how to search for phd topic

• How to Choose a PhD Research Topic
• Finding a PhD

Introduction

Whilst there are plenty of resources available to help prospective PhD students find doctoral programmes, deciding on a research topic is a process students often find more difficult.

Some advertised PhD programmes have predefined titles, so the exact topic is decided already. Generally, these programmes exist mainly in STEM, though other fields also have them. Funded projects are more likely to have defined titles, and structured aims and objectives.

Self funded projects, and those in fields such as arts and humanities, are less likely to have defined titles. The flexibility of topic selection means more scope exists for applicants to propose research ideas and suit the topic of research to their interests.

A middle ground also exists where Universities advertise funded PhD programmes in subjects without a defined scope, for example: “PhD Studentship in Biomechanics”. The applicant can then liaise with the project supervisor to choose a particular title such as “A study of fatigue and impact resistance of biodegradable knee implants”.

If a predefined programme is not right for you, then you need to propose your own research topic. There are several factors to consider when choosing a good research topic, which will be outlined in this article.

How to Choose a Research Topic

Our first piece of advice is to PhD candidates is to stop thinking about ‘finding’ a research topic, as it is unlikely that you will. Instead, think about developing a research topic (from research and conversations with advisors).

Consider several ideas and critically appraise them:

• You must be able to explain to others why your chosen topic is worth studying.
• You must be genuinely interested in the subject area.
• You must be competent and equipped to answer the research question.
• You must set achievable and measurable aims and objectives.
• You need to be able to achieve your objectives within a given timeframe.
• Your research question must be original and contribute to the field of study.

We have outlined the key considerations you should use when developing possible topics. We explore these below:

Focus on your interests and career aspirations

It is important to choose a topic of research that you are genuinely interested in. The decision you make will shape the rest of your career. Remember, a full-time programme lasts 3-4 years, and there will be unforeseen challenges during this time. If you are not passionate about the study, you will struggle to find motivation during these difficult periods.

You should also look to your academic and professional background. If there are any modules you undertook as part of your Undergraduate/Master degree that you particularly enjoyed or excelled in? These could form part of your PhD research topic. Similarly, if you have professional work experience, this could lead to you asking questions which can only be answered through research.

When deciding on a PhD research topic you should always consider your long-term career aspirations. For example, as a physicist, if you wish to become an astrophysicist, a research project studying black holes would be more relevant to you than a research project studying nuclear fission.

Read dissertations and published journals

Reading dissertations and published journals is a great way to identify potential PhD topics. When reviewing existing research ask yourself:

• What has been done and what do existing results show?
• What did previous projects involve (e.g. lab-work or fieldwork)?
• How often are papers published in the field?
• Are your research ideas original?
• Is there value in your research question?
• Could I expand on or put my own spin on this research?

Reading dissertations will also give you an insight into the practical aspects of doctoral study, such as what methodology the author used, how much data analysis was required and how was information presented.

You can also think of this process as a miniature literature review . You are searching for gaps in knowledge and developing a PhD project to address them. Focus on recent publications (e.g. in the last five years). In particular, the literature review of recent publications will give an excellent summary of the state of existing knowledge, and what research questions remain unanswered.

If you have the opportunity to attend an academic conference, go for it! This is often an excellent way to find out current theories in the industry and the research direction. This knowledge could reveal a possible research idea or topic for further study.

Finding a PhD has never been this easy – search for a PhD by keyword, location or academic area of interest.

Discuss research topic ideas with a PhD supervisor

Discuss your research topic ideas with a supervisor. This could be your current undergraduate/masters supervisor, or potential supervisors of advertised PhD programmes at different institutions. Come to these meetings prepared with initial PhD topic ideas, and your findings from reading published journals. PhD supervisors will be more receptive to your ideas if you can demonstrate you have thought about them and are committed to your research.

You should discuss your research interests, what you have found through reading publications, and what you are proposing to research. Supervisors who have expertise in your chosen field will have insight into the gaps in knowledge that exist, what is being done to address them, and if there is any overlap between your proposed research ideas and ongoing research projects.

Talking to an expert in the field can shape your research topic to something more tangible, which has clear aims and objectives. It can also find potential shortfalls of your PhD ideas.

It is important to remember, however, that although it is good to develop your research topic based on feedback, you should not let the supervisor decide a topic for you. An interesting topic for a supervisor may not be interesting to you, and a supervisor is more likely to advise on a topic title which lends itself to a career in academia.

Another tip is to talk to a PhD student or researcher who is involved in a similar research project. Alternatively, you can usually find a relevant research group within your University to talk to. They can explain in more detail their experiences and suggest what your PhD programme could involve with respect to daily routines and challenges.

Look at advertised PhD Programmes

Use our Search tool , or look on University PhD listing pages to identify advertised PhD programmes for ideas.

• What kind of PhD research topics are available?
• Are these similar to your ideas?
• Are you interested in any of these topics?
• What do these programmes entail?

The popularity of similar PhD programmes to your proposed topic is a good indicator that universities see value in the research area. The final bullet point is perhaps the most valuable takeaway from looking at advertised listings. Review what similar programmes involve, and whether this is something you would like to do. If so, a similar research topic would allow you to do this.

Writing a Research Proposal

As part of the PhD application process , you may be asked to summarise your proposed research topic in a research proposal. This is a document which summarises your intended research and will include the title of your proposed project, an Abstract, Background and Rationale, Research Aims and Objectives, Research Methodology, Timetable, and a Bibliography. If you are required to submit this document then read our guidance on how to write a research proposal for your PhD application.

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PhD Topic Requirements

Most university guidelines highlight a number of elements shared by all strong PhD topics including:

While some of these elements may seem ambiguous at first, they reflect one central idea, namely the need to create an original piece of work expanding our knowledge of a certain major problem that is relevant for many practitioners. Here are some examples of weak and strong PhD topics:

Wrong: Mass shootings in the US: What can be done to improve the situation

Right: Cultural theory of risk and the gun control debate in the US: The implications of Stanford University MSA Data Project.

Wrong: Homelessness problems in developing countries: The role of government regulations.

Right: The influence of subsidised housing availability on social stratification: A comparison of two UK regions.

Finding such topics may be a challenging task, which is why we would suggest looking for several topics rather than a single topic.

Singular vs Plural

Many guidelines on finding your perfect PhD topic imply that you should be looking for ‘a perfect topic’ rather than ‘several high-quality PhD topics’. This misunderstanding may be extremely costly for you, which is why our writing experts usually offer our clients multiple options right away. Here are some practical benefits of this approach:

• The search for several viable PhD topics does not take much more time than finding a single suitable one.
• Your further analysis of the subject area may reveal greater usefulness of some topics due to the identified research gaps.
• The evaluation of respondent availability and accessibility can make some options more effective than other ones.
• Discussions with prospective universities and supervisors may lead to their readiness to only accept certain topics.
• A list of options grants you sufficient flexibility to proceed with your PhD project no matter what.

Putting it simply, multiple topics allow you to be certain that you always have some viable paths to follow even if you encounter some methodological limitations, competition in some targeted areas or unique supervisor preferences. As discussed in one of the following sections, some universities may offer funding for a number of programmes they deem interesting, which may also convince you to prioritise these areas. Try to find 3-5 suitable PhD topics and work on their refinement using the instruments below. This will ensure that even the worst-case scenario will leave you with some backup options rather than the need to restart your search from scratch.

Finding Inspiration

Many students make the mistake of relying on their own inspiration and knowledge when selecting their proposed PhD topic. This approach seems reasonable at first glance but it has had a highly detrimental effect on the quality of many academic projects according to our experience. The main problem here is the fact that your future thesis has to make a substantial contribution to the existing body of knowledge, close some real research gaps, and create practical value for multiple stakeholders. The problem is, you cannot find your unique niche and achieve all of these objectives without extensive prior research. If you are wondering how to come up with a good phd topic, here is a checklist of activities that may help you find an inspiring topic in your area of interest:

We advise our clients to always ‘start with inspiration’ before listening to the input of their academic advisors. The idea is simple:

While you may choose to slightly adjust your focus down the road to make your project more manageable, there is no sense in pursuing a PhD topic that does not raise your interest. Keep in mind that your research should ideally be intertwined with your career aspirations and your professional development, which is why we always advise spending more time on finding the areas that are appealing to you from these standpoints. Many supervisors are also expecting you to come up with interesting ideas on your own rather than relying on them to do all the hard work. Finding several PhD topics that are interesting to you personally may be a good start.

Analysing the Status Quo

As soon as you have compiled the aforementioned list of 5-7 topics in your area of interest, you need to return to the analysis of academic and practitioner literature on the subject. Allocate 1-2 days per each entry and check the following information in these corresponding spheres:

The checklist in this section is focused on the need to identify whether your topic has sufficient academic novelty. If the targeted sphere has already been covered by multiple earlier studies with a similar focus, you may have to remove such entries from your earlier compiled list. Ideally, you should focus on areas that have not been studied in sufficient detail beyond the point of several pioneer publications showing their high potential value.

Risk of Competition

The world of academia exists in a state of continuous motion, which means that hundreds of new studies are published on a daily basis. This introduces a risk of competition where some other researchers select a similar topic and start publishing articles and/or pursuing a PhD programme based on it. Such rival projects reduce your academic novelty and may even force you to change your focus or PhD topic formulation in the middle of your own journey. The checklist items in the previous section should be thoroughly followed to minimise the risk of competition in your selected sphere. You may also utilise the following methods allowing you to further reduce potential threats in this field:

These activities will ensure that your name will emerge after any search related to your topic of interest, which will convince potential competitors to select another research focus.

Research Existing PhD Programmes in Your Field

Many universities advertise PhD programmes with specified research topics. The analysis of such offerings in your field may be a good indicator of potential competition or potential value in this area. This investigation should ideally lead to the following conclusions:

This analysis will also reveal the universities potentially willing to help you pursue your dream topic right away. If they openly declare their interest in this field and the presence of competent supervisors with sufficient knowledge in it, this may put them on your application shortlist.

Appraise the Funding Availability

The previous section has highlighted the problem of finding a suitable university willing to supervise your project. This challenge is frequently associated with the difficulties of finding and securing external funding. Since this aspect is crucial for your successful PhD journey, you may want to check the following aspects prior to selecting one of the possible thesis topics:

Not all PhD projects may be able to secure funding from supervising universities or other traditional sponsors. However, this preliminary search can help you identify whether such options are available to you. According to the experience of our clients, this process does not take much time but provides highly positive results in many situations. If you find a programme that is 80% similar to one of your pre-developed topics, it may be reasonable to accept this compromise and negotiate with your targeted university to make your PhD journey a little easier.

Know the Greats

If you start analysing branding techniques, chances are you will have to refer to David Aaker, Jean-Noel Kapferer, and Philip Kotler in your discussion of the current status quo in your area. The understanding of key theories in your field of study is a prerequisite for formulating a high-quality topic. Here are some ways you can incorporate this knowledge:

While explicitly referring to some theories or models may not be suitable for all PhD topics, this preparation may greatly assist you in refining them and findings the best focus possible. These activities will also be crucial during your first year when you will need to develop the conceptual framework of your study and link it with existing models and theories.

Narrowing Down

An ideal PhD topic should meet two primary criteria. On the one hand, it must be sufficiently narrow and specific to minimise the risks of competition mentioned earlier. On the other hand, it needs to create sufficient value for a wide variety of stakeholders in order to substantiate the need for your PhD project. Here are some ideas that will help you find a better balance between these two polar opposites:

Here are some examples of excessively wide and sufficiently narrow PhD topics:

Wrong: The influence of taxation systems on SME growth rates.

Right: Ability-to-pay and the Laffer curve: The influence of progressive tax practices in the UK on fintech relocation intentions.

Wrong: Problems of single mothers: Practical evidence from the UK.

Right: Tailored support schemes for single mothers of colour: The problems of social workers in West Sussex.

Finally, analyse the existing gaps in the literature related to specific methods. Judging from our experience, many potentially interesting areas have only been studied using qualitative methods such as small-sample interviews due to respondent availability issues. This opens great opportunities for PhD researchers able to access specific population groups and collect larger quantitative and qualitative samples. The suggested strategy may be especially suitable for people with good industry connections or persons residing in such areas as the Middle East that remain out of the reach of many western scholars. Here are some examples of words and phrases making your topic context-specific:

• …on the example of Serbia.
• …influence on small manufacturing SMEs.
• …professional activities of university teachers.
• …in the post-COVID environment of Croatia’s tourism industry.

The Role of Your Supervisor

This aspect has been one of the most controversial ones in modern discussions in PhD thesis writing. On the one hand, your supervisor effectively becomes your ‘family member’ for the following 3-4 years and seeks to ensure the success of your shared endeavours. On the other hand, there exist many ‘toxic’ practitioners in academia who may be willing to ‘bend you to their will’ in many spheres including your style of work and your creative inputs. This may be caused by a number of reasons including:

• Their lack of expertise in your area of choice.
• Their willingness to supervise a topic they are more familiar with.
• Their decision to have input even if your research topic is realistic and researchable.

While this may not be the case in all situations, you may choose to follow the steps below to ensure that your supervisor is really criticising your topic due to its problematic nature rather than their own subjective judgement:

Keep in mind that student-supervisor conflicts are widespread in academia. It may be a challenging experience but the lack of attention to your opinion and an excessively directive style of cooperation may become even more problematic down the road. Hence, the inability to get clear answers related to your topic change or reformulation may be a red flag for some students who want to maintain a certain level of independence in their projects. Keep in mind that your supervisor will effectively become your ‘family member’ for the following 3-4 years in terms of time spent with each other. If you cannot promote your own vision in choosing a suitable PhD topic and feel that their opinion is biased, this may be a good motivation to look for a more suitable person to direct your project.

Choosing the Right Research Method

Your conversations with your supervisors and the conducted analysis of secondary literature on the topic should lead you to the final aspect potentially informing your formulation of a PhD topic. Your research method may be largely dictated by the following aspects you must appraise first:

If you are planning to use such analysis methods as linear regressions or correlations, you may choose to include some of the following words in your PhD topic to make it more focused:

• …the impact of… on…
• …the links between… and…
• …how… influences…
• …the interaction between… and…

These links make your topic more focused. They allow supervisors to immediately understand the methods you are planning to use and appraise the quality and viability of your project.

Article Summary

The analysis of the methods above suggests the following key methods you can use to create a suitable PhD topic:

These instruments can be used in isolation or combined depending on your research focus and area of interest. The main thing to keep in mind is the need to avoid ‘inspiration barriers’ that are usually associated with the lack of background reading or an excessive focus on a single topic. The strategy aiming to arrive at multiple entries is preferable due to the lack of this fixation since you do not need to create one ultimate option. As you work in several areas simultaneously, this expands the number of identified research gaps and the overall number of topics you can discuss with your prospective supervisors. This flexibility allows you to select the best programme possible and obtain a superior knowledge of your targeted area, which facilitates further adjustments and negotiations with your university of choice.

Robert started working as an academic writer while pursuing his PhD in Economics, after earning his Masters and Bachelors degrees in Finance and Economics. He also has experience using analysis software such as Stata.