Selecting research topic. Practical guide. How to formulate your research title properly

1. Dr. Majdi N. Al-Jasim
Consultant Family Medicine
Selecting Research Topics
“Practical Guide”

3. OBJECTIVES
By the end of this lecture, you should be able to:
 Explain the process of choosing a research topic.
 Explain how to formulate research topic title
appropriately.

4. Topic
Identification
Choosing a
Research
Topic
❶
Literature
Review
Background
with all
studies
❷
Data
Analysis and
Interpretation
❹
Report
Writing
Dissertation
and
Manuscript
❺
GENERAL RESEARCH PROCESS
Methodology
Way of
conduction
and data
collection
❸

5. Steps of choosing research topic:
1. Brainstorming
2. Read background information.
3. Specify your topic (not too broad, not too narrow).
4. Formulate your focused research topic title.
RESEARCH TOPIC IDENTIFICATION

6. ❶ Brainstorming to choose the correct topic ideas:
1. Relevant:
Interesting to you and your specialty.
2. Feasible:
All required resources, funds and participants are available
and can be achieved within time-frame.
3. Nobility:
The topic should not be researched too much previously.
4. Ethical:
Do not cause harm to you or participants.
STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING

7. STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING
Scenario #1:
You are curious and obsessed about Martians
and other alien species. So you want to design
an observational study about:
“The Prevalence of Hypertension in Martians”.
What could be good or bad about that!!!

8. STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING
Good News
Relevant: This could be very
interesting. OH YEAH!!
Nobility: You will be the first
to study that.
Ethical: Apparently you will
not find anybody to harm!!
Bad News
Feasibility: This could be
good if it is achievable!!

9. Scenario #2:
You and your colleague decided after having long brainstorming
session to conduct your residency research project about:
“Attitude to Initialize Chemotherapy in Cancer Patients: Cross
Sectional Study”
After sometime, you decided this topic might be not suitable.
What do you think the reason?
STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING

10. Scenario #3:
You and your colleague decided after having long brainstorming
session to conduct your residency research project about:
“The Effect of Clopidogrel Compared to Aspirin in Lowering
Ischemic Heart Disease Events: Randomized Trial”
After sometime, you decided this topic might be not suitable.
What do you think the reason?
STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING

11. STEP 1: BRAINSTORMING

12. ❷ Reading background information:
 Read a general information on the topic.
 Use current articles on the topic and online data-base.
 Ask help from librarian if you face any difficulty.
“This step is important prior to narrowing your topic idea into
focused sub-topic.”
STEP 2: READING

13. Example:
You and your colleague initial idea is to conduct research about
“Obstacles of initiating insulin in DM patients”.
After reading you found the most important aspect for insulin
initiation were:
 Doctor Factors: knowledge about insulin, attitude to start insulin,
and practice of prescribing insulin.
 Patient factors: attitude, mis-believe... etc.
 System factors: availability, long follow up, distance… etc.
STEP 2: READING

14. Obstacles of initiating
insulin in DM patients
System Factors
Patient Factors
Doctor Factors
Knowledge
Attitude
Practice
Availability
Long F/U
Distance
Knowledge
Mis-
believe
Problem Analysis

15. Are you going to study all these aspects?
Well, my research should be feasible, so
doctor factors should be more than
enough!
STEP 2: READING

16. ❸ Focus on and specify your topic (Sub-topic):
1. Area of interest:
Specify some aspect for that topic to be studied.
2. Geographic context:
Specify the region you want to conduct your research in.
3. Time frame:
Specify the time frame for your research.
4. Population group:
Specify certain population criteria.
STEP 3: SPECIFY

17. Example:
Going back to “Obstacles of initiating insulin in DM patients”
topic, you decided to focus on Doctor Factors.
So now, can you be more specific?
Area of interest is:
Geographical place is:
The time for conducting research is:
My target population will be:
STEP 3: SPECIFY

18. Example:
Going back to “Obstacles of initiating insulin in DM patients”
topic, you decided to focus on Doctor Factors.
So now, can you be more specific?
Area of interest is: Knowledge and attitude
Geographical place is: Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
The time for conducting research is: 2018
My target population will be: PHC Physicians
STEP 3: SPECIFY

19. ❹ Formulate the topic title:
Should be in the following frame-work:
STEP 4: FORMULATE THE TOPIC TITLE
WHAT
WHO
WHERE
WHEN
HOW

20. WHAT Things to identify in topic of interest
WHO Population
WHERE Place, Region, Country
WHEN Time-frame
HOW Type of study (design)
STEP 4: FORMULATE THE TOPIC TITLE

21. Example:
Going back to “Obstacles of initiating insulin in DM patients”
topic, you decided to focus on Doctor Factors and for that you
specify the followings:
Area of interest is: Knowledge and attitude
Geographical place is: Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
The time for conducting research is: 2018
My target population will be: PHC Physicians
So now, can you formulate your research topic title?
STEP 4: FORMULATE THE TOPIC TITLE

22. WHAT Knowledge and attitude to initiate insulin
WHO Among physicians
WHERE Who are working in PHC, Alahsa, KSA
WHEN 2018
HOW Cross sectional study
STEP 4: FORMULATE THE TOPIC TITLE

23. Examples #1:
You were assigned to identify risk factors that are associated with
lung cancer among middle age males.
Topic Title: Lung Cancer.
Can you formulate research topic title?
Examples of Topic Title Formulating

24. Examples #1:
Topic Title: Lung Cancer.
Examples of Topic Title Formulating
WHAT Risk factors
WHERE Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
WHO Male, age 45-65 year
WHEN 2018 - 2020
HOW Cohort study
Research Title: Risk Factors of Lung Cancer Among Male Age 45-65 Years Old in Alahsa, Saudi
Arabia; 2018 To 2020: Cohort Study
In research title, you
should CAPITALIZE the first
letter of each word
appropriately
No
ABBREVIATIONS

25. Examples #2:
You were attending ANC in PHC where you found poor awareness
of the importance of folic acid before pregnancy period.
Topic Title: Folic Acid.
Can you formulate research topic title?
Examples of Topic Title Formulating

26. Examples #2:
Topic Title: Folic Acid.
Examples of Topic Title Formulating
WHAT Awareness
WHERE PHC, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
WHO Preconceptional women
WHEN 2018
HOW Cross sectional study
Research Title: Awareness of Folic Acid in Preconceptional Women Visiting Primary Health
Centers in Alahsa, Saudi Arabia; 2018: Cross Sectional Study

27. Examples #3:
You were covering pre-marital clinic in Mubarraz sector where
you noticed a lot of patients came to sign and stamp the pre-
marital screening form without doing any lab investigations.
Topic Title: Importance of pre-marital screening.
Can you formulate research topic title?
Examples of Topic Title Formulating

28. Examples #3:
Topic Title: Importance of pre-marital screening.
Examples of Topic Title Formulating
WHAT Awareness and attitude
WHERE Alahsa, Saudi Arabia
WHO Mubarraz population
WHEN 2018
HOW Cross sectional study
Research Title: Awareness and Attitude of The Importance of Pre-marital Screening Among
Mubarraz Population, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia; 2018: Cross Sectional Study

29. Steps of choosing research topic:
1. Brainstorming:
- Relevant
- Feasible
- Nobility
- Ethical
2. Read background information:
- To Know the aspects of your research to narrow it later on into
focused topic
Summary

30. 3. Specify your topic:
- Area of interest
- Geographic Area
- Time-frame
- Target population
4. Formulate your focused research topic title:
- What
- Who
- Where
- When
- How
Summary
Capitalized first letter in each word
appropriately and no abbreviations