Finding and weighing out potential research topics is one of the most important tasks in the entire research process, whether you're working on a dissertation, a thesis, or any other type of formal academic research project. In this video, we'll unpack five essential criteria you can use to systematically evaluate potential research topics and pick a winner. Hey, my name's Emma, and today we're going to show you how to evaluate research ideas in a systematic way. way so that you can approach your project with confidence.
If you're currently hunting for a high-quality topic, be sure to check out our free Topic Ideation 101 webinar, where we unpack how to find and refine research topics from scratch. You can also grab a copy of our free Research Topic Megalist, which features over a thousand research topic ideas for your inspiration. You can find the links to both of those in the description. Alright, so let's get started!
As we've discussed in other videos, once you've created a short list of research ideas, you'll need to systematically evaluate each one of them so that you can find the right one for your specific set of circumstances. To do this, you'll need to establish a solid set of criteria. Naturally, there are many different factors you could consider, but in this video, we'll present a set of five key criteria to evaluate. To get the most from this video, be sure to grab a copy of our free topic evaluation worksheet.
This will help you apply everything we discuss here in a super intuitive way. And as always, you can find the link below. So let's dig in to the big five. The first factor to consider is topic originality. As we've discussed many times on the Grad Coach blog, originality and novelty are really important in academic research.
especially at the higher levels. Typically, your research topic will need to offer a new perspective, fill a gap, or challenge existing knowledge. So ask the following questions for each of your candidate topics. Does this topic bring something new to the field?
If so, how? Is it a unique combination of existing ideas? Is this topic fully supported by the underlying research gap?
Is there a clear research problem that this topic addresses? Having considered these questions, score each of your topic candidates on a scale of 1 to 5 or whichever scale that you prefer. If you're not 100% certain about some of the terminology, like research gaps and research problems, we've got straightforward explainer videos covering those. Links are in the description. Alright, the second factor to consider is the value and significance of each topic.
Simply put, this criterion is all about the why. In other words, Why does this topic warrant the time, effort, and resources it will take to investigate it? So for each of your candidate topics, you'll need to consider how they could potentially contribute to academic knowledge, societal issues, or practical applications.
Here are some questions to ask yourself. Why is it important to find the answer to this research question, or set of questions? Who would benefit from this, both within the academic world and outside of it?
what would the benefits be? To score highly here, you'll need to make a strong argument for why any given topic idea is worth its salt. So take a critical view and play devil's advocate with yourself to find reasons why each potential topic matters or doesn't.
Again, score each option from 1 to 5 and then move on. Moving on to the third member of the Big Five, that is access to data, and equipment. Naturally, having surefire access to the relevant datasets or samples is crucial to the success of any research project.
For empirical studies, you'll need to have a clear, realistic plan for data collection. If your research requires specific populations, you'll need to consider how you'll gain access to the relevant population for each topic idea. Without this, your project will be doomed to fail before it even starts.
For certain research projects, especially in the sciences and engineering, access to specific equipment for data collection and analysis is equally important. So for each potential topic, carefully assess whether your university can provide the necessary equipment exactly when you need it. Naturally, the lack of required equipment can significantly hinder or strike a fatal blow to your research project. So be as conservative as possible when assessing this one.
Write! On to factor number four, which is quite simply time. The amount of time required to collect and analyze data can make or break a research project.
Over the years, we've seen so many students fail to plan for the time factor and then come knocking at our door hoping for a miracle solution. That's not where you... want to be.
So at this stage, you'll need to carefully evaluate the feasibility of completing each of your topic ideas within the given time frame. Now this might be anywhere from a month to a year or even multiple years for doctoral level research. By evaluating the time factor, you might consider whether any given topic is too broad or complex to be addressed adequately within the available time. If necessary, you can of course trim down the scope of some options at the stage as well. This is a great way to narrow your focus, so don't be afraid to refine your ideas as you work through the evaluation process.
Whatever the case, it's important to be extremely conservative with this criterion specifically. Research projects almost always take more time than originally expected, so for each potential topic on your shortlist, take a worst-case view to help account for any delays. Alright, on to the final factor of the big five and that is what we call Ethical Complexity As we've discussed many times on this channel, understanding your university's research ethics policy is absolutely essential, especially at the topic ideation stage.
This is particularly true for any research involving human or animal subjects, so be sure to carefully review your institution's ethics policy and consider how these rules impact your ideas. If any of your candidate topics raise ethical question marks, you'll need to mark them down. Also, keep in mind that While some topics may be ethically acceptable, they may require additional layers of approval, which will slow down and restrict the degree of freedom that you have. This is commonly the case with research that involves any sort of vulnerable population, for example hospital patients, children, etc. So again, carefully evaluate each of your topic ideas against your uni's research ethics policy.
If any given topic goes against the policy, you can eliminate it right away. If a topic creates ethical complexity, mark it down. Also, it's a good idea to err on the conservative side and assume the worst whenever there's any ambiguity in the policy.
Ethics committees are notoriously conservative, so this is not the time to wear your optimist hat. All right, we've covered quite a bit of ground, so let's quickly recap. The big five criteria against which you should evaluate your potential topic ideas are the topic's originality or novelty, the value or significance of the proposed study, your access to data sets and equipment, the time constraints for your project, and the ethical complexity. Remember to grab a copy of our free topic evaluation worksheet, which includes a few more criteria for you to consider. You can find the link to that below.
Once you've populated all the fields, you can add up the numbers and quickly identify which ones are the most attractive overall. At this stage, it's a good idea to validate your research problems and research questions for the top two topics by returning to the literature for one last check. If possible, try to speak to your research advisor or any other faculty to get their input on your top two options. From there, it's time for you to make a decision.
While this is obviously a big decision, don't dwell on it for days or weeks. If you're stuck between two options, choose the one that's the safest. In other words, the one that you're most likely to complete on time and on spec.
Remember, you'll always have the opportunity to undertake further research in the future, so don't feel the need to solve the world's problems with this one piece of research. Alright, that's a wrap for today. If you enjoyed the video, please remember to hit the like and subscribe buttons, and be sure to check out this video next. Bye.