What Are Some Unacceptable Dissertation Topics?

Choosing a topic for your dissertation is overwhelming at best for numerous reasons. The dissertation is the first real piece of academic research that will have your name on it. Colleagues will have the ability to scrutinize and pick apart your work on many levels. It will also be looked at when you are applying for future jobs. In other words, your dissertation is your first impression on the professional world. First impressions are everything; it is easy to see why the right dissertation is so crucial. Luckily, there will be a committee there to help you along in this process, including deciding on a dissertation topic.

Things to Remember When Choosing a Dissertation Topic

Obviously, the topic you will choose will be related to your field of study. There are some other things to keep in mind when you are still in the brainstorming phase. Here are a few of those things:

• Is it sexy? In this case, the term sexy refers to whether or not people will be enlightened with your research. You want people to say they never thought of it that way or that you took an interesting angle.


• Can you handle the research? While you want to make ground-breaking research, you need to ask yourself if it realistic.


• Is it something you are interested in? Your dissertation will require your full time and attention so the topic needs to be something you have a general interest in.

Unacceptable Topics

There is no master list out there that lists every topic to avoid for a dissertation. An unacceptable topic is something the student and the board decide. There may be topics that should be avoided but again, that is up to the discretion of the student. A common misconception is that a dissertation is similar to a term paper but it is not. A dissertation requires original research while a term paper does not. This could be where the misconception comes from that there is a list of unacceptable topics for a dissertation.

Each student will work with a committee to determine whether their dissertation topic is acceptable or not. They will give you reasons why it could be unacceptable, help you brainstorm, and possibly give you potential topic ideas to get your brain moving. These are highly trained professionals who know exactly what they are doing. You can trust that they will help you avoid unacceptable topics and pick one perfect for you.