Identifying concepts in a research topic (2024)

Research topics verses research questions

A “research topic” is the area of study that you are researching, while a “research question” is the more focused question that you aim to answer.

Depending on your starting point, you may arrive at a research question by taking different routes. Your research question might come from a topic you are interested in, or that you see being discussed in literature. If you are working in an applied sciences field or as a clinician, your research question might be informed by a problem, or a scenario encountered in the lab or in practice.

Developing a research question

A good research question is:

  • a single question
  • researchable by collecting and analysing data
  • open to the possibility of different outcomes
  • clear and specific
  • narrow and focused.

About searchable concepts

A concept is an idea, theme, or aspect of a research topic being explored and analysed.

Identify the main concepts in your research topic or question to make it searchable.

Most research questions will have 2–4 concepts.

Searching for a single concept will return too many results on a topic, and these results will be too broad to answer your research question.

Too many concepts in your search will have the opposite effect and may not find any results at all.

How to identify searchable concepts

A quick way to identify concepts in a research question is to find words or phrases that represent your main topic(s):

  1. Start with the nouns: these are often main concepts.
  2. Check the definitions of key words in a dictionary, encyclopedia or textbook.
  3. Exclude any words that tell you how to answer the question (e.g. “evaluate”, “compare”, “outline”, “discuss”).

Here is an example of a research question and the main concepts:

  • How is the process of vegetation recovery after bushfires affected by the actions of water?

The main concepts in this research question are:

  • vegetation recovery
  • bushfires
  • water.

Find alternative words for your concepts

Once you’ve identified your main concepts, the next step is to find synonyms or alternative terms for each concept.

Using synonyms in a search

Synonyms are alternative words or phrases that can be used to describe a concept.

Using synonyms is important in a search, as not everyone uses the same term for the same concept. It can help overcome limitations, such as:

  • variations in terminology
  • regional language differences
  • the possibility of missing relevant information due to a narrow choice of search terms.

For example, if searching for “film”, you could also include terms such as “movie”, “motion picture” and “cinema” to find more relevant results.

How to find synonyms

To find additional terms, search your original word or phrase using:

  • Google Search, or other search engines (you can search for your keyword together with “synonym”)
  • Wikipedia, or other online encyclopedias
  • a dictionary
  • a thesaurus.
Identifying concepts in a research topic (2024)

FAQs

Identifying concepts in a research topic? ›

A quick way to identify concepts in a research question is to find words or phrases that represent your main topic(s): Start with the nouns: these are often main concepts. Check the definitions of key words in a dictionary, encyclopedia or textbook.

How do you identify concepts in research? ›

Identify the main concepts in your research question by selecting nouns important to the meaning of your question. Leave out words that don't help the search, such as adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and, usually, verbs.

What is an example of a concept in research? ›

In the context of research, a concept can refer to a theoretical framework, a model, a methodological approach, or a variable. For example, a concept in the field of psychology could be the “theory of cognitive dissonance,” which explains how people resolve conflicting beliefs or attitudes.

What is the concept of a research topic? ›

A research topic is a subject that you are interested in investigating. For instance, Bees is a Topic. A research question drives your investigation. It is something that you want to know about your topic; something you will explore and try to answer.

What is concept identification? ›

Concept identification aims at identifying non-overlapping groups of design instances that are similar in a joint space of all features, but which are also similar when considering only subsets of features.

What are the two types of concepts in research? ›

Concepts are divided into two categories i.e. Concepts by postulation and concept by intuition.

What are 5 examples of concepts? ›

More Examples of Basic Concepts:
  • Spatial Relationships/Prepositions – front, behind, top, bottom…
  • Quantitative – more, less, few…
  • Temporal – first, then, before, after…
  • Emotional States – happy, sad…
  • Characteristics – old/new, hot/cold…
  • Textures – smooth, rough…
  • Negation – no, not…
  • Colors – red, blue…

What are concepts and variables in research? ›

Concepts are general or abstract ideas that express the social and/or economic phenomena to be studied. They are the subjects of inquiry and analysis that are of interest to users. A variable consists of two components, a statistical unit and a property.

What is a concept statement in research? ›

What is a concept statement? A concept statement is a document that summarizes a business idea to convince a reader of its viability. These statements typically describe the idea's components, target audience and benefits in one to three paragraphs, depending on how much information you include.

What is a concept of a topic? ›

Concept topics build on existing audience knowledge to provide general explanations, background information, and examples to help the reader understand a feature or task. Concept topics explain abstract ideas and introduce terminology.

What is a key concept in research? ›

'Key' concepts are ones judged to be particularly important in a certain context. A similar term is 'big' concepts. This includes a sense of scale and range, as well as importance, within the subject.

What is a concept of a research paper? ›

A concept paper is a brief paper written by a university student around a research question before undertaking the research. The paper is about two or three pages long and provides key details about the research, such as the question, purpose, and methods.

How to identify concepts in research? ›

A quick way to identify concepts in a research question is to find words or phrases that represent your main topic(s): Start with the nouns: these are often main concepts. Check the definitions of key words in a dictionary, encyclopedia or textbook.

How are concepts determined? ›

Concepts are mental symbols, the units of thought. As with all mental representations, a theory of concepts must specify what it is that determines the content of any given mental symbol (i.e., what determines which concept it is, what determines the symbol's meaning).

How do you explain what a concept is? ›

In other words, a concept definition is: a mental representation or understanding of something that exists in reality, whether it's a physical object, a process, knowledge or an abstract notion.

How do you find a concept? ›

The following are the important techniques for concept generation:
  1. Brainstorming. Brainstorming is a popular technique for concept generation. ...
  2. Reverse brainstorming. ...
  3. Whiteboarding. ...
  4. Mind mapping. ...
  5. 6-3-5 Brainwriting.
Jun 28, 2024

What are the three ways in defining a concept? ›

Defining concepts involves standard definitions, extended definitions using examples and descriptions, and formal definitions specifying a concept's genus and differentia.

What are study concepts in research? ›

Concepts in research refer to the tools of language used to understand and grasp empirical phenomena theoretically. They are bodies of knowledge that allow us to categorize and make sense of the world, enabling us to recall and use information in various situations.

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