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Introduction

Developing a compelling research focus is one of the most important and often overlooked steps in the research process. Too often, researchers begin by diving into the literature without first considering what truly excites them or what's currently happening in the real world. This approach can lead to uninspired work that lacks personal or contemporary relevance. Here’s a more engaging and dynamic method for finding a research topic that truly excites you:

1. Start With the World Around You

Before you open a journal or search a database, take a moment to observe what’s happening in the world today. What trends, issues, innovations, or challenges do you see? Whether it's technology, politics, education, health, environment, or culture—identify something that genuinely grabs your attention.

2. Let Your Curiosity Lead the Way

Explore your own personal interests. What topics or problems do you feel naturally drawn to? These interests are often the most fertile ground for meaningful and passionate research. When you start from what fascinates you, your motivation to explore, analyze, and contribute becomes much stronger.

3. Connect Real-World Excitement With Academic Literature

Once you've found something related to your field that is trending in the world or that you're excited about, only then should you turn to the literature. See what research already exists on the topic or something similar. Find gaps, contradictions, or areas that could benefit from a new perspective. Now you’re not just reading literature for its own sake—you’re using it to build on something the world needs and that you already care about.

4. Marry Insight With Evidence

Blend your personal insights and real-world observations with academic research. This combination gives your study both relevance and depth. Instead of struggling to force literature into real-world problems, you're aligning your work with both personal meaning and scholarly value.

5. Passion Creates Better Research

When you pursue what you love—or what intrigues you—you’re more likely to create vibrant, original, and meaningful work. You’ll find it easier to stay engaged, to dig deeper, and to present your findings in a way that resonates with others.

6. Choose Between Two Powerful Lenses

Exciting research often comes from one of two sources:

• External excitement: What is currently buzzing in your field that others want to understand?

• Internal passion: What do you deeply enjoy exploring, even if it’s not yet widely studied?

Both are valid and valuable starting points.

Conclusion

Exciting research doesn’t begin in a textbook—it begins with curiosity, observation, and passion. Only after identifying what moves you should you seek out the literature to support and expand your vision. By approaching research this way, you’re more likely to produce work that is not only academically valuable but also deeply engaging and personally fulfilling.

Written by Dr. Omodolapo Ojo. Original ideas developed by the author, with writing refinements assisted by ChatGPT. Published on September 1, 2025. 

Introducing Smart Ways to Select Only Relevant Literature from Databases

1. Define Clear Topic 

When you want to search for literature, the very first thing is to be clear about your topic of interest. Define the main topic and identify any add-ons or subtopics. For example, if I want to find literature on how concepts of systems theory and cultural responsiveness have shaped evaluation capacity-building initiatives, my main topic is evaluation capacity building, while the add-ons are systems theory and cultural responsiveness.

2. Clarify Selection Criteria

Once your topic is clear, the next step is to set your inclusion and exclusion criteria. This part is very important and often overlooked. Decide on things like: What time frame you want to cover (for example, the last 10 years versus all publications from inception); the type of publication (peer-reviewed journal articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, etc.); and language restrictions, geographic focus, or any other boundaries.

3. Identify Keywords and Variations 

Also, think carefully about your keywords. You want to capture all possible variations of your topic. For instance, “evaluation capacity building” might also appear as “evaluation capacity development” or “evaluation literacy.” If you don’t account for these variations, you may miss important literature.

4. Identify Relevant Sources 

Another smart move is to know where you’re searching. Identify at least three to seven databases or journals that are relevant in your field. You can select these based on what other researchers in your field cite, recommendations from your professor, or simply the popularity of certain databases in your discipline.

5. Organize Selected Literature

Now, once you’ve identified your sources, you need to manage what you find. For this, I strongly recommend using accessible literature or citation managers like Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, and so on. These applications helps researchers collect, organize, and access literature easily. When saving literature, you have two options:

• Download everything you find from your searches directly into your manager. Or, 

• Skim through the title and abstract first, then decide whether it’s worth saving.

I usually prefer the second option because it helps me avoid cluttering my library with irrelevant papers.

6. Ensure Timely Documentation 

One more critical thing: document your process. Write down the keywords you used, how you combined them, which databases you searched, and what criteria you applied. This saves you from repeating unnecessary work and ensures your search is transparent and reproducible.

7. Consult Experts

Finally, don’t underestimate the value of consulting with experts. Reach out to people in your field—your advisor, colleagues, or even librarians—so they can help confirm that you’re not missing any key resources.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you’ll be able to search smarter, stay organized, and select only the most relevant literature for your work.

Written by Dr. Omodolapo Ojo. Original ideas developed by the author, with writing refinements assisted by ChatGPT. Published on September 10, 2025. 

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