The possibilities for selecting a research topic are nearly endless! While most initial research ideas will need some tweaking to be in line with your project’s or assignment's scope, you can take nearly any idea, interest, or phenomenon and turn it into a research topic.
Please check with instructor for specific directions concerning topic selection for a research project or to confirm if a topic is acceptable.
This could be a personal interest, related to something you have experienced, related to your job or future career, etc. You could even research a problem or barrier you’ve experienced or something that upsets you. What matters is that you have a vested interest in your research topic. This is going to help motivate you to keep working on the project.
For example: Adrian works full-time and also has young child, and sometimes they get stressed out about work-life balance. Adrian could choose “working parent mental health” as an initial topic.
Have you ever wondered why something works (or doesn’t work) the way that it does? Are you curious about how something impact your life? Research that!
For example: Traffic noise from I-215 sometimes keeps Gabi from falling asleep. Gabi could choose “noise pollution and insomnia” as an initial research topic.
Notice trends, phenomena, or occurrences in your daily life. You can research why those trends might occur.
For example: Rui has noticed more vehicles running red lights while commuting work. Rui could choose “distracted and aggressive driving” as an initial research topic.
If a reading, assignment, or video from a class has stood out to you, explore that further. That topic or an aspect of it could serve as your initial research topic.
For example: Almas was fascinated to learn in HLTH 1050 that former drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar imported hippos to Colombia and that the hippos are now causing significant issues as a non-native species. Almas could choose “impacts of non-native animal species” as an initial research topic.
Great! You’ve selected an initial topic that interests you. Now you will want to refine it so your topic fits within the scope of your project.
Ask yourself personal questions to help focus your topic. Ask yourself: Why did I choose this topic in the first place? What specifically interests me about it? Do I have personal experience with this? This reflective process can help you move from a general topic like "medical marijuana" to a more specific one that is also interesting to you. For example, perhaps you know someone who suffers from chronic pain and had medical marijuana recommended to them; you might want to learn more about how medical marijuana helps with chronic pain and if there are any negative medical side effects associated with its use.
Try answering this question by filling in the blanks: “I am researching [topic], because I want to find out [issue / question] in order to [application, or why it matters].” For example: I am researching sound pollution, because I want to learn if it impacts sleep cycles in order to understand how traffic noise may negatively impact human health.
Another way to refine your initial topic is to give your opinion, take a side to an argument, or present a different outlook. Try to keep an open mind and withhold your own judgement until you have done some research. It is a growth experience to consider other views! Ask something like: “What are the consequences of X on Y?” For example: What are the consequences of vehicle emissions on Utah’s air quality?
Identify a problem (your initial topic), a population (a specific group of people), and a place. Adding these three components together can help focus your topic.
The next step in developing your research topic is making sure that it is actually feasible for you to research. Sometimes great ideas have to be tabled for another point in time because of current limitations. Here are three questions/sets of questions to ask yourself before moving ahead with your research project.
What about it interests me? Will I continue to be interested in this topic throughout the research process? If you cannot answer these questions, return to brainstorming possible topics.
If your topic is too broad, you may be overwhelmed by the amount of sources you find or feel like you have no clear goal of what to study or accomplish. If your topic is too narrow, you may have a very hard time finding sources or completing your project. Look for a topic that is “just right.” It should be specific enough that it is actionable.
If your project is going to require you do an observational study, do you have the available time to do that? If your project requires specialized equipment, do you have access to it and knowledge of how to use it? If you need to acquire supplies or incentives for people to participate in your project, do you have the funding? These logistical questions are important, because having the appropriate resources available can help set you up for success. If you don’t have these resources available, you may need to table your research topic until another time.
