Choosing your Topic

Choosing your Topic

1. Easy to fit with the Project requirements

   • Is your idea appropriate for a project?
     • For example, is your topic dependent on a lot of support from others? The project requires independent study.
       • Will the topic enable you to include a variety of graphs, images, statistical tables, diagrams and drawings?
         • Will the topic allow for good collection of primary and secondary data?

2. Time

   • How much time have you planned to dedicate to your project?
     • Have you chosen a topic you can complete within the available time? Think about your ‘Current knowledge’, the‘Ease of finding information’, and the project's ‘Achievability’.

3. Achievability

   • Consider the scope of your topic.
     • In other words, is your idea both big enough and small enough to make a convincing project within the word count?

4. Personal interests

   • You will be spending a lot of time on your project, so choose a topic that interests you and remember, it has to be associated with future educational or career aspirations.

5. Help available

   • How much help do you need with finding out about the topic?
     • Are you certain that there is enough support for your choice of topic?

6. Your motivation

   • Consider your educational and career aspirations..
     • If it is to enhance your UCAS Personal Statement, choose a topic that does do this.

7. Ease of finding information

   • Investigate how easy it is to find the information you need.
     • If this is difficult, you may need to rethink the topic.

8. Current coursework

   • Remember your project cannot repeat work you have done in your A-Levels or other coursework.
     • It can extend something you have already investigated, but it MUST NOT be the same.

9. Ethics

   • Is your project ‘ethical’?
     • In other words, if your topic involves people in some way, ensure you respectful both of their privacy and in the way you discuss them.

10. Current knowledge

    • You may find it easier to choose a topic that you already know something about.
      • This will allow you to get a head start by brainstorming what you know and deciding what you need to find out.
        • Think hard before choosing something completely new because this may involve a lot more work!