Selecting Project Topic -3 steps in choosing research topic for your research project, thesis, and Dissertation

For most students, choosing a research topic for their project work is so much a task that they keep going on and on about it and end up with topics they will eventually find difficult. The constraint in just choosing anything is that a time will come when you need extra motivation from within and without choosing the right topic, you could run out of steam.

There are millions of research projects done in the past, and a whole lot of areas covered; However, there are still areas that are yet to be touched, with the Case Study, helping to increase the scope of research works, spreading it as far as those new and untouched areas.

The reason for asking students to embark on this project writing is to get their perspectives on important topics as they try to proffer solutions to a world of unending challenges. Therefore, every student leaving the tertiary institution is expected to conduct a research project, thesis or dissertation.

As I said earlier, there are millions of topics done already with a whole lot of them online already, some sites provide topics for various disciplines online so that students can make their choice. These topics may be good but not all of them are Good for you.

2 Features of a good project topic

  1. It should be enticing

A project topic should appeal to the writer, that should be a major concern. A topic being enticing is not a guarantee that it will be easy, it is only an avenue whereby you will feel excited about it throughout the project. Also, a Catchy topic will attract even the supervisor to be more interested in your work.

For instance:

  1. Web3 solution to the cloud accounting needs of organisations
  2. Cost accounting and the role of Web3 towards organizational record management.

Looking at the 2 topics above, both topics are novel and trendy, but the researcher might have difficulty accessing materials for topic 1 than topic 2 at the time of publishing this.

  1. It should have a Manageable Scope

Sometimes, students make a huge mistake in choosing a topic that is very difficult to relate to due to its broad nature. It is even more difficult when it is narrowed, at that point, you get boxed into a corner. The case study can help increase your scope so you should put it into consideration.

Steps to selecting a good topic for your research

  1. Research

This is the very first step in the process of choosing a topic for your research project, thesis, dissertation, journal paper and other academic writing. It is necessary to have a background check for research topics by other students related to your field. Online sources can be very useful in this regard, so it is important to consider them when running through this process.

Your area of interest will help you streamline what you are looking for. You can look through previous assignments or term papers too, they can also assist you in finding those areas of interest. If the topic is not interesting to you, there is no need to conduct research on it. Always remember that your passion drives you through the process and you will get stuck if you do not work with something you understand.

  1. Consult Your Supervisor

Students are always assigned supervisors who help them through the research process and ensure that they are on the right track. They can be instrumental in helping you resolve your research dilemma. Your supervisor will assist you with ideas from experience, they can even go as far as helping you with resource materials which can be important in your work. Do you think you need a professional to guide you through the entire writing process before submitting it to your supervisor, you can hire a virtual supervisor online.

  1. Search for Resource Materials

You need as much information as possible to succeed in your Project/Research work. Let us assume that you have successfully come up with a few possible topics and now looking to further streamline your search to the one with more works of literatures, you have to search for materials that will aid you in your research. To see more relevant search results, you can add “.pdf” to the search term/keyword.

One of the. Remember to take note of the reference materials you use along the way so you will not have issues assembling them after the research proper. Alternatively, you may choose to use the built-in MicrosoftWord References plugin that will help you to organize as well as be able to retrieve the same when you are done with your writing. There are other external plugins like Zotero and Mendeley.

  1. Choose a Case Study

In researching for topics that require a Case Study, be conscious of what you choose because the Case Study of any topic takes centre stage during the research. It determines the scope of the entire work. You have to take cognisance, of the nature of the case study so that it does not go beyond something you can handle. In choosing the case study, consider the availability of resources and the timeframe you have for the research.

  1. Draft your Research Questions

You need to state clearly, the questions you intend to answer through your research work. The aim of a research project is to proffer solutions to an aspect of human life. Try as much as possible to state the research questions as it will help you know the heights your research work will require you to get to.

Writing a project work is not an easy feat and requires some work to get it done. It is therefore important to choose a topic that you are interested in, one that will give you the freedom to express yourself and be excited about it. When it seems like you are running out of ideas, go back to those resource materials and you will get more ideas to aid you through your work.

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