How to Come up With an Idea for an Undergraduate Thesis

Some undergraduate college programs require students to write a thesis in their major before they graduate. Are you one of these students and don't know where to start? It can be challenging to choose a topic for your thesis because you need to choose a topic broad enough to write a large paper on, and small enough that you can examine all the aspects of your chosen topic. Following these steps should help you choose a topic for your undergraduate thesis.

Instructions

1. Brainstorm. Think about your areas of interest within your major field of study. For instance, if your major is psychology, your areas of interest might include mental illness and memory.

2. Break it down further. Break your areas of interest down into a few categories. For instance, if your interests are memory and mental illness, break these areas down into specific topics that interest you, such as eating disorders, how we store memories, and depression. Think about what topics interest you the most and write them down.

3. Choose one of the topics (e.g., eating disorders).

4. Break your chosen topic into smaller topics you might be able to use for your thesis. For instance, you could break the topic of eating disorders into the personality and behavioral characteristics related to eating disorders or nature versus nurture with regards to eating disorders.

5. Research each possible topic. Conduct searches with your school's library's academic database online in order to see if there are enough sources for you to write a thesis on the topic. Make sure you have at least the number of sources required for your thesis, if not more. If there are enough sources for more than one topic you research, choose the topic that most interests you.

6. Consult your thesis advisor. After you have chosen a topic for your thesis, be sure to talk with your thesis advisor about it to ensure he or she thinks it is an appropriate topic.

Tips & Warnings

• Get an early start.

• Choose a topic that interests you. Writing your thesis on something that interests you will be easier than writing on something that doesn't interest you.

• Make sure you have enough sources for your chosen topic before you begin writing.

• Before you begin writing, talk to your thesis advisor about your topic to ensure it is appropriate.