Research Topic Evaluator

What It Covers

A spreadsheet for comparing candidate topics side by side, instead of choosing on gut feel. You describe each topic, sketch its aims and rough methodology, then score it out of five against eleven criteria — and the sheet averages them into a single figure you can rank on.

The criteria are the ones that actually decide whether a project finishes:

• Originality — how novel is the topic, and how substantial is the gap?
• Value and significance — how much would achieving the aim be worth, and to whom?
• Data access — how easily and cheaply can you get the data?
• Equipment — does the analysis need anything specialized, and can you get it?
• Timeframe — how long will this take, and how tight would your schedule be?
• Literature — is there enough to build a theoretical foundation on?
• Supervisor — would anyone want to supervise it, and do they have the expertise?
• Ethics — how much complexity does ethical approval involve?
• Personal appeal — does it excite you, and does it fit your career plans?
• Risk — is there anything here that could stop you finishing?
• Other — a spare column for whatever your situation adds.

Five worked examples come filled in, so you can see how the scoring behaves before replacing them with your own shortlist.

The document can be copied to your Google Drive or downloaded, and is yours to keep.