Last Update: 04.30.03     

Pick a Topic - When considering a topic, test it with the following questions.

1. Do I really have an interest in the topic?

This is the most fundamental question. If you are going to devote several years of your life to "The Role of Inductive Thinking in Kindergarten Dropouts," you had best have an ardent interest in inductive thinking and in kindergarten dropouts. Graduate students’ interests can shift quickly. Your ability to sustain your interest is the single most important factor in determining whether or not you finish.

2. How long will it take me to finish?

Estimate the absolute maximum amount of time you can stand to remain a student. Then figure as precisely as possible how much time it will take you to complete the proposed project if everything goes to plan. Triple it.

3. Is this topic being forced on me?

Sometimes, professors love to have their students research topics that may be of no interest to them. Look deep into your professor’s soul. Think carefully; if you are being manipulated and do not really have an interest, slide out.

4. Is it possible to conduct this study?

Every field has fascinating questions that have never been answered because they are impossible to answer with the available methods and technology. Think about why other researchers have not attempted your topic. If it falls into the mission impossilbe category, see if there is a simpler, related problem or piece of the question you can answer without biting off the whole thing.

5. Do I have the resources to conduct the research?

Do not underestimate the expense of conducting research both in time and money. Not to mention hassle. Students are always unpleasantly surprised at just what it costs to have their dissertations typed, copied, and bound. Not to mention duplicating countless drafts, photocopying articles, postage, etc. Do a budget.

6. Do I have the necessary background and expertise to handle my topic?

If your question is such that it will require hierarchical linear modeling and you have a tenuous hold on the eternal mysteries of the t-test, it is time for self-reflection.

7. Is my topic timely, and is it likely to remain so (at least in the near future)?

By the time you complete your course work and pass your orals, you may find that your topic has lost its luster.

8. Can I get the faculty support I need?

No one completes a dissertation without substantial support from the faculty. If a faculty member does not have an active interest and expertise in your specialty, you may be in trouble. Besides not being able to help, professors’ lack of knowledge about your project may cause them to demand the impossible or insist on things that are detrimental to the study. If your advisor isn’t interested in your topic or simply doesn’t have the time for you, look around for someone who is and does.

9. Does my topic have career potential?

The career potential of a topic is hard to predict. Academia is fickle. Topics to avoid are such things as rehashing your advisor’s dissertation or picking up topics that have recently gone out of vogue. Ask yourself if valuable articles can be drawn from your dissertation. Remember: when you interview for a position, you will need to make a presentation, and it is likely that this presentation will deal with your dissertation.

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