Selecting a Research Topic

Before you select a topic for your research, you have to know first the discrepancy between research methodology and research method.

Research methodology:Refers to principles and procedures of logical thought processes which are applied to a scientific investigation. 

Research method:Concerns the techniques which are available and those which are actually employed in a research project

Where to begin? There are some questions need to be answered before your start your research, for instance:

• What?   ; what topic you want to select selection of topic
• Why?    ; why you choose the topic
• Where? ; where will you conduct your research, it relates to a travel expenses & time
• When? ; when will you conduct your research, it relates to timing & time availability
• How?  ; how will you do your research, a methodology
• Whom? ; a researcher, supervisor, sample personnel and other who can help
• How much?  ; a resources that can be used

Selection of Topic

• (very often) the most difficult task for any researcher 
• Resources: 
• Assess time available 
• Enthusiasm is a great asset 
• Determination  
• Pareto distribution

• Finding background information
• A good way to begin your research is to locate and read short articles that will give you a broad overview of a topic.
• You can find these articles in a variety of reference materials.
• Also, these resources often provide bibliographies -- lists of books and articles that will allow you to discover what else is available on a subject

• Subject selection
• Topic of interest
• Personal strength and weaknesses
• Topics of current interest in practice
• Periodicals
• Access to data
• Research limitation

• Choosing a topic 
• Research topic as a driving force 
• Requirement & constraint as parametric factors

• Evaluating alternatives: 
• What does the research seek to achieve? 
• What does the research seek to find out?

In order to select the resource, researchers have to pay attention about the timeline of resources, as described below

Information timeline

Questions to be asked in selecting the topic:

• Do I posses the skills necessary to complete this study?
• Do I have access to the tools, lab, equipment, and target populations to complete this project?
• Do I have the time and money necessary to complete this project?
• Do I have the resources necessary to obtain sufficient data?
• Do I have access to a professional in that field who will be willing and able to advise me in the research process?

You have to avoid:

• Involving morality or value systems - these are difficult to explore properly
• Dealing with complex social, psychological, and/or behavioral issues - these are hard to measure
• Requiring human subjects - these have ethical and legal limitations

Choose a research topic that interests you. Then…

• Find a study that has already been done and duplicate that study, or
• Replication is an important part of the research process.
• Find a study that has already been done and replicate it using new definitions of some of the variables in the study. Or ..
• Find a study that has already been done and replicate it using additional moderator or control variables; or
• Find an existing study and develop a different way to test the hypothesis; or
• Follow an author’s suggestions for further research needed - usually found at the end of an article; or
• Contact the author of an interesting study using the internet for ideas for further study; or
• Choose a problem, analyze it, and invent a completely new study; or
• Use a combination of the above techniques

Using A Topic to Generate Questions

• Questions require answers.
• A topic is hard to cover completely because it typically encompasses too many related issues; but a question has an answer, even if it is ambiguous or controversial.
• Questions give you a way of evaluating the evidence.
• A clearly stated question helps you decide which information will be useful. A broad topic may tempt you to stash away information that may be helpful, but you're not sure how. A question also makes it easier to know when you have enough information to stop your research and draft an answer.
•   A clear open-ended question calls for real research and thinking.
• Asking a question with no direct answer makes research and writing more meaningful to both you and your audience. Assuming that your research may solve significant problems or expand the knowledge base of a discipline involves you in more meaningful activity of community and scholarship.

A topic definition statement should do the following

Provide background for the issues	Much collegiate sportswear is produced in sweatshops in third world countries. Laborers earn pennies a day under horrible working conditions. Yet consumers pay exorbitant prices for these goods.
Summarize the purpose of your project and how you will accomplish it	This paper will examine the degree to which consumers are able to influence corporations to do business in a socially responsible manner. Therefore, I will identify instances of abuses in the collegiate sportswear industry and demonstrate how consumers can make an impact upon corporations
Include a "working title"	"Ethical Consumerism: Can It Make a Difference?"
Indicate questions to be answered	Key question: "What impact can ethical consumerism have on corporations and the environment?" Sub-questions: "What statistical results have been compiled by those who support ethical consumerism?" "Has Nike improved working conditions in their overseas manufacturing plants since their negative publicity?"