I am an enthusiastic but ever-so-slightly naive PhD student and have been 'following my nose' a lot recently, seeing whether topics that I have studied can be generalised or translated in various ways into unfamiliar settings; exploring where the theory breaks down etc.


When doing this, I have found it very difficult to assess whether it is going to 'work' in the more general sense of whether it could lead to a viable project for a PhD thesis or perhaps a short research paper. I guess it becomes easier to get a feel for these things as one gains experience and a better sense of perspective. Of course, one added complication over the past year has been that due to various lockdowns it been difficult to get to know other mathematicians and run ideas past them in the natural way that would have occurred in previous years.


Suppose that a wise and experienced pure mathematician wishes to generalise a particular theory or shed some light on an open problem and will devote, say, at least 6 months to it. What reasonable steps should be taken to maximise the likelihood of this being a fruitful endeavour? My main concern personally would be (is?) a previously unforeseen obstacle rearing its ugly head only after a significant amount of time and energy has been invested that brings the whole thing crashing down. How can this scenario be avoided when exploring something brand new?


EDIT: Although I have referred to my own circumstances above, my question relates primarily to the more general issue.



How do pure mathematicians assess whether their research ambitions can be realistically achieved?
Over decades, and across multiple research fields, I've noticed a way to predict I'm on track to make progress. **I discover something interesting, only to learn it is already known**.


As a student, this was incredibly discouraging, and in fact I stopped some lines of research for this very reason. But by now I'm used to it: I start looking at a new area, and have an insight. Arg, it turns out people knew it 10 years ago. I read some more, think some more, and have a new insight. Careful searching reveals a paper with that result from three years ago. Too bad—but that paper is fascinating, and I can deeply appreciate it and feel kinship with the author. Thinking about it leads to another insight, which I start writing up. Oof, then I see a preprint from a month ago which says the same thing.


What I've learned over time is that this pattern of rediscovery, particularly if the dates of things I've been rediscovering get more and more recent, is a reliable sign I'm on a good path, and that I'm building my intuition in an area other people care about.


So keep following your nose, check back with the literature regularly, and take any rediscoveries as a green light, not a red light.


