Hey guys, I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

I’d like to ask for some advice. I have been reading for three months now and I don’t feel much closer to a definite project. My supervisor and I agreed that I would abandon my original proposal, however, coming up with something new is proving to be quite hard. I suggested something else to him a month ago but he told me that it would take too long. I am mentally exhausted and already burnt out – I feel like I have been going round in circles, and I'm very aware of time trickling away.

A few days ago I found something different that I’d like to read about - closer to what I might like to do - and it made me aware that I may have been reading papers that are slightly off-topic for the past three months (but not completely irrelevant). My supervisor doesn't seem to be able to help; I asked him a while back if I was reading the correct material, and he told me that he didn't know. We haven’t really been having meetings, just a couple here and there, so it looks like I'm tackling this on my own. But, after three months of going nowhere I am feeling demotivated and quite lost. I guess all I can do is keep reading, but could anyone offer any advice that would help me along, or has anyone else experienced something similar to this?

Thanks in advance. :)
Silver

Hi - this is extremely common. I had no clue what I was going to focus on until around 10 months in. Don't get stressed about it - if you can identify a great topic, with loads to contribute it will pay dividends in the end.. Write down as many questions as you can think of as you read - then eliminate, shape them etc

Being in the social sciences and in a development focused field (Renewable Energy / Climate Change) What I did was I spent 4 month reading just like you articles, chapters, conclusions, exec summaries and so on. Its kind of like shooting in the dark and only after I found my topic I was able to eliminate the "useless" stuff.

However what REALLY helped me nail my topic was reading the big industry reports, in my case the most prominent annual reports from the appropriate UN agencies. Why? Because these reports will have a section highlighting the research gaps still littering the intellectual landscape and suggest which niches deserve more research. So I pretty much had my pick of a few good "under-explored" areas within my discipline.

From there I scanned the references cited and I knew exactly what has been done so far and by whom.

Just my 2c

It's comforting to hear that it's common, I know I probably shouldn't stress about it but I tend to be a worrier! Thanks for the suggestion about the annual reports Fled; I think I'm going to have a search for some reviews in my own field. Hopefully I'll find something soon.

Thank you both for your comments :).

I didn't have a topic in my first year for 6 months and my PhD ended up being something entirely different from my research proposal in the application. I also felt lost during those early months but after reading on what ended up my topic I settled for it and didn't look back. My advice: keep reading on that new topic and don't procrastinate! You'll be fine.

Hi Silver!

I was wondering you are any closer to defining your project? I feel exactly the same as you! I started my PhD in October 2013 straight from my honors degree (I graduated last summer), and I keep reading different areas within my topic to try and find my 'gap' but I feel like I've almost given up. I really don't want to, but it just feels impossible at this stage.

Charlotte

Hi Charlottehad91, welcome to the forum!

I started my PhD the same time as you, so I know exactly how you feel. I think I am a *little* closer, I still haven't got it exactly but I managed to narrow my topic down a bit - I don't feel as lost as I did when I started this thread. The new topic I discovered 2/3 weeks back seems more promising than what I was looking at before, so I wish I'd spotted it right at the beginning. All we can do is keep reading; don't give up and I hope you find something soon.

And thank you for the advice incognito, hopefully I'll find something good soon!

I feel your pain!
Talking to other postgrads, this seems to be really common. I am in the 3rd year of a part-time PhD and I can honestly say that it has only been in the last few months that I have really found my feet and identified my 'gap' in the knowledge.
I was always trying to find a research topic that was totally unique; I am exploring a topic in a well researched field, but I just knew that somewhere in there was MY place. After a lot of reading (and even more thinking) I found it!
Don't get disheartened. Even if someone else has already explored the topic that you wish to explore, keep looking. There will be a gap in the knowledge in there somewhere.
Good luck and don't give up

Another thing I'm aware of is that the 'unique' aspect of your research may come from the research itself, which can lead you in an unexpected direction. My supervisor is always encouraging me to do a series of small studies, rather than bank on one big idea.

Hi,

Thank you for your comments! Sorry, I haven't commented since, I was really struggling with my research area and became so close to giving up! I have managed to find something, but like you (Silver), I'm just trying to develop my idea exactly. It's strange, I felt completely lost and that there was no hope, that I didn't have the ability to find my 'gap' in the literature, and my idea just appeared to me through some random searches!

Wasabi65, I was also trying to find something that was completely unique, but my supervisor told me that it would be impossible to find something that nobody has looked into and that my contribution to the knowledge will be incremental. So that relieved some of the pressure!

Thanks for your help and advice!

Charlottehad91