A Handy Guide to Choose the Best Dissertation Topic

1. A Handy Guide to Choose the Best Dissertation Topic Topic of choice Dissertation proposals should be penned in detail to give a clear idea of the questions being asked and their significance, the relevant historiography, the conceptu- al framework, the sources as known, and your research strategy. But before we come to the proposal stage here are some tips to select a good Ph.D. dissertation topic. Some PHD students are fortunate and they have a nag- ging question to which they should know the solution. A question accessible to the tools of the subject, the sources required, the student already has the skills Topic of interest The key factor in choosing a Ph.D. thesis topic is that it should interest you; it is also vital that it suits your needed to effectively research it, the question is one that quickly reminds others as important, and it’s a project a faculty member in the student’s department is well- equipped to advise. This ideal conjunction is rare. More often humanities graduate students find themselves, as they approach the end of course work, or complete their preliminary exams, intrigued by many questions, and by many historical methodologies. They may have a topic but no sources, or a fascinating archive, but no question, or both a problematic and documentation one that lacks skill. Many students are distracted by nervousness, convinced that if only they can identi- fy the next “important” topic, their future will be safe. An “apt” topic will give research and write-up support funds (grants), fellowships for post-doctoral, and lead to a professional employment. intellectual capa- bilities and your student life situa- tions. Ideally, you will be working on your topic for a long duration – from its start as a proposal to end as a book. In a worst-case scenario, the choice of a topic becomes an obstacle to your finishing your degree or publishing it. The obvious task of select- ing a PHD topic is not always that all apparent.

2. Historical questions projects that take a lot of you time in the public librar- ies reviewing printer material. There are restrictions, limitations, or gaps that can be effectively resolved, but some should be accepted and a topic selected that ac- commodates them. The first step is to think very openly about the historical questions that engage you. An effective strategy here is simply to make a list of the books you have read that when you thought, “I wish I had known that” Or, if there was a material or a course that made you choose graduate work in management, review it or go back over your notes. Then ponder on what it is, exactly, that you Brainstorming After you have made your initial lists – of the books you would have liked to have written at this point, in ad- found so convincing. Was it the questions asked? The rhetorical style? The evidence used? This thought pro- cess should filter the field of probable sub-disciplines. dition to brainstorming with colleagues and teachers, you should turn your attention seriously to the existing history and source possibilities. You must review what others wrote on, or related to, this topic? If it’s a topic in which no one seems to have written for a long time, why is the reason? If there is a big amount of work that has been developed in the last five years, is there really space for you? What kinds of references might there be? Historical research The next phase is to assess the type of historical research for which you have the required know-how. There are projects that take a lot of you time in the public libraries reviewing printer material. There are

3. best possible support to you. Your committee can only be useful if it really understands the project; and finally, c) Provide content to showcase other scholars over the next couple of years, that will give them a clear direc- tion of your work. Dissertation proposal The proposal has three purposes and comprises a) To give you with a compass of your project for the next couple of years. It is very easy, even required, to lose the big plan as you work your way through the sources. It is critical, therefore, to have a clear view/statement of the larger goals – the main idea, the key questions, and the fields of study. Needless to say, this view changes over time as you work on your MBA thesis; b) To communi- cate to your instruction board members to provide the Dissertations are academic qualifications. Much more significantly, however, researching and writ- ing a dissertation is a great adventure. The best Ph.D dissertation topics are the ones their authors were motivated to write. UK INDIA The Portergate Ecclesall Road Sheffield, S11 8NX UK Number +44-1143520021 No: 10, Kutty Street, Nungambakkam, Chennai – 600034 Phone Number IND: +91-8754446690 www.tutorsindia.com