One of the biggest challenges when getting started on your dissertation can be choosing a suitable topic. If you're lucky, you may have a clear idea of what you wish to write about. But often, it's a lot more complicated than that and your search may seem daunting and overwhelming.
This brief guide will help you find a suitable topic for your dissertation.
Think carefully about your own interests
- What topics during your studies have you found most interesting?
- Is there a particular area that is linked directly to your future career aspirations?
- Is there a topic you find straightforward and feel confident about?
- Is there an area you wish to explore in more depth?
Talk to your classmates
- Find out what topics they're investigating and considering. Does this spark your interest?
- Discuss your ideas and choices with them, and find out what they think. Have they encountered any problems?
Their questions and feedback may help you decide if your choice is any good, or help you sharpen your focus.
Check out past dissertations in the library (available online)
Look at titles of research papers in your subject and read the abstracts of those you find most interesting. This may inspire some ideas for where you could take your research.
Look for controversies and/or topics that you've been sceptical about
Is there something in your course that has sparked debate and argument? It's often the case that controversial issues generate significant amounts of research, and so such topics are ripe for investigation with plenty of supporting evidence.
Create a shortlist and generate some provisional research questions
These questions can range from simple definition and explanations to more complex critical and evaluative types. Do some initial digging and you may find that one or two of these questions become the actual research questions(s) you use for your dissertation.
For more guidance on research questions, read this related blog post.
Choose a topic with sufficient, relevant and up-to-date resources
It's vital that you're able to fully support your research with evidence - academic papers, data and stats, studies, theories, arguments, positions, and experimental development. If you find it difficult to locate related and relevant sources, then you may be heading down a dead end and you should consider another topic.
Related blog posts
We have a number of blog posts about writing your dissertation. Make sure you check these out so that you're ready to get started:
- Making the most of expert and peer support
- Making an action plan
- Working with your supervisor
- Literature reviews
- Research (developing your research question, creating your working title and developing your research proposal)
- Structuring your dissertation (including contents, sections, and designing an effective structure)
- Writing an abstract - a six point checklist
Further support
If you'd like some further support on writing your dissertation, we offer 1:1 tutorials both online and in-person. Tutorials are available throughout the summer, and slots become available 14 days in advance. You can see what's available, and book a tutorial, in MySkills.
Respond
