The exploration of the research topic
Most candidates will start off with an idea of a general question for exploration. Usually the topic has been developed as an extension of some other problem, or has been derived as the result of careful reading, or evolved from a person’s professional experiences. Regardless of the way in which the question has been derived, there are some general principles that surround the continuing development and refinement of a research topic. Typically research students will spend some of their early candidature becoming familiar with the supporting or problematic literature in the area, and will explore the relationships between particular research methodologies and their specific topic.
Candidate
A strong research topic is one where you can determine at an early stage that it has potential for unique and important results. It should make a significant impact on the knowledge in your particular discipline. It also needs to be something that you are particularly interested in. Motivation to find the solution to a problem is usually enough to enable you to continue through the lengthy research process to a successful conclusion.
Principal supervisor
It is the supervisor’s responsibility to ensure that the candidate’s topic is not too large, nor too small. The topic should be large enough in scope and sufficiently challenging intellectually so as to lead towards a positive outcome; it should be sufficiently circumscribed to allow completion within the normal period of enrolment for the degree, and the submitted thesis should be within the normal maximum length specified by each Division. Whilst the supervisor provides regular critique of work towards the thesis, and advice and discussion surrounding the methodological and theoretical components of the thesis, the thesis is ultimately the candidate’s own original work.