how do i choose a phd topic

• How to Choose a PhD Research Topic
• Finding a PhD

Introduction

Whilst there are plenty of resources available to help prospective PhD students find doctoral programmes, deciding on a research topic is a process students often find more difficult.

Some advertised PhD programmes have predefined titles, so the exact topic is decided already. Generally, these programmes exist mainly in STEM, though other fields also have them. Funded projects are more likely to have defined titles, and structured aims and objectives.

Self funded projects, and those in fields such as arts and humanities, are less likely to have defined titles. The flexibility of topic selection means more scope exists for applicants to propose research ideas and suit the topic of research to their interests.

A middle ground also exists where Universities advertise funded PhD programmes in subjects without a defined scope, for example: “PhD Studentship in Biomechanics”. The applicant can then liaise with the project supervisor to choose a particular title such as “A study of fatigue and impact resistance of biodegradable knee implants”.

If a predefined programme is not right for you, then you need to propose your own research topic. There are several factors to consider when choosing a good research topic, which will be outlined in this article.

How to Choose a Research Topic

Our first piece of advice is to PhD candidates is to stop thinking about ‘finding’ a research topic, as it is unlikely that you will. Instead, think about developing a research topic (from research and conversations with advisors).

Consider several ideas and critically appraise them:

• You must be able to explain to others why your chosen topic is worth studying.
• You must be genuinely interested in the subject area.
• You must be competent and equipped to answer the research question.
• You must set achievable and measurable aims and objectives.
• You need to be able to achieve your objectives within a given timeframe.
• Your research question must be original and contribute to the field of study.

We have outlined the key considerations you should use when developing possible topics. We explore these below:

Focus on your interests and career aspirations

It is important to choose a topic of research that you are genuinely interested in. The decision you make will shape the rest of your career. Remember, a full-time programme lasts 3-4 years, and there will be unforeseen challenges during this time. If you are not passionate about the study, you will struggle to find motivation during these difficult periods.

You should also look to your academic and professional background. If there are any modules you undertook as part of your Undergraduate/Master degree that you particularly enjoyed or excelled in? These could form part of your PhD research topic. Similarly, if you have professional work experience, this could lead to you asking questions which can only be answered through research.

When deciding on a PhD research topic you should always consider your long-term career aspirations. For example, as a physicist, if you wish to become an astrophysicist, a research project studying black holes would be more relevant to you than a research project studying nuclear fission.

Read dissertations and published journals

Reading dissertations and published journals is a great way to identify potential PhD topics. When reviewing existing research ask yourself:

• What has been done and what do existing results show?
• What did previous projects involve (e.g. lab-work or fieldwork)?
• How often are papers published in the field?
• Are your research ideas original?
• Is there value in your research question?
• Could I expand on or put my own spin on this research?

Reading dissertations will also give you an insight into the practical aspects of doctoral study, such as what methodology the author used, how much data analysis was required and how was information presented.

You can also think of this process as a miniature literature review . You are searching for gaps in knowledge and developing a PhD project to address them. Focus on recent publications (e.g. in the last five years). In particular, the literature review of recent publications will give an excellent summary of the state of existing knowledge, and what research questions remain unanswered.

If you have the opportunity to attend an academic conference, go for it! This is often an excellent way to find out current theories in the industry and the research direction. This knowledge could reveal a possible research idea or topic for further study.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Discuss research topic ideas with a PhD supervisor

Discuss your research topic ideas with a supervisor. This could be your current undergraduate/masters supervisor, or potential supervisors of advertised PhD programmes at different institutions. Come to these meetings prepared with initial PhD topic ideas, and your findings from reading published journals. PhD supervisors will be more receptive to your ideas if you can demonstrate you have thought about them and are committed to your research.

You should discuss your research interests, what you have found through reading publications, and what you are proposing to research. Supervisors who have expertise in your chosen field will have insight into the gaps in knowledge that exist, what is being done to address them, and if there is any overlap between your proposed research ideas and ongoing research projects.

Talking to an expert in the field can shape your research topic to something more tangible, which has clear aims and objectives. It can also find potential shortfalls of your PhD ideas.

It is important to remember, however, that although it is good to develop your research topic based on feedback, you should not let the supervisor decide a topic for you. An interesting topic for a supervisor may not be interesting to you, and a supervisor is more likely to advise on a topic title which lends itself to a career in academia.

Another tip is to talk to a PhD student or researcher who is involved in a similar research project. Alternatively, you can usually find a relevant research group within your University to talk to. They can explain in more detail their experiences and suggest what your PhD programme could involve with respect to daily routines and challenges.

Look at advertised PhD Programmes

Use our Search tool , or look on University PhD listing pages to identify advertised PhD programmes for ideas.

• What kind of PhD research topics are available?
• Are these similar to your ideas?
• Are you interested in any of these topics?
• What do these programmes entail?

The popularity of similar PhD programmes to your proposed topic is a good indicator that universities see value in the research area. The final bullet point is perhaps the most valuable takeaway from looking at advertised listings. Review what similar programmes involve, and whether this is something you would like to do. If so, a similar research topic would allow you to do this.

Writing a Research Proposal

As part of the PhD application process , you may be asked to summarise your proposed research topic in a research proposal. This is a document which summarises your intended research and will include the title of your proposed project, an Abstract, Background and Rationale, Research Aims and Objectives, Research Methodology, Timetable, and a Bibliography. If you are required to submit this document then read our guidance on how to write a research proposal for your PhD application.

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How To Find A High-Quality Research Topic

6 steps to find & evaluate high-quality dissertation/thesis topics.

By: Caroline Osella (PhD, BA)  and Derek Jansen (MBA) | July 2019

So, you’re finally nearing the end of your degree and it’s now time to find a suitable topic for your dissertation or thesis. Or perhaps you’re just starting out on your PhD research proposal and need to find a suitable area of research for your application proposal.

In this post, we’ll provide a straightforward 6-step process that you can follow to ensure you arrive at a high-quality research topic . Follow these steps and you will formulate a well-suited, well-defined core research question .

There’s a helpful clue already: your research ‘topic’ is best understood as a research question or a problem . Your aim is not to create an encyclopedia entry into your field, but rather to shed light on an acknowledged issue that’s being debated (or needs to be). Think research  questions , not research  topics  (we’ll come back to this later).

Overview: How To Find A Research Topic

• Get an understanding of the research process
• Review previous dissertations from your university
• Review the academic literature to start the ideation process
• Identify your potential research questions (topics) and shortlist
• Narrow down, then evaluate your research topic shortlist
• Make the decision (and stick with it!)

Step 1: Understand the research process

It may sound horribly obvious, but it’s an extremely common mistake – students skip past the fundamentals straight to the ideation phase (and then pay dearly for it).

Start by looking at whatever handouts and instructions you’ve been given regarding what your university/department expects of a dissertation. For example, the course handbook, online information and verbal in-class instructions. I know it’s tempting to just dive into the ideation process, but it’s essential to start with the prescribed material first.

There are two important reasons for this:

First , you need to have a basic understanding of the research process , research methodologies , fieldwork options and analysis methods before you start the ideation process, or you will simply not be equipped to think about your own research adequately. If you don’t understand the basics of  quantitative , qualitative and mixed methods BEFORE you start ideating, you’re wasting your time.

Second , your university/department will have specific requirements for your research – for example, requirements in terms of topic originality, word count, data requirements, ethical adherence , methodology, etc. If you are not aware of these from the outset, you will again end up wasting a lot of time on irrelevant ideas/topics.

So, the most important first step is to get your head around both the basics of research (especially methodologies), as well as your institution’s specific requirements . Don’t give in to the temptation to jump ahead before you do this. As a starting point, be sure to check out our free dissertation course.

Step 2: Review past dissertations/theses

Unless you’re undertaking a completely new course, there will be many, many students who have gone through the research process before and have produced successful dissertations, which you can use to orient yourself. This is hugely beneficial – imagine being able to see previous students’ assignments and essays when you were doing your coursework!

Take a look at some well-graded (65% and above) past dissertations from your course (ideally more recent ones, as university requirements may change over time). These are usually available in the university’s online library. Past dissertations will act as a helpful model for all kinds of things, from how long a bibliography needs to be, to what a good literature review looks like, through to what kinds of methods you can use – and how to leverage them to support your argument.

As you peruse past dissertations, ask yourself the following questions:

• What kinds of topics did these dissertations cover and how did they turn the topic into questions?
• How broad or narrow were the topics?
• How original were the topics? Were they truly groundbreaking or just a localised twist on well-established theory?
• How well justified were the topics? Did they seem important or just nice to know?
• How much literature did they draw on as a theoretical base? Was the literature more academic or applied in nature?
• What kinds of research methods did they use and what data did they draw on?
• How did they analyse that data and bring it into the discussion of the academic literature?
• Which of the dissertations are most readable to you – why? How were they presented?
• Can you see why these dissertations were successful? Can you relate what they’ve done back to the university’s instructions/brief?

Seeing a variety of dissertations (at least 5, ideally in your area of interest) will also help you understand whether your university has very rigid expectations in terms of structure and format , or whether they expect and allow variety in the number of chapters, chapter headings, order of content, style of presentation and so on.

Some departments accept graphic novels; some are willing to grade free-flow continental-philosophy style arguments; some want a highly rigid, standardised structure.  Many offer a dissertation template , with information on how marks are split between sections. Check right away whether you have been given one of those templates – and if you do, then use it and don’t try to deviate or reinvent the wheel.

Step 3: Review the academic literature

Now that you (1) understand the research process, (2) understand your university’s specific requirements for your dissertation or thesis, and (3) have a feel for what a good dissertation looks like, you can start the ideation process. This is done by reviewing the current literature and looking for opportunities to add something original to the academic conversation.

Kick start the ideation process

So, where should you start your literature hunt? The best starting point is to get back to your modules. Look at your coursework and the assignments you did. Using your coursework is the best theoretical base, as you are assured that (1) the literature is of a high enough calibre for your university and (2) the topics are relevant to your specific course.

Start by identifying the modules that interested you the most and that you understood well (i.e. earned good marks for). What were your strongest assignments, essays or reports? Which areas within these were particularly interesting to you? For example, within a marketing module, you may have found consumer decision making or organisation trust to be interesting. Create a shortlist of those areas that you were both interested in and academically strong at. It’s no use picking an area that does not genuinely interest you – you’ll run out of motivation if you’re not excited by a topic.

Understand the current state of knowledge

Once you’ve done that, you need to get an understanding of the current state of the literature for your chosen interest areas. What you’re aiming to understand is this: what is the academic conversation here and what critical questions are yet unanswered? These unanswered questions are prime opportunities for a unique, meaningful research topic . A quick review of the literature on your favourite topics will help you understand this.

Grab your reading list from the relevant section of the modules, or simply enter the topics into Google Scholar . Skim-read 3-5 journal articles from the past 5 years which have at least 5 citations each (Google Scholar or a citations index will show you how many citations any given article has – i.e., how many other people have referred to it in their own bibliography). Also, check to see if your discipline has an ‘annual review’ type of journal, which gathers together surveys of the state of knowledge on a chosen topic. This can be a great tool for fast-tracking your understanding of the current state of the knowledge in any given area.

Start from your course’s reading list and work outwards. At the end of every journal article, you’ll find a reference list. Scan this reference list for more relevant articles and read those. Then repeat the process (known as snowballing) until you’ve built up a base of 20-30 quality articles per area of interest.

Absorb, don’t hunt

At this stage, your objective is to read and understand the current state of the theory for your area(s) of interest – you don’t need to be in topic-hunting mode yet. Don’t jump the gun and try to identify research topics before you are well familiarised with the literature.

As you read, try to understand what kinds of questions people are asking and how they are trying to answer them. What matters do the researchers agree on, and more importantly, what are they in disagreement about? Disagreements are prime research territory. Can you identify different ‘schools of thought’ or different ‘approaches’? Do you know what your own approach or slant is? What kinds of articles appeal to you and which ones bore you or leave you feeling like you’ve not really grasped them? Which ones interest you and point towards directions you’d like to research and know more about?

Once you understand the fundamental fact that academic knowledge is a conversation, things get easier.

Think of it like a party. There are groups of people in the room, enjoying conversations about various things. Which group do you want to join?  You don’t want to be that person in the corner, talking to themself. And you don’t want to be the hanger-on, laughing at the big-shot’s jokes and repeating everything they say.

Do you want to join a large group and try to make a small contribution to what’s going on, or are you drawn to a smaller group that’s having a more niche conversation, but where you feel you might more easily find something original to contribute? How many conversations can you identify? Which ones feel closer to you and more attractive? Which ones repel you or leave you cold? Are there some that, frankly, you just don’t understand?

Now, choose a couple of groups who are discussing something you feel interested in and where you feel like you might want to contribute. You want to make your entry into this group by asking a question – a question that will make the other people in the group turn around and look at you, listen to you, and think, “That’s interesting”.

Your dissertation will be the process of setting that question and then trying to find at least a partial answer to that question – but don’t worry about that now.  Right now, you need to work out what conversations are going on, whether any of them are related or overlapping, and which ones you might be able to walk into. I’ll explain how you find that question in the next step.

Need a helping hand?

Step 4: Identify potential research questions

Now that you have a decent understanding of the state of the literature in your area(s) of interest, it’s time to start developing your list of possible research topics. There are (at least) three approaches you can follow here, and they are not mutually exclusive:

Approach 1: Leverage the FRIN

Towards the end of most quality journal articles, you will find a section labelled “ further research ” or something similar. Generally, researchers will clearly outline where they feel further research is needed (FRIN), following on from their own research. So, essentially, every journal article presents you with a list of potential research opportunities.

Of course, only a handful of these will be both practical and of interest to you, so it’s not a quick-fix solution to finding a research topic. However, the benefit of going this route is that you will be able to find a genuinely original and meaningful research topic (which is particularly important for PhD-level research).

The upside to this approach is originality, but the downside is that you might not find something that really interests you , or that you have the means to execute. If you do go this route, make sure that you pay attention to the journal article dates, as the FRIN may already have been “solved” by other researchers if the article is old.

Approach 2: Put a context-based spin on an existing topic

The second option is to consider whether a theory which is already well established is relevant within a local or industry-specific context. For example, a theory about the antecedents (drivers) of trust is very well established, but there may be unique or uniquely important drivers within a specific national context or industry (for example, within the financial services industry in an emerging market).

If that industry or national context has not yet been covered by researchers and there is a good reason to believe there may be meaningful differences within that context, then you have an opportunity to take a unique angle on well-established theory, which can make for a great piece of research. It is however imperative that you have a good reason to believe that the existing theory may not be wholly relevant within your chosen context, or your research will not be justified.

The upside to this approach is that you can potentially find a topic that is “closer to home” and more relevant and interesting to you , while still being able to draw on a well-established body of theory. However, the downside is that this approach will likely not produce the level of originality as approach #1.

Approach 3: Uncensored brainstorming

The third option is to skip the FRIN, as well as the local/industry-specific angle and simply engage in a freeform brainstorming or mind-mapping session, using your newfound knowledge of the theory to formulate potential research ideas. What’s important here is that you do not censor yourself . However crazy, unfeasible, or plain stupid your topic appears – write it down. All that matters right now is that you are interested in this thing.

Next, try to turn the topic(s) into a question or problem. For example:

• What is the relationship between X, Y & Z?
• What are the drivers/antecedents of X?
• What are the outcomes of Y?
• What are the key success factors for Z?

Re-word your list of topics or issues into a list of questions .  You might find at this stage that one research topic throws up three questions (which then become sub-topics and even new separate topics in their own right) and in so doing, the list grows. Let it. Don’t hold back or try to start evaluating your ideas yet – just let them flow onto paper.

Once you’ve got a few topics and questions on paper, check the literature again to see whether any of these have been covered by the existing research. Since you came up with these from scratch, there is a possibility that your original literature search did not cover them, so it’s important to revisit that phase to ensure that you’re familiar with the relevant literature for each idea. You may also then find that approach #1 and #2 can be used to build on these ideas.

Try use all three approaches

As mentioned earlier, the three approaches discussed here are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the more, the merrier. Hopefully, you manage to utilise all three, as this will give you the best odds of producing a rich list of ideas, which you can then narrow down and evaluate, which is the next step.

Step 5: Narrow down, then evaluate

By this stage, you should have a healthy list of research topics. Step away from the ideation and thinking for a few days, clear your mind. The key is to get some distance from your ideas, so that you can sit down with your list and review it with a more objective view. The unbridled ideation phase is over and now it’s time to take a reality check .

Look at your list and see if any options can be crossed off right away .  Maybe you don’t want to do that topic anymore. Maybe the topic turned out to be too broad and threw up 20 hard to answer questions. Maybe all the literature you found about it was 30 years old and you suspect it might not be a very engaging contemporary issue . Maybe this topic is so over-researched that you’ll struggle to find anything fresh to say. Also, after stepping back, it’s quite common to notice that 2 or 3 of your topics are really the same one, the same question, which you’ve written down in slightly different ways. You can try to amalgamate these into one succinct topic.

Narrow down to the top 5, then evaluate

Now, take your streamlined list and narrow it down to the ‘top 5’ that interest you the most. Personal interest is your key evaluation criterion at this stage. Got your ‘top 5’?  Great!  Now, with a cool head and your best analytical mind engaged, go systematically through each option and evaluate them against the following criteria:

Research questions – what is the main research question, and what are the supporting sub-questions? It’s critically important that you can define these questions clearly and concisely. If you cannot do this, it means you haven’t thought the topic through sufficiently.

Originality – is the topic sufficiently original, as per your university’s originality requirements? Are you able to add something unique to the existing conversation? As mentioned earlier, originality can come in many forms, and it doesn’t mean that you need to find a completely new, cutting-edge topic. However, your university’s requirements should guide your decision-making here.

Importance – is the topic of real significance, or is it just a “nice to know”? If it’s significant, why? Who will benefit from finding the answer to your desired questions and how will they benefit? Justifying your research will be a key requirement for your research proposal , so it’s really important to develop a convincing argument here.

Literature – is there a contemporary (current) body of academic literature around this issue? Is there enough literature for you to base your investigation on, but not too much that the topic is “overdone”? Will you be able to navigate this literature or is it overwhelming?

Data requirements – What kind of data would you need access to in order to answer your key questions?  Would you need to adopt a qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods approach to answer your questions? At this stage, you don’t need to be able to map out your exact research design, but you should be able to articulate how you would approach it in high-level terms. Will you use qual, quant or mixed methods? Why?

Feasibility – How feasible would it be to gather the data that would be needed in the time-frame that you have – and do you have the will power and the skills to do it? If you’re not confident with the theory, you don’t want something that’s going to draw you into a debate about the relative importance of epistemology and ontology. If you are shy, you won’t want to be doing ethnographic interviews. If you feel this question calls for a 100-person survey, do you have the time to plan, organise and conduct it and then analyse it? What will you do if you don’t get the response rate you expect? Be very realistic here and also ask advice from your supervisor and other experts – poor response rates are extremely common and can derail even the best research projects.

Personal attraction – On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about this topic? Will addressing it add value to your life and/or career? Will undertaking the project help you build a skill you’ve previously wanted to work on (for example, interview skills, statistical analysis skills, software skills, etc.)?

The last point is particularly important. You will have to engage with your dissertation in a very sustained and deep way, face challenges and difficulties, and get it to completion. If you don’t start out enthusiastic about it, you’re setting yourself up for problems like ‘writer’s block’ or ‘burnout’ down the line. This is the reason personal interest was the sole evaluation criterion when we chose the top 5. So, don’t underestimate the importance of personal attraction to a topic – at the same time, don’t let personal attraction lead you to choose a topic that is not relevant to your course or feasible given your resources. 

Narrow down to 3, then get human feedback

We’re almost at the finishing line. The next step is to narrow down to 2 or 3 shortlisted topics. No more!  Write a short paragraph about each topic, addressing the following:

Firstly,  WHAT will this study be about? Frame the topic as a question or a problem. Write it as a dissertation title. No more than two clauses and no more than 15 words. Less than 15 is better (go back to good journal articles for inspiration on appropriate title styles).

Secondly, WHY this is interesting (original) and important – as proven by existing academic literature? Are people talking about this and is there an acknowledged problem, debate or gap in the literature?

Lastly,  HOW do you plan to answer the question? What sub-questions will you use? What methods does this call for and how competent and confident are you in those methods? Do you have the time to gather the data this calls for?

Show the shortlist and accompanying paragraphs to a couple of your peers from your course and also to an expert or two if at all possible (you’re welcome to reach out to us ), explaining what you will investigate, why this is original and important and how you will go about investigating it. 

Once you’ve pitched your ideas, ask for the following thoughts :

• Which is most interesting and appealing to them?
• Why do they feel this way?
• What problems do they foresee with the execution of the research?

Take advice and feedback and sit on it for another day. Let it simmer in your mind overnight before you make the final decision.  

Step 6: Make the decision (and stick with it!)

Then, make the commitment. Choose the one that you feel most confident about, having now considered both your opinion and the feedback from others.

Once you’ve made a decision, don’t doubt your judgement, don’t shift.  Don’t be tempted by the ones you left behind. You’ve planned and thought things through, checked feasibility and now you can start.  You have your research topic. Trust your own decision-making process and stick with it now. It’s time to get started on your research proposal!

Let’s recap…

In this post, I’ve proposed a straightforward 6-step plan to finding relevant research topic ideas and then narrowing them down to finally choose one winner. To recap:

• Understand the basics of academic research, as well as your university’s specific requirements for a dissertation, thesis or research project.
• Review previous dissertations for your course to get an idea of both topics and structure.
• Start the ideation process by familiarising yourself with the literature.
• Identify your potential research questions (topics).
• Narrow down your options, then evaluate systematically.
• Make your decision (and don’t look back!)

If you follow these steps, you’ll find that they also set you up for what’s coming next – both the proposal and the first three chapters of your dissertation. But that’s for future posts!

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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23 Comments

I would love to get a topic under teachers performance. I am a student of MSC Monitoring and Evaluations and I need a topic in the line of monitoring and evaluations

I just we put for some full notes that are payable

Thank you very much Dr Caroline

I need a project topics on transfer of learning

m a PhD Student I would like to be assisted inn formulating a title around: Internet of Things for online education in higher education – STEM (Science, technology, engineering and Mathematics, digital divide ) Thank you, would appreciate your guidance

Well structured guide on the topic… Good materials for beginners in research writing…

Hello Iam kindly seeking for help in formulating a researchable topic for masters degree program in line with teaching GRAPHIC ART

I read a thesis about a problem in a particular. Can I use the same topic just referring to my own country? Is that being original? The interview questions will mostly be the same as the other thesis.

Hi, thanks I managed to listen to the video so helpful indeed. I am currently an MBA student looking for a specific topic and I have different ideas that not sure they can be turned to be a study.

I am doing a Master of Theology in Pastoral Care and Counselling and I felt like doing research on Spiritual problem cause by substance abuse among Youth. Can I get help to formulate the Thesis Title in line with it…please

Hello, I am kindly seeking help in formulating a researchable topic for a National diploma program

As a beginner in research, I am very grateful for this well-structured material on research writing.

Hello, I watched the video and its very helpful. I’m a student in Nursing (degree). May you please help me with any research problems (in Namibian society or Nursing) that need to be evaluate or solved?

I have been greatly impacted. Thank you.

more than useful… there will be no justification if someone fails to get a topic for his thesis

I watched the video and its really helpful.

How can i started discovery

Analysing the significance of Integrated reporting in Zimbabwe. A case of institutional investors. this is my topic for PHD Accounting sciences need help with research questions

Excellent session that cleared lots of doubts.

Excellent session that cleared lots of doubts

It was a nice one thank you

Wow, This helped a lot not only with how to find a research topic but inspired me to kick it off from now, I am a final year student of environmental science. And have to complete my project in the coming six months.

I was really stressed and thinking about different topics that I don’t know nothing about and having more than a hundred topics in the baggage, couldn’t make the tradeoff among them, however, reading this scrubbed the fuzzy layer off my head and now it seems like really easy.

Thanks GRADCOACH, you saved me from getting into the rabbit hole.

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Navigating Your PhD Topic Choice

Embarking on an impactful research career, starting with your thesis.

We’ve compiled this guide to share the tools and frameworks we think will be most helpful to you if you’re searching for a meaningful thesis topic for your PhD.

About this guide

If you’re applying for a PhD, this guide can provide comprehensive assistance throughout your journey towards finding the best possible PhD for you. In the first part we focus on how you can decide whether to pursue a PhD, identify the values you want to guide your research and start generating research ideas. In the second half we will introduce a framework you can use to narrow your ideas down to a specific research question and ultimately create a PhD proposal. Finally, we will help you with finding the best possible supportive environment for your project and identifying the next steps of your PhD journey.

If you are not yet very familiar with core concepts like career capital and the ITN framework , we recommend reading the linked articles. We also recommend you read this article to understand why systematic approaches to career decisions are probably more useful than popular advice like “follow your passion”, and why helping others with your career will help you experience your job as more meaningful. 

How to use this guide

We recommend completing this guide over multiple sittings, e.g. working through one section per week. However, please adjust the pace to suit your circumstances. We think you will get the most out of this guide if you start from the beginning, but you might want to skip some sections if you’ve already thought deeply about the content.

After reading the articles linked in each step, take some time (5-10 minutes) to answer the prompts we list, or to complete the exercises we recommend. We find that writing your thoughts down on paper is a step that people often want to skip, but it can help tremendously in getting clarity for yourself. 

Is a PhD the right next step for you?

Lots of people “stumble” into PhDs. For example, they might see it as a default step in completing their education, or they might have been offered to continue with their previous supervisor. Before committing to a PhD programme, it is good to consider a broad range of alternatives in order to ensure that a PhD is the best path for you at this stage. Make sure you have done enough reflection and updated your plans based on your experiences thus far, instead of going down the “default” academic path.

We also recommend that you take some time to browse through these short descriptions of core concepts , particularly ‘Expected Value’, ‘Opportunity Cost’ and ‘Leverage’.  Perhaps note down a few takeaways that apply to your decision.

Reflection prompts

If you’re unsure whether a PhD is right for you, here are some prompts to consider.

• Where do you envision yourself a few years after completing a PhD? 
• How does a PhD align with your long-term goals and aspirations?
• Are you genuinely interested and intrinsically motivated by the subject area you intend to pursue with your PhD? 
• Have you carefully assessed whether obtaining a PhD is a necessary requirement for your desired career path? 
• Are there alternative routes or professional qualifications that may lead you to your desired destination more efficiently, e.g. in less time/ with a better salary?
• Have you talked to people who completed or are currently pursuing the kind of PhD you are considering?

Exercise: exploring career paths

One helpful activity to undertake could be to search for job opportunities that you find exciting. To start, do a job search (2-5 hours) and list the five most attractive options you can find. Now, check which job requirements you’re currently lacking. Do you need a PhD to get the role? Would you get there faster or be better prepared by taking a different route?

Here are some more articles if you are interested in the question ‘Who should do a PhD?’:

• Survival Guide to a PhD – Andrej Karpathy
• Why I’m doing a PhD – Jess Whittlestone
• Pro and Cons of Applying for a PhD – Robert Wiblin

Reflect on your values and moral beliefs

Understanding your values and moral beliefs is an ongoing endeavour and you don’t need to have it figured out before choosing your topic. However, we do encourage reflection on this, as doing so might significantly shift your motivation to work on some problems over others. If that happens, the earlier you make this shift the better. What do we mean when we say doing good ? Most people agree that they want to “do good” with their lives. However, it is worth reflecting on what this actually means to you. We recommend reading the article linked above to learn more about some concepts we think are particularly relevant when reflecting on this question, such as impartiality, the moral circle, and uncertainty. This will help you to get a better understanding of what sort of thesis topics would align with your values and what kind of problems you want to contribute to solving with your research.

• How much do you value animal lives vs human lives ?
• How important do you think is it to reduce existential risks for humanity?
• How much do you value future generations ? How do you feel about improving existing lives vs lives that exist in the future?

This flowchart from the Global Priorities Project can help you navigate through this cause prioritisation process.

Here are two further resources that could help you with this reflection:

How to compare global problems for yourself – 80,000 Hours

World’s Biggest Problems Quiz | ClearerThinking.org

Getting inspired

Now it’s time to get inspired! You can read more about how research can change the world , and how academic research can be highly impactful . Finally, have a look at our thesis topic profiles for inspiration or, if you have no time constraints, sign up to our Topic Discovery Digest to receive biweekly inspirational emails. These emails cover a range of particularly impactful research areas, along with example research questions that are recommended by our experts and relevant to many different disciplines of study. We recommend you read the 3-5 profiles that interest you the most in depth.

• Which of the topic profiles that sparked your interest are new to you? How could you quickly get a better understanding of what it is like to work on these topics?
• How would disregarding your current skill set change your top choices? Would you consider taking some time out to “upskill” to switch to a new area of research, if possible?
• What are the uncertainties that, if you could find an answer to them, would help you decide between your top choices?

See here if you want to learn more about how we go about writing our thesis topic profiles and why we prioritise these topics.

Side note: Because we try to feature problems that are particularly important, tractable, and neglected, you might see some problems listed on our site that it’s uncommon to see described as global problems, while others are not featured. As an example, in our “human health and wellbeing” category, we list anti-aging research but not cancer research. We think research on widely recognised problems such as cancer is highly important. However, because so many more researchers are already working on these problems, we think that – all else equal – you will probably have a bigger impact working on problems that are relatively neglected.

Generating ideas

After reading a few of our topic profiles , we recommend that you start a brainstorming document as an ongoing way of collecting research questions you’re interested in. This will help you keep track of and develop your ideas during your idea generation phase, and make it easier for others to give you feedback later on. 

In addition to exploring our topic profiles, you could also identify questions through a literature review and reach out to your supervisor or other researchers in the field(s) you’re interested in and ask what they think some of the most important and neglected open questions are. Moreover, you could contact some of the organisations listed on our topic profiles and ask if there are research projects you could undertake that would be decision-relevant for them. Reaching out to others at this stage can also help to discard unfeasible ideas early on, before you invest too much time in them.

Some tools that might be useful during the idea generation phase:

• Connected papers – explore connections between research papers in a visual graph.
• Elicit – an AI research assistant to help you automate research workflows, like parts of literature review.
• Find more resources and tools for research here .

We recommend collecting at least 20 research questions, grouped into overarching topics or research fields, and then adding some context, e.g. relevant papers and researchers, why you think this question is worth addressing, what relevant expertise you already have, and how qualified you are to work on this compared to other options. 

NB : We think that many people feel too limited by their past work, so we think you should probably lean towards considering questions and topics that are slightly outside your comfort zone.

Exercise: create a brainstorming document

Use this template to create a brainstorming document.

Comparing options

Once you feel you have collected enough research questions in your brainstorming document, you can start comparing how these research questions score on the factors that are most important to you. We recommend you take 15-20 minutes to think about which factors are key to your decision of pursuing a PhD and write them down. Here are some factors (adapted from this post ) that you could consider:

• Importance – How large in scale and/or severity is the problem your question would address? 
• Tractability – How realistic is it that you would make progress? Is your research question concrete and manageable, and do you have a clear strategy to tackle it?
• Neglectedness – Will others work on this question if you don’t?
• Actionability – Would your research have a clear audience and could it inform positive actions? Will this project generate genuinely new and useful findings/data? Will it help to translate/ communicate important ideas that need more attention/ awareness?
• Learning value – Will you learn useful things from working on the project? Will it help you build valuable research skills, build your model of how something important works, and/ or help you refine a vaguely defined concept into a crisp, important question?
• Exploration value – Will this project help you decide what to do next? 
• Personal fit & situational fit – Does your personal background make you a good fit for working on this question? Do you currently have or can you find support for working on it, e.g. excellent mentorship? 
• Credentials and career capital – Will the output demonstrate your research competence? For example, if you could get a reference from a particularly prestigious researcher by working on one of the projects you’re interested in, this might be an important consideration. Will the project reflect well on you, and is it shareable with others (or could it be developed into something shareable/ a publication)? Will the project allow you to build relationships with people whom it will be helpful to know going forward? 
• Intrinsic motivation   – Are you excited about working on this project?
• Method efficacy – How well can a particular approach help solve the problem that you are trying to address?

Exercise: sketch theories of change for your research questions

Once you’ve considered which of these factors matter to you, take a few minutes to sketch a theory of change for each research question you’re considering. 

A theory of change is a step by step plan of how you hope to achieve a positive impact with your research, starting with the context you’d be working in, the research outputs you would plan to produce, and the short- and long-term impacts you would hope to achieve with your research. Sketching some theories of change will help you outline how your research ideas could have a positive impact, giving you something to get feedback on in the next step below.

Consider whether your research could have negative outcomes too

When you’re considering the value of working on a particular research problem, it may also be important to remember that research isn’t a monolithic force for good. Research has done a lot of good, but there are many examples of it doing a lot of harm as well. There is a long history of research being biased by the discriminatory beliefs and blindspots of its time, as well as being used to justify cruelty and oppression . Research has made warfare more deadly and has facilitated the development of intensive factory farming . Dual-use biotechnology research is intended to help humanity, but could, for example, cause a catastrophic pandemic in the event of a lab accident or if the technology was misused. While some researchers are trying to increase the chance that future artificial intelligence is safe for humanity , many more researchers are focused on making AI more powerful. 

While it isn’t realistic for researchers to foresee every way their research could be (mis)used, many researchers are trying to create frameworks for thinking about how research can do harm and how to avoid this. For example, if you’re interested in working on biosecurity or AI safety, you could explore concepts such as differential progress and information hazards . If you’re working on global health questions, it may be important to educate yourself about the concept of parachute science .

Reach out to others for feedback

At this point, we think it could be helpful to identify some experts who might be interested in talking about your collection of potential research questions, and reach out to them for feedback. Getting feedback might then help you to prioritise between questions, develop your methodology further or discard projects before investing too much effort in them. You could seek feedback via two strategies – firstly, by sending your brainstorming document to people asking for general comments, and secondly, by seeking out people who have specialist knowledge on specific questions you’re considering and asking for their feedback on those ideas.

Here are some ways of connecting with other researchers:

• Reach out to your existing connections
• Attend research conferences related to your field of interest and speak to relevant people there, e.g. 1-1s at EAGs could be a great place to reach out to people for feedback on research ideas on directions that we recommend
• Are there any local student and/ or reading groups in your area that focus on a research area that you are planning to work on? 
• Public Slack channels on your research area, e.g. List of EA Slack workspaces

When preparing to reach out to experts, keep these key points in mind:

• Give the expert relevant information about yourself (e.g. What is your background? What is the scope of the project you’re planning to work on?).
• Prepare a short agenda if they’ve agreed to call you and share it with them beforehand (although they might not have time to read it, many people appreciate having the option to consider topics of discussion in advance).
• Think about what your key uncertainties actually are and what kind of feedback you want from the expert. Would you like their overall reaction? Detailed comments? Feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your research ideas? Specific suggestions to improve your ideas? Feedback on how you plan to use the outputs of your research project? 
• Consider having a brainstorming document ready to share with them.
• You might want to have a look at this and this for more information about how to prepare.

Exercise: creating a weighted-factor model

Choosing which factors you want to base your thesis decision on will help you to reflect on what is important to you. Once you’ve done the exercise above and gathered some feedback from other people about your ideas, think about how much weight you want to give each factor. Lastly, try to evaluate how the research questions you’re considering score on each factor. The outcome of this ranking can serve as guidance for deciding on a question and can help clarify your intuitions about which questions would be the best fit for your dissertation. Here is an example of a ranking of potential thesis questions using a weighted-factor model (WFM).

Refining your research question

Once you have settled on a research question, it is time to develop a well-scoped and viable research proposal. The purpose of the proposal is to identify a relevant research topic, explain the context of the research, define concrete goals, and propose a realistic work plan to achieve them. If you’ve already built a Theory of Change for your research question, we recommend adding detail at this stage to help you create a proposal. We also think it’s important to reach out to your supervisor or other relevant people in the field of your research interests to ask for feedback, as this will help you develop an appropriate methodology. 

Here are a few more tips that could help you with narrowing the scope of your research project or refining your research question:

• First, make sure you have a detailed model of the problem you are planning to address in your research. Who are the different actors involved? How can research help fill gaps in our current knowledge? What are the particularly neglected approaches and interventions for this problem?
• You will only be able to make a valuable research contribution if your project is focused. Break down goals into discrete tasks and summarise what you are actually going to do. We suggest you create a detailed plan for the first few months of your project, a less detailed but fully coherent plan for the first year, describe a direction you might take in the second year, and generate some ideas for the following years. This will help you understand how much work is involved in every step and evaluate what is feasible in the available time frame.
• Consider practical questions. What kind of facilities do you have? Do you meet the university requirements?
• Try to develop the smallest possible question that can be answered and that data can be collected on, then have conditional upgrades/sub-questions based on that. This can be ambitious, but each stage should be developed enough to not be overwhelming or too vague.
• Start with a research question that’s as simple as possible and that you’re confident will be successful. From there, you can slowly and incrementally work towards pursuing more complex research questions. 

Find the best possible supportive environment

There are many different types of PhD programmes available – from 3-year PhDs to which you apply with a very specific project idea, to 6-year PhD programmes in which the first years are dedicated to coursework. It is important to find the best environment for your studies, with crucial considerations including the university and its community, the supportiveness of the supervisor/lab and the availability of funding. This section has advice on these three points and aims to facilitate you reflecting on them.

How much does the reputation of the university where you study your PhD matter for an academic career?

This is a commonly asked question among students, and we have compiled a set of key insights based on conversations with 30 of our experts. 

• The general advice is that you should pick the most prestigious university or research hub that you can get into.
• The importance of your university’s reputation varies across regions, with the US and the UK placing more significance on it compared to Europe or Australia. For the US especially, you will likely get a much better education and teaching quality, as well as access to resources, from a more prestigious university.
• It is worth noting that high-quality research labs (and supervisors) can be found outside of big-name universities, as specific research hubs may exist elsewhere. 
• It is important to note that even researchers in the most prestigious universities can be poor supervisors. 
• Ideally, you’ll find a great supervisor at a highly reputable institution. However, if you have to decide, finding an excellent supervisor seems to be the superior consideration – see below. 
• The significance of the university’s reputation increases if your career aspirations involve influencing government, e.g. in policy roles.
• Outstanding research, impactful contributions to the field, and a strong professional network could potentially outweigh the importance of a university’s reputation. 

Find a standout advisor

We think it is very important to find someone who genuinely cares about your research question and who will make a lot of time to supervise you well. Further, your supervisor will influence how effective you are in your work and how much you enjoy the research, as they will be the primary person guiding you throughout your whole research process. Especially at the PhD level, your advisor’s network matters tremendously for how well- connected you are and what sorts of opportunities will be open to you. So, here are some green flags to look out for in a supervisor:

• They care about your research question (pitch your ideas to the supervisor and see how enthusiastic they are about the potential project).
• They have the skills to supervise your project (check if they have experience in the methodologies you want to use).
• They truly care about mentoring you well (ask questions about their mentoring style, get a feel for how you match as a person).
• Their previous and current students are satisfied with them as a supervisor (ideally the person has a good track record of supervising other students – arrange a meeting with at least one current or past student). 
• They are successful (e.g. based on their citation count and general prestige).

Sign up for access to our database of potential supervisors who work on the research directions we recommend. Here are more tips on finding the right person to supervise you. 

Financing your studies

Even if you get accepted to a programme, it does not automatically mean that you get funding as well. Here are some tips if you need to apply for funding independently:

Consider a wide range of funding sources, e.g. national scholarships, university scholarships, grants and foundations dedicated to specific causes, and excellence scholarships (e.g. Gates or Rhodes Scholarships). Here is our funding database which includes funding opportunities relevant to the research directions we recommend.

• Consider the university environment – Would you be happy to live in the city of the programme you are applying to for 3-6 years? Do some university environments offer a more stimulating environment than others? Are there other researchers with similar values or motivations to you in this research hub?
• Do you have any hard criteria for choosing the location for your PhD? For example, would you consider moving abroad for an exciting opportunity? 
• What do you already know about the application process? What uncertainties do you have and how can you go about resolving them?

We recommend that you make a list of the programmes that best fit your research interests and other factors that are important to you. Then, check the requirements and deadlines for each of them and write down the next steps you need to take to apply. We also recommend reaching out to people who have gone through the PhD programme(s) you are applying to to hear about their experiences.

Set out your next steps

Take a few minutes now to write down your next steps for applying to the programs you’re interested in.

It could be helpful to sign up for some accountability buddy schemes, ask friends to check on your progress, or to set yourself a hard deadline on some important next steps that you want to take. You could schedule some time in your calendar right now, or make a note in your to-do list about a task that you want to complete soon.

Reflection prompts:

• What information do you need to get right now?
• What are you uncertain about? 
• What is keeping you from advancing with your project and how could you concretely resolve this?

Examples for concrete next steps could be:

• Reach out to people for feedback on your brainstorming document
• Reach out to potential supervisors
• Apply to an EAG or other academic conference and make a list of people you want to speak to 
• Reach out to people who have gone through the program you are applying to
• Reach out to current PhD students about proposal examples

Here are some further resources that could be helpful for you:

• Tips on impactful research
• Resources and tools for research
• Looking after your mental health
• Our Effective Thesis Community
• Research internships and other opportunities

For more general career advice, there are some other organisations that could help you with 1:1 advising. We recommend the following:

• 80,000 hours offers one-time 1:1 advising calls about using your career to help solve one of the world’s most pressing problems. They can help you choose your focus, make connections, and find a fulfilling job to tackle important problems.
• Magnify Mentoring pairs mentees who are interested in pursuing high-impact careers with more experienced mentors for a series of one-on-one meetings.
• Probably Good is running 1:1 advising calls to brainstorm career paths, evaluate options, plan next steps, and to connect you with relevant people and opportunities. 
• Lastly, please leave us some feedback . Thank you! 

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How to decide on a PhD topic

Study tips Published 5 Apr, 2022  ·  4-minute read

Whether you’re diving right into your doctorate after a master’s degree or honours year, or you’re returning to study after a few years out in the field, working out how to choose a research topic for your PhD is an essential first step. We got some tips from two of our PhD candidates, Sarah Kendall and Chelsea Janke.

Some Doctor of Philosophy candidates are lucky. They start a PhD having already discovered their niche interest area, which means they never need to wonder how to choose a PhD topic.

Does this mean there’s something wrong with you if you don’t already have your thesis locked in?

Not at all.

Many students start their PhD journey with just a pure passion for research – a love for testing theories and making new discoveries – and figure out their specific research topic while working on their proposal . If you’re in this camp, or if you haven’t refined your thesis just yet, these tips can help you get there.

Your PhD will take 3-4 years, so it's important that you choose something you're genuinely interested in.

How to choose a PhD topic

Sarah is the first to admit that choosing a PhD thesis topic is daunting. Her thesis examines lawyers’ approaches to prosecuting and defending domestic and family violence cases, but this topic didn’t come to her overnight.

“This can be really hard,” says Sarah.

“It took me years to decide on a PhD topic, and even then, it continued to change after starting my PhD.”

Chelsea, whose research explores ways to keep soil healthy while reducing environmental impact, agrees that your initial thesis may not necessarily stay the same throughout your PhD.

“Keep in mind that, as you progress through your PhD, your topic may change as you make new findings and discover some interesting things,” she says.

“This is fairly normal and is often why PhD topics aren’t always set in stone at the start.”

Remember this if you find yourself getting frustrated with how long it’s taking to pin down your research topic. You’ll be spending significant time ( at least 3 years ) researching this topic, so it’s reasonable to take a while on this decision. Make sure you land on a topic that truly inspires you, as you’ll need that inspiration to keep you motivated for the long haul.

With that said, though, there’s nothing wrong with picking a topic you’re 99% sure of and getting started sooner. As Sarah and Chelsea both say, adapting your thesis along the way is often part of the PhD journey.

Read, read, read

Identify the things that really spark your interest and where you can find research gaps – that is, where there are still things we don't know.

Chelsea believes choosing your research topic begins with, well, research .

“Read widely on the general field that you’re interested in,” she says.

“Identify the things that really spark your interest and where you can find research gaps – that is, where there are still things we don’t know.”

Sarah agrees and acknowledges that sometimes this prior research can even translate into a separate project or even a degree.

“Do some research into the areas that interest you – this could take the form of an honours or other research project, or even a mock project that you do in your spare time,” she says.

“This will help you to decide your level of interest in the topic.”

Consider your subjects and speak with academics

Sarah recommends thinking about the courses from your current or previous program, as these can shine a light on what aspects of your field ignite your curiosity.

“Consider the subjects that you really enjoyed in your previous studies or those topics that you find really enjoyable to just learn about in your spare time,” she says.

“Narrow this down to a few areas, even if these are still pretty broad, then talk to as many academics as possible who do research in those areas. This is a really great way of finding out more about what’s topical in the area and what a potential project could look like.”

If you already know who you’d like to be your PhD supervisor, they are the obvious person to speak with first about refining your research topic. If not, learn how to find the right supervisor .

Check for openings on existing projects

Sometimes the best way to choose a PhD topic is to let the PhD topic choose you instead. Many academics keep open spots in their research projects for potential candidates to fill, providing opportunities for students to pursue their own thesis while assisting in a larger research team. We call these earmarked PhD projects .

In fact, this is what ended up helping Sarah select her thesis topic.

“Keep an eye out for projects that are being advertised by academics,” says Sarah.

“You might find one that fits with your area of interest, saving you much of the trouble of having to decide on your specific topic – this is how I came to be doing the project I’m currently doing!”

View available earmarked PhD projects at UQ

Ready to start researching your chosen topic? Discover the next steps for your PhD application.

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How to write a good PhD proposal

5-minute read

How to find a PhD supervisor

How to get a PhD scholarship or funding

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Is a PhD worth it?

9-minute read

Selecting a Research Topic: Overview

• Refine your topic
• Background information & facts
• Writing help

Here are some resources to refer to when selecting a topic and preparing to write a paper:

• MIT Writing and Communication Center "Providing free professional advice about all types of writing and speaking to all members of the MIT community."
• Search Our Collections Find books about writing. Search by subject for: english language grammar; report writing handbooks; technical writing handbooks
• Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Online version of the book that provides examples and tips on grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and other writing rules.
• Select a topic

Choosing an interesting research topic is your first challenge. Here are some tips:

• Choose a topic that you are interested in! The research process is more relevant if you care about your topic.
• If your topic is too broad, you will find too much information and not be able to focus.
• Background reading can help you choose and limit the scope of your topic. 
• Review the guidelines on topic selection outlined in your assignment.  Ask your professor or TA for suggestions.
• Refer to lecture notes and required texts to refresh your knowledge of the course and assignment.
• Talk about research ideas with a friend.  S/he may be able to help focus your topic by discussing issues that didn't occur to you at first.
• WHY did you choose the topic?  What interests you about it?  Do you have an opinion about the issues involved?
• WHO are the information providers on this topic?  Who might publish information about it?  Who is affected by the topic?  Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic?
• WHAT are the major questions for this topic?  Is there a debate about the topic?  Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?
• WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national or international level?  Are there specific places affected by the topic?
• WHEN is/was your topic important?  Is it a current event or an historical issue?  Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Table of contents

• Broaden your topic
• Information Navigator home
• Sources for facts - general
• Sources for facts - specific subjects

Start here for help

Ask Us Ask a question, make an appointment, give feedback, or visit us.

• Next: Refine your topic >>
• Last Updated: Jul 30, 2021 2:50 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mit.edu/select-topic

How to Choose a Good Research Topic for Your PhD

Choosing the right research topic is quite often a daunting task, especially for PhD students. However, developing a good research question has a positive impact on students’ research careers. Thesis advisors offer help during this initial stage. Later on, PhD students are expected to choose their own research topic for subsequent studies.

When navigating through several interesting research topics, it becomes necessary to strike the right balance between curiosity and societal needs. Moreover, funding agencies fund compelling research proposals based on meaningful and highly relevant research topics. Selecting a good research topic can, therefore, increase the odds of academic success.

PhD Research Topic and Your Career

Performing a meticulous literature survey helps researchers identify existing research gaps and devise novel strategies for addressing them. Once the research gap is identified, it becomes imperative to choose a meaningful research question. A well-chosen research question can lead to a compelling research proposal. In fact, doctoral researchers can positively shape their entire career by finalizing a good research proposal. Researchers are expected to choose topics that can potentially lead to impactful publications. Good publications fetch good citations. Well-published and well-cited researchers can easily find satisfying jobs in academia or industry. Choosing the right research topic, thus, can open doors to satisfying job opportunities worldwide.

Pathway to Success

There are several ways to ensure success in research. When in graduate school, students need to undertake several measures to identify a compelling research topic. Although conducting a thorough literature survey certainly facilitates this process, it is virtually impossible to choose the right research topic solely based on literature surveys. Students and early-stage researchers, therefore, need to brainstorm thoroughly with their advisor, talk to experts, and attend research seminars/conferences to listen to (and network with) established researchers. Quite often, taking up the relevant coursework (especially for interdisciplinary research areas) simplifies the process of research topic selection.

Choosing the right research question helps researchers stay focused and motivated throughout their career. Meaningful research questions eventually lead to meaningful discoveries and inventions. Robert Smith presented in Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences (ISI Press, 1984) a list of 11 research questions to consider:

• Can you enthusiastically pursue it?
• Can you sustain your interest while pursuing it?
• Is the problem solvable?
• Is it worth pursuing?
• Will it lead to other research problems?
• Is it manageable in size?
• What is the potential for making an original contribution to the literature in the field?
• Will the scholars in your field receive the results well if you solve the problem?
• Are you (or will you become) competent to solve it?
• By solving it, will you have demonstrated independent skills in your discipline?
• Will the necessary research prepare you in an area of demand or promise for the future?

Keeping these questions in mind while developing a research question can set the stage for a productive and fulfilling career.

Common Mistakes

There are several mistakes that students and early-stage researchers commit during the process of research topic selection. Some of the most common mistakes include:

• Extending thesis work even after graduate school : If researchers choose topics that are direct extensions or clear derivatives of their thesis work, then they do not make significant value addition to the respective field of study. Choosing a radically new research topic, while still embarking on the broad area of specialization is indeed the key to success.
• Choosing an obscure, irrelevant, or non-compelling research topic : This can adversely affect the researcher’s motivation levels and can drastically decrease their odds of attaining success.
• Letting PhD advisors choose research topics for you : Although researchers often pursue work within the same field even after earning their PhD, they are less likely to conduct research on the same exact topic. For this reason, letting your advisor tell you what to study rather than you developing a question based on your own reading and experiences in the laboratory is another common mistake that can have lifelong consequences.

Finally, scientists should work in an environment that nurtures the natural chaos of developing a research direction. PhD advisors should also make it a point to thoroughly groom and mentor their PhD students. A good thesis advisor enables his/her students to choose good research topics.

Did your thesis advisor choose a research topic for you? Did he/she train and mentor you well? Were you able to choose your own research topic? Are you happy with your chosen research topic? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

Research topics for science or literature: Deep knowledge and a keen interest in any subject with a scholarly attitude are the prerequisites for any research work.

I am allowed to choose my research topic.

i want research topic for p.hd

Thank you for posting your query. Selecting a good research topic is the first step towards carrying out a successful and impactful research study. A good research topic can help you attract funding and also help you to successfully publish in a prestigious journal. Unfortunately we are not aware of your field of research and hence will not be able to suggest you research topics. However, we can share few tips that might be helpful in selecting an appropriate research topic for your PhD. While choosing a research topic, you must carry out a thorough literature survey in your field or genre of research and look for a research gap. Identifying the research gap makes it easy to select a research topic and an appropriate research question. Once you have selected a research topic, you can check through our checklist available here .

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Choosing a Research Topic

Search Grad Grow

This article from the Chronicle of Higher Education  discusses and offers advice on how to choose a dissertation topic that is compelling, manageable, and worthwhile. Although it is written for scientists, this article provides valuable insights that are applicable to other fields. Also available via the Tomorrow's Professor Archive.

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Grad Grow Competencies

Unraveling the Mysteries of PhD Project Topics Selection

Blog Summary

A PhD requires distinct skill sets from a master’s and a bachelor’s. The biggest obstacle for PhD candidates is choosing a project subject or problem statement. This blog article aims to inform readers about how to select and complete their PhD projects. Your inner motivation and areas of interest should be the top considerations while selecting your specialization. Never start a PhD program without getting clarification on the research labs you should choose. For application alerts, while enrolled in your master’s program, register with PhD Portals. Select an interest-provoking subject, then read everything there is to know about it. A successful thesis requires adhering to the “Write, Rewrite, and Write” cycle.

Tips to Write your PhD Thesis

Start your journey to obtaining a phd.

Pursuing a PhD, unlike your master’s or bachelor’s program, demands altogether different skill sets. You have a fixed set of subjects with some open elective and core-elective to study in those programs. But in a PhD program , you are aware of your stream of study like computer science, management, finance, humanities, etc.

But the PhD project topics on which you carry out research are wide open. You are supposed to narrow down to a particular thesis topic idea or field of study. Selecting a PhD project topic or problem statement is the biggest challenge for PhD students. This blog post attempts to educate scholars on selecting a PhD project of their choice and completing it.

How Do I Choose a PhD Project?

Choosing a PhD project topic is the primary work in pursuing a PhD program. It is not like choosing an undergraduate or postgraduate program. It demands patience. So, take your time.

Next, you should be in a position to decide what type of PhD project you want to pursue. Broadly there are three types of PhD projects:

• Advertised PhD projects
• Self-proposed PhD projects
• Professional Doctorates

The Advertised Projects are common in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Medicine (STEM) . Research groups and Well-established laboratories offer these programs.

The Self-proposed projects are common in the Humanities and Arts arena. Here, you are free to choose a thesis topic as long as it falls in the purview of a research topic.

Professional Doctorates in vocational subjects like Business and Management awarded to practitioners are not academic qualifications.

What Makes a good PhD Project?

A PhD project should, first of all, have a clear goal. So, it starts with a proposal. A PhD proposal is a clear and concise document illustrating the problem statement and the goals of your work. It should also highlight why it is worth pursuing?

A typical PhD project involves Five steps:

• Identifying a problem statement
• Carrying out a comprehensive literature review
• Conducting Original Research and finding out results
• Producing a Thesis that documents your results
• Writing the thesis and taking up Viva-Voce 

Tips for choosing a PhD project and topics

Here you have two sets of Tips:

• Tips to Apply for a PhD project and choosing a PhD project topic

Tips to Apply for a PhD project

1. Be Aware of Your Niche

Just because you are a computer science postgraduate and AI or Data Science is the trend; You needn’t select these areas. What matters is your interest and inner drive that should be the priority in choosing your niche.

2. Your Comfort Level to Relocate to Another City

Once you have identified your niche and the University/Research Labs, you may have to relocate to a new city. Make up your mind to relocate and also be decisive in making your choice.

3. Identify the Departments and Research Labs Succinctly

You are supposed to conduct a lot of research before boiling it down to a particular Department or University. This is a necessity as it is crucial to identify your core interests and ideas.

4. Obtain Clarity from Your Research Supervisor

Never dive into a PhD program without seeking clarity about the Research labs you are supposed to join. If it is a funded project, get clarification about all facts that are not obvious. Have one to one discussion with your Research Supervisor over Skype or any messenger to seek clarity regarding questions like,

• How many people work in the lab?
• What are their designations?
• Are you supposed to collaborate with any of them?

5. Register with PhD Portals to Get Application Alerts

During your Master’s Program, register with online portals that provide information on PhD programs offered by various Labs and Universities. This helps you to be informed about itineraries of multiple institutes.

6. Seek Seniors and Teachers Help

Ignorance is the biggest culprit that sinks your career ship. Regardless of how small your doubt is, get it clarified from your professors and seniors. Discuss issues like how to formulate an email, cover letter, resume, and other application procedures.

7. Understand the Team Well

It is not only the project that should create enthusiasm; it is also the team you will be working with. The team is vital to complete a project. Before diving into a project, try to understand whether you can get along with your teammates. 

8. Different Types of Funding Exists

When you apply for funded projects, you often come across various types. Some are not funded, while some are competition-funded also. Your enthusiasm for getting into the project plays a vital role in the supervisors picking you in competitive funding. So, Love your work to the core. 

9. Always Apply for More than One University/Institute

Prepare as many applications as possible and shoot them to different institutes. This process provides a wide array of experience in how to draft an application and approach the institutes. Such skills will help you in the long term.

10. Failure is the Stepping Stone to Success

You might fail once or twice in getting shortlisted or fail to perform in the interview. The number of interviews you have faced will help nurture your interpersonal skills.

Below are the general tips any PhD scholar should follow to be successful.

• While choosing a PhD project topic most crucial parameter is to rely on a topic that is interesting for you.
• Thoroughly read everything about the topic.
• Find a theoretical basis to support your idea.
• Be prepared to shift gears as the research progresses and your presumptions about the outcomes change.
• Be open to taking inputs from others to fine-tune your views.
• Formulate a committee of researchers,
• Be diligent in gathering data.
• The Panache for Effective Thesis Writing is Follow ing the “Write, Rewrite, and Write” Cycle. It doesn’t matter if your writing is good or bad; take tips from professional writers online. Most importantly, Good writing is all about Editing again and again. So, never feel daunted by Thesis writing; enjoy every bit of it.
• Sit with your Research Supervisor and prepare well-structured content with a Table of Content adequately defined. Regardless of being an expert writer or novice, your first draft always needs tweaking. Never be disheartened by re-editing work patience is key here.
• Thesis Writing needn’t be boring and monotony work. Bring in flair to your writing by inserting adjectives, says, expert writers.
• A chronologically written thesis is a misconception. As soon as you complete a piece of experiment or research, document it neatly when it is fresh in your mind. Later it can be integrated into the Final Thesis as per the Table of Contents.
• Once you research and write a chapter, take a break and come back with a critical perspective to discover possible mistakes. This always helps. Do not write in a marathon-style take breaks.
• Plagiarism is the biggest enemy of any research document. Whenever you quote an existing work, paraphrase properly and provide references and citations. 
• All universities have their Templates and Preferred Style of References . Religiously stick to the guidelines given by your university.
• Follow the same house style of spellings does not club “-ize” with “-ise” styles. If you prefer to use “improvize,” use it in all places, do not mix up with “improvise.”
• While quoting from other sources, ensure that you do not make spelling mistakes. Copy the quotes exactly.
• Your thesis is the window to showcase both your professionalism and research abilities to the outer world. Work with diligence and give it a professional appeal.

Why TSL-UCN?

Taksha Smartlabz in association with the University of Central Nicaragua (TSL-UCN) provides various PhD programs with an advanced blended learning system that is designed with working professionals in mind. It provides the opportunity to study from anywhere and at any time.

Taking up a PhD project involves various steps. Initially, you have to identify the domain of your interest and apply for a university or research lab. On getting selected, get involved in the meticulous work of carrying out research, documenting your findings, publishing papers, coming up with thesis work, and defending your work in research gathering.

The process of selecting your PhD project is the most crucial step in the entire process. Understanding whether you are looking out for Advertised/Self Proposed PhD projects or Professional Doctorates is vital in the initial stages.

Enroll now, to reap the benefits of this program, and obtain a PhD in your niche.

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How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow

Published on 11 November 2022 by Shona McCombes and Tegan George.

Choosing your dissertation topic is the first step in making sure your research goes as smoothly as possible. When choosing a topic, it’s important to consider:

• Your institution and department’s requirements
• Your areas of knowledge and interest
• The scientific, social, or practical relevance
• The availability of data and resources
• The timeframe of your dissertation

You can follow these steps to begin narrowing down your ideas.

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Table of contents

Step 1: check the requirements, step 2: choose a broad field of research, step 3: look for books and articles, step 4: find a niche, step 5: consider the type of research, step 6: determine the relevance, step 7: make sure it’s plausible, step 8: get your topic approved, frequently asked questions.

The very first step is to check your program’s requirements. This determines the scope of what it is possible for you to research.

• Is there a minimum and maximum word count?
• When is the deadline?
• Should the research have an academic or a professional orientation?
• Are there any methodological conditions? Do you have to conduct fieldwork, or use specific types of sources?

Some programs have stricter requirements than others. You might be given nothing more than a word count and a deadline, or you might have a restricted list of topics and approaches to choose from. If in doubt about what is expected of you, always ask your supervisor or department coordinator.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Start by thinking about your areas of interest within the subject you’re studying. Examples of broad ideas include:

• Twentieth-century literature
• Economic history
• Health policy

To get a more specific sense of the current state of research on your potential topic, skim through a few recent issues of the top journals in your field. Be sure to check out their most-cited articles in particular. For inspiration, you can also search Google Scholar , subject-specific databases , and your university library’s resources.

As you read, note down any specific ideas that interest you and make a shortlist of possible topics. If you’ve written other papers, such as a 3rd-year paper or a conference paper, consider how those topics can be broadened into a dissertation.

After doing some initial reading, it’s time to start narrowing down options for your potential topic. This can be a gradual process, and should get more and more specific as you go. For example, from the ideas above, you might narrow it down like this:

• Twentieth-century literature   Twentieth-century Irish literature   Post-war Irish poetry
• Economic history   European economic history   German labor union history
• Health policy   Reproductive health policy   Reproductive rights in South America

All of these topics are still broad enough that you’ll find a huge amount of books and articles about them. Try to find a specific niche where you can make your mark, such as: something not many people have researched yet, a question that’s still being debated, or a very current practical issue.

At this stage, make sure you have a few backup ideas – there’s still time to change your focus. If your topic doesn’t make it through the next few steps, you can try a different one. Later, you will narrow your focus down even more in your problem statement and research questions .

There are many different types of research , so at this stage, it’s a good idea to start thinking about what kind of approach you’ll take to your topic. Will you mainly focus on:

• Collecting original data (e.g., experimental or field research)?
• Analysing existing data (e.g., national statistics, public records, or archives)?
• Interpreting cultural objects (e.g., novels, films, or paintings)?
• Comparing scholarly approaches (e.g., theories, methods, or interpretations)?

Many dissertations will combine more than one of these. Sometimes the type of research is obvious: if your topic is post-war Irish poetry, you will probably mainly be interpreting poems. But in other cases, there are several possible approaches. If your topic is reproductive rights in South America, you could analyse public policy documents and media coverage, or you could gather original data through interviews and surveys .

You don’t have to finalise your research design and methods yet, but the type of research will influence which aspects of the topic it’s possible to address, so it’s wise to consider this as you narrow down your ideas.

It’s important that your topic is interesting to you, but you’ll also have to make sure it’s academically, sociallym or practically relevant to your field.

• Academic relevance means that the research can fill a gap in knowledge or contribute to a scholarly debate in your field.
• Social relevance means that the research can advance our understanding of society and inform social change.
• Practical relevance means that the research can be applied to solve concrete problems or improve real-life processes.

The easiest way to make sure your research is relevant is to choose a topic that is clearly connected to current issues or debates, either in society at large or in your academic discipline. The relevance must be clearly stated when you define your research problem .

Before you make a final decision on your topic, consider again the length of your dissertation, the timeframe in which you have to complete it, and the practicalities of conducting the research.

Will you have enough time to read all the most important academic literature on this topic? If there’s too much information to tackle, consider narrowing your focus even more.

Will you be able to find enough sources or gather enough data to fulfil the requirements of the dissertation? If you think you might struggle to find information, consider broadening or shifting your focus.

Do you have to go to a specific location to gather data on the topic? Make sure that you have enough funding and practical access.

Last but not least, will the topic hold your interest for the length of the research process? To stay motivated, it’s important to choose something you’re enthusiastic about!

Most programmes will require you to submit a brief description of your topic, called a research prospectus or proposal .

Remember, if you discover that your topic is not as strong as you thought it was, it’s usually acceptable to change your mind and switch focus early in the dissertation process. Just make sure you have enough time to start on a new topic, and always check with your supervisor or department.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

You can assess information and arguments critically by asking certain questions about the source. You can use the CRAAP test , focusing on the currency , relevance , authority , accuracy , and purpose of a source of information.

Ask questions such as:

• Who is the author? Are they an expert?
• Why did the author publish it? What is their motivation?
• How do they make their argument? Is it backed up by evidence?

A dissertation prospectus or proposal describes what or who you plan to research for your dissertation. It delves into why, when, where, and how you will do your research, as well as helps you choose a type of research to pursue. You should also determine whether you plan to pursue qualitative or quantitative methods and what your research design will look like.

It should outline all of the decisions you have taken about your project, from your dissertation topic to your hypotheses and research objectives , ready to be approved by your supervisor or committee.

Note that some departments require a defense component, where you present your prospectus to your committee orally.

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McCombes, S. & George, T. (2022, November 11). How to Choose a Dissertation Topic | 8 Steps to Follow. Scribbr. Retrieved 3 June 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/the-research-process/choosing-a-topic/

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How To Choose a Research Topic For Your PhD Thesis (7 Key Factors to Consider)

If you are a PhD student, then you know that choosing a topic for your PhD thesis or dissertation was one of the toughest decisions you had to make.

This post provides guidance to prospective PhD students on the factors they need to consider when it comes to choosing their research topic.

1. Personal interests

The PhD programme lasts on average for 3 years, but varies depending on the school and department. As such, you need to choose a research topic that interests you so as to keep you motivated during those days when you feel like giving up (and those days will be many).

2. The interests of your school’s faculty

As much as your interest is important in helping you choose a research topic for your thesis, it must align with the interests of one (or more) of the faculty of your school in which you are taking your PhD.

This is important in ensuring that you get a supervisor who is an expert in your proposed area of research. In fact, one of the PhD application requirements for most PhD programmes is a concept note, which highlights the proposed research topic. This serves the purpose stated above: ensuring that the applicant will get adequate supervision throughout his or her studies.

3. Your knowledge and skills set

The knowledge and skills you gained during your undergraduate or Masters’ degree, as well as through your job can influence your choice of a research topic for your PhD thesis.

You may choose to settle on a topic that requires your existing knowledge and skills set, or may choose the harder route of gaining new knowledge and skills. The PhD is a great opportunity for the latter option.

For instance, you may be well versed with quantitative research methods, including its practical application, and may decide to choose a topic that renders itself to the use of quantitative analysis. Alternatively, you may decide that since you already know quantitative analysis, it is time to learn about qualitative research methods and choose a topic that will force you to dive deep into qualitative analysis. It is all about your preference.

4. Your career prospects

When choosing a PhD thesis topic, ask yourself what your career aspirations are, and then choose a topic that will give you the opportunity to learn more about your area of interest.

Besides spending a great amount of time conducting research in your research topic, the PhD period will also enable you to network with your peers and experts in your research area.

PhD students are often expected to attend workshops, seminars, and scientific conferences in the course of their studies, and these avenues provide great professional networking opportunities for the students, which can open their doors for their future career.

You therefore want to choose a topic that will significantly contribute to your career growth.

5. Trends in your industry

This factor is closely related to factor number 4 above. If your career prospects are not in academia, then it is important to consider what is trending in your industry and choose a topic that aligns to it. This will offer you with enormous opportunities for career growth.

For instance, in the Health Economics space, digital health is currently trending, and will trend for a long time to come.

A PhD student who is currently focusing on an aspect of digital health is highly likely to “sell like a hot cake” upon completion of his or her studies. That is, as long as he or she puts in the effort to do the research well and network with like-minded people in the industry.

Choosing a topic that is relevant and adds value, especially practically, is important for the PhD student’s career growth.

6. Feasibility of the research topic

It is one thing to pick a research topic that interests you and your faculty. It is another thing altogether to ensure that the topic chosen does not drag you behind as far as completing your PhD is concerned.

PhD is time-limited. You only have 2, 3, or whatever number of years to start and complete your studies. Your topic should therefore be feasible both time-wise and resource-wise.

You need to pick a topic that you can comfortably work on within the time limits of your studies, as well as within the available financial resources.

Consider whether you have scholarship for the study or if you are self-sponsoring your studies, and choose a topic that will not burden you financially.

Another important feasibility aspect to consider is the data requirement for your research. Will you collect primary data or use already available secondary data. If using primary data, do you have the time and money required for the collection and analysis of the data? If using secondary data, do you have easy access (that is, there are no logistical and financial barriers) to the data? You need to have this knowledge before settling on a research topic.

7. Adequacy of existing literature on the research topic

Before settling on a topic, research it widely to make sure that there are enough papers written about it. Remember that you will review hundreds of papers for your PhD thesis.

You can easily find out whether the topic has been well researched by skimming through online journal databases and resources like Google Scholar . Familiarise yourself with what others have written and what gaps exist, and then tweak your topic in a way that will add value to the existing literature.

While at it, also get to know who the experts of your research topic are. Networks such as ResearchGate, LinkedIn and Twitter are great places to know who the giants of your research area are. Remember that you will stand on the shoulders of many giants throughout your PhD studies (and beyond!). Get to know them and their past and ongoing works.

Final Thoughts on “How to Choose a Research Topic for your PhD Thesis”

Your research topic for your PhD thesis will most likely evolve over time. The topic you start with when you join your PhD programme will undergo significant transformations as you undertake courses, read literature, and consult with your supervisor. Don’t worry if this happens, it is the norm.

However, don’t spend too much time thinking about your topic, as the more time you spend on it, the less time you will have for the actual research. Consider the above 7 factors, settle on your topic and hit the road running.

Related post:

How to Write a PhD Concept Paper

Grace Njeri-Otieno

Grace Njeri-Otieno is a Kenyan, a wife, a mom, and currently a PhD student, among many other balls she juggles. She holds a Bachelors' and Masters' degrees in Economics and has more than 7 years' experience with an INGO. She was inspired to start this site so as to share the lessons learned throughout her PhD journey with other PhD students. Her vision for this site is "to become a go-to resource center for PhD students in all their spheres of learning."

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How to write a PhD thesis: a step-by-step guide

A draft isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper, writes Kelly Louise Preece

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Congratulations; you’ve finished your research! Time to write your PhD thesis. This resource will take you through an eight-step plan for drafting your chapters and your thesis as a whole. 

Organise your material

Before you start, it’s important to get organised. Take a step back and look at the data you have, then reorganise your research. Which parts of it are central to your thesis and which bits need putting to one side? Label and organise everything using logical folders – make it easy for yourself! Academic and blogger Pat Thomson calls this  “Clean up to get clearer” . Thomson suggests these questions to ask yourself before you start writing:

• What data do you have? You might find it useful to write out a list of types of data (your supervisor will find this list useful too.) This list is also an audit document that can go in your thesis. Do you have any for the “cutting room floor”? Take a deep breath and put it in a separate non-thesis file. You can easily retrieve it if it turns out you need it.
• What do you have already written? What chunks of material have you written so far that could form the basis of pieces of the thesis text? They will most likely need to be revised but they are useful starting points. Do you have any holding text? That is material you already know has to be rewritten but contains information that will be the basis of a new piece of text.
• What have you read and what do you still need to read? Are there new texts that you need to consult now after your analysis? What readings can you now put to one side, knowing that they aren’t useful for this thesis – although they might be useful at another time?
• What goes with what? Can you create chunks or themes of materials that are going to form the basis of some chunks of your text, perhaps even chapters?

Once you have assessed and sorted what you have collected and generated you will be in much better shape to approach the big task of composing the dissertation. 

Decide on a key message

A key message is a summary of new information communicated in your thesis. You should have started to map this out already in the section on argument and contribution – an overarching argument with building blocks that you will flesh out in individual chapters.

You have already mapped your argument visually, now you need to begin writing it in prose. Following another of Pat Thomson’s exercises, write a “tiny text” thesis abstract. This doesn’t have to be elegant, or indeed the finished product, but it will help you articulate the argument you want your thesis to make. You create a tiny text using a five-paragraph structure:

• The first sentence addresses the broad context. This locates the study in a policy, practice or research field.
• The second sentence establishes a problem related to the broad context you have set out. It often starts with “But”, “Yet” or “However”.
• The third sentence says what specific research has been done. This often starts with “This research” or “I report…”
• The fourth sentence reports the results. Don’t try to be too tricky here, just start with something like: “This study shows,” or “Analysis of the data suggests that…”
• The fifth and final sentence addresses the “So What?” question and makes clear the claim to contribution.

Here’s an example that Thomson provides:

Secondary school arts are in trouble, as the fall in enrolments in arts subjects dramatically attests. However, there is patchy evidence about the benefits of studying arts subjects at school and this makes it hard to argue why the drop in arts enrolments matters. This thesis reports on research which attempts to provide some answers to this problem – a longitudinal study which followed two groups of senior secondary students, one group enrolled in arts subjects and the other not, for three years. The results of the study demonstrate the benefits of young people’s engagement in arts activities, both in and out of school, as well as the connections between the two. The study not only adds to what is known about the benefits of both formal and informal arts education but also provides robust evidence for policymakers and practitioners arguing for the benefits of the arts. You can  find out more about tiny texts and thesis abstracts on Thomson’s blog.

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Write a plan

You might not be a planner when it comes to writing. You might prefer to sit, type and think through ideas as you go. That’s OK. Everybody works differently. But one of the benefits of planning your writing is that your plan can help you when you get stuck. It can help with writer’s block (more on this shortly!) but also maintain clarity of intention and purpose in your writing.

You can do this by creating a  thesis skeleton or storyboard , planning the order of your chapters, thinking of potential titles (which may change at a later stage), noting down what each chapter/section will cover and considering how many words you will dedicate to each chapter (make sure the total doesn’t exceed the maximum word limit allowed).

Use your plan to help prompt your writing when you get stuck and to develop clarity in your writing.

Some starting points include:

• This chapter will argue that…
• This section illustrates that…
• This paragraph provides evidence that…

Of course, we wish it werethat easy. But you need to approach your first draft as exactly that: a draft. It isn’t a perfect, finished product; it is your opportunity to start getting words down on paper. Start with whichever chapter you feel you want to write first; you don’t necessarily have to write the introduction first. Depending on your research, you may find it easier to begin with your empirical/data chapters.

Vitae advocates for the “three draft approach” to help with this and to stop you from focusing on finding exactly the right word or transition as part of your first draft.

This resource originally appeared on Researcher Development .

Kelly Louse Preece is head of educator development at the University of Exeter.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter .

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• Should I Do A Masters?
• Types of Course
• Entry Requirements
• Choosing A University
• Research Vs Taught Masters
• Taught Masters
• Research Masters
• What is a PhD?
• PhD Entry Requirements
• Applying for a PhD
• Choosing A Topic
• Choosing A Supervisor
• Writing A Research Proposal
• Personal Statement
• Writing A PhD CV
• Why attend Open Days?
• Postgraduate Jobs

Choosing A PhD Topic

Choosing a PhD topic can be difficult, as it is likely there will be more than several projects that will take your fancy when you start researching what is out there.

Having an idea of which areas in the UK you would like to be based will make this step significantly easier though.

1. Read around topics that interest you

We recommend making a list of topics or general areas you are interested in within your field, which you can then narrow down. A good place to start looking for potential projects is FindAPhD.com – this website contains lists of current PhD courses across different subjects and will give you an idea of what’s on offer.

2. Decide on your type of doctorate

Before you can find the right doctorate, you need to know what type of doctorate is right for you.

Broadly speaking, doctorates come in three general formats:

• Advertised projects - these are often found in Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine (‘STEM’) subjects. They will usually be offered within laboratories, research groups or other specialised academic networks which will help shape your research, but not always in the direction you may want.  
• Self-proposed projects - these are more common in Arts, Humanities and some Social Science subjects. These usually mean you will pick your own topic and submit a proposal to a university or supervisor. You can generally choose whatever you want to study, but it will need to form the basis of a feasible PhD and fits the aims and/or expertise of the university's faculty.  
• Professional doctorates - you will find these in vocational subjects such as Business and Management and tend to award specialised qualifications such as the DBA (Doctor of Business Administration). They are aimed at experienced candidates looking to carry out research into their area of practice, rather than become academic researchers.

These areas may overlap slightly but working out the subject you wish to research in will help you narrow down the kind of doctorate you should be looking for.

You should also start to think about what you want to do after your PhD. Career opportunities for doctoral graduates are more flexible than you might realise, but there’s still a fairly clear difference between academic and professional doctorates.

3. Consider several ideas

While it may be difficult to pin down at least one original idea, it's a good idea to look at several, especially if one (or more) of your ideas is already being studied by other students who are about to publish their work.

Be prepared to be flexible and realise you might not be the only one with your great idea!

FindAPhD.com has a handy tool for comparing current PhD projects, so you can see what's currently going on in your field. Although lots of interest in your subject is good, it also means you will have to think more carefully about how you will differentiate your work from others.

4. Look at rankings

PhD rankings will give you some indicator of the quality of a university, and whether it will be a good environment for you to do your research.

You can also see how much research the university publishes, and how likely you will enjoy your experience there.

Things to watch out for in rankings include:

• research performance
• teaching performance
• study abroad opportunities
• international education.

Among the current top ranked universities for PhDs are University of Oxford , University of Cambridge , Stanford University and ETH Zurich .

5. Go to an open day

Try to visit any universities you are considering for your PhD, as this will give you first-hand experience of what it is like.

Look to see when the next postgraduate open day is, which will be advertised on the university's website.

FindAMasters.com also has a comprehensive list of postgraduate open days across the UK.

It may also be possible to arrange an informal visit, especially if you have already made contact with a supervisor to discuss your project.

6. Choose your universities

Next, browse some departmental websites, where you will find more detailed PhD listings. This will take less time if you already which universities you are interested in applying to. Bear in mind that details of individual PhDs will be released at different times, so it’s best to get in touch with the postgraduate admissions tutor, and start preparing your application as early as possible before your intended start date. For projects starting in September, deadlines are usually as early as the previous October or November. However, you will find for a majority of PhDs in the arts and humanities or social sciences, specific subject areas are not advertised on websites. Therefore you should conduct a general search and find out which departments appeal to you. This is so you can approach any prospective supervisors and/or find out the general research direction of the department to see if it suits your needs. It may be worthwhile contacting potential supervisors directly, with details of your research interests and background, and ask whether they might be able to offer you an appropriate environment to carry out your PhD.

7. Find out about funding

Make sure you find out about funding at this point too, as what is available in terms of scholarships may have an impact on whether it is feasible to apply for a PhD at a particular department. You will find that a majority of funding is allocated directly to individual departments, either to certain projects or to be divided up between a group of people. Contact the department at the earliest possible time and ask what awards you might be eligible for. You can be awarded a PhD place with no funding, although this is a very difficult option. Departmental or university scholarships are one source you can consider, but there are generally far less of these on offer than research-council funded studentships. Therefore it's worth looking into which research projects or departments have already attracted a range of funding in your area. Please see postgraduate funding for further details on how to fund your PhD.

8. Seek expert advice

It's important to ask the experts for advice before deciding on your doctoral dissertation.

This is also part of testing and investigating your ideas in advance. Accept problematic questions, as they offer a general outlook on your work. Therefore, regular contact with your PhD advisor is very valuable for your success.

9. Don't rush your decision

Remember that you will be studying this topic for the next few years, so it's no good if stops being interesting after the first week or two.

Take your time, and be methodical with your research to see exactly what's going to be involved.

Be aware that some PhD programs ask you to spend time travelling or do more practical-based work, so it's worth asking yourself what you will be comfortable doing.

Further information

For more tips and advice on applying for a PhD, please see:

• PhD entry requirements
• How to apply for a PhD
• Choosing a supervisor
• Writing a personal statement
• Writing a CV
• Research proposals

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How to Choose a PhD Program

Successfully completing a doctoral program requires commitment and perseverance. the most important step in this process is to consider whether academic life is right for you and what kind of doctoral program — from discipline to environment — will be the best fit for your goals and preferences., we asked our current students and faculty, “what is key to making this decision” following are some questions they suggested you ask yourself, and answer, in order to select the appropriate program..

First, a basic description of a doctoral program:

As a doctoral student, you will spend the first two years of your program exploring areas of interest through coursework. In the two to three years that follow, you will select and pursue your own research topic, one which will make an original contribution to the existing body of knowledge in your field. Your original research culminates in an extensive written document known as the doctoral dissertation.

General Questions

If you are considering your career options, answering these questions will help you clarify your goals and ambitions — and determine if a doctoral program is the right decision for you.

• Am I the type of person who is suited for a career in academia? Am I independently motivated to answer questions that I find interesting?
• Do I want to spend the rest of my career doing research, as well as reading and talking about it?
• Do I have a strong enough academic background in order to apply and be accepted by the program?
• Is now the time for me to pursue a PhD?
• What are my goals after completing the PhD?

Program Questions

If you know you want to pursue a doctoral degree, answers to these questions will help you select the right program for you.

• How many faculty are working with students?
• How many faculty members are doing research in areas related to my own interests?
• What opportunities are there to work with a variety of faculty and to be exposed to different approaches in research (modeling, work with data, experiment design)?
• Am I technically prepared to learn to do research in this field?
• Most PhD students change their vision of research and many change their intended concentration area after joining the program and being exposed to a variety of research styles. Does my program of choice offer flexibility needed to do so?
• Is there financial support for students to attend academic conferences to present their own research?
• What opportunities are there for students to participate in colloquia, both as an attendee and as a presenter?
• What is the department’s placement record? What types of jobs do graduates take and where?
• Finally, how well do graduates of the program perform in the long term (contributing to the field through publication, practice of management and earning tenure)?

Hear From Our Doctoral Community

From undergrad to phd, uniting great minds, wharton’s stat bridge ma program takes flight, how this phd student discovered a dynamic research community at wharton.

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Thinking of Pursuing a PhD in Economics? Info on Graduate School and Beyond

Kasey Chatterji-Len and Anna Kovner

Becoming a PhD economist can provide a fulfilling and financially secure career path. However, getting started in the field can be daunting if you don’t know much about the preparation you’ll need and the available job opportunities. If you’re wondering what it means to be an economics researcher or how to become one, please read on. We’ll review how to prepare for a career in economics research, what an economics PhD program entails, and what types of opportunities it might bring. Economic education is a core component of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s mission to serve the community. To empower would-be economists, this post provides information for students who seek a career in economics research. We hope this information will be helpful to students interested in economics, regardless of their background and economic situation.  This information is most applicable to students applying to programs in the United States.  

The Breadth of Economics Research  

Academic disciplines conduct research in different ways, so it’s important to have a basic understanding of the types of questions economists ask and how they approach answering them. There are many definitions of economics, but a broadly useful one is the study of how people, organizations, and governments make decisions under different constraints, and how those decisions may affect their outcomes. 

When answering these questions, economists seek to ground their analyses in models and to be quantitatively precise about the effects they assign to any given cause. The range of topics economists can study is wide, but the accepted approaches to answering questions are stricter. Some examples of what economists might ask: 

• How do different public housing programs affect the children who live there? 
• Does a certain type of law encourage businesses to innovate? 
• How will a change in the interest rate affect inflation and unemployment rates? 
• How much does affordable health insurance improve people’s health? 
• How can poor countries eradicate poverty? 

There are many different subfields within economics, including, but not limited to behavioral, econometrics, energy/environmental, development, financial, international, monetary, public, and urban economics. You can familiarize yourself with the latest work in economics by subscribing to working paper series, such as NBER’s New This Week or the New York Fed’s Staff Reports . To get an idea of the breadth of questions economists can answer, you could listen to Stephen Dubner’s “ Freakonomics Radio ” podcast. You may also want to explore the Journal of Economic Perspectives , the New York Fed’s Liberty Street Economics blog, VoxDev , or VoxEU .  

What Is a PhD Program Like?    

Economics PhD programs typically last five to seven years. Unlike masters programs, they are often fully funded with a stipend, though most require students to complete teaching assistant and/or research assistant (RA) work as part of their funding package. In the first two years, students take classes, many of which are mathematically demanding. The rest of the program can include additional classes but is primarily devoted to original research with the aim of producing publishable papers that will constitute the dissertation.  

Faculty advisors are a central part of PhD programs, as students look to them for guidance during the research process. Economics PhD programs are offered within university economics departments, but there are similar programs in public policy and business schools. You can look at their websites to understand any differences in coursework and subsequent job placements. 

What Can You Do with an Economics PhD?  

Upon graduation, students can obtain jobs in a variety of industries. Many PhD students hope to become university professors. Governments and public policy-related institutions such as the Federal Reserve System, the U.S. federal government, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) also hire economists to work on policy, lead programs, and conduct research. Finally, economics PhD graduates can also find employment at a variety of private sector companies, including banks, economic consulting firms, and big tech companies. The pay for these different positions can vary. According to the American Economics Association (AEA), the average starting salary for economics assistant professors in 2022-23 was approximately $140,000 at PhD granting institutions and $98,000 at BA granting institutions. 

Programs often publish the placements of their PhD graduates, so you can look online to see specific employment outcomes. See, for example, the University of Maryland’s placements . Ultimately, economists are highly regarded as authorities on a variety of topics. Governments, nonprofits, philanthropic foundations, financial institutions, and non-financial businesses all look to economists to answer important questions about how to best achieve their goals. Thus, earning an economics Ph.D. can potentially help you to influence issues that are important to you. 

Preparing for an Economics PhD Program  

There are several components to an economics PhD program application: college transcripts, GRE scores, letters of recommendation, and personal statements. Please download the Appendix linked below to learn more about transcripts and letters of recommendation. The Appendix details ways in which you can select coursework, obtain research experience, and develop relationships to position yourself for success as a PhD applicant.  

If you feel that you are too far along in your academic career to take enough of the classes described in the Appendix, this does not necessarily preclude you from pursuing an economics PhD. For example, it’s possible to take some of these classes through a master’s program, or through a pre-doctoral RA job. Some pre-doctoral RA jobs, such as the one here at the New York Fed , may enable you to take classes in preparation for graduate school. If you are concerned about your transcript, reach out to an economist at your university for advice; program standards for coursework and grades vary, and it’s a good idea to get more personalized advice. 

Research Experience   

If you’re interested in becoming an economics researcher and applying to PhD programs, it’s best to get research experience as soon as possible. Working as an RA is a great way to learn how to conduct research and get a better idea of whether it’s the right career path for you. Additionally, it can help you obtain a letter of recommendation for graduate school applications and improve your qualifications.  

All types of academic research can be enriching, but it’s beneficial to gain experience working directly with an economist. To find a position, you can reach out to professors whose work you find interesting or find an RA program at your school. Typical RA tasks may involve data collection and cleaning, as well as running analyses and creating charts to represent results. This is where coding skills become crucial; having taken math, statistics, and econometrics courses will also enable you to take on more responsibilities. 

You may also have the opportunity to conduct your own research, possibly under the supervision of a professor at your university. This research could be self-initiated or part of a course such as a thesis workshop. Self-directed research is a great opportunity to learn about all stages of the research process. It’s also an excellent opportunity to create a writing sample for graduate school applications. Ultimately, though, your motivation for conducting your own research project should be that you want to answer a question.  One thing economists have in common is a love of answering questions using data and theory. 

Research experience is also often obtained after completing an undergraduate or master’s degree. Taking on a full-time RA position before applying to PhD programs is very common and can make you a more competitive applicant. You may either get an RA job working for a professor or participate in a pre-doctoral RA program.  

Research assistant programs are more structured than positions with individual professors or projects, which could be helpful. Universities, parts of the government, think tanks, research organizations, and the Federal Reserve System are all good places to look for research assistant programs. To help you decide which opportunities are most desirable, you may want to ask potential employers : Where do people in this program tend to go afterward? Will I be working directly with an economist? How much of my time will be spent on academic research work? Will I be able to take classes as part of this program? Considering whether an economist will be able to evaluate your performance is an important factor for recommendation letters. The ability to take classes, either through tuition reimbursement or waivers, can also be an important benefit. 

The Research Analyst program here at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one example of these programs and you should check it out here . The Federal Reserve Board of Governors also has a large program, and many other regional Federal Reserve Banks have similar programs. In addition, the PREDOC website and the  NBER post listings of RA opportunities. J-PAL and IPA also tend to recruit RAs for economic development projects. Another source of RA opportunities is the @econ_ra account on X. 

Who Should Get a PhD in Economics?  

A PhD may not be for everyone, but it is for anyone—people of all genders, religions, ethnicities, races, and national origins have PhDs in economics. Many economists majored in economics, but others majored in math, physics, or chemistry. Because economics is such an integral part of policymaking, it is important that economists come from a wide range of backgrounds so policy can be stronger and more effective. The inclusion of differing perspectives helps ensure that the contribution of economists to work in public policy, academia, and beyond effectively serves the broadest range of society. 

• Coursework Appendix

Kasey Chatterji-Len is a research analyst in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Research and Statistics Group.

Anna Kovner  is the director of Financial Stability Policy Research in the Bank’s Research and Statistics Group.

How to cite this post: Kasey Chatterji-Len and Anna Kovner, “Thinking of Pursuing a PhD in Economics? Info on Graduate School and Beyond,” Federal Reserve Bank of New York Liberty Street Economics , May 31, 2024, https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2024/05/thinking-of-pursuing-a-phd-in-economics-info-on-graduate-school-and-beyond/.

You may also be interested in: AEA: Resources for Students

PREDOC: Guidance for Undergraduates

RA Positions-Not at the NBER

Disclaimer The views expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York or the Federal Reserve System. Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the author(s).

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Liberty Street Economics features insight and analysis from New York Fed economists working at the intersection of research and policy. Launched in 2011, the blog takes its name from the Bank’s headquarters at 33 Liberty Street in Manhattan’s Financial District.

The editors are Michael Fleming, Andrew Haughwout, Thomas Klitgaard, and Asani Sarkar, all economists in the Bank’s Research Group.

Liberty Street Economics does not publish new posts during the blackout periods surrounding Federal Open Market Committee meetings.

The views expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the New York Fed or the Federal Reserve System.

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