Research Paper Topic Ideas

by R. J. Evans

If you’re looking for great research paper topic ideas, you were smart to go online. That is, you have just made your first step in getting research paper topic ideas from the most comprehensive and capacious of sources—the internet.

There are other ways to go about getting research paper topic ideas, starting with asking yourself a couple of questions and setting up a plan on how you will present the material and to whom your paper will be addressed. So let’s consider the preliminaries, first, eh?

WHAT COURSE/FIELD OF STUDIES IS THE PAPER FOR?

It is common for an instructor of professor of a large class (lecture-sized, for instance) to assign a very general topic as opposed to a specific topic. He or she would be reading 200 papers on the Gold Rush in California otherwise, and the field of studies is much more open to fresh approaches and new discoveries anyway! So first, consider the class you are assigned the paper in. Is it a history class? A sociology class? An education course? A psychology course? This, then, when you are looking for research paper topic ideas, should be your first consideration, for the course topic is the general topic, really. It is the subject matter or field which you will search for and in.

WHAT ARE YOU INTERESTED IN?

Now that you have started to narrow the topic already, think about what you take interest in that area. Was there something said in the lecture in class that sparked intrigue? Did you see a related news item or docudrama on TV that meets with the general topic? Can you apply what you are interested in to what the class covers? For instance, if you have a learning disability and are taking an education class, look into the learning with disabilities topics. If you, like one of my former students have no interest in the REQUIRED course, say, history (in my student’s case), how can you find interest in someone, some thing, some event that you could research as a history topic? My student did NOT want to write about California History, though he respected his professor and was a fine, attentive student in all his classes, mine, the history class, and others. So when it was time to write on anything having to do with California History, he wrote on the prostitutes that came to the men during the Gold Rush, a time when people were relying on their skills to survive.

You should definitely go for something that you care about. Otherwise, the paper-writing process—from looking for research paper topic ideas to revising for the tenth time—will be a miserable experience for you…and your audience of readers will be less than thrilled, as well.

WHAT FORMAT WOULD WORK BEST?

Think about the different kinds of papers there are and the different kinds maybe that you have written. There are process papers, chronological studies, theories, surveys, papers that offer discussion of X number of blanks (7 heroes of 9-1-1; 5 reasons for the terrorist attacks; 3 major contributions to medicine in the last decade; 12 new technologies…etc.), papers that study the cause and effect(s) of an event or a behavior, papers that are arguments—including both the pro and con sides, and many more.

So if the instructor has outlined what the paper format should be, great, if not, pick a format. Then, search for those particular terms when you are starting out, when you are seeking general or specific research paper topic ideas and examples. (Note: Keep in mind you might want to write in the format that you are best at, too. Some of us are great at arguments, others prefer a narrative approach, a survey over time.)

WHERE DO YOU LOOK?

Take ideas for paper topics from any source you can—the real world, the things your family is involved in or concerned about, the library, other students who went on before you to pursue a topic as a career…. IN fact, think in terms of the larger picture of your life. For, when you begin a career, you may have twenty papers you did throughout your schooling that will be part of your bank of knowledge. That is, every time you can write on anything related to computers and technology, for example, fit a study in there! Then, when you go to graduate school, you will have made a dent, will have already covered research as you went along, for a major in computer applications, databases, programming, or development, for example. The smart student doesn’t waste precious time with unrelated junk…unless absolutely mandatory (assigned by the teacher, etc.).

So here are a few lists that go with the above suggestions for finding research paper topic ideas. Good luck, and have fun with what works for YOU!

RESEARCH PAPER MODES/TYPES

Cause and Effect/Reasons

Chronological/Narrative

Argument

Definition

Problem/Solution

CLASS SUBJECT RESOURCES

Magazine and Journal Databases

Digital Dissertations

Newspapers and Newslists

Blogs—search for list of blogs, and you will get the topics for all the blogs

Card Catalogues, Encyclopedias, Archives