How to Formulate Your Thesis Topic?

One of the most common questions I get from my clients is "How do I formulate my thesis topic?"

Well, in doing so, you'd have to ask yourself some important questions.  First of all, ask yourself, "What interests me in my course of study?" For example, if your course of study is in the Aviation Industry, ask yourself, what interests you in that particular field.

Try to come up with three major topics.  For example, "aviation security", "aviation in my country", "future growth in aviation".

After doing that, go to your Google and type the topic you chose and affix the phrase "journal articles" or "journal studies" or "master's thesis".  For example, you can type in "aviation security master's thesis".

The plan here is for you to know what the latest studies are in that field you want to research on.  What are my other contemporaries currently researching on?  It is possible you can come up with a very long list, it is also possible that you only get two to three prompts, depending on how popular your topic is or how recent it is.  Usually, very recent topics tend to have only a few studies about them, those which are hugely popular, usually have pages of it in the Google search directory.

The key always is to make sure the studies are recent. For example, it is 2020 now, make sure the studies you read are at least from the 2018 to 2019 time frame. Remember, you are trying to come up with a new thesis topic. Anything beyond those may already be archaic, considering how fast information moves nowadays.

Now, browse through the list of topics that came out.

What I usually do is to browse those titles I am particularly interested in and list them down.  Maybe at most three to five. Then, if the journal article is available for reading, I go to the Recommendations section, usually, it is on the last part of the article after the Conclusion.  There, the journal writer mentions what he or she recommends for FUTURE STUDIES on his or her topic. 

I usually take down what they recommend and bookmark that particular study for future references.

If you went through three to five studies, you should get at least 3-5 recommendations for future studies.

Based on that recommendations, try to decide if there is any of them that you are interested in.  Your INTEREST is paramount because the whole researching process will take a year or a year and a half, so if you are not even slightly interested in it, you won't be able to finish the race.  So your interest is paramount, especially if you are curious on what the results would be.

If you are sure that you are interested in it, ask yourself if doing the study is FEASIBLE. First important question is, "Will you be able to finish it in a year or a year and a half?"  You cannot be in graduate school forever, so make sure the study can be done in the time frame for your actual studies. 

Second question, "How much will it cost to do this study?" If it needs a substantial budget, it would be prudent to to a smaller scale version of the study.  The point is, you don't have to break your bank to do a thesis study. 

Third question is "Can I do the actual legwork for this study?"  Some studies require traveling or talking to actual CEOs, so it would be good to ask from the very beginning if these respondents can actually be asked for an interview, or if you can actually go to Brazil to do your actual research, if that is needed in your thesis.  If not, then, again, try a more realistic version so that you won't be stumped at any point of your research.

From those recommendations you have, pick your top three and present it to your supervisor.  It would be wise on your part that the supervisor chooses the topic that you also like.  Otherwise, you would be wasting your time doing something you are not really keen on doing and have to do the process all over again.

Remember, thesis research is not a walk in the park and you cannot just change topics midway.  By then, you will have already lost half a semester.

That is why for me, choosing the right thesis topic for you is the most important step.  The rest is just the fun part!

If you have questions or clarifications regarding my article, feel free to email me at tonyfabe14@gmail.com.

If you need help in coming up with your own thesis topics, PM me thru Whatsapp +639271207166 or Wechat +639150423051 and I can certainly help you thru a modest fee.