Steps in Developing Research Topic

Despite the advancement in knowledge and technology, there is still a lot to discover in this world.
There is still an ocean of things that we are yet to explore. It can be a difficult situation that we want to
improve or eliminate, a better understanding of the unfamiliar, information gaps we wish to fill, or
theories that we want to validate. What limits our choice of a topic are our capacity, understanding,
resources, and skill. Most researchers will agree that choosing a good topic is a challenging and tedious
task. Because a research topic serves as the groundwork for any succeeding actions, it must be defined
appropriately at the beginning of the research work. Otherwise, it may result in unanticipated
complexities to the researcher. Developing a research problem can be done in four (4) steps:
1. Choose a broad topic
2. Do a preliminary research
3. Define the problem
4. Refine the question

As a student researcher, let us go through these steps to guide us in choosing a quantitative research
topic related to our chosen field.
1. CHOOSE A BROAD TOPIC. The first step is quite simple. As a Senior High School student, these tips will
surely guide you in selecting a broad topic for quantitative research:
A. Choose an interesting topic.

Research is a very challenging task that demands your time and persistence. Your motivation to find the
answer to the problem should keep you going, thus building momentum along the way. Therefore, your
research topic must be something that you are passionate about. Review your answers in activity 1, and
it might lead you to the right path. After all, nothing is more satisfying than accomplishing something
that matters to you.
B. Select a significant topic.
A topic that is worth researching must be able to answer or solve problems in the community. No one
will take an interest in your topic if it is obsolete and does not address any real problem. To be proactive
and to take part in solving problems with socio-economic relevance gives a sense of accomplishment.
You do not even have to look far, just look at your household, neighborhood, school, group of friends or
local community for a common problem or difficulty. Activity 2 will help you identify some main points
that can serve as a basis for choosing your research study.
C. Choose a topic relevant to your field.
One of the goals of this course is for you to be able to produce a quantitative research study that is
aligned to your chosen track. An SHS student under ABM must choose a topic related to business and
management while students taking HUMSS may consider choosing a topic about politics, culture, and
arts. Choosing a topic that you can relate will certainly make your research project less challenging.
In the event, that the three tips above do not shed some light on your minds, do not despair; other
sources of ideas like the ones below may be available for you.

i. Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Harmonized National R & D Agenda for 2017-2022.
Early in 2017, DOST, together with researchers from the health, agriculture, industry, and academe,
released research priorities for 2017 to 2022 that are relevant for the economic growth of the country.
Visit this link https://bit.ly/3hHTf2Y for a list of suggested studies.
ii. Review of Literature. Some researchers reveal that reading previous studies fueled their minds with
tons of research topics. Reviewing the literature lets them know what has been studied, what is not yet
done, and what other researchers suggest working on. Journals, periodicals, and peer-reviewed articles
are a good read.
iii. Field experts. Gather up some guts to approach anyone you know that are experts on the field of
your choice because they may give valuable inputs or may currently be working on a study where you
can collaborate. Your instructor may also give you some advice, especially on the possible obstacles,
resource limitations, and expanse of the study.
iv. Brainstorming. Do not underestimate the ideas from classmates, friends, and family members. You
may be overwhelmed at first by the outpouring of ideas, just build a list, then cross off any topic
unrelated to your field or not so interesting to you. Of course, you must take precautionary measures in
doing this by observing physical distancing. You can use any social media platform to do this.

2. DO A PRELIMINARY RESEARCH. The second step is much more time-consuming. Once you have
chosen a broad topic, you need to have a better understanding of it by reading some more articles,
journals, and related research studies. Find out how other researchers gathered their data, what
research instruments were used, how the data were analyzed, and what important findings they shared.
Take note of every relevant research study for future reference. If you started the topic search (first
step) by doing a literature review, the second step is just a continuation of what you started. A much
deeper discussion of the literature review will be done in module 3.
3. DEFINE THE PROBLEM. After getting enough information, you may be able to list some questions or
problems that you want to research. At this stage, you should be able to narrow down a broad topic into
feasible and manageable research questions. A broad topic can be narrowed down by limiting the
population, place, period, or a certain characteristic. However, be very mindful that your problem may
not be too narrow that it becomes very simple and does not need to collect unique data or does not
generate new information. A very narrow research question can be developed by doing a comparative
study or expanding the scope of the study.
4. REFINE THE QUESTION. This step lets you evaluate the questions formulated. What specific questions
should you ask? How should you gather your data sufficient to answer the questions? Are the questions
too narrow, or does it need to be trimmed down? While evaluating the research question, consider the
requirements of the course. How much time are you given to finish the research? What resources do
you need and are they available? You will learn more about research questions in lesson 4.

Basic Guidelines in Make Research Title

A research study title is the very first thing a reader comes across when searching for scientific
literature. It is a concise description of the content of the research study containing the fewest possible
words, yet adequate to describe the contents of the paper for a simple reason that we do not want to
mislead the readers. After conceptualizing a most probable research topic, drafting the title early in the
research process helps in keeping your focus on the subject. The following are the basic guidelines in
making a research study title:
1. Use an accurate description of the subject and scope of the study instead of using
general terms.

2. Do not use abbreviations except for commonly known ones like DNA and ICT.
3. Do not include words like “The study of,” “analysis of,” “an investigation of” or similar construction as
these would only lengthen the title.
4. Include the main dependent and independent variables.
5. Be mindful of the proper use of grammar and punctuation.
6. Capitalize all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs as well as the first letter of the first and last
words.
7. State in a declarative form, although you may also see titles in question form from time to time.
8. The year the study has been conducted should not be indicated unless it is a historical study.
9. Use current terminology.
10. Depending on the institutional requirements, 5 to 15 words are sufficient to describe the research
study.
11. Use the common name instead of chemical formula (e.g., NH4)
12. Write and italicize the full scientific names.
13. Must reflect the tone of the paper. An academic research paper has title that is not casual, or
informal, or does not contain humor.
The following steps can guide you in writing your research title:
1. Determine what it is that you wish to accomplish or know from your study. Write one to two
sentences to state the main objectives of your research project.
2. Include important keywords and variables. Revise the sentences into one complete sentence that
includes important keywords and variables of the study.
3. Shorten the title by eliminating unnecessary words. You may also shrink a phrase into a simpler
phrase or a single word. In doing this, make sure that the main thought of the research study is retained.

4. Correct grammar and punctuation errors if there is any.

5. Observe proper formatting. The format may vary according to the requirements of the course or
school. Please seek guidance from your professor

Background of the Study

The background of the study is the part of your paper where you inform the reader of the context of the
study. When we say context, it means the situation or circumstances within which your research topic
was conceptualized. Ideally, this part is written when you have already conducted a literature review
and has a good perception of the topic so you can articulate the importance and validity of the research
problem. It is also in this part of the paper where you justify the need to conduct a research study about
the topic selected by establishing the research gap.
A research gap is an under or unexplored area of a topic that requires further exploration. The gap can
be in a form of other variables, conditions, population, methodology, or test subject. To identify
research gaps, an exhaustive literature review regarding the topic is required. You may have to look for
similar or related studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods from legitimate sources
and examine the gray areas. Reading through the Discussion, Conclusion, or the Recommendations
sections of the articles will help you know potential areas of study that need further attention.
Identifying research gaps sometimes would even make researchers modify their research problem as
they get noteworthy ideas from fellow researchers.
While both the Background of the Study and the Review of Related Literature involves reading past
related studies, they differ in some aspects. The former is at the introductory part of the paper, with the
purpose of relaying the importance of your research study; the latter is more comprehensive and
thoroughly discuss the studies mentioned in the background of research. Moreover, the background of
the study will answer the following questions:
1. What is already known about the topic?
2. What is not known about the topic?
3. Why do you need to address those gaps?
4. What is the rationale of your study?
While answering these questions, keep in mind that the studies you include in this part of the paper are
laid down as part of the introduction and should not be discussed in great detail. The depth and length
of the background information largely depend on how much information you think the reader needs to
know to have a full grasp of the topic being discussed.