.   Thus, you can narrow the general subject to a specific topic through the following techniques: 

1. Meeting the needs of your audience
2. Determining your writing situation
3. Developing a preliminary thesis
4. Narrowing and focusing comparison topics
5. Restricting and narrowing disciplinary topics
6. Narrowing the topic to match source materials.

 

References:

Atallah, Dhuha. (2011). A Course in Library and Research Work. College of Basic Education/ Al-Mustansiriah University.