How can you assess the research scope of potential dissertation topics?

When selecting a dissertation topic, ensure its relevance to your field by aligning it with current trends and debates. Choose a topic that interests you and fills a gap in the existing literature. Confirm that it offers new contributions to your discipline. A pertinent topic enhances the significance and impact of your research. Use academic databases such as Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, and your institution's library resources. Make sure to read only abstract to understand the summary of research topic ,otherwise it will be a lengthy process for any young researcher.

Your topic should also connect to your chair’s research program so that their efforts to support your work should also help them advance their work. Also, if you are on assistantship and funded on a specific project, your dissertation will likely need to connect to that project.

Here are three tips to help you select a pertinent and engaging topic in political science dissertation or thesis: 1. Align with Your Interests Choose a topic that genuinely interests you and aligns with your strengths and previous coursework. 2. Focus on Current Issues Select a topic that addresses contemporary political debates and issues. Explore topics like the impact of social media on politics. 3. Ensure Feasibility Make sure your topic is manageable in scope and research feasibility. A focused study, such as electoral reforms in a specific country, is often more practical than a broad comparative analysis.

Time can be a major constraint for many students. Be sure to be realistic on what you can accomplish in the time available. Also consider if you have access to the equipment and instrumentation needed.

Creating a clear research question which defines the population of interest, the central topics or constructs involved, and the outcomes you are seeking to address, can be a helpful first step for gauging feasibility. A second step is identifying data sources - do they exist, or would you need to collect or create them? Are they already compiled or would you need to spend substantial time compiling them and/or cleaning a dataset (for example, electronic medical records and other administrative records may require substantial cleaning)? If you needed to collect or create them, would you need to apply for additional funding to do so, and would timelines for grants and ethical review align with what is expected for a timely graduation?

Also consider the theoretical framework you will use. Is it appropriate for your research questions. You may also consider conducting a scoping review as a part of your dissertation that can be published as a stand-alone article. This will ensure that others can have easy access to the results of your diligent work in summarizing the literature.

Be sure you either have the appropriate quantitative and/or qualitative data analysis expertise. If not, be sure you have access to experts to consult.

Be sure to consider your sampling approach and response rates (if applicable). Sometimes the data you actually collected is less representative than your original plans. Be true to what your data will actually allow you to conclude.

In public health, finding the right data to answer your question can be tricky. Quantitative data collection is rarely done by one person -- it is often a team effort, especially if you are hoping for a representative sample or a sample large enough to allow for more complex models. For quantitative research, a dissertation tends to be more feasible if the student can add questions into a larger study, or can run a secondary analysis on existing datasets (whether public, owned by PIs they work with directly, or owned by PIs who are willing to give permission for use).