research topic selection process

Selecting a Research Topic: Overview

• Refine your topic
• Background information & facts
• Writing help

Here are some resources to refer to when selecting a topic and preparing to write a paper:

• MIT Writing and Communication Center "Providing free professional advice about all types of writing and speaking to all members of the MIT community."
• Search Our Collections Find books about writing. Search by subject for: english language grammar; report writing handbooks; technical writing handbooks
• Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Online version of the book that provides examples and tips on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other writing rules.
• Select a topic

Choosing an interesting research topic is your first challenge. Here are some tips:

• Choose a topic that you are interested in! The research process is more relevant if you care about your topic.
• If your topic is too broad, you will find too much information and not be able to focus.
• Background reading can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. 
• Review the guidelines on topic selection outlined in your assignment.  Ask your professor or TA for suggestions.
• Refer to lecture notes and required texts to refresh your knowledge of the course and assignment.
• Talk about research ideas with a friend.  S/he may be able to help focus your topic by discussing issues that didn't occur to you at first.
• WHY did you choose the topic?  What interests you about it?  Do you have an opinion about the issues involved?
• WHO are the information providers on this topic?  Who might publish information about it?  Who is affected by the topic?  Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic?
• WHAT are the major questions for this topic?  Is there a debate about the topic?  Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?
• WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national or international level?  Are there specific places affected by the topic?
• WHEN is/was your topic important?  Is it a current event or an historical issue?  Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Table of contents

• Broaden your topic
• Information Navigator home
• Sources for facts - general
• Sources for facts - specific subjects

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Research Process: An Overview: Choosing a Topic

• Choosing a Topic
• Refining Your Topic
• Finding Information
• Evaluating Your Sources
• Database Searching
• APA Citation This link opens in a new window
• Topic selection
• Brainstorm Questions
• Tip: Keywords
• Finding Topic Ideas Online

Read Background Information

Tip: keywords.

Keywords are the main terms that describe your research question or topic.   Keep track of these words so you can use them when searching for books and articles.

• Identify the main concepts in your research question. Typically there should only be two or three main concepts.
• Look for keywords that best describe these concepts.
• You can look for keywords when reading background information or encyclopedia articles on your topic
• Use a thesaurus, your textbook and subject headings in databases to find different keywords.

Related Research Guides

APA Citation

Click through the tabs to learn the basics, find examples, and watch video tutorials.

English Writing Skills

This guide supports academic and business writing, including a basic review of grammar fundamentals, writing guides, video tutorials on business writing, and resources for the TOEFL, IELTS, and PTE exams.

Getting Started

Topic selection.

Choosing your topic is the first step in the research process. Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information. 

For help getting started on the writing process go to the  GGU Online Writing Lab (Writing tutor) where you can set up and appointment with a writing tutor.

#1 Research ti p:  Pick a topic that interests you.  You are going to live with this topic for weeks while you research, read, and write your assignment. Choose something that will hold your interest and that you might even be excited about. Your attitude towards your topic will come across in your writing or presentation!

Brainstorming  is a technique you can use to help you generate ideas. Below are brainstorming exercises and resources to help you come up with research topic ideas. 

Brainstorming Topic Ideas

Ask yourself the following questions to help you generate topic ideas:.

• Do you have a strong opinion on a current social or political controversy?
• Did you read or see a news story recently that has interested you?
• Do you have a personal issue, problem or interest that you would like to know more about?
• Is there an aspect of one of your classes that you would like to learn more about?

Finding Topic Ideas

Topic ideas.

Try the resources below to help you get ideas for possible research topics:

• CQ Researcher Coverage of the most important issues and controversies of the day, including pro-con analysis. Help Video
• Google News This site provides national and international news on a variety of subjects gathered from over 4,000 sources.
• Article & News Databases Use the Library's Articles and News databases to browse contents of current magazines and newspapers. If you do not know how to browse current issues ask a librarian for help.

Background Information

Read an encyclopedia article on the top two or three topics you are considering. Reading a broad summary enables you to get an overview of the topic and see how your idea relates to broader, narrower, and related issues. If you cant find an article on your topic, ask a librarian for help.

• Gale eBooks The Gale Virtual Reference Library contains several business focused encyclopedias such as The Encyclopedia of Management and The Encyclopedia of Emerging Industries which may provide background information on possible topics.
• Article & News Databases Use the Library's Articles and News databases to search for brief articles on your topic ideas.
• SAGE Knowledge Hundreds of encyclopedias and handbooks on key topics in the social and behavioral sciences. User Guide

• SAGE Research Methods

Ask A Librarian

Email questions to [email protected] . 

Available during normal business hours.

LIBRARY HOURS

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• Last Updated: Jan 8, 2024 1:44 PM
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How To Choose A Research Topic

Step-By-Step Tutorial With Examples + Free Topic Evaluator

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | April 2024

Choosing the right research topic is likely the  most important decision you’ll make on your dissertation or thesis journey. To make the right choice, you need to take a systematic approach and evaluate each of your candidate ideas across a consistent set of criteria. In this tutorial, we’ll unpack five essential criteria that will help you evaluate your prospective research ideas and choose a winner.

Overview: The “Big 5” Key Criteria

• Topic originality or novelty
• Value and significance
• Access to data and equipment
• Time limitations and implications
• Ethical requirements and constraints

Criterion #1: Originality & Novelty

As we’ve discussed extensively on this blog, originality in a research topic is essential. In other words, you need a clear research gap . The uniqueness of your topic determines its contribution to the field and its potential to stand out in the academic community. So, for each of your prospective topics, ask yourself the following questions:

• What research gap and research problem am I filling?
• Does my topic offer new insights?
• Am I combining existing ideas in a unique way?
• Am I taking a unique methodological approach?

To objectively evaluate the originality of each of your topic candidates, rate them on these aspects. This process will not only help in choosing a topic that stands out, but also one that can capture the interest of your audience and possibly contribute significantly to the field of study – which brings us to our next criterion.

Criterion #2: Value & Significance

Next, you’ll need to assess the value and significance of each prospective topic. To do this, you’ll need to ask some hard questions.

• Why is it important to explore these research questions?
• Who stands to benefit from this study?
• How will they benefit, specifically?

By clearly understanding and outlining the significance of each potential topic, you’ll not only be justifying your final choice – you’ll essentially be laying the groundwork for a persuasive research proposal , which is equally important.

Criterion #3: Access to Data & Equipment

Naturally, access to relevant data and equipment is crucial for the success of your research project. So, for each of your prospective topic ideas, you’ll need to evaluate whether you have the necessary resources to collect data and conduct your study.

Here are some questions to ask for each potential topic:

• Will I be able to access the sample of interest (e.g., people, animals, etc.)?
• Do I have (or can I get) access to the required equipment, at the time that I need it?
• Are there costs associated with any of this? If so, what are they?

Keep in mind that getting access to certain types of data may also require special permissions and legalities, especially if your topic involves vulnerable groups (patients, youths, etc.). You may also need to adhere to specific data protection laws, depending on the country. So, be sure to evaluate these aspects thoroughly for each topic. Overlooking any of these can lead to significant complications down the line.

Criterion #4: Time Requirements & Implications

Naturally, having a realistic timeline for each potential research idea is crucial. So, consider the scope of each potential topic and estimate how long each phase of the research will take — from literature review to data collection and analysis, to writing and revisions. Underestimating the time needed for a research project is extremely common , so it’s important to include buffer time for unforeseen delays.

Remember, efficient time management is not just about the duration but also about the timing . For example, if your research involves fieldwork, there may specific times of the year when this is most doable (or not doable at all).  So, be sure to consider both time and timing for each of your prospective topics.

Criterion #5: Ethical Compliance

Failing to adhere to your university’s research ethics policy is a surefire way to get your proposal rejected . So, you’ll need to evaluate each topic for potential ethical issues, especially if your research involves human subjects, sensitive data, or has any potential environmental impact.

Remember that ethical compliance is not just a formality – it’s a responsibility to ensure the integrity and social responsibility of your research. Topics that pose significant ethical challenges are typically the first to be rejected, so you need to take this seriously. It’s also useful to keep in mind that some topics are more “ethically sensitive” than others , which usually means that they’ll require multiple levels of approval. Ideally, you want to avoid this additional admin, so mark down any prospective topics that fall into an ethical “grey zone”.

If you’re unsure about the details of your university’s ethics policy, ask for a copy or speak directly to your course coordinator. Don’t make any assumptions when it comes to research ethics!

Key Takeaways

In this post, we’ve explored how to choose a research topic using a systematic approach. To recap, the “Big 5” assessment criteria include:

• Topic originality and novelty
• Time requirements
• Ethical compliance

Be sure to grab a copy of our free research topic evaluator sheet here to fast-track your topic selection process. If you need hands-on help finding and refining a high-quality research topic for your dissertation or thesis, you can also check out our private coaching service .

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• Starting the research process

How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

Published on November 11, 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George. Revised on November 20, 2023.

Choosing your dissertation topic is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:

• Your institution and department’s requirements
• Your areas of knowledge and interest
• The scientific, social, or practical relevance
• The availability of data and resources
• The timeframe of your dissertation
• The relevance of your topic

You can follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.

Table of contents

Step 1: check the requirements, step 2: choose a broad field of research, step 3: look for books and articles, step 4: find a niche, step 5: consider the type of research, step 6: determine the relevance, step 7: make sure it’s plausible, step 8: get your topic approved, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about dissertation topics.

The very first step is to check your program’s requirements. This determines the scope of what it is possible for you to research.

• Is there a minimum and maximum word count?
• When is the deadline?
• Should the research have an academic or a professional orientation?
• Are there any methodological conditions? Do you have to conduct fieldwork, or use specific types of sources?

Some programs have stricter requirements than others. You might be given nothing more than a word count and a deadline, or you might have a restricted list of topics and approaches to choose from. If in doubt about what is expected of you, always ask your supervisor or department coordinator.

Start by thinking about your areas of interest within the subject you’re studying. Examples of broad ideas include:

• Twentieth-century literature
• Economic history
• Health policy

To get a more specific sense of the current state of research on your potential topic, skim through a few recent issues of the top journals in your field. Be sure to check out their most-cited articles in particular. For inspiration, you can also search Google Scholar , subject-specific databases , and your university library’s resources.

As you read, note down any specific ideas that interest you and make a shortlist of possible topics. If you’ve written other papers, such as a 3rd-year paper or a conference paper, consider how those topics can be broadened into a dissertation.

After doing some initial reading, it’s time to start narrowing down options for your potential topic. This can be a gradual process, and should get more and more specific as you go. For example, from the ideas above, you might narrow it down like this:

• Twentieth-century literature   Twentieth-century Irish literature   Post-war Irish poetry
• Economic history   European economic history   German labor union history
• Health policy   Reproductive health policy   Reproductive rights in South America

All of these topics are still broad enough that you’ll find a huge amount of books and articles about them. Try to find a specific niche where you can make your mark, such as: something not many people have researched yet, a question that’s still being debated, or a very current practical issue.

At this stage, make sure you have a few backup ideas — there’s still time to change your focus. If your topic doesn’t make it through the next few steps, you can try a different one. Later, you will narrow your focus down even more in your problem statement and research questions .

There are many different types of research , so at this stage, it’s a good idea to start thinking about what kind of approach you’ll take to your topic. Will you mainly focus on:

• Collecting original data (e.g., experimental or field research)?
• Analyzing existing data (e.g., national statistics, public records, or archives)?
• Interpreting cultural objects (e.g., novels, films, or paintings)?
• Comparing scholarly approaches (e.g., theories, methods, or interpretations)?

Many dissertations will combine more than one of these. Sometimes the type of research is obvious: if your topic is post-war Irish poetry, you will probably mainly be interpreting poems. But in other cases, there are several possible approaches. If your topic is reproductive rights in South America, you could analyze public policy documents and media coverage, or you could gather original data through interviews and surveys .

You don’t have to finalize your research design and methods yet, but the type of research will influence which aspects of the topic it’s possible to address, so it’s wise to consider this as you narrow down your ideas.

It’s important that your topic is interesting to you, but you’ll also have to make sure it’s academically, socially or practically relevant to your field.

• Academic relevance means that the research can fill a gap in knowledge or contribute to a scholarly debate in your field.
• Social relevance means that the research can advance our understanding of society and inform social change.
• Practical relevance means that the research can be applied to solve concrete problems or improve real-life processes.

The easiest way to make sure your research is relevant is to choose a topic that is clearly connected to current issues or debates, either in society at large or in your academic discipline. The relevance must be clearly stated when you define your research problem .

Before you make a final decision on your topic, consider again the length of your dissertation, the timeframe in which you have to complete it, and the practicalities of conducting the research.

Will you have enough time to read all the most important academic literature on this topic? If there’s too much information to tackle, consider narrowing your focus even more.

Will you be able to find enough sources or gather enough data to fulfil the requirements of the dissertation? If you think you might struggle to find information, consider broadening or shifting your focus.

Do you have to go to a specific location to gather data on the topic? Make sure that you have enough funding and practical access.

Last but not least, will the topic hold your interest for the length of the research process? To stay motivated, it’s important to choose something you’re enthusiastic about!

Most programmes will require you to submit a brief description of your topic, called a research prospectus or proposal .

Remember, if you discover that your topic is not as strong as you thought it was, it’s usually acceptable to change your mind and switch focus early in the dissertation process. Just make sure you have enough time to start on a new topic, and always check with your supervisor or department.

If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

• Who is the author? Are they an expert?
• Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
• How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

The best way to remember the difference between a research plan and a research proposal is that they have fundamentally different audiences. A research plan helps you, the researcher, organize your thoughts. On the other hand, a dissertation proposal or research proposal aims to convince others (e.g., a supervisor, a funding body, or a dissertation committee) that your research topic is relevant and worthy of being conducted.

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How to do library research: Selecting a Research Topic

• Refine your Topic
• Background Information & Facts
• Develop Keywords
• Find Books & eBooks
• Quick Article How-To
• Detailed Article How-To
• Evaluating Web Sources
• How to Create an Annotated Bibliography

Consider these early on

Choosing an interesting research topic is your first challenge. Here are some tips:

Choose a topic that you are interested in! The research process is more relevant if you care about your topic.

Narrow your topic to something manageable. If your topic is too broad, you will find too much information and not be able to focus.

Background reading can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. 

Review the guidelines on topic selection outlined in your assignment .  Ask your professor or TA for suggestions.

Talk about research ideas with a friend.  S/he may be able to help focus your topic by discussing issues that didn't occur to you at first.

Think of the who, what, when, where and why questions:

WHY  did you choose the topic?  What interests you about it?  Do you have an opinion about the issues involved?

WHO  are the information providers on this topic?  Who might publish information about it?  Who is affected by the topic?  Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic?

WHAT  are the major questions for this topic?  Is there a debate about the topic?  Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?

WHERE  is your topic important: at the local, national or international level?  Are there specific places affected by the topic?

WHEN  is/was your topic important?  Is it a current event or an historical issue?  Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Kinds of research questions to ask

Source: Bean, J. C. (2011). Designing and sequencing assignments to teach undergraduate research. In Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom (2nd ed., p. 237). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Library H3lp: 24-7 research assistance

Writing help.

Here are some resources to refer to when selecting a topic and preparing to write a paper:

SU Writing Center  - writing assistance by appointment or just walk in...

Center for Student Achievement   - academic mentoring, SI, tutoring...

• WorldCat Discovery Find books about writing. Search by subject for: english language grammar; report writing handbooks; technical writing handbooks
• SU Libraries  Research & Instructional Services  - research consultation and technology help...

This work is an adaptation of MIT Libraries' "Selecting a Research Topic guide:  http://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic and used with permission and in compliance with  Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 License restrictions.

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• Last Updated: Jul 8, 2021 12:52 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.salisbury.edu/howtodolibrary

• Spartanburg Community College Library
• SCC Research Guides

The Research Process

• 2. Topic Selection

Topic Selection

For some assignments, you may need to select a research topic. Sometimes your instructor will give you a list to choose from and other times you will get to decide on your own topic. 

When you are choosing a topic, you want make that your topic is not too broad or too narrow for your assignment, so you might need to do a little background research in one of the library's databases before you can decide if a topic is too broad or too narrow. You don't want a topic that is so broad that you'll never be able to fit the information into your project requirements, or a topic that is so narrow that there are no sources about it.

The number of search results may give you a clue as to whether your topic is too broad or too narrow. 

Another way to think about it is if a topic sounds like it could have a whole book written about it, like Global Warming, it is probably too broad. However, if a topic sounds like it would just be a chapter in a whole book, like the polar ice caps melting in a book about Global Warming, then it is probably more narrow.

Tips for Choosing a Topic

How do you choose a topic for research? Here are a few tips to try:

• Choose a topic you are interested in or want to learn more about.
• When you are doing background research, what makes you say "Why?" or "How?"
• Look for gaps in information about a topic or conflicting issues on a topic.

See more information about choosing a topic in the Choose Your Topic Research Guide .

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• Next: 3. Background Research >>
• 1. Project Requirements
• 3. Background Research
• 4. Research Question and Thesis Statement
• 5. In-Depth Research
• 6. Outline Notes
• 7. Write Your Paper
• 8. Cite Your Sources

Questions? Ask a Librarian

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Research Tips: Choosing a Topic

• Research Steps
• Choosing a Topic
• Primary Sources
• Evaluating Sources
• Annotated Bibliographies
• Literature Reviews
• Predatory Publishing This link opens in a new window

General Suggestions

Start by browsing information on your topic. As you read you will find issues that interest you and have information available. 

Reference sources give an overview, introduce the notable people in the field, explain the controversies and give suggested readings in the bibliography. 

Find a question that needs answering. Don’t just rehash old data. Use the information you read to answer a research question.

If the information you are finding is not supporting your thesis, think outside the box to see how you can find the information you need or change your thesis.

Diana Hacker on topic selection

“ Experiment with ways to explore your subject. Instead of just plunging into a first draft, experiment with one or more techniques for exploring your subject  - perhaps talking and listening, annotating texts and taking notes, listing, clustering, freewriting, or asking the journalist’s questions. Whatever technique you turn to, the goal is the same:  to generate a wealth of ideas that will lead you to a question, problem, or an issue that you want to explore further.  At this early stage of the writing process, don’t censor yourself. Sometimes an idea that initially seems trivial or far-fetched will turn out to be worthwhile.“  Hacker, D. (2009) A Writer’s Reference, 6th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins. p.3

Research Topic Tutorial

• Webcast - Developing a good research question Check out this 3 minute tutorial, "Developing a good research question" by William Badke and Richard Baer. Creative Commons License.

Choosing a Topic Image

Source:  https://jgateplus.com/home/2018/10/11/the-dos-of-choosing-a-research-topic-part-1/

Databases to Help You Get Started

• Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new window It offers contextual information and opinions on today's hottest social issues. Drawing on the acclaimed Greenhaven series, the new solution features continuously updated viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text periodical articles, primary source documents, statistics, media files, and links to vetted websites.
• Global Issues This link opens in a new window Designed to support global awareness, Global Issues In Context ties together a wealth of authoritative content that empowers students to critically analyze and understand the most important issues of the modern world.
• Credo Reference This link opens in a new window Reference is the foundation of research. Credo Online Reference Service enhances the research experience by combining authoritative reference content with a one-stop exploratory search platform that drives usage of all trusted library resources.
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A Guide to Library Research

Topic selection.

• Search Strategies
• Evaluating Information
• Library vs Internet
• Books and Ebooks
• Films and Images
• Citing Sources
• Additional Campus Resources
• Mahalo & Evaluation

Also, make sure your topic isn't too broad. Information on the Black Lives Matter movement is extensive and could easily fill a book, so focus on a smaller subtopic. Simple subtopics address the “who, what, where, when, or how” of an issue. Examples:

• the beginning of the movement
• the use of excessive police force
• the criticism of BLM

Finally, be flexible with your ideas or intent.  Even though you have a topic that interests you, it does not mean that in-depth information has been written about it. If that is the case, slightly shift the focus of your topic based on the availability of resources.

Watch the following videos about ways to develop your topic.

Developing a Topic  Video from the Oregon School Library Information System (4:19)

Library Databases to Help with Topic Selection

Opposing Viewpoints,  Issues & Controversies, and CQ Researcher provide excellent background information as well as lists of suggested issues to browse. If you’re writing an argument essay, these e-resources allow you to explore various viewpoints on current topics or hot button issues.

• Video on how to use Opposing ViewPoints to find a topic (runtime 1:15)
• Video on how to narrow your topic using Opposing ViewPoints (runtime 1:13)
• Video on how to use Issues & Controversies (runtime 5:42)
• ​​​​​​ Video on how to use CQ Researcher (runtime 2:28)
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• Next: Keywords >>
• Last Updated: Apr 12, 2024 9:32 AM
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Selecting a Research Topic

Why should i narrow my research topic, considerations, topic selection process.

• Topic Selection Strategies
• EBSCO's Research Starters
• Defining Scope

If you have a need to conduct research for a course at any level, you should understand the significance of narrowing down your research topic.  Reasons for narrowing down a research topic are:

• The field you are studying is much too broad, so you cannot formulate a research question or hypothesis from it.
• You are not quite sure what you want to cover in your research project/paper.
• You feel overwhelmed by the research topic you have already selected.
• Your assignment requires you to research a topic that has not yet been covered (research gap).

Before you begin your search for a research topic, there are some things to consider that could impact the topic you choose:

• In what field of study is your assignment?  In what course is your project?
• Does your assignment require you to research a specific topic within a particular discipline?
• How narrow or broad does your topic need to be?
• Who will be reading your paper?
• Will you be presenting your project to an audience?
• What type of paper are you writing?  This may determine the scope of your topic.

The process of narrowing down a research topic can be illustrated by the image below ("Choosing & Using Sources," 2016).  It illustrates the process of thinking about all potential research topics, then narrowing it down to a specific research question.  This diagram can assist you in determining your topic because it illustrates how all possible topics and subjects transform into your final research topic.  It is also recommended that you refer to your assignment instructions for guidance on topic selection.

All possible topics:  Represents all potential topics in your field of discipline.  This is often overwhelming, so it is typical to rule out irrelevant topics to create a "smaller" pool of topics.

Assigned topic:  This is a combination of determining topics that are interesting to you and that fulfill your assignment requirements.  You might have more than one topic, so you may need to narrow them down further.

Topic narrowed by initial exploration:  This results from conducting preliminary research on your assigned topic(s).  During this process, you will learn more about the topics you are considering.  From there, you can determine if the topic is still of interest.

Topic narrowed to research question(s):  From the information you have learned in your preliminary research, you formulate a research question that identifies what your paper/project will attempt to discover.

The video below from Wilsey Library demonstrates how to narrow down a general research topic.

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Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008-.

Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews [Internet].

Identifying, selecting, and refining topics.

Evelyn P Whitlock , MD, MPH, Sarah A Lopez , BA, Stephanie Chang , MD, MPH, Mark Helfand , MD, MS, MPH, Michelle Eder , PhD, and Nicole Floyd , MPH.

Affiliations

Published: April 27, 2009 .

• Align its research topic selection with the overall goals of the program.
• Impartially and consistently apply predefined criteria to potential topics.
• Involve stakeholders to identify high-priority topics.
• Be transparent and accountable.
• Continually evaluate and improve processes.
• Appropriateness (fit within the EHC Program).
• Importance.
• Potential for duplication of existing research.
• Feasibility (adequate type and volume of research for a new comparative effectiveness systematic review).
• Potential value and impact of a comparative effectiveness systematic review.
• Ensuring the program addresses truly unmet needs for synthesized research, since national and international efforts in this arena are uncoordinated.
• Engaging a range of stakeholders in program decisions while also achieving efficiency and timeliness.
• Introduction

Globally, people are struggling with the reality of limited resources to address the breadth of health and health care needs. Evidence has been recognized as the “new anchor for medical decisions,” 1 and many consider systematic reviews to be the best source of information for making clinical and health policy decisions. 2 These research products rigorously summarize existing research studies so that health and health care decisions by practitioners, policymakers, and patients are more evidence based. Yet, dollars for research—whether for systematic reviews, trials, or observational studies—are constrained, and are likely to be constrained in the future. Effective prioritization is clearly necessary in order to identify the most important topics for synthesized research investment that may help the U.S. health care system realize powerful and meaningful improvements in health status.

This paper discusses the identification, selection, and refinement of topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews within the Effective Health Care (EHC) Program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), which has been described in more detail elsewhere. 3 In 2003, the U.S. Congress authorized AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program to conduct and support research on the outcomes, comparative clinical effectiveness, and appropriateness of pharmaceuticals, devices, and health care services. This program utilizes the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program, with 14 designated centers throughout North America that conduct comparative effectiveness systematic reviews, among other research products of the program. AHRQ has designated a Scientific Resource Center (SRC), currently housed at the Oregon EPC, to support the EHC Program as a whole. The SRC has specific responsibilities, including assisting AHRQ with all aspects of research topic development ( Figure 1 ), providing scientific and technical support for systematic reviews and outcomes research, and collaborating with EHC stakeholder and program partners.

Effective Health Care (EHC) Program Lifecycle of a Topic Nomination for Research.

It is not a simple process to select and develop good topics for research. Researchers’ success depends in large part on their ability to identify meaningful questions, while funding agencies continually seek to maximize the return on their investment by funding research on important, answerable questions relevant to significant portions of priority populations. Some have criticized how well funders have actually achieved these results. 4 However, there is little guidance for successfully developing a research program that generates the type of evidence necessary to improve the public’s health.

• Guiding Principles for Identifying and Selecting Topics

In order to derive guiding principles for selecting important comparative effectiveness systematic review topics, we considered what others have done when trying to select priority topics for any health-care-related activity. Over the last 18 years, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and selected others have explored priority-setting models and approaches. 5–10 Across a diverse set of international health- and health-care-related activities—including the development of guidelines by professional societies; clinical service and quality improvement priorities within health care organizations; and national health service guidance for health technologies, clinical practice, and public health—experts have tried to define clear-cut processes and criteria. 9 , 11–13 Although the majority of this existing work has not focused on specific priority setting for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews, the lessons learned from this process are relevant. These experts have found there is no obviously superior approach to setting priorities and little objective analysis to compare the relative strengths and shortcomings of various approaches. 10 , 14

However, across these activities, the EHC Program has found five consistent themes for selecting the highest priority topics ( Table 1 ). The first of these is to clearly identify the overall goals/strategic purpose of the activity in order to align the goals for priority setting within the strategic purpose of the sponsoring program . In the instance of the EHC Program, since no single entity can undertake activities to address all health or health care research needs, priority-setting decisions must flow from the overall mission and strategic purposes of the program.

Effective Health Care (EHC) Program: Principles and processes for research topic selection.

The second principle is to clearly define and apply criteria for prioritization among potential program activities . Although a relatively consistent set of criteria has been utilized across health-related priority-setting activities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada ( Table 2 ), specific criteria will vary with the overall goals and the purpose of any given activity. For example, to determine the national and regional estimates of health care utilization and expenditures, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) prioritized data collected by considering the prevalence of medical conditions and also how accurately households could report on data related to these. 9 Similarly, to identify priority conditions for quality improvement research, the Veterans Health Administration’s Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) focused on prevalent diseases, but further prioritized prevalent diseases with evidence for both best practices and practice variation that could be improved to enhance quality. 9 Thus, for comparative effectiveness systematic review prioritization, additional criteria promulgated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have been considered when selecting topics for evidence-based guidance. These criteria have pointed out the importance of taking into account whether proposed topics are subject to influence by the program. 13 Additional NICE criteria consider whether new evidence-based products could be produced in a timely manner and the risk of inappropriate treatment in the absence of evidence-based guidance. 13 This could also be considered as the opportunity cost associated with inaction. 5 , 13 The process of decisionmaking in health-related priority-setting activities is complex, is context dependent, and involves social processes; therefore, priority-setting processes should be guided by ethical principles, including careful attention to conflicts of interest. 14 A good priority-setting process that is fair and publicly accountable within a system that is capable of scrutiny, feedback, evaluation, and improvement is viewed as the best approach to gaining desirable outcomes. 14

Definitions of commonly used priority criteria for health-related topic selection. [Bolded criteria are those identified by the Institute of Medicine as most consistently utilized]

The third principle for priority setting addresses the need to involve stakeholders in the identification and/or prioritization process . Engaging stakeholders as key informants provides credibility and avoids prioritizing topics that have no relevance to real-world issues. Organizations engaged in health-care-related priority setting indicate that stakeholders must be made familiar with and understand the criteria by which topics will be prioritized. 11 A recent report from the IOM on identifying highly effective evidence-based clinical services calls attention to the fact that different audiences have different needs from systematic reviews. 10 Health care payers may be most interested in the comparative effectiveness of a treatment or intervention. Regulatory agencies may be interested in questions of safety and effectiveness. Clinicians and patients may be particularly interested in the applicability of research to their specific populations. The priorities for research topics and the questions these topics should answer clearly vary by audience.

Fourth is the need for transparency . Because priority setting is actually an allocation of limited resources among many desirable but competing programs or people, 15 it is highly political and can be controversial. Some have asserted that priority setting in health care represents one of the most significant international health care policy questions of the 21 st Century. 14 Battista and Hodge state that documentation of the process leading to a particular topic being selected (e.g., for a clinical practice guideline) should be explicit and made available to stakeholders. 5 The documentation should include the rationale that relates specific priority-setting decisions to priority-setting criteria, the evidence used when making these decisions, and any programmatic constraints that had a bearing on the process. 11 Transparency requires not only that documentation be kept, but also that program decisions and their rationales be actively communicated to stakeholders.

Fifth is the need for any prioritization approach to undertake process evaluation and improvement measures. Since priority setting at present is inherently a subjective process based on ideals (e.g., fairness) and decisions are made by considering clusters of factors rather than simple trade-offs, 14 there is a great need for ongoing process evaluation and improvement. As Battista and Hodge point out, process documentation forms the basis for process evaluation and improvement. 5

These general themes provide a good framework for selecting topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews. However, more specific additional criteria for clinical and comparative effectiveness research were recently articulated in a 2008 IOM report. 10 This report calls on us to consider how well potential comparative effectiveness research topics reflect the clinical questions of patients and clinicians and whether selected topics truly represent a potentially large impact on the clinical or other outcomes that matter most to patients. The IOM also emphasizes that topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews should be identified and prioritized using a system that aims to be “open, transparent, efficient, and timely,” with sufficient input from key end users. 10

• Processes for Identifying and Selecting Systematic Reviews

As illustrated in Figure 2 , the current EHC Program processes are designed to allow the consistent, broadly focused development of a portfolio of relevant comparative effectiveness systematic reviews. These processes are focused on engaging stakeholders, particularly during topic identification, but throughout the processes of research development and dissemination within the EHC Program. This focus on stakeholders is more intense now than it was in the initial years of the EHC Program. New and existing publicity avenues are being used to encourage nominations and engage in discussions with internal and external stakeholders interested in health care decisionmaking.

EHC Program Activities to Engage Stakeholders in Developing and Disseminating Systematic Reviews (SRs).

Although the EHC Program’s initial mechanisms for topic identification included all of those recently cited by the IOM 10 —such as an open ongoing process for public engagement; topic solicitations; internal processes (e.g., engaging Federal agencies, such as the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services); and mandates—these approaches did not always produce products that met the needs of stakeholders. Nominations were often received through the Web site, but some of these nominations were insufficiently documented for consideration by the program. In addition, initial approaches did not always identify important topics that had not previously been systematically reviewed. Even when new, important systematic review topics were identified through topic nominations, these were not always developed into concise topics ideally suited for decisionmakers.

Thus, the EHC Program is currently implementing a revised system that has two important changes. First, the initial topic identification process involves more direct, focused conversations with stakeholders that represent the broad-based constituencies of the Program ( Table 3 ). Stakeholders continue to be involved in other aspects of the program also, as described below. This direct interaction helps the EHC Program to better identify the populations, interventions, comparators, outcomes, timing, and settings of interest to the stakeholder, and to understand the current practice or health policy context underlying the need for synthesized research. A similar approach has been successfully undertaken by others. 16 Second, more explicit attempts are being made to reduce potential duplication through consulting experts and the literature to ensure that nominated topics have not already been adequately systematically reviewed. Unlike the case of primary research, where replication of existing research can be desirable, conducting duplicate systematic reviews is not clearly advantageous when existing reviews are current and of high quality.

Stakeholder categories for the Effective Health Care Program.

All fully articulated nominations are supported by issue briefs that provide data and contextual details addressing the EHC Program prioritization criteria ( Table 4 ). Topic briefs are circulated before and presented during monthly or more frequent meetings of a topic prioritization group that represents stakeholder perspectives, scientific perspectives, and the programmatic authority vested in AHRQ. The topic prioritization group first considers objective information on the appropriateness of a topic and its fit within the mandate and priority conditions of the EHC Program. The priority conditions ( Table 5 ) were determined through an open and transparent process and approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The topic is then evaluated for its importance to the U.S. population and health care system. The available research basis on which a topic would build, including consideration of research activities already undertaken or underway by others, frames considerations of both the feasibility and desirability of a new systematic review for a nominated topic. Based on these objective data, the topic prioritization group engages in the more subjective discussions of the potential and relative value of commissioning a new systematic review for nominated topics. The group can request that final decisions regarding a topic nomination be deferred until further investigation is completed. Such investigations may involve outreach to nominators or other stakeholders, or further background research to determine answers to questions raised during presentation of the topic brief. At the end of the final topic prioritization discussion, the topic prioritization group can recommend that topics be sent for further refinement as a comparative effectiveness systematic review, be eliminated as outside the purview of the program, or be tabled due to other factors that affect their immediate priority. These recommendations are not binding, but are highly weighted in AHRQ’s final decision as to which research topics are selected for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews.

Selection criteria for Effective Health Care topics.

Priority conditions for the Effective Health Care Program.

• Principles and Processes for Refining Selected Topics

Once topics are selected for comparative effectiveness systematic review, they are further focused into research questions. This process is designed to ensure that the research review results in a product that meets the needs of stakeholders. Key questions should reflect the uncertainty that decisionmakers, patients, clinicians, and others may have about the topic. Key questions guide the entire systematic review process, from the formulation of comprehensive search strategies and the selection of admissible evidence to the types of data abstracted, synthesized, and reported in the final effectiveness report. Developing clear, unambiguous, and precise key questions is an early and essential step in the development of a meaningful and relevant systematic review.

For a fully formulated comparative effectiveness systematic review topic, key questions in their final form concretely specify the patient populations, interventions, comparators, outcome measures of interest, timing, and settings (PICOTS) to be addressed in the review. 17 Although the elements of the PICOTS construct are outlined in a general form at the topic identification phase, further focus and refinement of these parameters are generally required for a clear and transparent systematic review process ( Tables 6 and 7 ). The processes to fully develop key questions are designed to carry forward the overall principles of the EHC Program of being relevant and timely, objective and scientifically rigorous, and transparent, with public participation. 3

PICOTS parameters for both topic nominations and key questions.

Issues that technical expert groups address during topic development.

The EHC Program’s current approach to key question development is largely based on past experiences from AHRQ’s Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) Program and from other experts in systematic review. Since the inception of the EPC Program in 1997, AHRQ has emphasized the importance of input from key stakeholder informants, technical experts, and patients to elucidate the important concerns and clinical logic or reasoning underlying potential questions for systematic reviews. 18 A perfunctory set of questions or an incomplete problem formulation that outlines the general comparisons but does not specify the circumstances that are of most interest to decisionmakers clearly reduces the usability of the resulting review. 17–21 Formulating questions that address dilemmas in real-world situations, coupled with an understanding of the context around these dilemmas, prevents the production of irrelevant systematic reviews that can result from key questions that focus only on interests pertinent to researchers without much (if any) public input. 2

The EHC Program has extended the original EPC concept of involving key stakeholder informants by developing additional mechanisms for public input. Key informants representing key stakeholder groups may be consulted as part of the topic selection process or, once selected, as part of the topic refinement process. The EHC Program also convenes a group of key stakeholder informants (including patients) and technical experts to provide additional input to the EPC in finalizing key questions for the research review. The SRC, AHRQ, and the EPC conducting the research review work together with this group to refine the key questions for a given topic. Obtaining input from stakeholders on patients’ preferences is essential to identifying pertinent clinical concerns that even expert health professionals may overlook. 22

Incorporating a broad range of perspectives contributes to the objectivity and scientific rigor of a review by assisting EPC researchers in understanding the health care context, as well as clarifying the parameters of greatest interest when planning the research review ( Table 6 ). These parameters are the basis for formulating good key questions and include focused determination of the most relevant populations, interventions, comparators, outcomes, timing, and setting (PICOTS). In focusing on outcomes that matter most to patients, key questions need to identify the overarching, long-range goals of interventions. It is insufficient for key questions to focus only on what is assumed to be true or what is presently studied in the literature; they must include the populations, comparisons, and outcomes that are important to patients, providers, and policymakers using health information in their decisionmaking.

Furthermore, beliefs about the advantages or disadvantages of various alternative treatments are an important target for exploration. Many beliefs about the advantages and disadvantages of a treatment are based on direct evidence about health outcomes from long-term comparative trials. However, some beliefs about comparative effectiveness are based on clinical theories that invoke understanding of the pathophysiology of a disease, assumptions about its course, or expectations about the health benefits associated with improvements in a surrogate measure of outcome. Often, experts and stakeholders can bring attention to the issues that underlie uncertainty about the comparative effectiveness of alternative tests or therapies.

Stakeholders and other technical experts also provide important insight to direct the search for evidence that is most relevant to current practice. First, they can clarify specific populations/subpopulations or interventions of greatest clinical or policy interest. Second, interviewing those with knowledge of current clinical practices can identify areas in which studies differ in ways that may reduce their applicability.

Consistent with the principle of transparency and public participation, the EHC Program solicits public comments on proposed key questions before finalizing the scope of a new systematic review. These public comments are reviewed by AHRQ, the SRC, and the EPC, and all parties agree on changes to be made to the existing key questions to reflect this public input. Final key questions that reflect public input, as well as key stakeholder and expert input, are posted on the AHRQ EHC Web site after a review begins.

Through the processes outlined for topic identification, selection, and refinement, the EHC Program attempts to develop a considerable number of important topics for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews consistent with the principles that have been outlined above. Each topic must have appropriately focused key questions to adequately frame the systematic review while also faithfully incorporating public feedback and perspectives. The EHC processes have been developed to reduce the amount of bias that individual investigators working in isolation could potentially introduce into a topic for systematic review. However, given the complexities of the process, those involved must keep foremost in their minds the overall goal for EHC topic development: producing critically important research that positively impacts all levels of audiences’ health and health care decisionmaking in order to improve the health of the public.

Because of issues of timeliness and cost, the EHC Program cannot engage all types of stakeholders at each step for every topic. Therefore, one of the main challenges the Program faces as it moves forward is to ensure that the most important perspectives are engaged. The goal is to continue to develop a system that fairly represents the range of interests of all stakeholders across all aspects of the program ( Figure 2 ), yet results in timely and clear reports that are useful to decisionmakers and other audiences. The process for topic identification and refinement is complicated by the large range of potential stakeholder perspectives for any given topic, by the wide-reaching clinical breadth of potential topics for the EHC Program, and by very short timeframes that are inherent in a program seeking to be publicly responsive and accountable. This tension between maintaining the relevance and rigor of research while being responsive to questions in a timely manner is an ongoing challenge.

A related challenge is gaining sufficient detail from nominators and stakeholders to allow topics to be adequately defined in order to be prioritized. The Web-based nomination system ( http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/ ) was revised recently, including definition of a minimum set of information that is necessary to understand a topic nomination sufficiently to develop it for explicit prioritization activities. This minimum set of information includes the populations, interventions, comparators, and outcomes of interest to the nominator, as well as the policy and/or clinical context. If any of these components is not clear in the nomination, the Program must have the ability to contact the nominator for more information. Since many Web-based nominations occur anonymously and since resource constraints prevent AHRQ from contacting every nominator to clarify all unclear topics, some good nominations may be missed simply because they are unclear.

Another challenging area is the relatively subjective nature of decisionmaking around topic prioritization and the sometimes highly political ramifications of these decisions. When one ventures into the realm of relative value or worth, considerations become less objective and more subject to bias. To address this challenge, the EHC Program has structured the topic prioritization process so that the same program criteria are considered for every potential topic in the same hierarchical order. Objective evidence is considered and used as a basis for the more subjective aspects of the prioritization process. However, only process evaluation will allow determination of whether this approach helps in fairly selecting topics for research among viable and valuable candidates. Further experience in making this process and its results more transparent will undoubtedly raise unforeseen challenges as AHRQ seeks to balance the range of perspectives that are likely to be expressed, and to do so while minimizing conflicts of interest.

Prioritization of research is a necessity from a practical and a societal perception standpoint. There must be a commitment to target scarce research dollars and efforts to those areas where there will be the greatest impact and where there is a gap in needed research. There is a high level of interest in evidence-based policy and practice and the volume of uncoordinated effort internationally. Therefore, the EHC Program is working to more closely track the systematic review and policy-related activities of other programs, Federal agencies, and researchers. Enhanced coordination with others involved in setting topic priorities or in conducting analogous research is intended to reduce the opportunities for duplication. Such efforts would be greatly assisted by international registries of planned, in process, and completed comparative effectiveness and other systematic reviews.

Setting research priorities is still not a precise science. However, attempting to standardize and evaluate a structured process of setting research priorities for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews will further the goal of linking research to the actual needs of health care decisionmakers. It is necessary to find innovative and effective ways to increase the participation of health care decisionmakers in priority setting and the research process in order to bring a real-world perspective and findings that are increasingly relevant to the needs of decisionmakers.

None of the authors has a financial interest in any of the products discussed in this document.

The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the authors, who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ or the Veterans Health Administration. Therefore, no statement in this report should be construed as an official position of these entities, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Suggested citation: Whitlock EP, Lopez SA, Chang S, et al. Identifying, selecting, and refining topics. In: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Methods Guide for Comparative Effectiveness Reviews [posted April 2009]. Rockville, MD. Available at: http: ​//effectivehealthcare ​.ahrq.gov/healthInfo ​.cfm?infotype=rr&ProcessID=60 .

This report has also been published in edited form: Whitlock EP, Lopez SA, Chang S, et al. Identifying, selecting, and refining topics. J Clin Epidemiol 2009. To be published.

• Cite this Page Whitlock EP, Lopez SA, Chang S, et al. Identifying, Selecting, and Refining Topics. 2009 Apr 27. In: Methods Guide for Effectiveness and Comparative Effectiveness Reviews [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2008-.
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6.2 Selecting a Topic

Learning objectives.

• Understand the four primary constraints of topic selection.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how a topic is narrowed from a broad subject area to a manageable specific purpose.

Wonderlane – Fork in the road, decision tree – CC BY 2.0.

One of the most common stumbling blocks for novice public speakers is selecting their first speech topic. Generally, your public speaking instructor will provide you with some fairly specific parameters to make this a little easier. You may be assigned to tell about an event that has shaped your life or to demonstrate how to do something. Whatever your basic parameters, at some point you as the speaker will need to settle on a specific topic. In this section, we’re going to look at some common constraints of public speaking, picking a broad topic area, and narrowing your topic.

Common Constraints of Public Speaking

When we use the word “constraint” with regard to public speaking, we are referring to any limitation or restriction you may have as a speaker. Whether in a classroom situation or in the boardroom, speakers are typically given specific instructions that they must follow. These instructions constrain the speaker and limit what the speaker can say. For example, in the professional world of public speaking, speakers are often hired to speak about a specific topic (e.g., time management, customer satisfaction, entrepreneurship). In the workplace, a supervisor may assign a subordinate to present certain information in a meeting. In these kinds of situations, when a speaker is hired or assigned to talk about a specific topic, he or she cannot decide to talk about something else.

Furthermore, the speaker may have been asked to speak for an hour, only to show up and find out that the event is running behind schedule, so the speech must now be made in only thirty minutes. Having prepared sixty minutes of material, the speaker now has to determine what stays in the speech and what must go. In both of these instances, the speaker is constrained as to what he or she can say during a speech. Typically, we refer to four primary constraints: purpose, audience, context, and time frame.

The first major constraint someone can have involves the general purpose of the speech. As mentioned earlier, there are three general purposes: to inform, to persuade, and to entertain. If you’ve been told that you will be delivering an informative speech, you are automatically constrained from delivering a speech with the purpose of persuading or entertaining. In most public speaking classes, this is the first constraint students will come in contact with because generally teachers will tell you the exact purpose for each speech in the class.

The second major constraint that you need to consider as a speaker is the type of audience you will have. As discussed in the chapter on audience analysis, different audiences have different political, religious, and ideological leanings. As such, choosing a speech topic for an audience that has a specific mindset can be very tricky. Unfortunately, choosing what topics may or may not be appropriate for a given audience is based on generalizations about specific audiences. For example, maybe you’re going to give a speech at a local meeting of Democratic leaders. You may think that all Democrats are liberal or progressive, but there are many conservative Democrats as well. If you assume that all Democrats are liberal or progressive, you may end up offending your audience by making such a generalization without knowing better. Obviously, the best way to prevent yourself from picking a topic that is inappropriate for a specific audience is to really know your audience, which is why we recommend conducting an audience analysis, as described in Chapter 5 “Audience Analysis” .

The third major constraint relates to the context. For speaking purposes, the context of a speech is the set of circumstances surrounding a particular speech. There are countless different contexts in which we can find ourselves speaking: a classroom in college, a religious congregation, a corporate boardroom, a retirement village, or a political convention. In each of these different contexts, the expectations for a speaker are going to be unique and different. The topics that may be appropriate in front of a religious group may not be appropriate in the corporate boardroom. Topics appropriate for the corporate boardroom may not be appropriate at a political convention.

The last—but by no means least important—major constraint that you will face is the time frame of your speech. In speeches that are under ten minutes in length, you must narrowly focus a topic to one major idea. For example, in a ten-minute speech, you could not realistically hope to discuss the entire topic of the US Social Security program. There are countless books, research articles, websites, and other forms of media on the topic of Social Security, so trying to crystallize all that information into ten minutes is just not realistic.

Instead, narrow your topic to something that is more realistically manageable within your allotted time. You might choose to inform your audience about Social Security disability benefits, using one individual disabled person as an example. Or perhaps you could speak about the career of Robert J. Myers, one of the original architects of Social Security 1 . By focusing on information that can be covered within your time frame, you are more likely to accomplish your goal at the end of the speech.

Selecting a Broad Subject Area

Once you know what the basic constraints are for your speech, you can then start thinking about picking a topic. The first aspect to consider is what subject area you are interested in examining. A subject area is a broad area of knowledge. Art, business, history, physical sciences, social sciences, humanities, and education are all examples of subject areas. When selecting a topic, start by casting a broad net because it will help you limit and weed out topics quickly.

Furthermore, each of these broad subject areas has a range of subject areas beneath it. For example, if we take the subject area “art,” we can break it down further into broad categories like art history, art galleries, and how to create art. We can further break down these broad areas into even narrower subject areas (e.g., art history includes prehistoric art, Egyptian art, Grecian art, Roman art, Middle Eastern art, medieval art, Asian art, Renaissance art, modern art). As you can see, topic selection is a narrowing process.

Narrowing Your Topic

Narrowing your topic to something manageable for the constraints of your speech is something that takes time, patience, and experience. One of the biggest mistakes that new public speakers make is not narrowing their topics sufficiently given the constraints. In the previous section, we started demonstrating how the narrowing process works, but even in those examples, we narrowed subject areas down to fairly broad areas of knowledge.

Think of narrowing as a funnel. At the top of the funnel are the broad subject areas, and your goal is to narrow your topic further and further down until just one topic can come out the other end of the funnel. The more focused your topic is, the easier your speech is to research, write, and deliver. So let’s take one of the broad areas from the art subject area and keep narrowing it down to a manageable speech topic. For this example, let’s say that your general purpose is to inform, you are delivering the speech in class to your peers, and you have five to seven minutes. Now that we have the basic constraints, let’s start narrowing our topic. The broad area we are going to narrow in this example is Middle Eastern art. When examining the category of Middle Eastern art, the first thing you’ll find is that Middle Eastern art is generally grouped into four distinct categories: Anatolian, Arabian, Mesopotamian, and Syro-Palestinian. Again, if you’re like us, until we started doing some research on the topic, we had no idea that the historic art of the Middle East was grouped into these specific categories. We’ll select Anatolian art, or the art of what is now modern Turkey.

You may think that your topic is now sufficiently narrow, but even within the topic of Anatolian art, there are smaller categories: pre-Hittite, Hittite, Uratu, and Phrygian periods of art. So let’s narrow our topic again to the Phrygian period of art (1200–700 BCE). Although we have now selected a specific period of art history in Anatolia, we are still looking at a five-hundred-year period in which a great deal of art was created. One famous Phrygian king was King Midas, who according to myth was given the ears of a donkey and the power of a golden touch by the Greek gods. As such, there is an interesting array of art from the period of Midas and its Greek counterparts representing Midas. At this point, we could create a topic about how Phrygian and Grecian art differed in their portrayals of King Midas. We now have a topic that is unique, interesting, and definitely manageable in five to seven minutes. You may be wondering how we narrowed the topic down; we just started doing a little research using the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website ( http://www.metmuseum.org ).

Overall, when narrowing your topic, you should start by asking yourself four basic questions based on the constraints discussed earlier in this section:

• Does the topic match my intended general purpose?
• Is the topic appropriate for my audience?
• Is the topic appropriate for the given speaking context?
• Can I reasonably hope to inform or persuade my audience in the time frame I have for the speech?

Key Takeaways

• Selecting a topic is a process. We often start by selecting a broad area of knowledge and then narrowing the topic to one that is manageable for a given rhetorical situation.
• When finalizing a specific purpose for your speech, always ask yourself four basic questions: (1) Does the topic match my intended general purpose?; (2) Is the topic appropriate for my audience?; (3) Is the topic appropriate for the given speaking context?; and (4) Can I reasonably hope to inform or persuade my audience in the time frame I have for the speech?
• Imagine you’ve been asked to present on a new technology to a local business. You’ve been given ten minutes to speak on the topic. Given these parameters, take yourself through the narrowing process from subject area (business) to a manageable specific purpose.
• Think about the next speech you’ll be giving in class. Show how you’ve gone from a large subject area to a manageable specific purpose based on the constraints given to you by your professor.

1 See, for example, Social Security Administration (1996). Robert J. Myers oral history interview. Retrieved from http://www.ssa.gov/history/myersorl.html

Stand up, Speak out Copyright © 2016 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Topic Selection for Research – Step By Step Procedure Explained

Published 16 October, 2023

Selection of topic is basically one of an important skill. It is the first step in the research process . Many times instructor provides students with a topic for writing a research paper . But sometimes the instructor wants students to select a topic of their own interest. While making the choice of the research topic you need to be very careful as it can have a significant effect on your grade. Many students select the wrong topic for writing a research paper which adversely affects their score. In this article, our professional is providing you with a complete guideline on How to select a perfect topic for a research paper?

How to select a topic for research?

The procedure of topic selection for research includes different phases these are:

Step 1. Generation of ideas

At this phase, you are required to perform surveys or online research. In addition to this, you can read newspapers, articles, etc. All these activities will assist you in the identification of the issues and also help you in the development of ideas about the topic for conducting an Investigation.

Another technique that you can apply for the topic selection for research is Brainstorming , creation of idea maps, etc. Other strategies that can be applied for the generation of ideas related to the research topic are observation, online survey, discussion with friends and family members , analysis of existing research, etc. The sources of the idea related to the subject or topic of research are personal experience, analysis of theories, literature, media, etc.

Step 2. Identification of own interest

It is very much important for you to become aware of the field in which you are interested. Then after that, you can select one or two topics and collect the background information about the same.

Step 3. Checking the requirement

It is a phase where you are required to develop an understanding of the academic or practical requirements. This technique will help you in determining the scope of the topic that could be selected for performing research. Word count and deadline of completion of the investigation which you need to consider while topic selection for research.

Step 4. Selecting a   wide field for research

After the collection of background information about the two or three fields which you have selected you are required to select the one. While making the choice for the topic of research you are required to first ensure that the topic which you have selected is relevant to the issue which has been chosen for investigation. It is always advisable to make the choice of such topics or subjects about which you are already familiar.

Another piece of advice is that you should select that topic for research on which investigation has not been conducted by another researcher. A specific technique will help you in justifying the relevance of your work.

Step 5. Analyzing the books and articles

by reading books and articles you are required to identify the issues related to your field. It is the strategy that will help you in the identification of the sources from where you can collect the information about the topic or subject selected for performing an investigation.

Step 6. Determining the relevance of the topic chosen

It is very much important for you to check and confirm the relevancy of the topic which has been selected. As if the topic which you have select is not relevant then it would be a waste of time, money and resources.

An important consideration for topic selection for research

Topic selection for research requires critical and innovative thinking as it is a very much difficult task to perform. There are certain factors that need to consider while selecting the topic for research these are:

• Firstly, while making the choice of topic you need to address the field you are interested in.
• Secondly, when selecting the subject or topic you need to consider the expectation and requirements of your tutor.
• You also require to consider the types of research you want to perform.
• You also need to ensure that the topic chosen for research has social or academic relevance.
• While choosing the topic you should make sure that information or data about the same is easily available.
• Time and resources are the other two important elements that you need to consider while making a choice of topic for investigation.

Still searching Research topic? Seek professional help

After reading the article you may have developed an understanding of How to select the research paper topic or title. But If you struggling to search for appropriate research topics then you can visit our website myresearchtopics.com . Here, you will have access to a number of research topics related to different fields.

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Disclaimer: The Reference papers provided by the Myresearchtopics.com serve as model and sample papers for students and are not to be submitted as it is. These papers are intended to be used for reference and research purposes only.

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Topic Selection

Choosing your topic is the first step in the research process. Be aware that selecting a good topic may not be easy. It must be narrow and focused enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to find adequate information. Pick a topic that interests you.  You are going to live with this topic for weeks while you research, read, and write your assignment. Choose something that will hold your interest and that you might even be excited about. Your attitude towards your topic will come across in your writing or presentation!

GENERATE IDEAS FOR POTENTIAL RESEARCH TOPICS

The right selection of the topic enables the researcher to get a clear picture of the problem at every stage. It helps him to avoid as far as possible unnecessary modifications, omissions, and additions. The range of potential topics for social research is as broad as the range of social behavior itself. Clarity of thinking at the selection level minimizes confusion at every later stage and ultimately results in the success of the project. Therefore, in the selection of the topic the researcher should take into consideration the following factors:

Brainstorming is a technique you can use to help you generate ideas. Below are brainstorming exercises and resources to help you come up with research topic ideas.

Build an academic network within and outside the university. Topic selection does not have to be an individual effort. The researcher can interact with fellow students, seniors and teachers who can stimulate innovative ideas.

Find out the problems of the industries of interest and ideas to find solutions to the problems can win fully industry funded research.

A good research idea may arise from certain conditions or situations in the world. The present situation due to COVID-19 has created opportunities for research in microbiological, immunological, pathological, clinical, preventive and socio-economic aspects of the pandemic.

CONVERT IDEAS INTO RESEARCH TOPICS

Once researchers have ideas, they need to evaluate those ideas critically to come up with potential research topics.

Researcher’s interest

The researcher should select a topic in which he is familiar or has in-depth understanding. He should possess a probing attitude, tenacity of spirit, and dedication. These three virtues would bring personal interest to his study. Choose potential topics of interest so that the researcher continues being motivated to successfully overcome problems that are generally encountered in the course of the study. The topic should also be interesting to the supervisor and other members of the committee, and meet the specifications and the standards of the university.

Researcher’s resources

The resources of researcher are his intelligence, training and experience and other facilities such as funds, clerical and technical assistance, library facilities and availability of time. For research library resources such as books, journals, periodicals, research reports, research journals, and indices are essential. If library resources are poor the researcher has to select a problem for which he can gather primary data. The capacity of the research problem should be within the physical resources available to a researcher.

Topics appropriate to the discipline

Researchers’ interest should be either in the core discipline or in closely related disciplines. Interdisciplinary research is now encouraged within the specifications and the standards set by the institute. Try to identify three potential topics and write a clear statement of the problem and describe research methodology in each case. Also think about the alternatives for discussion with the supervisor.

Narrow down the broad topic to a specific topic

When the scope of a topic is too broad or too narrow, it will be difficult to conduct research. If the topic is too broad, the researcher will end up writing only in general and is unlikely to go deeper into the problem due to the limitations of time and resources. If the topic is too narrow, it becomes difficult to find adequate literature which is necessary to describe the background of the study and to identify a research gap. It is necessary to narrow down the broad topic to a specific topic that is suitable for research.

Keep the topic focused

Sometimes the topic that you choose may be too broad to research on. A research paper with too many details and no direction can distort the purpose of the research. The research process also may seem never-ending. So, in a situation like this, you need to limit the scope of the research topic. To begin with, be sure to have a clear picture of the purpose of your research. Once you achieve this, you can fine-tune the topic and experiment until you are convinced of the outcome.

Time-bound program

A research problem should be time-bound. Research can be conducted within three months and the same research can be undertaken for three years also. Therefore, a topic must be selected in such a way as to finish the study within the prescribed period.

• Research process: A step-by-step approach (2022, 29). Nash Library & Student Learning Commons – Nash Library & Student Learning Commons at Gannon University. https://library.gannon.edu/researchprocess
• Library: Research help: Choosing a topic. (2022, May 16). Jack C. Taylor Library – Library at Fontbonne University. https://library.fontbonne.edu/c.php?g=249568&p=1661520
• Sir, S. (2021, May 22). Topic selection in research. Hamro Library. https://www.hamrolibrary.com/2021/05/topic-selection-in-research.html#

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

This article is part of the research topic.

GIS and MCDM Techniques as Tools for Navigating to a Greener Future by Harnessing Onshore and Offshore Wind Energy

Wind farm site selection using GIS-based mathematical modeling and fuzzy logic tools: A case study of Burundi Provisionally Accepted

• 1 University of Rwanda, Rwanda
• 2 University of Mauritius, Mauritius

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

The electricity generated from nuclear plants and petroleum-based products has a negative influence on the environment as a whole. It has shown the utility to search out and promote the utilization of renewable, environmentally friendly, and sustainable energy sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal. Nowadays, Wind energy resource has quickly emerged as the world's fastest-growing energy source. However, the selection of the most suitable places for developing a wind farm is a crucial challenge that can be seen as a problem of site selection, which involves numerous conflicting variables. Therefore, it is classified as an MCDM (multi-criteria decision-making) problem. The main objective of this research is to determine the best locations in Burundi for the installation of wind farms. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) was used to weigh the criteria considering their relative importance. This study considers several key factors when determining the optimal location for a wind farm. These factors include wind speed, slope, proximity to the grid network, distance to roads, and land use/land cover (LULC). Furthermore, a geographic information system (GIS) is utilized to generate the final suitability wind farm locations map. The obtained results indicate that 20.91% of the whole study area is suitable nevertheless, only 1.96% is tremendously suitable for wind turbine placement. The western part of Burundi is the optimal area for constructing a wind farm, and the most is in Lake Tanganyika.

Keywords: Fuzzy theory, Wind farm location, decision-making, Fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process, restriction factors

Received: 10 Dec 2023; Accepted: 15 Apr 2024.

Copyright: © 2024 Placide and Lollchund. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Mx. GATOTO Placide, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda

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