Choice of research topic, how it is done, importance, examples

The choice of research topic It is usually the part that produces the most headaches in students, especially if there is no pre-defined syllabus by the teacher. Knowing how to choose the topic of a thesis, thesis, academic essay, etc., will help the investigative work go smoothly.

There are certain steps, certain requirements that all experts recommend doing when you need to choose a topic for an investigation, and if you follow them in a methodical way, it will be quite easy for you to find a topic that suits your interests..

It is the first thing we must do to start an investigation, whatever it is - social, scientific, historical, etc. - and choosing it will depend almost exclusively on oneself. It is also a very creative part of the whole process..

Examples of research topics are the effects of climate change in Mexico, the history of pandemics in Latin America, symptoms and prevention of COVID-19, species in danger of extinction in a specific country or community, etc..

Article index

• 1 How is the choice of the research topic made??
  • 1.1 Search what interests you
  • 1.2 Narrow the topic
  • 1.3 Brainstorming
  • 1.4 Choose the topic
  • 1.5 Delimits the investigation
• 2 Importance of choosing the research topic
• 3 Examples of research topics
  • 3.1 Scientists
  • 3.2 Technological
  • 3.3 Social and environmental
• 4 Topics of interest
• 5 References

How is the choice of the research topic made??

Search what interests you

Whether it is a final school project, a graduate thesis or postgraduate research, the beginning is always the same: the topic should be of interest to you.

If you are not curious or inclined towards a specific topic, the research will be difficult because you will lose interest quickly and the work will be endless.

Narrow the topic

A research topic cannot be too broad. For example, "Global Pollution" is such a vast topic that there would be no where to start. That is why its scope must be restricted as much as possible, such as "The pollution produced by plastic on the beaches of Tenerife between 2010 and 2020".

The more specific the topic, the more likely you are to do good research.

Brainstorming

It is recommended that you write at least 4 areas that interest you, in order of preference: science, history, sports, art, technology, biology, etc..

Then, once these 4 areas are defined, read news related to these topics, listen to the news, and see if there are current topics that suit your interests. There are many current affairs, such as the coronavirus pandemic, the problems of immigrants, war conflicts, global warming.

The important thing about this is that it catches your attention, that it piques your interest. You can ask your parents, teachers or friends for help to find out what is interesting to them. This for reference only.

When you have the areas that interest you, ask yourself then:

• Do I know anything prior about this? Any ideas on what it can be about?
• Can I elaborate at least three questions on the topic?
• Is it too wide?
• Is it current?
• Can I easily get information on the subject?
• Can I develop the research in a course?
• Do I like the topic, do I feel comfortable?

Take the time to answer these questions, because that way you will be able to choose the topic for your research. In addition, the last question is of vital importance: if there is no interest, no matter how much an academic requirement, you will not get a good investigation.

Choose the topic

If you have already answered the previous questions, you will know what characteristics your theme will present. For example, make sure that it is concrete and that you can find enough bibliography or help to tackle the work.

We insist: the subject must interest you, because otherwise you will not know how to carry out the approach. Curiosity is the main thrust and what will allow you to overcome obstacles.

Define the investigation

Here you would have to contextualize the issue: if it is local, national, global; establish the social, cultural, environmental, technological, scientific impact.

The temporal delimitation is also important, that is, from when to when: it is not enough to say “currently”, but “between 2018 and 2020”, or “the 2020 pandemic”, for example.

Importance of choosing the research topic

Choosing the research topic is the first step. Without the subject there is no investigative work. There are experts who say that when it is well considered, at least a large part of the work is solved, because the same approach guides the investigation.

Any scientific, historical, literary inquiry, etc., starts from a personal motivation, the desire to know is necessary to know the limits of an investigative work. When you delimit the topic, and read and inform yourself about it, you can better adjust the questions that you ask yourself and that will help you to round it up.

The more questions you are able to make yourself the better defined you will have the subject.

Examples of research topics

Scientists

• What does a cough sound like in COVID-19 patients over 65 without pneumonia. Case study at the COVID-19 Mobile Hospital in the city of Guanajuato.
• Influence of physical activity in survivors of COVID-19: 50 patients older than 60 years of the Hospital de Clínicas, in Buenos Aires.
• How to reduce your carbon footprint from home. Notes for a domestic orientation on how to combat global warming.
• How is COVID-19 spread?.
• Vaccines against COVID-19: which ones are being developed and their differences.
• Analysis of the mortality of COVID-19 in three hospitals in Mexico City.
• Influence of car gases in the air: how the atmosphere has been cleaned up after the 2020 pandemic in Barcelona.
• How the increase in sea temperature affects shrimp farming on Margarita Island, in Venezuela.
• Clean energies to generate electricity: advantages and disadvantages of solar, wind or nuclear.
• Discoveries of water on the Moon.
• Missions to Mars in the 21st century.
• SpaceX's plan to travel to Mars.

Technological

• The operation of electric cars.
• Robots and their influence on the Mexican labor market.
• The possible dangers of artificial intelligence.
• Starlink satellites and how your internet service works.

Social and environmental

• Change in human relationships in the face of COVID-19: absence of hugs and kisses, and how lack of contact affects children. Study of two schools in Mexico City.
• Recycling: how to teach children to sort and recycle garbage in three technical schools in Guayaquil.
• How to teach children to be collaborative. Exercises in an indigenous community in southern Mexico.
• The impact of the mask / mask: why not being able to see our faces affects us.
• The theory of broken windows and how garbage affects two rural communities in the state of Oaxaca.
• Comparison between the Black Death of the 14th century and the COVID-19 of the 21st century. Social behaviors and social distancing practices.
• The importance of education to counteract plastic pollution: teaching children to reuse packaging and to opt for other materials.

Themes of interest

Investigation project.

Scientific investigation.

Steps of the scientific method.

Objectives of a company.

Research objective.

Research justification.

Justification of a project.

Types of research.

Investigation report.

Scientific article.

General objective and specific objective.

References

1. Zapata, O. (2005). How to find a topic and build a research topic? Taken from redalyc.org.
2. Leong, F.T., Muccio, D.J. (2006). Finding a Research Topic. Taken from books.google.com.
3. Choose the research topic. Integrated research project (2020). Taken from sites.google.com.
4. The research topic: keys to think about it and define it (2020). Taken from maestriadicom.org.
5. How to choose the research topic? (2020). Taken from Recursos.ucol.mx.