Generating Research Ideas

Generating Research Ideas

The Heart of STEM Research Thinking about how the world functions, and how you might improve it

I caution you to stay away from each extreme: Either students have no idea what they want to study Or, they have a very specific idea what it is that interests them

General tips on how to generate a research topic Choose a topic that is interesting to you. Maybe there is a topic that you always wanted to know more about. Search for ideas on the internet. Look not only for research projects that have already been conducted, but also for general information about the entity you might study. Reflect on a topic you heard about on television that piqued your interest.

Generating a research topic (cont) Think about issues your family deals with. Maybe there are personal reasons why you might be interested in a specific topic. Flip through a science or math book, magazines such as Science News, or encyclopedia for inspiration. Think about lab skills that you have already learned. How might you use those skills in a research study?

Once you have a general topic Start asking yourself questions. Let your natural curiosity lead you to possible ideas to study. However, stay away from “why” questions. They tend to be too broad and worded in such a way that they are not hard to resolve. Instead, ask questions that begin with How, What, When, Who, or Which.

Focusing Preliminary Research Topics Once you have a preliminary research topic, you will need to focus it, using a new group of questions. Finding answers to each of these questions will help you get closer to what it is you will eventually study. Does this sound familiar? We are returning to QFT!