Hello!

I work as an associate professor and research fellow.

When students come to me and ask a theme for their research, first I tell them about my research interests and projects. After that I ask them about their research interests and wishes as well as about their knowledge and skills.

It may be difficult to find the interesting theme for particular student. Sometimes, we spend on choice the theme a half a year or even more.

But ultimately, if it succeeds... It may be a really interesting and high-quality student project. Of course, if the student will work on it constantly :)

Good luck!

Normally you go for your own area of interest. In your area of interest if you narrow down, then there are some cutting edge research and questions that you want to investigate and answer. 

Good luck

Hello!

I work as an associate professor and research fellow.

When students come to me and ask a theme for their research, first I tell them about my research interests and projects. After that I ask them about their research interests and wishes as well as about their knowledge and skills.

It may be difficult to find the interesting theme for particular student. Sometimes, we spend on choice the theme a half a year or even more.

But ultimately, if it succeeds... It may be a really interesting and high-quality student project. Of course, if the student will work on it constantly :)

Good luck!

I don't know, and you?

This question can be viewed on at least two levels.

If you are a beginner, then you need to select a general field of study wherein you can perhaps make a contribution eventually. Before you can even contribute you need to study hard, read the PhD student courses and best books, to learn the tricks of the trade, and probably also visit conferences in order to hear the masters talk the talk. If you are a beginner as a PhD student, this general field probably is one that was specified by some researcher's grant or by the faculty's announcement of general directions of the PhD student positions offered. So while there most probably is some freedom of choice left, the general direction may have been specified. 

The second-stage decision (pardon the stochastic programming-like language!) of picking a more narrow research topic in order to write that first paper, is then a question of whether your supervisor has a research topic to offer, or if you can choose freely. In the former case, you will (or at least should!) be guided towards that topic and be offered advise and lots of advanced material to read, and/or visits to make to other research institutes where you can get even more guidance. 

It is important to understand that there should - ideally - not be forced upon the beginning PhD student to start writing something on day 1. If the resulting paper is to contribute new knowledge then it would appear odd if that paper could be initiated on day 1, would it not? 

If there is a message here, then it is that a beginner student should not be in a hurry. New and good research ought to be the result of quite a few PhD courses also.

Now, if the question concerns a much more senior researcher, then the answer is quite different - in fact almost the opposite. There are so many possibilities for a mature researcher to contribute that extra care must (or, at least should!) be taken in order to make sure that the time spent on that next project is worth-while. There is always a possibility (or 100 possibilities) to perform research that a French colleague of mine has characterized as "quiche eating" - easily digestible, but boring. :-) A senior researcher can, and should, think harder about what to do next: Find a collaborator (or several) to do something new and special? Do something on his/her own in order to deepen or broaden something that he/she has already developed? Or take a completely new path? All sorts of roads to travel are open, and this fact should be taken seriously. 

But you know what? Thinking about that route to take is quite a lot of fun, and it is nice to ses how many options there are. Just do not get stuck there for too long, but try to focus your effort in some direction. Perhaps you should give yourself a specified time to think, so that you are forced to have something on "the desk" at a deadline - I know it works for some. You can always move that deadline forward anyway. ;-)

Good luck, and have fun!

Thank you all for your kind suggestions and experience sharing.

As a researcher, I often choose my favorite topics in different ways like visiting some famous portals like Sciencedirect and Emerald and their top 20 suggested topics, consulting with other academics and researchers, narrow down on some specific issues and so on.

Thanks a lot for your help

When I look back on my life as a researcher, I have always done what interested me or was offered to me to explore. It has always been a good interaction of supply and demand on the market of opportunities.

Reading, brain storming...

You read a lot, in books and magazines. Online searches are helpful in the beginning, but are superficial. Many books are not digitized, you have to order them via the interlibrary loan system of the university library, sometimes from abroad. If an article is fascinating, you can send the author an e-mail and ask questions.

At the beginning of my career, I researched very different areas: empirical research, preschool education, the history of education, sports education, education in the GDR, religious education - later, these developed into larger complexes.

Through the many readings and attend conferences and listen to the views and proposals and through the surrounding problems of us need to study and find a solution.

When he guides me to a vague subject or when someone orders me to do so