Choosing a dissertation topic for an undergraduate degree can be very confusing due to the vast amount of subjects available and the fact that this is probably the first time that you are doing this type of work. The first thing that will be required of you is to come up with the research title. This article will outline some hints and tips on how to do that.
First of all you need to narrow down the subject area that you would like to write about within your degree. It is crucial that you find the subject interesting, otherwise not only you will struggle to write the work (as it will be extremely boring for you) but also it will show within the dissertation. For example, if you are studying economics, then you might want to choose between emerging markets or be country-specific; analyse the effect of new fiscal policy on small and medium enterprises; or write about a miscellaneous topic such as money laundering. The next step is to narrow it down even further. For example, if you have decided to write about mergers and acquisitions, would you want to examine just one case or a number of cases such as cross-border acquisitions? Next, write down a number of questions that you would like to answer in your dissertation. You will find that as the number of questions you listed within your notes increases, the main question will start to appear. This can be your main topic for the dissertation.
It is important that you discuss your topic with your tutor. Your tutor is likely to have a vast knowledge on the subject and will help you throughout the dissertation writing, if you do all of the appropriate work. Since your tutor will be your main ally throughout the dissertation, you must choose your tutor carefully. Don’t go for a tutor who is going on holiday for three months while you are writing your work, or someone who is known to be unhelpful. You want someone who will read your work and discuss ideas with you, be it face-to-face or via an e-mail. Furthermore, you want someone who knows about the topic. Sometimes it is better to change the topic of the work if you think you can get a supportive tutor to help you. You can find the best tutor for your work by examining your university’s website to check which tutor specialises in your field. Furthermore, check if any of the tutors in your university had work published or have spoken at conferences on your subject of interest. Recognition of your tutor by the academic community will allow you to get the most help with your dissertation.
Your tutor will be a major factor in the final title of your work. However, before you come to your tutor with different title ideas (a long time before you write your proposal), you need to decide if the title is a good one. The title of the dissertation needs to be challenging, therefore a descriptive work will not get you a pass rate.
For example, a dissertation question can be: “Does the rise of credit derivatives’ trading increase the risk of financial crises?” Rather than, “What are credit derivates?” Or “What is a financial crisis?”.
The topic will always need to include some kind of question that can be argued in different ways. Your job is to provide both arguments within your dissertation, and pick one side, if you wish, for the conclusion.
You need to ensure that you can answer the question that you have set yourself. There can be two reasons why you will not be able to answer the question a) the question is too difficult and b) there is not enough data. The second reason is one of the main causes for the failure of dissertations. For example, if you want to analyse the effect of higher oil prices on Kazakhstan’s economy, you need to ask yourself if you will be able to get enough data for Kazakhstan. Sometimes it is wiser to leave a country that you don’t have the data for and do the same analysis on a different country, rather then be pressured into changing the whole of your dissertation mid-term when you find out that the data is not available. For the subjects where accurate numerical data is not necessary, such as politics, make sure you can get your hands on the books that you will require prior to committing to the topic. A lot of books are out of print and sometimes impossible to get hold of, which forces you to miss out on crucial arguments.
Once you have found that enough data or information will be available for you to carry out the research, you need to decide which method you will use for your dissertation. The method is very important as this will determine how you will approach the topic. For example, if you are not comfortable with using quantitative analysis, then use a case study method. Your method of approaching the dissertation will depend on how much data is available to you and how comfortable you are using the method. It is also wise to discuss the method with your tutor, as some universities and courses favour different approaches and methods. It is also useful to bear in mind that a chosen method may simplify your work. However, with the appropriate evidence and references within the main body of the work, you will still be able to get a 1st dissertation. Just because you are using a simpler method it does not mean that you will get lower marks. In my experience, the simpler the method the more likely it is that you will get it right and will concentrate on the appropriate arguments and the quality of work, rather than working out the method itself. One of the most popular methods for a dissertation is primary research. If you decide to use this method, make sure that you can organise the interviews and speak to the appropriate people. Be aware that most of the managers are often very busy and therefore you will need to organise the interviews in advance. Furthermore, make sure that you follow up your interviews with an e-mail or a phone-call. Not all of the managers will be willing to meet up, therefore make sure you contact as many as possible to get an appropriate number of interviews. You will be able to get the list of necessary organisations via internet search, by actively using your career centre and contacting your tutors, who may be able to put you in touch with managers in the required industries. Moreover, your friends may have contacts in the industry – don’t be afraid to use your connections.
Once you have identified the topic that you would like to research, simplify it as much as possible. A lot of students are too ambitious when they set the topic. It is much better to use a simple topic and then expand on it by approaching the title from different sides of the argument, rather than setting an ambitious topic and not answering the set question. One of the ways of doing that is by narrowing the topic. For example, if you are thinking of addressing the following topic: “When are the transitional economies likely to develop to the level of developed countries?”, you can narrow it down by altering the research topic to: “When is Russia likely to reach the level of developed countries?”. In this case, you can concentrate on Russia alone, and then add other transitional economies to your dissertation to make it fuller, rather than trying to reach the conclusion for every transitional economy. However, be careful not to make the topic too narrow, as this may take away your research flexibility and make the dissertation too difficult to complete.
Let’s explore further how to choose the right topic.
Considering that your tutors will be the ones giving you the mark, their “needs” should be taken into account. Here is what you are supposed to get out of writing a dissertation:
• plan a piece of research
• carry out a piece of research by collecting, collating and assessing information
• communicate your findings on the subject you have investigated in a concise format
• critically evaluate research carried out by others
• form appropriate conclusions and recommendations based on the work you have carried out.
• complete a sustained piece of work within a defined time period
(University of Kent, 2006)
Will your topic allow you to do all of the above in your dissertation? If not, then can you expand your topic to show all of this in your work? If you are not sure how to expand your topic, have a look at past dissertations. These are extremely useful once you start researching your topic. You can use past dissertation topics to determine a general idea for your own dissertation. Furthermore, it will allow you to find out which topics have already been examined in a lot of detail. You can use references in the past dissertation topics as a guide to your own research. This research will allow you to identify the gaps in past works and tailor your research accordingly.
However, don’t forget that those works were worked on for three months, so the titles would have been amended depending on what the students found. This is another good point: the title that you choose is not set in stone. It will be great if you can choose a title and stick to it for the rest of the dissertation, however, this is very unlikely. As you research the topic, you will come across challenges and interesting information that will change your title. However, you do need to stick to the topic. For your research topic it is advisable to look at the information that has been discussed during your lectures. First of all, you are going to be familiar with the topic. Secondly, you will know your tutor, and the tutor is likely to know a lot about the topic. If lecture topics do not interest you, why not look at your textbooks. Pick a section from them and apply it to a different variable. For example, say there is a section in a risk management textbook on Value at Risk (VaR), why not apply VaR to a company of your choice or even an industry and find out if it is an appropriate risk management technique?
Once you have decided on the topic, speak to your tutor. Let them know what you have decided and why, and if the topic will be sufficient to get you a 1st-class honours. It is always best to aim for a 1st-class honours, even if you only want a pass mark. This way you will know how much work is required and this will guarantee you at least a 2:1 grade. Good luck.
References
University of Kent, 2006 “Planning a Dissertation: for Undergraduate Students” [Available from]:
link (Accessed on 03/01/07)
Warwick, 2006 “Undergraduate Dissertations” [Available from]:
link (Accessed on 03/01/07)
