English Research Paper Topics
A research paper involves the evaluation and discussion of primary and secondary sources on a topic. The topic that works best for your research paper depends largely on the criteria for the assignment. You should write about something that interests you, and it should be a subject that you can write enough about to meet any page requirements. There are two types of English research papers: argumentative and analytical.
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Argumentative
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In an argumentative paper, you take a stand on a particular topic in the introduction, then persuade your readers that your stance is correct. Since the major focus of an argumentative paper is persuasion, pick a topic that can be easily debated for this type of paper. For example, if you must write about a book covered in class, you could discuss why a character behaves the way he does. If the assignment is more open ended, you could pick a current events issue and argue for a particular side.
Analytical
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The analytical paper usually begins with a question, on which the writer doesn't take an immediate stance. In this type of paper, you openly explore the question rather than try to convince the reader toward one side or another. There are a few different avenues to take when writing analysis. You could discuss a popular interpretation of a poem or a segment from a novel or play. You also could provide your own interpretation and discuss why that could be an alternative.
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Considerations
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The most important consideration for writing a research paper is evidence. If you're writing about a particular novel, the book will be your primary source. In argumentative writing, you would take quotes from the novel that support your side and also to show how other stances fall short. In analytical writing, you would use quotes to answer the question you propose. If you've chosen something that is controversial for analytical writing, avoid making it a your side vs. their side type of paper; you should present your stance as an alternative to other interpretations.
Topic Examples
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A specific topic for an argumentative paper should be something that can be debated, so the topic must be something with at least two sides. For example, "In the play, 'Antigone,' Antigone buries her brother out of arrogance rather than because she loves her brother," is a clear stance with two clearly stated sides. Your paper would use quotes from the play and explain why these show that your stance is correct.
An analytical paper topic should leave room for exploration. For example, you could ask the question, "What is the role of fate in the play 'Oedipus Rex'?" In this paper, you would discuss how fate affects the outcome, and you would use quotes to show where fate influenced events in the play.
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