A Handy Guide to Choose the Best

Dissertation Topic

Dissertation proposals should be penned in detail to Topic of choice

give a clear idea of the questions being asked and their
significance, the relevant historiography, the conceptu-
al framework, the sources as known, and your research
strategy. But before we come to the proposal stage here
are some tips to select a good Ph.D. dissertation topic.
Topic of interest
The key factor in choosing a Ph.D. thesis topic is that
it should interest you; it is also vital that it suits your
intellectual capa-
bilities and your
student life situa-
tions. Ideally, you
will be working
on your topic for
a long duration –
from its start as a
proposal to end as a book. In a worst-case scenario, the
choice of a topic becomes an obstacle to your finishing
your degree or publishing it. The obvious task of select-
ing a PHD topic is not always that all apparent.
Some PHD students are fortunate and they have a nag-
ging question to which
they should know the
solution. A question
accessible to the tools of
the subject, the sources
required, the student
already has the skills
needed to effectively research it, the question is one that
quickly reminds others as important, and it’s a project
a faculty member in the student’s department is well-
equipped to advise. This ideal conjunction is rare. More
often humanities graduate students find themselves,
as they approach the end of course work, or complete
their preliminary exams, intrigued by many questions,
and by many historical methodologies. They may have
a topic but no sources, or a fascinating archive, but no
question, or both a problematic and documentation
one that lacks skill. Many students are distracted by
nervousness, convinced that if only they can identi-
fy the next “important” topic, their future will be safe.
An “apt” topic will give research and write-up support
funds (grants), fellowships for post-doctoral, and lead
to a professional employment.
 Historical questions projects that take a lot of you time in the public librar-
ies reviewing printer material. There are restrictions,
The first step is to think very openly about the historical limitations, or gaps that can be effectively resolved, but
questions that engage you. An effective strategy here is some should be accepted and a topic selected that ac-
simply to make a list of the books you have read that commodates them.
when you thought, “I wish I had known that” Or, if
there was a material or a course that made you choose Brainstorming
graduate work in management, review it or go back over
After you have made your initial lists – of the books you
your notes. Then ponder on what it is, exactly, that you
would have liked to have written at this point, in ad-

found so convincing. Was it the questions asked? The

dition to brainstorming with colleagues and teachers,
rhetorical style? The evidence used? This thought pro-
you should turn your attention seriously to the existing
cess should filter the field of probable sub-disciplines.
history and source possibilities. You must review what
Historical research others wrote on, or related to, this topic? If it’s a topic
in which no one seems to have written for a long time,
The next phase is to assess the type of historical research why is the reason? If there is a big amount of work that
for which you have the required know-how. There are has been developed in the last five years, is there really
projects that take a lot of you time in the public libraries space for you? What kinds of references might there be?
reviewing printer material. There are
 Dissertation proposal
The proposal has three purposes and comprises a) To
give you with a compass of your project for the next
couple of years. It is very easy, even required, to lose the
big plan as you work your way through the sources. It is
critical, therefore, to have a clear view/statement of the
larger goals – the main idea, the key questions, and the
fields of study. Needless to say, this view changes over
time as you work on your MBA thesis; b) To communi-
cate to your instruction board members to provide the
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best possible support to you. Your committee can only
be useful if it really understands the project; and finally,
c) Provide content to showcase other scholars over the
next couple of years, that will give them a clear direc-
tion of your work.
Dissertations are academic qualifications. Much
more significantly, however, researching and writ-
ing a dissertation is a great adventure. The best
Ph.D dissertation topics are the ones their authors were
motivated to write.
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