Research Topic or

A Problem
1. A topic is the main organizing principle
guiding the preparation of a research
report
2. Topics offer us an occasion forwriting and
a focus that governs what we want to say.
3. Topics represent the core subject matter of
scholarly communication
How to Begin……
Do not expect choosing a topic
for research project to be a
quick or easy task
You should be thinking about it
right from the start of this
course (at least right from now).
CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC

THERE ARE 3 SCENARIOS

Our supervisor & department can
1. Provide you with a general topic area from which you
study a particular aspect ;
2. Provide you with a list of possible topics to choose from;
or…..
3. Leave it up to you to choose a topic and you only have
to obtain the permission to write about it before
beginning your investigation.
CHOOSING A RESEARCH TOPIC
How to approach your chosen topic
Step 1: Understand what the topic is
about.
1. What are the key words in the
question/topic?
2. Which questions am I going to
answer?
3. Which sphere of Knowledge does it
cover?
Step 2:
Review related literature to help refine how
you will approach the topic and finding
away to analyze it.
Focus on identifying sources (literature)
that support as well as refute this position.
a.Has anybody written about this?
b.If yes, what is it about specifically?
c. If no, what gap is my study filling in?
CAUTION
• It is ok to review related literature to help
refine how you will approach analyzing a
topic and then discover that the topic is not
all that interesting after all.
• In that case, you can choose another topic.
•  Do not wait too long to make a switch, and
be sure to consult with your supervisor first
GENERATING RESEARCH
TOPICS
where, when & how
Usually, students ask : How do I
choose a topic ?

If you lack ideas, or wish to gain

focus, PERFOME some or all of the
following ACTIVITIES, &
Activity 1 : Courses/readings

• Review your Course reading!

• Particularly the suggested readings,
for topic ideas.
• Do not just review what you have
already read but jump a head in the
syllabus to readings that have not
been covered yet.
Activity 2 : Libraries

Search the Library catalog

For a good, recent introductory books
and, if appropriate, more specialized
works related to the discipline & area
of your course
Activity 3
Browse through some
current journals in your subject
discipline
• Even if most of the articles are not
relevant, you can skim through the
contents quickly.
• You only need one to be the spark that
begins the process of wanting to learn
more about a topic.
Activity 4 Past Essays

Think about essay you have

written
• For past classes and other course
work you have taken or academic
lectures andprograms you have
attended.
• Thinking back, what most interested
you?
Activity 5 Online Portals

• Search online media Sources, such

as Google web etc., to see if your idea
has been covered in the news

• Use this coverage to refine your idea in

to something that you would like to
investigate further but in a more
deliberate, scholarly way based on a
Activity 6 : Surroundings

More commonly, look around your

workshop department, university
environment or society at large to identify
issues of concern to you.
Considerations for Selecting A
Research Problem
• These are individual
assessments a researcher
goes through before analizing
on his topic 
• They help to ensure that your
study remains Managable and
keep you Motivated
throughout the Study
Considerations
1. Interest
A research endeavour is usually
time consuming, and involves
hardwork and possibly unforeseen
problems.
One should select a topic of great
interest to sustain the required
motivation.
2. Magnitude (Scope)
It  is extremely important to
select a topic that you can
manage within the time  and
resources  at your disposal.
Narrow the topic down to
something manageable, specific
and clear.
3. Measurement Of Concepts
Make sure that you are clear
about the indicators and
measurement of concepts (if
used) in your study.
e.g.How do you measure these
words?: “congestion” ;
“efficiency” ; “growth”;
4. Level Of Expertise

Make sure that you have adequate

knowledge or expertise for the
task you are proposing since you
need to do the work yourself.
5. Relevance/Significance

Ensure that your study :

a) Adds to the existing body of
knowledge,
b) Bridges current gaps in knowledge,
and
c) Is useful in policy formulation. 
This will help you to sustain interest in
6. Availability Of Data

Before Analizing on your topic, make

sure that data are available.

Getting information for your research is

very critical to any research.
7. Ethical Issues
• Ethical issues are research processes
and Findings that affect the
sensibilities and rights of research
participants. 
• The effect the study on
the population and how these ethical
problems can be overcome should be
thoroughly examined at the problem
 Research Backround to the study &
Problem Statement
Example
• Imagine a friend runs to you with a very long story that
you find diffcult to understand why s/he is telling you
that and what he intends to do. At the end of the story,
you are likely to surprisingly ask him: “And so what”?
• The answer he gives to your Question : “And so what” ?
is referred to as the problem Statement !
• The : long talk ; is the Background
Research Background to the Study
Before a problem statement is stated, a brief
background is usually given. Depending on the
topic and the writers style, this brief background
can take from 3 – 4 pages
The background gives the reader :
1. The general definition of the topic & problem
area
2. Historical basis for the existence of the problem
3. Efforts made towards addressing similar
challenges
Problem Statement
• Your Research Problem statement is
the foundation and focus of your
research report.
• It is a clear, standalone statement
that makes explicit what it is you are
aiming to discover or establish or
research into.
Caution
If your Research Problem statement is :
a. Poorly worded,
b. Unfocused, or
c. Ambigiuos
The rest of your research is likely togo
off track very early ; you will do a great
deal of unnecessary reading and
writing, losing sight of the big picture
 Characteristics of a good
research problem statement

A good research problem statement must

UNAMBIGUOUSLY communicate to the reader
and user of the research the specific Question
to be addressed in the study.
 A good and feasible research
problem statement must….
1. be clear (no ambiguity)
2. be researchable
3. address a problem
Writing your Research Problem
Statement

• The First thing to do is to select your

research topic, which is the issue or
subject area that you intend to
conduct your study.

• Research Problem statements are

 rpret, Some good outcome
based verbs

ess,
Identify, define, describe, review,
indicate, formulate, explain, compare,
contrast, suggest, interpret, analyse,

truct, apply,
assess, design,construct, apply,
demonstrate, illustrate, categorize,
deduce, create
diferentiate, derive, evaluate,
establish, conceptualize,
suggest, integrate, compile,
develop,  consolidate, clarify,
appraise, calculate,
recommend
 Forbidden Verbs
Verbs such as
• understand
• Know
• explore
• investigate
• examine
• discuss
are poor verbs as they describe processes, not
outcomes. They can be used as AIMS but not
OBJECTIVES
Forbidden verbs example

• Eg. You can DISCUSS  something endlessly withoutever

having to make recommendations, draw
conclusions or offer a result.

•  You might be Exploring, Examining or

investigating as part of your process, but they
cannot be the end result of your research, which
should be more tangible.