How to Choose a Topic for a Dissertation

Dissertation topics are notoriously difficult to figure out, since the possibilities seem endless. Follow these steps to nail things down.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Electronic Personal Organizers
• Floppy Disks
• Personal Organizers
• Computers
• Word-processing Software
• Floppy disks

1. Make a habit, as early as possible in your graduate career, of jotting down ideas for research while sitting in class and doing your reading. Particular findings can point to new and interesting questions.

2. Weed out ideas as the time to choose draws nearer. Consider such issues as level of interest (how excited do you get when you think about it?), practicality (too broad? too narrow?), and how significant a contribution it will make to your discipline.

3. Consult with fellow graduate students as well: they'll offer not only great ideas, but sympathy.

4. Ask your advisor and other professors what they know about work that's already been done on the topics that remain after your weeding-out process.

5. Find this work, and see how similar or different it is from your own ideas. If it's too similar, you've just eliminated another possibility.

6. Choose whichever of the remaining topics interests you the most.

7. Keep in mind that your topic is a work in progress, and allow yourself to be flexible. It's inevitable that some aspects of your topic will change as you progress in your research and writing.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to walk the line between an overly broad and an overly narrow topic. Broad topics can lead you astray and lack focus; narrow topics can be of limited interest and might not furnish enough material for an entire dissertation.
• Keep your topic ideas in a central location, preferably a computer file that you can easily back up.
• Consider setting yourself a deadline for finding a topic. Without one, grad school has the tendency to drift on and on.
• Be sure you've searched the literature thoroughly for related research. It would be awful to work for months and months only to find you've duplicated someone else's work.

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[georgemareko]

on 1/14/2009 I am completing my MEd degree this year and at the moment searching for some topics related to culture, education, diversity etc, and was wondering if anyone who has completed a dessertation/thesis in this area is able to give me some relevant references, journal articles and so on that might be useful. Perhaps any online links could be useful as well. Cheers :-)).

[mituljimit]

on 10/25/2008 I AM STUDENT OF MBA (FINANCE). i want to know how to select the dissertation topic. i has very less time to prepare the dissertation just 6 months.i want to know how the select topic in vast area of finance.i want to do most important things in my life's, it's dissertation.
i need any help for dissertation topic & whatever improvement need, i must put my affort in this. i am waiting for your reply :
[e-mail]

[mituljimit]

on 10/25/2008 i am student of MBA(finance). i want to know how to select the dissertation topic because i has only 6 months. left for this. i am scared about my dissertation.
if there is any new things for i has to improve then tell me..
i waiting for your reply.....
reply on this id
my email id: [e-mail]

[darina]

on 2/5/2007 I found one article related to this one - maybe it will be interesting for those of you who are about to select their dissertation topic: http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/How_to_find_a_good_undergraduate_dissertation_title_topic.htm