http://www.ifs.tuwien.ac.at/~silvia/research-tips/researchers_bible-1999.pdf
The Researchers’ Bible
2. Choosing a Research Project
Your research project must fulfil the following criteria:
1. You must be enthusiastic about it.
2. Solving the problems it entails must be worthy of a Ph.D.
3. It must be within sight of the state of the art, i.e. it must be ‘doable'
in three years.
4. There must be someone in the department willing to supervise it.
It will also help if you choose an area which utilizes your already proven abilities .
Projects to avoid, because they lead to bad research, are programs which do a task without addressing any important issues and programs which are not based on previous work.
3. Standard Pitfalls for Postgraduate Students
3.1 Solving the World
Most students pick research goals which are far too ambitious.
3.2 Manna from Heaven
It is no good sitting in your room with a blank piece of paper and a pencil, expecting good ideas to come from above. What you can do is:
a) search
b) read
d) talk: Do not go away and hide. Do not be ashamed of your ideas. Other people's are sillier.
e) do: Tackle a simplified version of your problem
f) write: Write down your ideas in a working paper. Imagine yourself explaining your ideas to someone. You will be amazed at how halfbaked ideas take shape and bugs are exposed.
g) speech: Give a seminar to your research group. Same effect as f.
3.3 Computer Bum
3.4 Yet Another Language
Another saying to express "reinvent the wheel"
3.8 Ambition Paralysis
It is good to have high standards for your finished product but do not apply the same standards to your initial attempts, or you may never get started. Do something simple, then apply your standards to refine it into something worthy.
3.11 Sidetracks
Beware of the sidetrack - it can consume months of fruitless distraction. On the other hand, these sidetracks sometimes become the basis for significant new directions in your work.
3.12 The Development Trap
Remember that research is not development, ...not r&D