MPPI

TOPIK 2- SELECTING A RESEARCH TOPIC

Siswo Poerwanto, PhD, MSc, MPH, Bsc

Lektor, Prodi Fisioterapi, FIKT, Binawan
What is a Research Topic ?
The main gate of a research, a focus to guide the
preparation & planning of a research
Reflect a theory and/or conceptual framework to desain a
study and
Lead a researcher for writing a report and/or an article to
be published.
Represent the core subject matter of a network of
academic community
3 ways to choose a research topic

 Your supervisor or study program can

provide you:
i. General topic areas from which you study
a particular aspect of study program;
ii. A list of possible topics to choose from;
iii. Once selected, obtain the permission to
proceed with writing a research proposal
to be approved.
 Steps to approach your chosen topic

Step 1:
Understand the problem in a community and/or a patient scenario

i. What are the core problems? Gap analysis. State the problem!
ii. What are the research questions to be answered?
iii.Which domain of knowledge does it cover? People/patient?
Intervention needed? Gap of knowledge?
iv.What variables will be considered? Outcome variable?
Independent (determinant, risk factor, causes) variable,
confounding, etc
v. Etc.
How to approach your chosen topic

Step 2:
Review related literature to help you in understanding the
existing evidence related to the problem.

Focus on identifying valid sources (scientific journal literature)

that support (pro) as well as refute (con) the evidence.
Make a decision based on this study:
a. Continue select the selected topic.
b. Discontinue, and select another topic, and ask your
supervisor to guide.
 GENERATING RESEARCH TOPICS
where?, when?, how?
• How. Usually, students ask “How do I choose a
topic?”
• If you lack ideas, or wish to gain focus, PERFORM
some or all of the following ACTIVITIES /
strategies:
 Activities
• Activity 1: Courses/ readings
• Review your course readings, particularly the suggested
readings, for topic ideas.
• In addition, jump ahead to readings that have not been
covered yet.
• Activity 2: Library
• Search the library catalog for a good, recent
introductory books and, if appropriate, more specialized
works related to the discipline/area of your course
 Activities

Activity 3: Browse through some current journals from

various sources

Explore various articles (relevant or not), scan through the

contents quickly.
 You only need ONE ARTICLE to be the spark that begins the
process of wanting to learn more about a topic.
Consult your supervisor about the core journals within your
subject discipline.
 Activities

• Activity 4: Study past essays

• Think about essays you have written for past
classes and other coursework you have taken
or academic lectures and programs you have
attended.
• Thinking back, what most interested you?
• What would you like to know more about?
 Activities

• Activity 5: Online database

• Search online media sources, such as Google
Scholar, Pubmed, Medline, Pedro, etc, to see if
your idea has been covered

• Use this search to refine your idea into something

that you would like to investigate further but in a
more deliberate, scholarly way based on a problem
to research
 Activities

• Activity 6: Surroundings
• More commonly, look around your study
program, department, university or
professional society at large to identify
issues of concern to you.
CONSIDERATION TO SELECT A RESEARCH TOPIC

• Revise again the First Topic (Week 1 : Introduction of

MPPI).
• It was highlighted the criteria of a valid research
 Considerations For Selecting A Research Problem

These are individual assessments a researcher goes

through before finalizing on his topic

Aim: to ensure that your study remains manageable and

keep you motivated throughout the study.
Considerations no 1. Interest

• A research project is usually time consuming, and

involves hard work and possibly multivariate nature of
problems.

• One should select a topic of great interest to

sustain the required motivation.
• Whose interest? It can be government, a community
group, health providers, community & social workers,
patients (not the researcher).
Considerations no 2. Magnitude (Scope)

• It is extremely important to select a topic that you

can manage within the time and resources at
your disposal, especially if you are a student.

• Narrow the topic down to something

manageable, specific and clear (in terms of
subject, time and place)
Considerations no 3. Measurement Of Concepts

Make sure that you are clear about the indicators

and measurement of concepts in your study.
e.g. : How do you measure these words?
“pain”, “efficiency”, “growth”, “malfunction”, efficacy etc
You need to convert the concept into indicators
and/or data and/or variable, and
You need to have and/or create an instrument to
measure those indicators
You need to know how to interpret the values/scores
Considerations no 4. Level Of Expertise

Make sure that you already have adequate

knowledge or skills (expertise/competence) for
the research task you are proposing since you
need to do the work yourself independently
(with tutor guidance).
Considerations n0 5. Relevance / Significance

Ensure that your study

i. adds to the existing body of knowledge,
ii. bridges current gaps in knowledge, and
iii. Has implications in decision making and/or policy
formulation.

This will help you to sustain interest in the study.

Considerations no 6. Availability Of Data

Before finalizing on your topic, make sure

that data are and/or will be available.

Getting information through data

collection for your research is very
critical to any research.
Considerations no 7. Ethical Issues

Ethical issues are research processes and findings that affect

the benefits, duties and rights of research participants,
anticipating possible harms.

The effect the study on the population and how these

ethical problems can be overcome should be
thoroughly examined at the problem formulating stage.

Approval from an ethical committee of the university is a

must.
In depth study
• In the upcoming lecture or topic (Topic 3), a detailed
exposition of Literature Review will be discussed.
• Stay online and wait for an assignment.
 Research background to the study
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Before a problem statement is stated, a brief background is usually given.
Depending on the topic and the writers style, this brief background can take
from five to ten pages.

The background gives the reader

i. The general definition of the topic/problem area (data )
ii. Historical basis for the existence of the problem (evidence)
iii. Efforts made towards addressing similar challenges (past studies)
iv. How the efforts failed to be realized (gap of knowledge)
v. Hence the need for your study (Rationale)
 Problem Statement

Your Research Problem statement is the

foundation and focus of your research report.

It is a clear, stand-alone statement that makes

explicit what it is you are aiming to discover or
establish or research into.  
 Caution

If your Research Problem statement is

i. poorly worded,
ii. unfocused, or
iii. ambiguous,

the rest of your research is likely to go off track very early; you will
do a great deal of unnecessary reading and writing, losing
sight of the big picture (and probably your mind).
Characteristics of a good research problem
statement

A good research problem statement must

UNAMBIGUOUSLY communicate to the reader a
definite problem statement from which a specific
question to be addressed in the study.
A good and feasible research problem statement must
be:

• clear (no ambiguity)

• researchable
• addressing a problem
• igniting a research questions
Writing your Research Problem Statement

The first thing to do is to select your research topic,

which is the issue or subject area that you intend
to conduct your study.

 Research Problem statements are preferred when

they have an outcome-based verb at or near the
beginning.
Some good outcome-based verbs

Identify, define, describe, review, indicate,

formulate, explain, compare, contrast, suggest,
interpret, analyse, assess, design, construct, apply,
demonstrate, illustrate, categorize, deduce, create

(Consult your English Dictionary!)

 Some good outcome-based verbs

• differentiate, derive, evaluate, establish,

conceptualize, suggest, integrate, compile,
develop, consolidate, clarify, appraise, calculate,
recommend.
• (Consult your English Dictionary!)
Forbidden Verbs

Verbs such as
understand,
Know
explore,
investigate,
examine, and
discuss;
are poor verbs as they describe processes, not outcomes.
They can be used as AIMS but not OBJECTIVES.
Answer Questions in a short essay

• State and explain three sources of knowledge

• Discuss four considerations a researcher needs before
choosing a topic
• State and explain four characteristics of a good research topic
• What is a problem statement?
• Give 3 features of a good problem statement