Choosing your topic is the first step in the research process. It is a daunting task for a number of reasons and the importance of this process only makes it more difficult. There are however a couple of strategies that will help you select the best research topic for your thesis.
Decide on your research interests and how they relate to your programme
Before you are able to select the right topic for your research, it is important to understand yourself as a researcher and your research interests. Knowing your interests and why you are researching would help you narrow down your search to a particular research topic. This process is important because it will help you decide what to research, where and how to research it, and how to present the results of your research. For example, if you are interested in researching how to increase employee retention in small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, then you need to understand what you are interested in and why. This will also help you decide what kind of literature to read and what concepts to look for in your research. In addition, you need to review your programme requirements and decide how your research interests relate to the programme requirements.
Review the current literature
The literature review is the method that you use to find out about the current research trends in your chosen field of study. This research would help you gather information about the existing research design and findings in your chosen field of study. The important thing to note here is that you need to choose a relevant publication that is related to your thesis topic and has not been done before. The best way to select the right article is to use a search engine that returns relevant articles. You can use a search engine like Google Scholar to do this. You can use key words and phrases to help you find the right article. Some relevant resources include:
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JSTOR
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Library of Congress
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PubMed Central
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Science.gov
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Digital Commons Network
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ResearchGate
Identify gaps in the knowledge base
A good way to start exploring the current research trends is to identify the gaps in the existing knowledge base. This is important because it will help you identify research gaps that are yet to be filled. You can do this by reading relevant publications and identifying the gaps in the existing knowledge base. For each gap, you need to decide how you want to fill it using your chosen research methodology. This will help you identify research methods that are yet to be explored, research design and research questions.
Fine-tune your topic based on input from supervisors and others
Now that you have identified the gaps in the knowledge base and identified topics for your research, it is time to fine-tune your topics. You will do this by gathering opinions and suggestions from your lecturers, your supervisor and your peers. You can gather opinions by posting research queries in the relevant discussion groups or social media platforms. By gathering input from your lecturers, you can get a good idea of the areas and topics they would recommend you to research. Similarly, you can also discuss your proposed topic with your supervisor to understand whether they have any concerns regarding the proposed topic.
Choosing a thesis topic is no easy feat. It is important that you choose a topic that is relevant to the field of study and yet also one that appeals to you. A good way to start is by understanding your interests and choosing a research topic that falls within your interests. You can also use key words and phrases to find relevant articles in the literature and understand the current trends in the field of study. This will help you identify research gaps and fill the gaps in the existing knowledge base. Finally, you can gather input from your lecturers and peers to identify possible topics for your research. This will also help you fine-tune your topics to ensure that they are relevant and interesting to you.