Cannot think of a PhD Topic

I have been trying for 3 months to come up with an area let alone a topic for my PhD and am getting nowhere - it is so disheartening and frustrating. My supervisor wont help me develop a topic as its up to me to design it as to how i want. When I think of an area I like I realise that it is impossible to do a topic on and am back to square one. I have done so much reading and thinking and have got nowhere. Is anyone else in a similar situation or been through this and have advice? I would be very grateful to hear your experiences and advice.

Reply 1

TBD

7

Give us a clue. Describe your field and we will try and generate a topic for you.

:insert:

Being serious though, if you get a predefined topic, you are dancing to someone elses tune and they may want not just to identify the initial topic but to try and dictate or influence where the topic takes you during your research....

TBD

Reply 2

hobnob

14

Original post by der

I have been trying for 3 months to come up with an area let alone a topic for my PhD and am getting nowhere - it is so disheartening and frustrating. My supervisor wont help me develop a topic as its up to me to design it as to how i want. When I think of an area I like I realise that it is impossible to do a topic on and am back to square one. I have done so much reading and thinking and have got nowhere. Is anyone else in a similar situation or been through this and have advice? I would be very grateful to hear your experiences and advice.

What is it that makes those potential topics impossible to do? And have you spoken to your supervisor about them? Maybe there's a way of turning one of them into a viable PhD topic with a few modifications.