Choosing a

Research Topic
Arnon Rungsawang
[email protected]

Massive Information & Knowledge Engineering

COmputer and Network SYstem Laboratory
Department of Computer Engineering
Faculty of Engineering
Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand.
 George Springer, chairman of the aeronautics and astronautics department
at Stanford University.

 It is really important to do the right

research as well as to do the research
right. You need to do ‘wow’ research,
research that is compelling, not just
interesting.
 Identifying the right research area, and the right research topic.
 The right topic will be interesting to you, complex, and compelling.
 The research you do as a graduate student will set the stage for your
research as a postdoc and as a professor.
 Choosing the right topic as a graduate student will help you insure that your
research will be viable in the future.

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 Cliff Davidson and Susan Ambrose of Carnegie Mellon University.

 The most successful research topics are

narrowly focused and carefully defined,
but are important part of broad-ranging,
complex problem.

 Finding the ideal research problem does not mean simply selecting a topic from
possibilities presented by your adviser or having such a topic assigned to you,
attractive as this may first appear.
 You must go through the process of discovering and then developing a topic with
all the initial anxiety and uncertainty such a choice entails. This is how you
develop your capacity for independent thought.

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 A number of factors to consider when selecting a research area.

 Some of them have to do with your

particular interests, capabilities, and
motivations.
 Other centers on area that will be of
greatest interest to both the
academic and private sectors.

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 Robert Smith, “Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences”
11 points to consider in finding and developing a research topic.

1. Can it be enthusiastically pursued?

2. Can interest be sustained by it?
3. Is the problem solvable?
4. Is it worth doing?
5. Will it lead to other research problems?
6. Is it manageable in size?
7. What is the potential for making an original
contribution to the literature in the field?

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 Robert Smith, “Graduate Research: A Guide for Students in the Sciences”
11 points to consider in finding and developing a research topic. (continued)

8. If the problem is solved, will the results be

reviewed well by scholars in your field?
9. Are you, or will you become, competent to
solve it?
10. By solving it, will you have demonstrated
independent skills in your discipline?
11. Will the necessary research prepare you in
an area of demand or promise for the
future?

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail)

 Clearly, it is important to pick the problem you are

enthusiastic about (1), and one that will interest you over
the long haul (2).
 Much research is just that, re-search. At times it will be
mundane, and it will surely be frustrating.
 Experiments won’t go right; equipment will fail; data from
other sources won’t arrive on time (or at all); researchers
who pledged their assistance won’t come through as
expected, while others will do work that competes with
your research.
 During these times you’ll need courage and fortitude.

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 Picking a problem that you can solve in a reasonable

period of time (3), that will lead to further research (5),
and that is manageable in size (6) is a particular challenge
for most graduate students.
 Doctoral students tent to take on more than is necessary
to achieve what ought to be their goal: completing a
dissertation or obtaining another publication or two.
 That’s why it is essential to have the right supervisor, as
it’s his job to help you determine how to make your
dissertation original and publishable, yet also manageable.

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 Whether or not a problem is worth solving (4), will make

an original contribution to the literature in your field (7),
and if solved, will have results that will garner the
attention of scholars in your discipline (8), is at the heart
of what is meant by choosing compelling topics leading to
a meaningful “stream of ideas”.

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 One way to tell if a subject is compelling is to note how

many people attend seminars or symposia on different
research topics.
 In some cases, attendance may be up for big-name
speakers, but often it is because the work presented is of
broad interest. These seminars can give you clues to
possible research directions and topics.
 Of course, going into an area where there are too many
other researchers has its drawbacks, but beware of going
to the opposite extreme. You don't want to be the only
researcher in an area that has little chance of drawing
interest or support.

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 Your capacity to tackle the problem (9) will depend

somewhat on your innate abilities.
 However, to solve the problem you'll also need to develop
basic knowledge and technical understanding, computer
skills, and experimental expertise.
 To acquire such skills you'll need direct access or Web
access to courses and seminars, library materials,
independent-study opportunities, and most importantly,
other students, postdocs, faculty members, and even
industrial scientists and engineers.

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 To develop independent skills in your discipline (10),

start by defining and developing a problem that is
sufficiently robust.
 You'll then need to acquire a fundamental understanding
of certain phenomena or behaviors and experimental
techniques in order to solve the problem.
 It is important that your focus be on problems and not
on techniques or specialized tools. The latter come and
go and as a researcher you want to be able to shift your
approaches as needed to solve the more fundamental
problems. (Peter Feibelman, “A Ph.D. is Not Enough”)

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 11 points to consider in finding and developing
a research topic. (in detail) (continued)

 Choosing a research area that will be in future demand

(11) can be tricky.
 Some fields, such as semiconductor physics and fiber
optics, may have been compelling for some time, but are
now approaching maturity and shifting focus and are likely
to be less promising in the future.
 Other areas, such as telecommunications and
biotechnology, are quite popular. However, their very
popularity may have over-saturated the fields.
 In such cases, large numbers of investigators often
compete for limited financial and experimental resources.

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 Questions and Answer
[email protected]

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