Formation of the Research Topic

¶ … formation of the research topic or question and to conducting a good literature review and annotated bibliography that are intended to help both the authors of the research project and the readers to develop a more clear idea of the researched question.

The research process must follow a series of steps in order to provide expected results. Any research process starts with the selection of one or several topics, mainly the formation of the topic. The selection of the topic, or the research problem, is based on a series of criteria that vary in accordance with the researcher or with the subject and purpose of the research in case. Also, several sources are taken into consideration when establishing the topic that will be subjected to the research.

The criteria for selecting the research topic can be internal or external. The internal criteria taken into consideration during this process refer to the researcher's interest, competence, and personal resources, like finance, time, knowledge, and others. The external criteria used in the topic selection stage include importance and urgency, significance of problem, novelty and originality, feasibility, availability of data, suitable methodology, cooperation from organizations and individuals, facilities and infrastructure, usefulness and social relevance, research personnel (Sridhar, 2008).

The sources used by the researcher when determining the research topic include reading, academic experience, daily experience, exposure to field situations, consultations, brainstorming, research, and other sources that might help with this process.

The following step consists in the actual formulation of the research question. The researcher must consider a series of conditions and requirements that must be met in order to establish the most suitable research question for the research in case. For example, the researcher must determine whether the topic or topics selected for the research are viable and practicable.

The researcher must also determine whether the research question in case has been the subject of previous researches. If so, the researcher can take other studies into consider and enrich the results of his own study. However, even if the topic has been previously researched, the researcher must identify his own research question, and bring a certain degree of originality and novelty to the project in case.

Furthermore, the researcher must clearly establish from the beginning what are the desired results of the research. Based on the expected outcome, the researcher can figure out what the research question should be designed and what specific areas it must address.

Another important aspect in identifying the research question refers to the researcher's objectivity. The approach must be unbiased. Otherwise, the research process will not deliver satisfactory results.

Also, it is important that the researcher has several variants to choose from. It is not recommended that the researcher only focuses on one research question from the beginning. Each alternative should be identified before the actual research begins. Therefore, the researcher can determine whether each alternative could lead to favorable results. This helps narrow the range of topics to be addressed.

The purpose statement is important for both the researcher and the client. Its importance relies on the fact that the researcher can establish a clear objective to be pursued by the research process. Also, the client is able to know what to expect from the research results presented by the authors of the study in case.

The literature review is an important part of any research project. It is helpful for both the author and the readers. The literature review must identify works that have been published on the topic in case by accredited scholars and researchers (Taylor, 2010). Usually, the literature review is an introduction to the research project.

The purpose of the literature review consists in introducing the readers into the knowledge and ideas referring to the selected topic for the research project in case, and to help the readers adjust to the research topic. Also, a good literature review should not only list these issues, but also identify and explain their strengths and weaknesses in order for the readers to be able to develop a more clear idea on the researched topic.

As mentioned above, conducing the literature review also helps the author of the research report to develop new directions that the research process can follow. This helps the author to develop more ideas and hypotheses that can be used within the research project. Furthermore, this improves the results that will be presented in the research report.

In order to conduct a good literature review, the author must not limit to identifying works on the topic of the research process in case. Instead, the author should focus on critically appraising the identified works. In other words, the author must analyze each source found on the topic in case in order identify works that are unbiased and suitable for the purpose of the research.

A good literature review must meet a series of requirements. For example, the center of the literature review must be represented by the researched question. The literature review section must directly address the research question. Also, a summary is required in order to clarify the facts that are addressed by literature in that case and the facts that do not make the object of literary works yet.

Many of the issues subjected to research are also the subject of controversy. In many cases, specialists in the field do not agree on certain aspects. Therefore, the literature review presented in the research report must address these controversies.