EDMIC 2015 Research Workshop, OAU, IleIfe, Nigeria
CHOOSING A PHD
RESEARCH TOPIC
07/03/2015
OVERVIEW
1) Preamble
2) Some Considerations in Choosing a Research Topic
PROFESSOR BAYO AMOLE
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY
ILE-IFE, NIGERIA
3) A Process for Choosing a Topic?
4) Where Topics are Found
5) Summary and Some Personal Experiences
CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING A
RESEARCH TOPIC
PREAMBLE
a. The PhD Degree
b. Background Knowledge in Research: Who is
Eligible?
c. Expected Time of Completion: Minimum and
Maximum
 Personal considerations

Topic of Personal Interest

Motivation For the Research/PhD

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses

Access to Data

Available Resources
CONSIDERATIONS IN CHOOSING A
RESEARCH TOPIC (CONTD)
Originality
 Institutional Expectations
 Adding to Knowledge in a way that has not
previously been done before

Originality

Contribution to Knowledge

The Production of Knowledge
 Being cross-disciplinary and using different

Methods For Researching
 Using already known material with a new
 Looking at areas that people in the discipline haven’t
looked at before
 Bringing new evidence to bear on an old issue
methodologies
interpretation
Professor Bayo Amole, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
1
EDMIC 2015 Research Workshop, OAU, IleIfe, Nigeria
Originality (contd.)
07/03/2015
Contribution to Knowledge
 The PhD research acknowledges existing knowledge
 Making a synthesis that hasn’t been made before
 Carrying out empirical work that hasn’t been done
before
 Setting down a major piece of new information in
writing for the first time
 Etc
 Source: Blaxter, L Hughes C and Tight M (2002)
The Production of Knowledge
 The Central focus of the University is the production
of knowledge
 The research is expected to fill some ‘gaps’ in
knowledge
 The research is expected to build on existing
knowledge and expand its frontiers
WHERE TOPICS ARE FOUND
 General Literature
 Other Completed Theses
 Supervisors
 The PhD research topic is aimed at producing
knowledge
 Other Colleagues
 Personal Interests and Experiences
 Everyday Life
 Topical Issues
PROCESS FOR CHOOSING A TOPIC?
SUMMARY AND SOME
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
 Select a subject area
 Explore the literature within the subject area
 Select a number of possible topics
 Select one topic and frame questions
 Explore the literature in relation to the framed
questions
 Confirm or modify topic
 Evaluate the selected topic
Professor Bayo Amole, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
2
EDMIC 2015 Research Workshop, OAU, IleIfe, Nigeria
07/03/2015
Thank you for listening
Professor Bayo Amole, Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
3