Steve Tippins Ph.D. tells doctoral students that committees reject dissertation topics based on personal interest alone. You need to map the existing literature, find what's missing, and narrow your focus there. He uses school lunches and test scores as an example: if studies cover high schools, urban schools, and rural schools, the gap might be suburban high schools.
Most doctoral students find a topic they like and they hope it counts, and then they're shocked when the committee says that won't work. Going straight to "I think this is interesting" is the fastest way to get rejected. Committees don't want to see a destination, they want to see a map. Your program probably didn't teach you this process, but it starts with narrowing your focus until the literature literally runs out. Example: school lunches and test scores. Done in high schools? Yes. Done in urban schools? Yes. Done in rural schools? Yes. Dunedin Suburban High School, where the S stops is where the research lives. You aren't guessing, you are mapping what exists until you find what doesn't. Comment "help" and we will send you the link to our free dissertation help community. You've got this.
