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I am a PhD student working in computational theory which includes some amount of mathematics. I am currently in the middle stage. I have read a few research papers and have been working on some problem. I wonder how new idea's come into mind? I spend most of my time thinking about research problems again re-reading the problem statement and many times I try to read related works. I have been able to come up with new ideas but not something which is something like whole research paper. I try to focus as much as possible but still not focus is not working. I am wondering how researchers come up with new idea.

Question: How to to come up with new ideas or approach for research as a PhD student?

Some advice I have got is read-read and write and repeat but does not work for me.

Wrzlprmft
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abaa
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    Read, assimilate then imagine... – Solar Mike May 20 '18 at 06:38
  • Sometimes real world problems are an inspiration for research problems. – Maarten Buis May 20 '18 at 07:03
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    @Pont: If I understand correctly, that question is about coming up with interesting and feasible problems, while this one is about coming up with ideas on how to solve a given problem. @ abaa: If I am correct, can you please [edit] your question to clarify this? – Wrzlprmft May 20 '18 at 08:56
  • Wait for the answer to find you. Usually at the most inconvenient time. – SH7890 May 20 '18 at 09:47
  • @abaa Why are you not referencing to failed experiments and non-working computercode as inspirational source for new ideas? Do you believe that this unscientific? – Manuel Rodriguez May 20 '18 at 10:48
  • You have an advisor, right? Ask them. They know you and how you think. We don't. 2) Even at a top mathematics department, a not inconsiderable fraction of graduate students find out that they're not so good at research in the sense that they can't come up with good ideas for the problems they work on; they end up doing something other than research after their PhD.
    • – Alexander Woo May 20 '18 at 14:11