A further potential problem may be one of your own making: to promise to deliver research outcomes to your employer and to do so.

One of the more traditional techniques that we all use is to keep a notebook of ideas.

Stating an overarching research question is not essential requirement for research.

An idea offering new insights is far more likely than a completely new research idea.

Measurable personal research objective: are the targets you have set for yourself achievable given all the possible constraints?

An evaluative question might ask ‘To what extent was the marketing campaign effective and why?’.

Searching existing literature is a rational thinking to generate research idea.

The overarching research question will influence your access you need to negotiate.

Looking at past project titles is a creative thinking to generate research idea.

Specificity as one criterion to devise useful research objectives means: what am I going to do?.