Discovering & Evaluating Ideas for Future Projects

In my last post, I wrote about my struggles to get back into the rhythm of writing my blog. I am still struggling. Yes, I have had a good bit of editing work…and I’ve been dealing with some storm clean-up and related home repairs…and I’ve had COVID. But really, I just haven’t wanted to write about the topic that was next in the queue. So, I have given myself permission (finally) to move on. Maybe, I’ll come back to that topic one day. Maybe, I won’t.

Yet, it is apropos that what I settled on instead is discovering and evaluating ideas for writing. First, let’s look at two invention strategies I might have used in my college writing classes to help students find essay topics. If you have a general idea of your topic, you might skip the first exercise and focus on the second.

Make a List

If you are looking for ideas for your next writing project, you might start by just making some lists. Keep these in a file on your computer or in your research journal so you can add to the lists whenever you have a new idea. Here are four possible lists you might make:

• A list of things you feel strongly about (This might be a good place to start if you want to engage in public scholarship or write opinion or policy pieces.)

• A list of things you are curious about (This list might launch your next scholarly research project.)

• A list of things you are confused about (Again, areas of confusion can prompt research questions, but they might also create opportunities for developing theories or models.)

• A list of things you know a lot about (Potential bloggers, podcasters, or textbook authors might look at things that appear here for possible projects.)

The list entries need not be more than a phrase or two. Once you have finished generating some ideas, spend some time reviewing what you wrote down. If there are one or two topics that resonate in the moment, spend some time writing about them. Again, don’t worry about creating anything formal; the point is simply to generate some ideas for future writing projects.

Use Stasis Theory to Explore a Topic

Stasis theory was developed by the Greek rhetorician Hermagoras in 3 B.C. and refined by Aristotle, Cicero, and others. The goal of stasis theory is to identify the central issue or concern, allowing individuals to move toward a resolution. It is commonly taught as an invention strategy in composition classes. Exploring a topic through stasis theory might be a good place to start when you find yourself resistant to sitting down and writing. (Perhaps, I should take my own advice.) Below are some questions that will help you begin to explore each of these areas:

Questions of fact (i.e., things known or established about the topic):

• What research has already been conducted on this topic?

• What is known?

• What policies and practices are already in place?

• What is the effectiveness of those policies or practices?

Questions of definition:

• Into what category does your topic fit?

• What theories, concepts, or frameworks apply (or have been applied)?

• What theories, concepts, or frameworks from other disciplines might apply?

Questions of value (i.e., involves judgment or evaluation):

• What ethical issues surround this topic?

• Are proposed policies or practices workable or unworkable?

Questions of policy (i.e., focused on specific courses of action):

• What should be done?

• Are old solutions working, or are new approaches needed?

Stasis theory is one of the strategies I recommend for writers attempting to define a research problem.

Evaluate the Idea

The previous two activities help you generate some possible topics for future projects, but it is also helpful to evaluate ideas before investing time in developing them. Gary Skolits and his colleagues (2011) suggest authors screen ideas for possible journal manuscripts by asking themselves three questions. That said, these questions can apply to any potential writing project.

• How interested am I in this particular topic? If you are only lukewarm about a topic, you will be less likely to invest the time and energy needed to see it through to a complete manuscript draft (e.g., my MIA blog post). On the other hand, if you are invested in the topic, you’ll also be more likely to be able to sell others on its relevance.

• What is the most appropriate research design (or publication medium) for examining this particular topic? Is it within my skill set? Determining you don’t have the skills to conduct the ideal research study doesn’t mean you have to abandon the topic. Perhaps, you simply need to enlist colleagues with those skills to be part of your research team. Or maybe, you need to spend time developing new skills to pursue the project. For example, if you have never written a grant, you might look for workshops or other professional development opportunities focused on grant writing.

• How marketable is the idea? How likely is it that it will lead to publication? In other words, you need to spend some time considering the significance of the potential contribution that you might make to research, practice, or policy should you choose to pursue publication. On a more practical level, the demands of building a solid publication portfolio for tenure and promotion may mean placing less marketable ideas on hold. Finally, considerations about the significance and audiences most likely to benefit from the work might shape decisions about the publication outlet and medium.

Even if your ultimate response after considering these questions is “no” or “not now,” hang on to any work you did to explore the topic. At some point in the future, the idea’s relevance and marketability, along with your own capabilities, may change your initial response to “Yes. Now.”

Reference

Skolits, G. J., Brockett, R. G., & Hiemstra, R. (2011). Publishing in peer-reviewed journals and nonrefereed journals. In T. S. Rocco & T. Hatcher (Eds.), The handbook of scholarly writing and publishing (pp. 13-25). Jossey-Bass.