PhD Dissertation Topics: How To Stand Out With Great Papers

No matter your field you can make yourself stand out with a great PhD dissertation topic. Consider the examples below:

• If you are in marketing you can write about the motivation behind customer loyalty programs
• If you are in psychology you can write about cognition
• If you are writing about ethics you might write about whether pleasure is intrinsic
• If you are in education you can write about
• If you are in history you can write about the fundamental impact Germany’s mistakes with Russia had on the outcome of WW2
• If you are international relations you can write about international NGO’s in poverty reduce with the use of micro financing

Look over the topics that are provided above and see if anything stands out. These should be used as examples and the basis from which you develop theories and a thesis for yourself.

Once you have your thesis and it has been approved by your advisor you can begin the long haul task of researching for your topic. Research is the backbone to all of your hard work and if you set out milestones and approach the task a little at a time it will not seem to overwhelming. Try to set aside two hours every few days for research. Your schedule may not permit every day but as often as you can for no more than two hours per day. After two hours your brain will check out and you will not be as productive.

As you research you want to start broad and refine your search after that. There are what academics like to call “gateway” pieces. These are general articles or peer reviewed papers that relate to your topic. They can not only lay the foundation for your literature review and your introduction but they might also contain reference to other sources that are more poignant and directly related to your topic. You can build off of each as you continue you research until you find items that relate directly to your thesis. Be sure to look in the footnotes and reference section of the sources you review for additional sources which might be of use to you.

Once you have done this and completed your research it is time to write your outline and your subsequent paper. Make no mistake the outline is an important component and you should not rush through it to your first draft. A good outline is what will lead to a good paper so take some time to work with it and move your notes around until you find the perfect set up. Make sure your points are adequately supported by evidence. Make sure that each paragraph flows into the next.