I've just started my PhD in social sciences. Although I had to submit a proposal and general area of study, I don't really have what you could call a defined research topic yet. I've read that you can spend at least a few months at the start of the PhD just reading around your area of interest before you really start to formulate research ideas. I don't know whether it's just nerves - worrying about not having something definate, worrying that this means I havent 'started' anything concrete yet, and then in turn worrying that I won't ever find it (a vicious circle it seems) - or if this is just a normal PhD process. I seem to be over-stressing that my superviser expects me to have a set topic right from the start, even though they haven't really said they expect one.
How long did you spend before you started formulating research questions (once you were actually registered)? I would really appreciate some real life experiences on this, as reading about the process in a book and doing it in real life can often be two completely different things! (and apologies for rambling on!!)

Well, I was lucky because I always had a clear idea of what I wanted to research. My PhD topic is partially related to the research I did for my masters and when I started I had a considerable amount of background reading behind my shoulders. But this is not the case for everyone. If you have just started your research is normal to feel uncertain about what direction to take. I have just begun year 2 -today!- and still feel uncertain about the structure of my thesis. Things evolve as you go along. By the end of year three I expect them to be substantially different from what I planned at the beginning. Your supervisor should be able to help you by suggesting further reading and discussing options with you, but do not expect to find the magic formula. I am afraid it doesn't exist!

i had quite a clear idea of what i wanted to do, but changed it quite a lot since i started a year ago. a friend of mine however started just like you: she didn't have a clear question, only an "area of interest". since we had to submit a detailed research plan at the end of 8 months, she got quite nervous - everyone seemed to have their "question", everyone was writing up their report... time was running out and she didn't have a "question" yet! but then all of a sudden the question cropped up, she wrote up her research plan in very little time and passed with no problems. i think it's dealing with the pressure that is hard, but if you keep trusting that it will work out, it will! good luck!

Thanks for your comments
It's a relief to hear that I am not the only one. I haven't met many other new research students yet, and the ones that I have met seem to have things sorted out, or at least give an illusion that they do! So this makes it hard for me to ask them questions like this.
It seems that the nature of postgrad research is to allow yourself to go with the flow somewhat - and that is something which is the hardest thing to get used to for me personally, as I tend to get anxious about the uncertainty of it. I also worry that because I have no defined topic, my superviser must think I am unprepared. I guess it's all part of the experience!

I am in the same position as you at the moment and feel exactly the same. I am in social sciences too and need to develop my proposal so I have just started to write...it may not be great what I am writing but it has helped me to see where there are gaps or where I need to read more or less! I have also drawn lots of picture - mind maps - to help me gather my thoughts. I have also taken books back to the library...not sure when I thought I would read them all so I decided to get some off the shelf as they were suffocating me just looking at them all. After three weeks I do finally feel I have settled down again into studying but like you say it is a process and I am sure you will find the research question in your own way.

I think I wrote the exact same post on here two years ago when I was in the same position (also social science)! Keep reading - it seems like a random and difficult process, but the more you learn about the general area the more you notice where the gaps are and can start formulating your own ideas. Don't worry too much about the proposal - I haven't met anyone with a proposal that even vaguely resembled the finished thesis - but use it as a starting point for further research.

I felt exactly the same about 'going with the flow', but it does get easier I promise!

SixKitten - out of interest, how long did it take before you started developing topics from your reading?

That is such a difficult question to answer - I came up with a first draft of the structure after about 4 months, but that has changed so much since and only vaguely resembles the argument I'm working on now (which still changes on a weekly basis!)

Start writing - drafts of outlines, random things that occur to you, analyses of articles that you've read, anything. It seems impossible to write when you have no direction, but it really is the best way to bring out your ideas. Don't be scared that you won't use it - just play around with the ideas you're reading about.