Finding a Research Problem: Tips for New Ph.D. Students

By the time Ph.D. students complete their degree, they are expected to have three to four major contributions in their dissertation. However, the foundation stone of their thesis is laid at the very beginning of their degree. The area in which the student is supposed to work is usually known beforehand, and it is the same as the research area of his/her advisor. But more often than not, students are faced with the challenge of finding a suitable problem on which to start their research work. Skills to achieve this in an organized manner, keeping future implications in mind, are seldom taught to students. This article is to help new Ph.D. students find an interesting and suitable research problem at the start of their degree.