You may ask yourself the following questions:
1. What made you decide to enroll in a Ph.D. program?
2. What are your areas of interest? Please list them.
3. Select one area where you feel passionate about seeking knowledge.
Once you have completed these steps, follow the standard research methodology and finalize the problem/hypothesis. You may find the following resources useful:
[research methodology reference1](http://www.slideshare.net/mssridhar/introduction-to-research-methodology-presentation)
[research methodology reference2](http://www.vit.ac.in/academicresearch/res701/RES701DUMP%5CReferences%5CResearch%20Methodology%2 0-%20Methods%20and%20Techniques%20%28C.R.Kothari,%20 2e,%202004%29%20-%20Book.pdf)