Subject Matter of the Inquiry

or Research
• You begin your research work with a problem; that is having a
problem or topic to work on.
• A topic is researchable if the knowledge and information about it are
supported by evidence that is observable, factual, and logical.
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter
2. Availability of information
3. Timeliness and relevance of the topic
4. Limitations on the subject
5. Personal resources
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
1. Interest in the subject matter
Your interest in topic may be caused by your rich background
knowledge about it and by its novelty; meaning, its unfamiliarity to
you.
Your real interest in a subject pushes you to research, investigate,
or inquire about it with full motivation, enthusiasm, and energy.
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
2. Availability of information
Collecting a lot of information as evidence to support your claims
about your subject matter from varied forms of literature like books,
journals, and newspapers , among others, is part and parcel of any
research work.
You have to consider the following: copyright dates of the
materials, expertise or qualification of the writers.
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
3. Timeliness and relevance
it is relevant if it yields results that are instrumental in societal
improvement.
it is timely if it is related to the present.
4. Limitation on the subject
this makes you link your choosing with course requirements (e.g.
requirements by your teachers)
Guidelines in Choosing a Research Topic
5. Personal resources
Before sticking fully to your final choice, assess your research
abilities in terms of your financial standing, health condition, mental
capacity, needed facilities, and time allotment to enable you to
complete your research
Research Topics to be Avoided
1. Controversial topics
2. Highly technical subjects
3. Hard-to-investigate subjects
4. Too broad subjects
5. Too narrow subjects
6. Vague subjects
Research Topics to be Avoided
1. Controversial topics – those that depend greatly on the writer’s
opinion, which may tend to be biased or prejudicial.
Facts cannot support topics like these
2. Highly technical subjects – researching on topics that require an
advance study, technical, knowledge, and vast experience is a very
difficult task.
3. Too broad subjects – will prevent your from giving a concentrated or
an in-depth analysis of the subject matter of the paper. The remedy to
this is to narrow or limit the topic to smaller one.
Research Topics to be Avoided
5. Too narrow subjects – are limited or specific that an extensive or
thorough searching or reading for information about these are
necessary.
6. Vague subjects – choosing topics like these will prevent you from
having a clear focus on your paper.
For instance, titles beginning with indefinite adjectives such as
several, many, some, etc., as in “Some Remarkable traits” or “Several
People’s Comments on the RH Law” are vague enough to decrease the
readers’ interest and curiorisity.
Sources of Research Topics
1. Mass media communication – press (newspapers, ads, TV, radio, films,
etc.)
2. Books, Internet, peer-reviewed journals, government publication
3. Professional periodicals like College English Language Teaching Forum,
English Forum, The Economist, Academia, Business Circle, Law Review,
etc.
4. General periodical such as Readers’ Digest, Women’s Magazine,
Panorama Magazine, Time Magazine, World Mission Magazine, etc.
5. Previous reading assignments in your other subjects
6. Work experience – clues to a researchable topic from full-time or part-
time jobs, OJT experience, fieldwork, etc.
Put a check under the column of the right descriptive for each number
Research Controversial Vague Narrow Highly Broad Hard to
Topics Technical investigate

Filipinos’
Admiration of
Current First
Lady of the
Philippines
Some
Excessively
Priced
Imported
Vehicles
The Rise and
Fall of All
Kings and
Queens.
Put a check under the column of the right descriptive for each number
Research Controversial Vague Narrow Highly Broad Hard to
Topics Technical investigate

Labor Unions
before the
coming of
Jesus Christ
Spaceship
Building
The Structure
of Nuclear
Weapon
Definition of
Research
Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing
down a broad topic
1. _______ Symptoms of Aids
_______ Physical Symptoms of Aids
_______ Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS
2. _______ History of Traditional Grammar
_______ History of American Traditional Grammar
_______ Traditional Grammar
3. _______ The Psychology of Reading
_______ A Study of Human Behavior
_______ Sensory Experience in Reading
Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing
down a broad topic
4. _______ World Ideologies
_______ Feminism in the Digital Era
_______ Feminism in Nick Joaquin’s Latest Novel
5. _______ Communication Skills
_______ The Writing Process
_______ Pre-writing Strategies
6. _______ War Among Nations
_______ World War II
_______ Japan’s Role in World War II
Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing
down a broad topic
7. _______ Hotel and Restaurant Management
_______ Food Serving Techniques
_______ Russian-Plate Service
8. _______ University of the Philippines
_______ The History of the University of the Philippines
_______ The University of the Philippines in the 1960’s
9. _______ Philippine Transportation System
_______ Metro Manila’s Transportation System
_______ Manila’s LRT/MRT Systems
Check the title that appears to be the best in terms of narrowing
down a broad topic
10. _______ The Enactment of Laws in Congress
_______ The Governing Bodies of the Philippines
_______ The Congress of the Philippines