How to Generate Research Ideas

Where do you find research ideas? What interests you? Personal experiences (2) The World Around You Asking “why”? Media – radio, tv, movies, newspapers, magazines, etc. Observing and engaging in the world around you Common sense Real-life problems

Where do you find research ideas? (3) Existing Research Replicate previous studies Improve previous studies Reconcile studies with conflicting results “Future Research” section Change methodological approach (4) Theories Generate a new theory Refine existing theory Update an older theory Connect two or more theories

Where do you find research ideas? (5) Connections between fields, disciplines, sub- disciplines, perspectives, etc. Pick a topic and look at how different fields would approach it? How would different disciplines research the same topic? How would each perspective explain the topic? (6) Talking to others Ask laypersons what they want to know – family, friends, etc. Talk to professionals who are experts on the issues Have conversations/discussions with colleagues Attend conferences Brainstorming sessions with others

Where to ideas come from? Philosophers like John Locke and Henri Poincare say that new ideas are an association or combination between two or more simpler ideas. So we generate new ideas by combining simpler parts into the formation of a new complex whole.

How to generate Research Questions Perspectivist Worksheets Types of Research questions Descriptive Relational Causal

How to Translate Questions into Research Hypothesis Some Guidelines… Testable/Falsifiable Precise/Specificity Direction & Magnitude Based upon type of research Descriptive Relational Causal Research Hypothesis vs. Null Hypothesis

How to choose which idea to pursue? Some Guidelines… Internal Motivations External Motivations Practical Concerns “Importance” Part of Program of Research

How to conduct a “Program of Research”? A “Program of Research” is a game-plan for conducting multiple studies on a single topic that comprehensively addresses all the implications and extensions of a single research idea.

Advanced sources of information McGuire, W. J. (1997). Creative hypothesis generating in psychology: Some useful heuristics. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 1-30 Special Issue of "Personality and Social Psychology Review" on Theory Construction, 2004, Vol8, No.2