When you’re considering a topic for your dissertation, make sure it is the right size. A topic that’s too small will have you scrambling to repeat or increase your data collection. A topic that’s too large will have you struggling to complete it all in the first place. A topic that is "just right" will be one that you can complete within a year or two (max)- anything bigger than this, and your topic would be better suited to your post-graduation efforts. To ascertain if your topic passes the "just right" test, use these three methods: 1) Read previously published studies and compare/contrast those methods to the one(s) you’re considering. You can make a contribution to the literature by taking an existing study and repeating it with a larger sample OR repeating it with a different sample. If you find a study that seems interesting, find a way to extend or replicate it so it’s an original contribution. Building on a previous study will keep you from having to start from scratch. 2) Draft a rough outline of what your proposed study would involve. If you have a set of hypothesis, ask yourself what it would take (most likely) to find the outcomes you seek. If the process of finding the outcomes feels workable and clear, this project might be just the right size. 3) Test how you feel when you think about the topic. Too often, graduate students ignore their felt/intuitive sense that a topic is too big. Here’s a hint: your topic should feel good, manageable, and exciting to pursue. If you keep thinking that the topic doesn’t feel good, isn’t really manageable, but will impress the heck out of your advisor- this is probably not a reasonable dissertation topic to pursue..especially if your advisor expects you to work very independently.
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