Now I would like to take a trip down memory lane to give you a rough idea of how I chose my thesis topic. I attended Aston University in the UK for my Master’s program in Pharmacology (2008 – 2009). The thesis was undoubtedly the main part of my master’s program. My thesis not only earned the most credit points, but it would also influence the direction of my career after graduation. I knew that 3 or 4 months was not a good time to make a great discovery. After all, it was my master’s thesis and not a doctorate. thesis. However, I needed something mentally stimulating. Therefore, I focused more on restoring previous conclusions and assumptions. My main goal was to learn what questions to ask and how to conduct a research study. Second, I wanted to learn more about molecular pharmacology and the trade-offs between neuroscience and cardiovascular medicine. In addition, I also had to focus on learning some useful lab techniques that would be used. Therefore, I was very thoughtful and strategic in choosing my thesis topic. After considering three four options, I decided to do my thesis on the study “The role of RAMP1 in the binding of adrenomedullin to the CGRP receptor.”
Step 6: Determine Relevance
It’s important that your topic interests you, but you also need to make sure it’s academically, socially, or practically relevant to your field.
- Academic relevance means that the research can fill a knowledge gap or contribute to scientific debate in its field.
- Social relevance means that research can advance our understanding of society and foster social change.
- Practical relevance means that the research can be applied to solve real-world problems or to improve real-world processes.
Combine ideas to create a deep concept that addresses an old problem in a new way.
There are few unexplored ideas in any career field, so don’t worry about trying to find a topic that hasn’t been covered before. Instead, brainstorm a long list of ideas based on topics that interest you or would like more information about. You can then play around with combining these ideas to create a unique thesis topic that stands out from other work in your field.
If you can get hold of a theses or two written by other students, take the time to read them with an open mind to the holes in their work. You can do the same with research published in trade journals or industry association journals. Researchers often notice when additional research is needed for topics related to their own work, and you should add these suggestions to your brainstorming list. These ideas may not catch your eye, but they are clues that pave the way to hot topics in your field.
Consider your strengths
Another good consideration when choosing a thesis topic is to consider your strengths. It means considering what you are good at. What are your interests and what particular strengths can you apply to a research project?
These are not his only assets. Your closeness or connection to an interesting person or place can be great strengths. This ancient library could be a gold mine full of frequently used knowledge. What resources are available to you? Look around you and think about all the things in your life that can be used as strengths when writing a thesis. When you consider all of these offers available to you, choosing a theme could be much easier.
6 Steps to Finding and Evaluating High-Quality Dissertation/Thesis Topics
By: Caroline Osella (PhD, BA) and Derek Jansen (MBA) | July 2019