It will take a lot of time to pick a topic. If you are preparing your master’s or PHD program, you must start thinking about potential topics as soon as your first course.
Start thinking about the type of research you would like to do by asking yourself the questions below. Remember, even silly ideas can lead you to relevant new ideas and research.
The next step is identifying keywords related to your potential ideas. Try to divide your research question into 2 to 4 main ideas; these ideas will turn into simple keywords which “point the way” to research in that area.
Mind maps or concept maps are diagrams that establish relationships between concepts and ideas. Mind maps can be very helpful during the brainstorming process as they help you to expand your search.
The Credo Reference database has a Mind Map tool that displays the relationships between Credo Reference search terms in interactive and easy-to-use format.
The instructions to use Credo Reference are as follows:
Source: Credo Reference.