ANSWER

A research topic is a subject or issue that is of interest to a researcher when conducting a

research.

The process of developing a research topic is as follows;

Identifying an issue of concern or interest to the researcher; This is the first and foremost
step to take when developing a research topic. Thus the researcher knowing his area of interest to
conduct a research on, he/she he must identify an issue or problem he is concern with solving.
The issue of concern can be generated by thinking about the issue in the form of observing a
practical issue, examining a theory or finding out how to improve a system, requesting for a
research proposal or reviewing literature to identify gaps. Thus reading recent research theories
and debating on your topic to find a gab in what is currently known about it. As you read and
discus about the topic you look for areas of concern, conflict or controversy with the objective of
finding the gab that the research project can fit into. In terms of a practical problem, the
identification of a problem can be done through reading reports, talking to people who work in a
relevant field and following up on previous researches. Examples of theoretical research issue
can be the effect of a long-term vitamin D deficiency on cardiovascular health are not well
understood. And that of a practical research problem can be voter turnout in regions Z and Y has
been decreasing, in contrast to the rest of the country.

Stating the issue in the form of a single question; After knowing your issue you must now
transform and state the issue in the form of a single question. Thus writhing down a number of
questions, deciding and selecting a single one that adequately and properly addresses the issue of
concern. Thus thinking about the questions that currently exists about your topic or you have.
Think about the five W’s (Who, what, when, where, and why) to help generate new ways to
narrow the question to be more specific. For example, when researching about the local food
culture, you could ask “why people buy local food”? The many questions to choose from can
include; -Do people in all socio-economic strata have access to the local food?
-What are the economic aspects of buying local? And is it cheaper?
-What specific food items do people like buying local and why?

Turning the question into a statement or topic; At this stage the question must be stated as a
statement by identifying and using the key words to from the topic or statement. Thus describing
the research topic in a language that many people outside the specific subject area can
understand, writing clearly, concisely, and concretely as you can and keep it at a summary level
with more details. For instance, in relation to the question “why people buy local food” in the
above point we can turn that question in a topic as “local food culture and society”

Evaluating the topic; At this stage we draw conclusions by examining and assessing our topic
to know if it has the qualities a good research topic must have. A good research topic must be 1)
feasible; Thus it should be something that can be done in terms of the possibility to get the
number of subjects or data required to answer the question within the time limit, how long the
research will take, availability of the literature on the subject, equipment for investigation,
expertise of investigators and financial resources to finance the cost of the research. 2) The
research topic must be interesting to the investigator and the general scientific environment.
3)Familiarity with the up-to-date literature on the research topic and its expectation to contribute
new information. 4) The topic must be ethically acceptable and all issues must be addressed in
the beginning to know if the research should be considered or not. 5) The topic must be relevant
in terms of having the ability to advance scientific knowledge influence management and
policies or guide further research. So when your topic has these qualities you know that you have
adequately develop a topic that a research can be made on.