Review all of the classes you’ve taken and the subjects you’ve covered. Think about why you got into your field of study. Consider what you like to read about in your free time, especially things related to your field. This might be books, news articles, or blogs. Think of people in your field who you admire or aspire to be like. Then, ask yourself what you like about them. Consider if you’ll continue your academic studies after graduation, as well as what you’d want to study.
Consider any lingering questions you had working on past projects as a starting point for your new thesis. It’s best to stick to your recent work because it will better reflect your current knowledge and abilities. You can use the same topic you used in your prior work, or you can use your old work to point you in the direction of a new topic.
For example, let’s say you’re studying politics. You might read about current presidential candidates and reflect on how their platforms have diverted from the historical platforms for their political party. If you’re writing a literature thesis, look at the novels that are being nominated for this year’s literary awards and consider their genre, theme, or style. For a thesis on psychology, you might look for news about PTSD research or read articles about pop psychology that people are sharing on social media. For an aeronautical engineering thesis, you could read up on what SpaceX is currently working on, or look into NASA’s most recent experiments. Check prominent research journals in the field you’re interested in to see what current academic conversations look like. Make a list of keywords that show up during your searches so you can look up published theses using sites like ProQuest. That way, you know what topics have already been covered.
You don’t need a topic that’s completely absent from research, as this would be difficult to examine. One way to find a unique angle is to combine 2 topics together. Alternatively, you can build on someone else’s work. For example, let’s say you’re studying clinical psychology and want to write about PTSD. You might find that not much research has been done into how people with PTSD cope with workplace conflicts. Similarly, let’s say you’re studying politics and want to look at how political party platforms evolve. You might find that there’s a gap in research when it comes to evaluating how voters react to platform changes.
For instance, you might say, “I’m hoping to be a research professor one day, and I want to focus on modern poetry. Which of these thesis topics do you think would make me most attractive to doctoral programs?”
Focus on questions that can be researched and don’t have a simple answer. For instance, a question like, “How can we motivate people without offering them extrinsic rewards?” can be researched and doesn’t have a simple answer. Conversely, the question, “When did free verse poems start to become mainstream?” is easy to answer with a simple Internet search.
You don’t need to plan out your whole life. However, it’s good to have an idea about where you’re going. Think about the type of work you want to do, the job title you want to attain, or the types of organizations you want to work with. For instance, if you want to be a university professor, you might choose a topic that you plan to continue researching through your doctorate and career as a professor. As another example, let’s say you want to be a project manager for an engineering firm. You might choose a topic that encompasses both your knowledge of engineering and your interest in motivating other engineers to produce their best work.
Undergraduate theses may be more broad, while master’s or Ph. D. theses should be more specific. Choose the best topics that came to you while you were brainstorming. You might enjoy doing this activity with a classmate who’s also working on their thesis. You can bounce ideas off of each other. For example, you might write down things like “evolution of political party platforms,” “effect of civil war on cultural norms,” “themes of literature immediately before and after a social crisis,” “effects of robotics on the workforce,” “mission to Mars,” or “building intrinsic worker motivation. "
For instance, you might love William Shakespeare, but finding a new area of research about his work could prove difficult. Similarly, if you’re studying psychology, you’ll likely want to avoid writing about older ideas that aren’t widely supported anymore, like dream analysis.
Say something like, “Hi, Dr. Gomez. I know you’re really knowledgeable about morality politics. I’m planning to write my thesis about a topic related to morality politics, so I hoped you might be my thesis supervisor. ”
For example, you might say, “I’d like to write my thesis about modern American haiku structure, autobiographical expression in contemporary 21st-century poetry, or poetry in the Internet age. " Your thesis supervisor will likely want you to choose a topic that they know well and are interested in themselves.
This will help you figure out what types of questions to ask about your topic. If you can, highlight or mark important passages and summarize sections of text in the margins of the work. Talk to your librarian. They can help you find materials that might be of interest to you, and they can pull books or journals related to your topic.
How did 20th-century warfare alter literary themes? How have expanding cultural norms impacted the criteria for literary awards? What social changes have impacted diplomatic exchanges among world leaders? How does detaching morality from public policy affect the efficacy of legislation? How does culture adapt in the aftermath of a civil war? How can robotics enhance early childhood education? What are the best ways to motivate employees to work harder? What treatment protocols can enhance recovery in PTSD patients?
Think about the process you’d need to use to research the topic, such as a digital search, social experiments, or lab testing. Then, decide if you’d be able to complete these tasks with the time and resources you have. List the research materials you have available to you, such as computer databases, library materials, or a laboratory. Consider your thesis supervisor’s area of expertise. Think about the courses you’ve taken and the skills you’ve developed.
Listen to your thesis supervisor’s advice. They’ve likely been doing this for a long time, and they know what it’s like to be in your shoes.
