Picking a topic can be challenging. Sometimes your instructor will give you guidance with suggested topics relevant to the course. Other times, you will be completely left to do this on your own. In either case, it is important that you select something that is meaningful for you.
Being invested in the topic is crucial to a successful research paper. So, ask yourself: What am I interested in? What topics are currently important? It helps to brainstorm at this stage.
We don't usually come up with a perfect research topic on our first try. Be ready to change your topic a few times before settling on one. The key steps are:
Explore a broad topic to learn essential background information and context.
Identify the key vocabulary and search terms used by experts in that field.
Understand the current scholarly conversation to see what questions are already being asked.
Use this knowledge to successfully narrow your focus from a general idea into a specific, manageable research question.
If you are not finding enough information, your topic may be too narrow. Consider broadening it by:
Narrowing a topic requires you to be more specific about your research interest and can help you to develop a topic.
Questions to Help Narrow Your Topic