Research shows some graduate students take over two years to choose their ideas — this does not have to be you.
Don't wait until you are completed with your qualifying or comprehensive exams. Start gather ideas for your dissertation right away during your graduate courses. You will throw your graduate career into gridlock if you delay in selecting your dissertation idea. Without an idea, you can't begin writing or defending the proposal period. And more importantly, you can't begin researching or writing your dissertation without an idea.
Tips to Selecting Dissertation Ideas:
1. Don’t Panic — Keep Things in Perspective
Let’s face it, not too many people will read a dissertation. A dissertation is not the type of document that piques the general public’s interest mainly because of its academic rigor and writing style. The idea is generally of interest only to the student, experts in the field and the student’s advisor and committee members.
2. Be Organized — Maximize Your Research Efforts
In order to maximize your research efforts, you must be organized and efficient in your search efforts. The more organized you are in the beginning, the more time you will have to write your dissertation. Be diligent about keeping track of your files in the early phases of your research to reduce your stress levels later on when your enthusiasm begins to wane. If you have to back track on your research efforts, being organized from the beginning will help make the process less painful.
3. Choose a Subject Area First — Then a Dissertation Idea
The more information you consume in your broad subject area, the more patterns will emerge. In your coursework readings, you may notice repeated results and conclusions by more than one source, or facts that favor one view more than another. Paying attention to these patterns should help you become more conversant with the relevant literature as well as help you to narrow your focus. Narrowing your idea should be done with help from your advisor and committee members.
4. Consider Expanding a Masters Thesis Into a Dissertation
If you’re working towards a PhD and you wrote a dissertation, consider expanding on that idea for your dissertation. You already are familiar with the idea and much of the research is done. This approach can accelerate your progress towards your goal: Completion!
5. Make Sure The Idea Is Interesting
It is very important that both you and your consultant are interested in your dissertation idea. Some consultants are hesitant to suggest ideas because of the implicit responsibilities related with guiding a student through the process from start to finishing point. Your consultant’s interest for your idea will determine his or her willingness to read, support, fund, and provide timely feedback and direction to your work.
