Thesis Upgrade surveyed 60 postgraduate students who were starting their thesis journeys. The three most frequent areas of concern for these students were:
- How do I define my research area?
- Have I selected the right topic for me?
- Have I written my title correctly?
Everyone feels confused at the beginning of the research process. This confusion probably means that you feel frustrated by your mental log jam. You may also feel anxious you are not making substantial progress with your thesis or dissertation. You are not alone!
Chiomo, a postgraduate MBA student, said “my main concern is the relevance of my research area – how could I be sure it was suitable for an MBA thesis?” Sonia, a postgraduate on an MSc in International Business Management programme added: “I am really worried about my topic, I need to narrow it down, to make it useful for real life or for my future career”. Anna, a final-year undergraduate, was alarmed to find that her supervisor would not be assigned until after she submitted her research proposal: “I was really worried about whether I have chosen a topic relevant to my study, whether it was too broad, or too narrow”.
Mark Campbell, Director with Thesis Upgrade commented: “It is not unusual for students to have to come up with a research area, or even a specific topic, themselves. Many colleges and universities do not have the resources to appoint supervisors at the research proposal stage. They wait to see what the students themselves propose, before allocating a supervisor who knows something about the subject area or proposed research method. We are finding an increasing number of students simply want to bounce their initial ideas off someone who is experienced with the research process – whether that be other students, or preferably a tutor or supervisor”.
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