Workshop – Formulating and clarifying the research topic

Aims
 To generate ideas that will help students chose a suitable research topic
 To identify the attributes of a good research topic
 To turn ideas into a research project with clear research questions and objectives
 To draft a basic research proposal

STEP 1 - Formulating and clarifying a research topic

Attributes of a good research topic

Choosing your own
1.Must meet your departments assessment criteria
2. Capability – you must feel capable of doing it e.g. have the necessary skills, have access to
the necessary data, are your ideas capable of being linked to theory?
3. Financial and time resources are available?
4. Clearly defined research questions and objectives

If given a research idea

Your questions and objectives should relate clearly to the idea
You should have a symmetry of potential outcomes i.e. the results should be of similar value to
what you want to find out.

Distribute a Checklist – Attributes of a good research topic

STEP 2 - Generating and refining research ideas

Can be divided into rational thinking and Creative thinking (Ss could be given a blank box and
have to match the activities to either rational or creative thinking)
Rational thinking Creative thinking
 Examining your own strengths  Keeping a notebook of ideas
 Looking at past project titles  Exploring personal preferences using
 Discussion past projects
 Searching the literature  Relevance trees
 Scanning the media  Brainstorming

Refining ideas
Preliminary study?

STEP 3 - Turning research ideas into research projects

‘Goldilocks test’ (Clough and Nutbrown, 2002)
- Too big – demand significant funding and/or resources
- Too small – insufficient substance
- Too hot – may be too sensitive, could be due to the timing of the research
- Just right – just right for investigation at this time, by this researcher, in this setting

Key - Avoid research questions that will not generate new insights
Useful technique – Start with a general focus research question based on your research idea.
Task 1
Look at the following two examples and then try to write your own general focus question for
the last 2 research ideas.
Research Idea
1. Job recruitment via the internet
2. The use of internet banking
3. Advertising and share prices
General Focus research question
How effective is recruiting for new staff via the
internet in comparison with traditional
methods?
What effect has the growth in internet banking
had upon the uses customers make of branch
facilities?

Writing Research Objectives

 The general focus research question could be used as a base from which you write a set
of research objectives.
 Objectives are generally more acceptable to the research community
 Check with your subject tutor whether questions or objectives are more suitable

Task 2
Look at the following research questions on the left side of the table and try and formulate
objectives from them. The first one is done for you.

Research Question Research Objective

1. Why have organisations introduced To identify organisations’ objectives for team
team briefing? briefing schemes
2. How can the effectiveness of team
briefing schemes be measured?
3. Has team briefing being effective?
4. How can the effectiveness of team
briefing be explained

Should also have Personal objectives(Maylor and Blackmon, 2005). They should be SMART
Specific – What exactly do you hope to achieve from undertaking the research?
Measurable – What measures will you use to determine whether you have achieved your
objectives?
Achievable – Are the targets you have set yourself achievable given all the constraints?
Realistic – Given all the other demands upon your time, will you have time and energy to
complete the research on time.
Timely – Will you have time to accomplish all your objectives in the time frame you have been
given.
The importance of theory in writing research questions (Complete)

STEP 4 – Drafting Your Research Proposal

The purposes of a research proposal
- Organising Ideas
- Convincing your audience (that you have a worthwhile research project and that you
have the work-plan to achieve it)
- Contract with your reader

Content of a research proposal (Complete)

- Title
- Background
- Research Questions and Objectives
- Method
- Timescale
- Resources
- References

Give Ss a sample research proposal

Summary

Possible Tasks
1. Give Ss a Title and get them to draft some objectives
2. Pick an area of finance. Get students to research it and come up with research ideas
3. Give Ss a research idea and get them to formulate research questions
4. Give Ss a checklist (Attributes of a good research topic). Then give them a list of
research topics in their field (found by tutor or ask subject tutors). Ss have to decide if
the research topics are good research topics
5. Give Ss a short research article in relevant subject field with the research questions and
objectives removed. Ss then have to formulate possible research questions and
objectives based on the content of the article.