Formulating and clarifying the research topic

1. Formulating and clarifying the research topic

2. How to find a question • ...how the process of generating research topic which is • waterproof • intriguing • exiting • manageable • feasible ...should go? • ...what are the parameters of a good question? • ...why was Einstein brilliant? • ... process with occasional dead ends, time consuming and stressful  Have fun!

3. Attributes of a good research topic • practical considerations - requirements of your uni • your capability – have/develop the skills and competencies to manage the research • excitement - your genuine interest • resources – money, equipment, expert knowledge, time • accessibility of data – especially when sensitive topics • linkage to the theory - previous theories give a context to your topic; avoid you to “discover” well-known things • clarity of research questions and objectives – will there be new insights or not • practical considerations AGAIN - Congruence with your career goals – in the end, you will be, want it or not, kind of an expert in the specific area you studied

4. Generating and refining research ideas • Generating research ideas: range of tips and techniques rationalANDcreative techniques • Using these techniques usually may have two outcomes: one or more possible project idea VERSUS absolute panic

5. Rational techniques • examine your own strengths and interests– look back and look into the future • look at past project titles – let your imagination and attention to guide you; note down • discussion– colleagues; friends; university supervisors, tutors; practitioners; proffesionals • searching the literature– academic and professional journals; review articles

6. Creative techniques • keep a notebook of ideas– short-time memory is a ... (you fill the gap) • explore your personal preferences using past projects – • what appeals me about the project? • what is good about this project? • Why is the project good? Find out aspects in projects you consider as excellent and important to you • relevance trees or mind mapping • Brainstorming – not only for solving, but also for generating problems!

7. Relevance trees or mind mapping – for example...

8. For refining research ideas... • ... conduct a preliminary study– literature, experts, research context (e.g., organisation) • ... topic from your organisation – how to do two things out of one?

9. Turning research ideas into research projects • Good research question: • sufficient to generate a project accepted by your institution • not too difficult – you can’t solve all the problems in the world • not “too big” – demanding significant funding • not “too small” – irrelevant; not enough substance • not “too hot” – sensitive topics – no one wants to talk to you • will generate new insights

10. Phrasing a good research question • General focus research question: I’m interested in sustainable worldview of companies • Following more detailed questions/ research objectives: I want to know, how the environmentally sensitive or green image of a company affects their profit? Going from more general level to the more specific focus

11. ...phrasing a good research question • Implications for future studies in scientific articles and publications – need only to rephrase as a research question 

12. Writing research objectives • General focus research question ->research objectives • ...lead you to greater specifity than research questions; • are more precise; • require more rigorous thinking RQ: “how the environmentally sensitive image affects the profit of a company?” -> RO: “To determine the role that the environmental-friendly image plays in customers’ decisions when choosing between different products/companies” • Research objectives -> - what to you want to know; - specify, where is the end point of your work; - help you to understand that your question is answered

13. The importance of theory in writing research questions and objectives • theory - a formulation regarding the cause and effect relationships between two or more variables, which may or may not been tested • - ...explain and predict • Often, researchers do not ask those questions that allow to meaningfully conclude why the state of affair is as it is – in order to understand the mechanism of change, you have to ask questions about this mechanism of change - most studies stop where the starting point should be • Gathering of facts versus intelligence gathering • Why-questions go beyond description and require analysis

14. If you want to do a research, you need to answer four very simple :P questions: 1. What do I want to find out? 2. Why I want to find it out? (Why is it interesting?) 3. How will I found it out? (Maybe it is already known?) 4. Are the answers to the three previous questions in accord with each other?

15. Homework Generate a research topic that is interesting to you: - phrase your central research question; - phrase your research objective(s). NB – it is also ok if you follow the 4 questions on the previous page! • length: 0,5-1 A4 pages • send it by email at least 2 workdays before our next lecture: arro@tlu.ee