Choosing a Topic for a Dissertation or Thesis (and other research projects)

A few years ago, a friend reached out to me on Facebook, asking advice on choosing a dissertation topic. I thought about the advice I offered her recently after having that same conversation with some our master's and doctoral students at LSU. I went back through my old Facebook messages, and found the advice I offered her. I hope someone finds it useful, as I think it's applicable not only to dissertations and thesis, but to other research projects as well. I've made a few edits from the original post.

Picking a topic can be tough, at least I found that to be the case. In higher ed, I think it's important for the student to choose a program that is in tune with her or his career goals. So, if you're thinking you want to remain a practitioner long term, focus on a topic that relates more to practice. If you want the faculty route, then a topic that is more theory driven, abstract, makes sense.* I knew I was going the faculty route, and my topic was basically the experiences of students of color at a predominantly White university. It's a wide open topic, and I definitely took a more theoretical approach with it, although I didn't do grounded theory or anything like that.

As you try to narrow down a topic, think in terms of answering the following questions:

1. What do I want to know?
2. What areas of literature would I need to consult?
3. What has been addressed about the specific topic already?
4. What would a study on this contribute to higher education?
5. What sources of data would be needed to answer #1?

If answering #4 for a particular topic really gets you fired up or excited, that's your topic.
When you think you've selected a topic, you have to answer the following very honestly: Can I stay energized about this topic for the next 2 years to complete the dissertation, and for 3 years after graduating? I say 3 years after, even if you remain a practitioner, because it becomes a topic of conversation whenever you meet someone and they discover you've recently completed a doctorate

If you have some topics in mind, and can't choose between them, or can't get one to a point that you think is narrow enough, I have some suggestions. Make yourself a table/grid. On the left side, put the following (one in each box of the column):

• Along the top, write your topic ideas.

  If answers to #3 are lengthy, you may need to narrow the topic and answer to #1.

  I hope this is helpful. If you ever want to talk through ideas, I'd be happy to help.

  Brian

  
  

  *This particular piece of advice is not meant as a maxim. It isn't true for everyone, and it's simply my 2 cents.