Good research depends on

• a clear question
• understanding the context of the question
• being able to use appropriate methods to answer the question
• knowing when to stop

Before thinking about how to answer a research question you need to be clear about the topic, the concepts it includes and how they are to be defined.

Finding a suitable topic for research can be difficult. Starting points can be:

• discussion with a supervisor or colleagues
• discussion using Internet facilities such as electronic mail, discussion groups or mailing lists. See the Yenza! page on finding mailing lists for further information on finding resources in your field.
• the NEXUS database of current and completed research projects. Further information can be found at http://www.nrf.ac.za/nexus/
• "further research needed" sections of journal articles, papers, theses and dissertations in the subject area of your interest
• topic definitions in encyclopaedias and "state-of-the-discipline" reviews in the journal literature

In each case, you are looking for:

• topics where there is doubt and uncertainty
• disputed or contradicted statements
• topics where evidence is incomplete, lacking, dated
• topics where evidence from a study on one community or group could be compared with evidence from an associated group
• topics which interest you