How to Find a Topic for a Research Paper

Choose a research topic that interests you.

Choosing a topic for a research paper should incorporate a teacher's guideline stipulations and stay in context of course subject matter. Keep topics relevant to study material while taking an outside-the-box approach to the paper. Consider selecting a research topic that integrates current events, up-to-date medical studies or how a subject affects local students or residents. Cornell University Library suggests posing a question to stimulate topic ideas for research papers, make the topic relevant and determine main concepts.

Instructions

1. Pick a research topic that interests you. According to the University at Buffalo, State University of New York (SUNY), and University of California, Santa Cruz, students should choose topics they are curious about. Interesting topics keep students motivated to use their top efforts while writing.

2. Adjust the scope of the topic. Narrow down broad topics to one or two main concepts, or broaden topics that are too focused to allow adequate research material.

3. Perform preliminary research. Make sure there are enough credible resources available to provide informative, accurate writing material. Consider how long the research paper must turn out to determine how many sources you need overall.

4. Make a list of words that fit your topic. The University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests this method helps students find related topics and study material to write about.

5. Look up topic meanings and synonyms in a dictionary or thesaurus. Cornell University recommends examining these topics and related words in a specialized encyclopedia that fits your topic genre.

6. Create a main statement about the topic and determine main concepts for outlining the rest of the paper. Keep all subtopics related to the main statement.

7. Confirm the topic selection with the course teacher or professor. Make sure he approves the topic before attempting to complete the assignment.

References

• Cornell University: Seven Research Steps
• University at Buffalo: The Self-Chosen Research Topic
• University of California, Santa Cruz: Choose a Research Topic
• Cornell University: Suggestions for Finding a Topic