Content/Topic: SELECTING A TOPIC

SELECTING A TOPIC
 How to pick a topic?
o Research topics can come from a myriad of sources:
– an interest in a particular field,
– discussions with peers
– academics, and existing literature.
 Basic types of sources for picking the topic.
1. Journal
2. Books
3. Textbooks
4. Articles
5. Magazines
 Tips on how to select a topic
1. It should be something new or different from what has already been written about.
2. It must be original
3. It should be significant to the field of study or discipline.
4. It must necessarily arouse intellectual curiosity.
5. It should be of researcher’s interest and researcher must be with the topic.
6. It should be a modest one for a beginner to be carried on within a limited period of
time
7. It should be clear not ambiguous
8. It should be specific, not general
9. It should consider the training and personal qualifications of the researchers.
10. It should consider the availability of data involved in the study and the methods and
techniques to be employed in gathering them.
11. It should consider the availability of effective instruments for gathering the data.
12. It should consider the financial capacity of the researcher to support the project
13. It should consider the time factor involved in the undertaking.

 Writing research titles

1. Set a 10-12 word limit for titles.
2. Summarize the main idea or issue, if not the argument of the paper.
3. Identify the primary variables and the relationship among them, as well as the
theoretical issues underlying these
4. Identify the population(s) used.
5. Do not use words such as “study of” or “an experimental research in,” as these
words or phrases are redundant.
6. Only include words that provide important and sufficient information about
research.
7. The title must be broad enough to include all aspects of the study but should be
brief and concise.
8. If the title contains more than one line, it should be written in inverted pyramid.
9. Avoid long detailed title that gives too much information.
 Characteristics of a Good Title
1. A title should give readers information about the contents of the research and is
preferable to one that is vague or general.
2. Titles do not need to be stuffy or dull but they should generally give readers some
idea at the outset of what the research paper will contain.
3. Choose a title that is a phrase rather than a complete sentence
4. Select a straightforward title over other kinds
5. Use no punctuation at the end of a title.
 Example
1. Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering
 Environmentally Safe Alternative Fire Extinguisher
 Beacons Evacuation and Disaster Plan System for High
School Students of Batangas Eastern Colleges
 Attendance Monitoring System (AMS): An Arduino Based Biometrics Student’s
Attendance Monitoring System with SMS Notification
 Beacons Improvised Safety Kit (BISKIT) Using Local Indigenous Materials
 Class Information Board (CIB) For Students and Teachers of Senior High School
Level
2. Humanities and Social Sciences
 Raising Health Awareness in Smoking through Infographic
 “Gabay Tanglaw” Fishermen’s Navigation Aid
 “Bata-Basa; Balik Tanaw sa Bayan ng San Juan”
 Hagdan-Hagdang Gulayan, Hakbang sa Kalusugan : An Upcycled Vegetable
Orchard
 Gulong ng Aral: An Outreach Program For Out-of-School Youth

Content/Topic: INTRODUCTION OF THE RESEARCH STUDY

THE INTRODUCTION OF THE RESEARCH STUDY
 In this section of the study, it pinpoint the essence of pursuing the research and provide
an overview of the focus of your study.
 Highlight the important details of interest concerning your topic, which should lead
toward your own reason for choosing to investigate it.
 It is a must to mention the rationale behind pursuing the research.
 A good introduction composes the following:
o Nature and background of the study
o Statement of the problem/ research questions
o Purpose / objectives of the study
o Significance of the study
o Scope
NATURE AND BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
 Include the existing literature, current issues, and present problems and circumstances
associated with the study.
  Indicate the gaps of knowledge which initiated the need to further investigation,
identifying the particular one which you want to focus on.
 It is a must to have a thorough discussion of the problem at hand.
 It is also a must to note the rationale or the importance of doing the investigation to
strengthen the beneficial purpose of conducting research.
 The following are the suggested information that you can include in the background of
the study:
o Definition
Define the concepts or constructs included in your study. (Don’t forget to cite
the reference of your definition).
o Causes and effects
When discussing the research problem at hand, you may highlight its causes and
effects to the concerned subjects.
o Methodology
Cite the methods used in other researchers to address the problem at hand.
o Historical Background
Mention previous and notable researches from which your topic is based.
o Problems / Issues
Current issues or problems regarding the specific topic should also be seen in the
background.
o Comparisons of ideas/methods used
Compare and contrast the ideas and methods indicated in previous researchers
related to your topic.
o Advantages and/or disadvantages
Highlight the need for further investigation of your topic by presenting its
advantages and disadvantages.
 The following are three suggestion to follow in writing the nature and background of the
study:
o Present the general statement of fact related to the study. You may use the
definition of terms in stating general knowledge.
o Indicate a more specific statement about the issues or problems already proven
in other related researches. You may compare or contrast the methods and
findings discussed in the related studies.
o Use statements that lead to the need for more investigations. You must
emphasize the rationale of doing your research by using statements such as
“Previous investigations related hardly provide evidences that may explain the
existence of such phenomena; hence, the dearth of information motivated
the researcher to conduct this study.”
Content/Topic: INTRODUCTION OF THE RESEARCH STUDY
Statement of the Problem
 This section of the introduction concentrates on the issue or problem that the research
intends to investigate.
 Usually, it is written in a declarative sentence.
 Most common formats is as follows:
 “This study will compare, contrast, investigate, describe, determine, examine,
develop, clarify, test, or evaluate the issue being studied.”

 Example: This study will test the effectiveness of music on the spatial reasoning of children
so that it can be considered as part of teaching strategies in this educational level.

Purpose/Objectives of the Study

 This part of the introduction is confined with a broader explanation behind the reasons for
doing the study.
 Discusses your intention for conducting it.
 State the results that you expect to discover from your study.
 Usually, purpose or objective of the study is related to statement of the problem or
hyphotheses.

Significance of the Study

 It points out the advantages that will come from the results.
 It emphasizes the concerned population to which the findings will be favourable.
 Usually, the advantages that may come from your study should be detailed in this
section.

Scope and delimitation of the Study

 This section of your study launches the limits of the process in which your study will be
conducted.
 Discuss the variables that you will examine and the method that you are going to use.
 You will also mention the number of participants, the place where you will get your
data, the instrument to be used, and the time frame for completing your study.
 Determining the scope of the study will declare the feasibility of doing the investigation.
 It will set the applicability of findings.
 Only those stated in the scope shall cover the credibility and generalizability of results.

 Scope
 describes the coverage of the study.
 Specifies what is covered in terms of concept, number of subjects or the
population included in the study, as well as the timeline when the study was
conducted.
 Delimitation
 Citing factors or variables that are not to be included and the boundary in terms
of time frame, number of subjects, participants or respondents who are
excluded.
 Specify that which you will not deal within the study.
 This section discusses the parameters of the research in paragraph it answers the basic
questions:
1. What – the topic of investigation and the variables included.
2. Where – the venue of the setting of the research
3. When – the time frame by which the study was conducted.
4. Why – the general objectives of the research.
5. Who – the subject of the study, the population and sampling.
6. How – the methodology of the research which may include the research design,
methodology and the research instrument.