Learn all twists and turns of coming up with the best topic for your dissertation and why it is so important to you.
8 tips about how to choose topic for your dissertation
Dissertation writing is the top of your academic career, so you have to put the shoulder to the wheel and come up with the best possible result. The process is very time-consuming and calls for all your knowledge and skills so you cannot neglect it thinking that you will easily write it within a few weeks. The work on it starts with the selection of the paper topic. Things to know about dissertation topic First and foremost, be prepared to choose the topic several times. Do not be afraid to do so, as it is even expected from you. Firstly you submit the topic, however, after a certain amount of time and research it may become clear that you have to change the topic or make amendments to the chosen one. Another reason is a point of your interest. The things that interested you at the beginning of the year may feel to you dull or too commonplace for your main paper of the educational process – and that will affect your research abilities. Sometimes primary topic is too expanded so there is a need to specify it. How to select the topic?- Look through the works of doctoral students of the previous years. Thus you will find interesting ideas and get inspiration for your work. Make sure that you are looking through reliable resources like T&T Clark or Cambridge Press).
- Read through the abstracts and the first paragraphs of the selected papers to find out the methodology and sub-topics. Look through the bibliography of the chosen dissertations and Google books stated there: in their bibliographies you will also find dissertations dedicated to the subject.
- Check the final chapters of the chosen papers – usually they include suggestions for further research
- Check the subfields you are especially interested in. Firstly select broad topic and then dig into it to find the idea worth working with.
- Read the literature reviews of the books that fit your topic to be sure that your idea fits in the field and can make certain contribution.
- Do not be afraid to ask for help. If you have familiar scholars in the chosen field of study, then take an advantage of it: they can give you workable tips and ideas.
- Learn different methodologies of data analysis. Only when you get acquainted with possible approaches to the information you will be able to make the topic more focused.
- Select the topic that can be flexible when you find new pieces of evidence.