CONCEPTUALIZING A

TOPIC AND WRITING

THE TITLE
The Learning outcomes: After the discussion on
Conceptualizing a Topic and Writing the Title, you are
expected to:
1. Identify problem situations in the school, in the
workplace or in the community where topics of
research may be based;
2. Write three to five topics for research and end with the
“best” single topic after a conference with the advisor;
3. Write title based on the chosen topic according to
accepted standards.
Conceptualizing a Topic
The number one problem of a research student is
a problem. Many times you would hear them say,
“I don’t have a problem yet.” most oftentimes, this
is because they would be confronted with
whether they should choose a topic of their
interest and expertise as a beginning researcher or
meet the expectation of the advisor.
Research professors usually
start by requiring you to write
three topics of your choice.
Some students resent this,
until they realize that there is a
wisdom to this practice. There
us actually no such thing as a
single best idea. It is easier to
jot down three ideas or even
five, instead of selecting one
single topic.
Where are we going to source all these three to five topics? It
was mentioned in the previous chapter that ours is an imperfect
world, that there is so much to be improved. Therefore, we can
get sources of all these topics from where we are.
If you are a student, you would hear classmates complain about
teacher’s teaching strategies, and how they deal with their
students, complaints about their failing grades, their love life,
their limited allowances, school facilities and equipment, their
families, social networking practices, computer gaming, social
issues, unemployed graduates, graduates not finding the right
job, bullying, career opportunities, classmates getting sick,
medical plans, waste management and many more.
For sure, if given the opportunity, you would help
them in any way you can to ease them out of
these problems. You can already start by doing a
research on any of these experienced problems,
the recommendations you offer at the end of the
research may eventually effect solutions which
can be more helpful than we ever imagined.
These are already your sources of topic or topics
for research.
If you are a graduate school student and are
working, you might have encountered problems
or heard complains in the workplace, co-workers
and superiors, their leadership styles, work
habits, work ethics, relationships, labor issues,
sexual harassment issues, balancing work and
personal life, work productivity, stressors,
salaries, absenteeism, tardiness, future plans,
time management, and many more. These are
sources of topic for research.
You might have already experienced some
intangible benefits that come with your
profession, or some of your former classmates
might be into jobs that are mismatched with
their professions. There are a lot to improved, yet
you are not in the position to do something
directly about the situation. Then you can start by
doing research in any topic related to these
problems and your recommendations might just
be given attention.
You might say, “others are already working on the topic I have
chosen.” Maybe yes, but they might be working on areas on a
different angle. Other researchers may still explore on other
angles of the same topic. For example, someone might be
exploring on work productivity in relation to physical well-being
while you might want to look into work productivity as a result of
personal relationship at work and salaries and benefits. Another
could be working on work productivity as a result of personal
and family values. No duplication happened and therefore there
has been no waste of time, efforts and resources. Duplication
only happens when a research is conducted with the same topic,
with the same variables, at the same locale and with the same
subject or respondents.
If you are an undergraduate student and your institution allows
group output, the three of you might want to put you your
resources together to work on the same topic incorporating all the
areas of concern. Thus, you come up with a more comprehensive
approach to the topic and the problem that comes with it.
One final reminder before you finally start doing your research.
Your topic must be within your interest, within your ability to
manage it, and within the availability of your resources.
Once you have finally decided on your topic, it will be of great
help if you start reading related literature for you to have a more
comprehensive understanding of the topic and some related
variables, basis for you to either refine or refocus before you
finalize it.
Writing the Title
Once you have decided on the topic and after
approval from you professor/advisor, the next step
is for you to write your title. You can start with the
simplest and the most conventional way of writing
the title, just add the subjects or respondents, the
locale of the study and the period when the data
will be gathered. And, you already have a complete
title. Here is an example:
Topic: Bullying Practices
Adding Respondents: Bullying Practices Among High School Students
Adding the Locale: Bullying Practices Among High School Students of
Holy Cross College
Adding the Period: Bullying Practices Among High School Students of
Holy Cross College Data Gathering: for the School Year 2019-2020

With the locale of the study and the period of data gathering, you
already have a complete title. Without these two however, the title
would suffice, as the locale and the period of data gathering would be
presented later in other sections especially in the general statement of
the problem and in the scope and delimitations of the study.
You can make your title more attractive by turning into
a phrase that already expresses a problem requiring
and explanation with a hint on what would be done
with the results of the study, without following the
conventional topic-respondents-locale-time-formula.
Just make sure that your life is broad enough to cover
the major problem of the study.
Examples
Topic1: Breastfeeding Practices
Respondents: Working Mothers
Title: Breastfeeding Practices of Working Mothers: Basis for a
Proposed Work-Life Balance Program of the Department of Health

Topic 2: Labor Demand Analysis

Respondents: Selected Companies at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Title: Labor-demand Analysis of Selected Companies at the Subic
Bay Freeport Zone: Basic for Senior High School Career Pathways in
Columban College, Olongapo City (SY, 2013)
Activity
1. Based on the problem situations in your school, workplace or in
the community as mentioned on the lesson, write down three to
five topics that are of interest to you, in order of priority.
2. On second thought, you might also be interested in other topics
as listed or you might have better topic in mind. Jot down another
three.
3. Now, select three in order of priority from No. 1 and No. 2 above.
4. Present your three topic to your advisor/professor. Then write the
final topic after discussing it to him/her.
5. Ask your advisor’s/ professor’s approval.
 Activity
1. Add respondents, locale and time frame to the following
topics to make a complete title, or you may use the other
method of writing the title depending on your purpose:
• Social Networking Practices:__________________________
• Customer Satisfaction_______________________________
• Work Ethics and Work Performance ___________________
• Guidance Program__________________________________
2. Write your own title below and get the approval of your
advisor/professor: