How To Choose A Dissertation Topic?

How To Choose A Dissertation Topic?

One of the first and most important steps in writing a dissertation is choosing a suitable topic. Your topic should be:

  • Relevant: It should address a current issue or problem in your field or discipline that has not been sufficiently explored or resolved by previous research.
  • Interesting: It should spark your curiosity and passion and motivate you to conduct thorough and rigorous research.
  • Feasible: It should be possible to complete within the time frame and resources available to you. You should be able to access enough data and literature on your topic and use appropriate methods to analyze it.

To choose a dissertation topic, you can follow these steps:

  1. Brainstorm some general ideas or areas of interest within your field or discipline. You can use various sources (such as textbooks, journals, websites, etc.) to get some inspiration or background information.
  2. Narrow down your ideas by identifying a specific gap or problem in the existing literature that you want to address or solve with your research. You can use various strategies (such as asking questions, using keywords, etc.) to refine your focus and scope.
  3. Formulate a preliminary research question or hypothesis that guides your investigation and states what you want to find out or prove with your research. You can use various criteria (such as clarity, specificity, originality, etc.) to evaluate and revise your research question or hypothesis.
  4. Discuss your topic with your supervisor or other experts in your field and get their feedback and approval. You can also check the requirements and expectations of your department and institution regarding your topic.

How To Write A Dissertation Introduction?

The introduction is the first chapter of your dissertation and it sets the stage for your research. It should:

  • Introduce your topic and provide some background information that contextualizes it and shows why it is important and relevant.
  • State your main research question and objectives that specify what you want to achieve or answer with your research.
  • Explain the significance and originality of your research and how it contributes to the existing knowledge or practice in your field or discipline.
  • Outline the structure of your dissertation and indicate what each chapter will cover.

To write a dissertation introduction, you can follow these steps:

  1. Start with a general statement that introduces your topic and provides some context for it. You can also mention some of the current debates or issues related to your topic and show how they motivate your research.
  2. Provide some background information that narrows down your topic and explains its scope and focus. You can also define any key terms or concepts that are essential for understanding your topic.
  3. State your main research question and objectives clearly and concisely. You can also mention any sub-questions or sub-objectives that support or elaborate on your main question and objectives.
  4. Explain the significance and originality of your research and how it fills a gap or solves a problem in the existing literature or practice. You can also mention the expected outcomes or benefits of your research for your field discipline or society at large.
  5. Outline the structure of your dissertation and briefly describe what each chapter will cover. You can also indicate how each chapter relates to your main research question and objectives.