What is the criteria for selecting a research problem ? My question relates to Research Methodology.

In selecting your research problem (or question/topic),
consider an area of study that first, interests you so that you do not become bored with
the research process. It must be a topic you can grasp and understand about which others
have not exhausted all possible elements of research. Be sure to check the literature on
the subject to determine if there is still anything left to research on the topic. Scan
for resources as well, to insure that there are available sources of
information. 

Once you have taken these steps, consider the
topic's importance to society. Is there a need for research on the topic? If so, you
will probably need to narrow the topic to a manageable area of study. Be careful not to
leave the topic so broad that you cannot cover it nor so narrow that there is not enough
to research.

Write a specific question that will be your
over-arching research problem and a few sub-questions to guide your research. In your
questions, define the problem concisely in a way that others can
understand. 

Research methodology refers to research based
on a set of principles or rules. For example, you will need to decide on the process for
your research. Does your topic lend itself to a quantitative (a deductive process that
seeks generalizations leading to predictions) or qualitative (an inductive process that
seeks patterns and theories) process? Perhaps your research topic requires a mixture of
both.