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Waiting to Get Your Dissertation Accepted?
Last Updated on: 3rd June 2022, 04:38 am
“How do I choose a dissertation topic?” is a question most PhD students have fretted about. I’m glad you’re thinking about it, because your dissertation topic is an important decision. You will be in an intimate relationship with the topic you choose for at least a year, maybe longer. In fact, depending on your study’s results, your dissertation may become the basis for a lifetime of research, so giving the question a good deal of consideration is wise.
So, how do you choose one? The best answer is to choose an area you have a deep passion for. Short of that, find a topic that you are deeply interested in and that you suspect you will remain interested in for quite a while.
However, many people find that “follow your passion” isn’t specific enough advice, and it certainly doesn’t guide them through the more complex steps associated with choosing a dissertation topic.
These are steps I’ve outlined for students many times, and in my experience, they work. Read the infographic or scroll down for the complete article to find out how to choose a dissertation topic.
How to Choose a Dissertation Topic
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Step One: Read
When asked how to choose a dissertation topic, most of my colleagues say the same thing: read the literature of your field. If your field is education, then read all that you can on the area of education that interests you. If management is your field, then consume as much of the literature on your area of management as you can.
The more you discover, the more specific your interest will become. Instead of books about general education, you’ll start choosing articles about why students drop out of high school, for example. Instead of management texts, you’ll start looking for books specifically about leadership styles.
Immerse yourself in the literature, looking at your narrowing topic from as many angles as you can. Let yourself be led down one new path after another so that you become an expert on the past and current thinking on the topic. You’ll see how attrition in high school is linked to socio-economic status and note all the different initiatives that have been attempted to mitigate it. Or you’ll find out that the trends in leadership training have mirrored counter-cultural thinking.
By doing this reading and narrowing, you’ll get a good feeling of what has been done, what people think should be done, and where there are gaps. It is in the small gaps in collective thinking where the best research ideas are found.
Step Two: Come Up With a Question
Next, come up with a question. When you refine it, this will be the central research question for your dissertation. When coming up with a question, there are several things to keep in mind.
First, many people make the mistake of trying to solve a problem, rather than answering a question. An interest in drop-out rates may lead you to wonder about solutions to the problem of dropping out. Dig a little deeper for your question. You might be interested in the reasons students who’ve dropped out give for their decision. Or you might compare satisfaction levels of students who participate in a dropout prevention program to those who attend an alternative high school.
Also remember that your question should be open-ended, not a “yes” or “no” question. “Does this management style increase productivity?” is not an acceptable research question, but “To what degree, if any, does this management style impact productivity?” is. The former question is acceptable practical research, but your dissertation must be a more open-ended type of study.
Ultimately, your research question must be supported by the literature, meaning other researchers think it’s relevant. As you read and consider the state of the situation you want to study, ask yourself, “What is the next piece of information that society needs to decide how to should proceed in this area?”
Step Three: Find Out if it’s Doable
Before you go any further, you have to make sure you can actually conduct a study to answer your research question. By that I mean, can you get access to the data and can you collect the data in a reasonable time period?
For example, a study on the lifetime earnings impact of financial education in high school would mean following a group of people from high school until death. It could take 75 plus years to get all of the data. Do you want to pay tuition for that long?
So, make sure that you limit the parameters of your study. Instead of lifetime earnings, perhaps you could look at the lived financial experience of college freshmen who have taken a particular high school personal finance course.
Step Four: Gain Committee Acceptance
You may have found the perfect dissertation committee, people who you respect and who will work hard to help you finish. However, if the members do not like your topic or have an opposing opinion on the matter, you may be in for a very long journey. Make sure that all committee members are on board at the beginning, open to whatever you might find in your study.
You can do this by asking questions that include them in your thought process, e.g., “I’ve recently discovered X about my topic, and to me, that indicates I should tweak my research question to Y; do you concur?”
Step Five: Listen to Your Committee’s Advice
This point might sound obvious, but it isn’t to everyone. It can be easy to get an idea in your head about what you want to study and how you want to do it, and that’s fantastic–it’s your project, and it should remain so.
However, your Chair and committee members have a lot of experience that can inform the way you conduct your research–and may even save you grief down the road. One of the greatest opportunities that comes along with writing your dissertation is the chance to work with experienced researchers to “learn the ropes” of conducting research.
Using this opportunity to its full potential will allow you to learn more and will set you up for an easier dissertation-writing process, since you and your committee will be on the same page.
Summary of How to Choose a Dissertation Topic
Seek to find the small area in your field of interest on which no one else has written before but is the next logical step for the field and develop that into your topic. Come up with your research question and find out if it’s doable. Gain committee acceptance, and take the time to listen to what your Chair and committee members have to say.
Your committee and Chair are invaluable, but many people appreciate outside help as well. I stand ready to assist you with choosing your dissertation topic and all other stages of your PhD journey.
