Selection of research topic

Abstract

Selection of an innovative research topic within their 1st year of postgraduate program is a challenge for the student and the guide. The ultimate goal for a researcher should be to publish their research to benefit the dental fraternity and society. The journal clubs, seminars, CDE programs, and conferences will guide them to understand the lacunae, and it is imperative for a student to attend these sincerely to collect data that will help them in deciding their research topic. Identify the broader topic: Prosthodontics is a field with various domains, and the researcher should identify their area of interest by reading articles published in the literature. Removable, fixed, and maxillofacial prosthodontics are various domains of prosthodontics; which can be further divided into partial and complete removable prosthodontics, postendodontic restorations, conventional and implant-supported fixed prosthodontics, full mouth rehabilitations, veneer and smile designs, and temporomandibular disorder disorders. The researcher should choose the topic of their interest and evaluate for innovative opportunities through the limitations in the published data. Their articles at journal clubs and titles of seminars should be in their selected domain to accumulate data for narrowing down the research title. The researcher also must not conduct in vitro research with commercially available products, either by changing the test and control groups or modifying outcome measures. This could only waste resources without any significance to the scientific community. Strategies for newer ideas:[1] The researcher should get updated on the latest developments in their selected domain. Critical appraisal in journal clubs of articles will provide immense avenues for newer topics. The researcher must discuss their ideas with peer opinion leaders and practitioners to learn the nuances in their selected domain. Both the positive and negative aspects of the topic should be analyzed for better outcomes. The feasibility in procuring consumables and nonconsumables, the utilization of technical and laboratory partners, and fund management in conducting research should be considered before the initiation of the research. Refining the topic: The data collected should help in framing research questions that are unique and realistic, with a specific aim. The development of a research question should be based on frequent observations and limitations that are stated in the literature, to accept or reject an existing concept or develop a new concept for an existing practical challenge. The researcher should also select titles that permit viable sample sizes for the research. The objectives to conduct the research for the aim should be clear and precise. Finally, the laboratory partners who are necessary to measure the outcome should be available at proximity to complete the study. Objectives and types of research questions:[2] The primary objective of developing or refining a research question should be based on the acronym FINER: feasibility to conduct, interest to the reader, novel, ethically correct, and relevant outcome to benefit society. The research question will be based on the type of research proposed. The six types of research questions are (1) Existence: “Does age affect crestal bone loss,” (2) Descriptive questions: “Survival rate of implant treatment,” (3) Classification questions: “Types of edentulous ridges in the prognosis of dentures,” (4) Comparative question: “Does graft A is better than graft B in an implant treatment,” (5) Composition question: “Factors affecting the survival of implants,” and (6) Relationship questions: “Is occlusion a cause in TMD disorder.” Review and revise the research question, focusing on a particular time period, a geographical or sociological perspective, or the ethnicity of a population. In-depth research through scholarly articles, books, and other sources will fine-tune your aim and objectives. Research is a dynamic process, and hence the research question can be modified until the final collection of data. The formatting of the research question should be in population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and study (PICOS) for an interventional study and program educational objectives (PEO) for an observational study PICOS/PEO: The research question should define the sample as either a human, an animal, or a material. The research question should also define the attributes of the population that should be considered for the research. In an interventional study, both the test and the comparator should be mentioned in the title, and in an observational study, the exposure assessed in a population has to be mentioned. It should also address the type of exposure that is going to be assessed in the population. A pilot case study can be conducted to assess whether the researcher will be able to measure the outcome to answer the research question. It is not always necessary for them to prove an existing theory or be hesitant to conduct research that undermines it or has a negative outcome. Since publish or perish has become the primary goal of academicians and students, the responsibility to identify viable innovative research that can be published to benefit society becomes challenging. The editorial boards of journals expect innovations and clinical trials, and researchers should ensure their research meets those expectations.

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