Are you struggling to get all the material sorted for your dissertation topic and are unable to? Now you might be wondering where you went wrong. The main problem in these cases is that you have a broad topic covering various research areas. That is why you are unable to get your research sorted. Narrowing down a dissertation topic is required when writing a thesis statement. Your research topic must not be too broad, as you will face many difficulties researching focused material. To narrow down your topic, you need to consider multiple factors. Researching a broad topic is a challenging task. Do not worry; this article will get you out of this predicament.
This article provides tips and tricks to smooth your dissertation research process. Read on to find out more about getting a good thesis statement and quickly completing your research by narrowing it down.
Pitfalls Of Having A Broad Research Topic:
There are many pitfalls of having a broad research topic:
- The research you need to conduct is very vast and time-consuming
- Sometimes the research material is very general, and you cannot find the right framework to analyse the main research problem.
- Difficult to select the resources that need to be added to the research and which ones should be excluded
- Difficult to select the right methodology to analyse the research material based on relevant parameters
Steps to Create a Focused Dissertation Topic:
Let’s consider other tips and tricks to narrow your broad dissertation topic and start writing a dissertation paper.
Brainstorming:
Brainstorming is the process of generating amazing ideas and unique concepts to help narrow your topic. It would be best if you plan your tasks to have enough time to research while brainstorming ideas before you begin working on a dissertation. It will help you collect all the relevant information that will be useful in shaping your topic aspects and concepts.
Read Relevant Material:
Here’s what you could do after brainstorming over your topic. Read materials that are relevant to your work. Make friends with colleagues and tutors who have worked in your area of interest. Read books on the area of interest to see the strengths, research gaps and conclusions. Then read books that discuss similar themes and problems.
Determine your topic niche by doing a lot of research on it. It is probably the best thing to narrow down your topic. It comes first because you can not gather useful information when your topic is too broad. See what aspects of your topic you will need to cover. Consider the main aim of your research topic and how it is beneficial.
Consider What Your Dissertation Topic main Questions are:
If you think about the questions you are interested in researching, you will be able to narrow your topic very easily. Consider deeply what questions you will try to answer in your research. For this purpose, you can conduct surveys and interviews to get an idea about your target audience. It is also important when narrowing down your dissertation topic.
Although, asking the right question will provide the right answers. To narrow your topic to a specific area, you just need to ask the right questions.
Look at Journal Articles:
Reading journal articles published before will help you narrow down your dissertation topic. Journal articles imitate the future research being conducted in the field and the gaps in the current research area; this will help you finalise the main area you want to focus on in your research.
Analyse All Perspectives of Your Topic:
You can narrow down your topic to consider it from a wide perspective. It is a way to find answers to your dissertation’s main purpose in which you want to conduct your research. Seeing the bigger picture of things allows you to see your dissertation topic from a wider perspective and helps you find the main area you want to research. Don’t underestimate this; it is very helpful, especially in understanding why a certain issue could be interesting. Suppose your topic is “plastic waste and its role in climate change”. This topic s main aspect is very broad. But you can make it more focused by narrowing it to:” The main reason for plastic waste in Asian countries and their role in climate change.”
Organise Your Ideas:
Organise different ideas related to your topic by breaking them down and categorising them. It will help you create a problem or thesis statement and give you a better perspective on the topic that interests you the most.
Theme:
When you focus on a theme which is best for your dissertation, it will provide you with the opportunity to narrow down your research process.
Get Help From Supervisor:
You can get your instructor’s help in narrowing your dissertation topic, what you need to write about, and what type of literature or theories you can use in your arguments. Supervisors are experienced professionals with experience in guiding students in the right direction. So take help from them and discuss the areas of research you are interested in, and tell them how you are struggling to get the topic more focused. They can guide you in writing a more focused research question.
Conclusion:
Remember, the most important step is to focus on the main area of your interest according to your subject so that it will be easy for you to narrow down your topic and make your research easy. Also, if you truly are wholeheartedly interested in your topic, it will be very easy to conduct research and make a valuable impact. Your research will be more focused, your arguments will be stronger and clearer, and your conclusion will be convincing. You will have to gather relevant data to narrow your dissertation topic according to your research project. You can follow the above guide to help you make your research topic more focused and narrow. Best of Luck!
