Whether you’re in your final year of undergrad, pursuing a Master’s, or working on your PhD, you’ll eventually face the task of completing a research project. The first challenge? How to choose a research topic? How much time should you spend deciding? What factors should you consider when making your choice? Let’s dive in and explore the answers.

3 main criteria for choosing a research topic

Before learning about how to choose a research topic, let’s understand what criteria should be satisfied.

Now, let’s look at 3 different ways to choose a research topic!

1. Through a college professor – easiest way!

Approach Professors: If you’re in a research-focused institute, ask professors if they have any research problems or topics available.

Get Connected: Professors may assign you a topic or connect you with a PhD student or postdoc from their research group for guidance.

Research and Learn: Explore the topic by reading review papers, research articles, and books, and engage in discussions with research group members.

Obtain Guidance: This approach provides you with a research topic quickly and offers support to complete your project effectively.

2. A more flexible way of choosing a research topic 

Visit College Websites: Check your college or any institute’s website to explore ongoing research by various groups. For example, look at the research areas for NTU Singapore.

Select and Review: Choose a professor from the research groups and review their research topics. Start with their papers to gauge if the topic interests you.

Analyze and Back-Track: Examine keywords and related papers to understand the fundamentals and identify gaps in existing research.

Choose and Confirm: Based on your findings, select a novel research topic. This process, including literature review and understanding fundamentals, may take 1-2 months

3. The traditional but most fundamental way of choosing a research topic

Start with a broad topic: Choose a broad topic that interests you. Read review papers to understand the broad areas within your topic

Narrow Down: Delve into specific research areas within your chosen topic.

Focus: Identify the area that resonates with you. Explore this area further through books and review papers.

Arrive at a research question: Find the gaps and continue narrowing your focus until you find a unique problem.

Seek Guidance: If needed, consult professors or researchers for direction.

Check out the example below on “Mental Health”

Choose any of these ways mentioned based on what is comfortable to you. Focus on topics that genuinely interest you, are innovative, and are manageable within your timeframe. For those who wish to gain a deeper understanding of research writing and obtain certification, our research writing course is available. The A-Z of Research Paper Writing & Presentation.

To learn about this with live screen recordings – you can check out our video below.