Sometimes, finding a topic for a research paper can be Go for a walk to get your brain going.
ing. Read background information on your favorites.
the most challenging part of the whole process. When
you're looking out at a field brimming with
possibilities, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Lucky for
you, we here at wikiHow have come up with a list of
ways to pick that topic that will take you from the
more vague brainstorming all the way to your specific,
perfectly focused research question and thesis.
Review your course materials.
Your textbook, syllabus, and class notes can help
you find a topic. If you're writing your paper for a
class, skim through your course materials to see what
sparks your interest. Major academic journals in your
field of study might also give you ideas for a topic.[1]
• If your textbook has discussion questions at
the end of each chapter, these can be great to
comb through for potential research paper
topic ideas.
• Look at any recommended reading your
instructor has suggested—you might find ideas
there as well.
Search hot issues in your field of study.
Run an internet search or talk to your
instructor. Scholars in a field of study always know
what issues are really hot in the field at any given
time. If you want to write something more cutting
edge, focus on these newly emerging issues.[2]
• Think about current events that touch on your
field of study as well. For example, if you're
writing a research paper for a sociology class,
you might want to write something related to
race in America or the Black Lives Matter
movement.
• Other instructors in the same department or
field might also have ideas for you. Don't be
afraid to stop in during their office hours and
talk or send them an email, even if you've never
had them for a class.
Being active can stimulate your mind to focus on
topic ideas. If you've been churning through
materials and just can't come up with something that
really strikes you, taking a break will help. And
research shows walking will boost your creative
thinking by as much as 60%![3]
• If you want to walk with a friend and discuss
topic ideas as you walk, that can help too.
Sometimes, you'll come up with new things
when you can bounce your ideas off someone
else.
Ask your family or friends for input.
Bounce ideas off of people you know to get their
thoughts. Talking to other people is a great way to
work through your general ideas and figure out more
specifically what you might want to write your paper
on. Pay particular attention to any questions they
ask—those can be great at generating research topics.
• People who aren't really familiar with the
general subject you're researching can be
helpful too! Because they aren't making many
assumptions, they might bring up something
you'd overlooked or not thought about before.
Free-write on topic ideas to find your passion.
Set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes and write without
stopping. Don't worry about editing or creating
something polished—no one has to see this but you.
Do this for each of your topic ideas. When the timer
goes off, assess how you feel. Did you want to keep
writing, or did you have to force yourself to keep
going? How much about the topic do you already
know? What are you curious about?
• Having a personal interest in the topic will keep
you from getting bored. You'll do better
research—and write a better paper—if you're
excited about the topic itself.
Search online for background articles about topics
you like. You might have several topics you're
thinking about—getting some background can help!
Make sure the topic fits in with your assignment for
your paper and that there are still unanswered
questions out there. Generally, you don't want to write
about something that's already been researched
extensively.
• Ideally, based on your background
research, you'll be able to choose one of the
topics that interests you the most. If you
still can't narrow it down, keep reading!
• Even though you wouldn't want to use them
as sources for your actual paper, sources
like Wikipedia can be excellent for getting
background information about a topic.
Identify important words to use as keywords.
Jot down words related to your topic to search for
sources. For some topics, you'll include proper
nouns, such as the name of a specific person you're
researching. If your topic is more conceptual, on the
other hand, include synonyms as well as the specific
terminology you plan to use in your paper.[4]
• For example, if you've chosen environmental
regulations as a topic, you might also include
keywords such as "conservation," "pollution,"
and "nature."
Do preliminary research using your keywords.
Search online or on library databases and review
your results. Use your keywords to find out how
much research has already been done on the topic
you're thinking about. This preliminary research can
also give you some sources for your paper.[5]
• Your results might also suggest other keywords
you can search to find more sources. Searching
for specific terminology used in articles you find
often leads to other articles.
 • Check the bibliography of any papers you find
to pick up some other sources you might be
able to use.
Limit a broad topic.
Narrow your topic to a specific time period,
geographic area, or population. If you're getting
hundreds of results on your topic, try another search
with something more specific. You might need to
narrow your topic in more than one way to find
something narrow enough that you can do it justice in
your research paper.[6]
• For example, suppose you decided to look at
race relations in the US during the Trump
administration. If you got too many results, you
might narrow your results to a single US city or
state.
• Keep in mind how long your research paper will
ultimately be. For example, if there's an entire
book written on a topic you want to write a 20-
page research paper on, it's probably too broad.
Expand a topic that's too narrow.
Broaden your scope if you're not getting enough
results from your keywords. Sometimes, you'll type
in your keywords and only get a handful of results—
or worse, nothing at all! If you were doing an original
study, this would be great. But you can't write a
research paper without sources, so if you're not
getting a lot of hits, you'll have to cast a broader net.[7]
• For example, suppose you wanted to research
the impact of a particular environmental law on
your hometown, but when you did a search,
you didn't get any quality results. You might
expand your search to encompass the entire
state or region, rather than just your
hometown.
Do more in-depth research to fine-tune your topic.
Run another search based on the information
you've gained. Really, you can do this at the same
time that you're limiting or expanding your topic. At
this stage, your research is more about experimenting
and staying flexible so you can find the best angle of
approach that will yield results you can use.[8]
• For example, you might do an initial search and
get hundreds of results back and decide your
topic is too broad. Then, when you limit it, you
get next to nothing and figure out you've
narrowed it too much, so you have to broaden
it a little bit again.
• Stay flexible and keep going until you've found
that happy medium that you think will work for
your paper.
Formulate the question you'll answer in your
paper.
Use the 5 W's (who, what, when, where, and why)
to write your question. You don't have to
answer all of these questions, but they can help you
narrow your focus. Ultimately, this research question
will be the driving force behind your research and your
entire paper.[9]
• For example, your research question might be
something like "How did environmental
regulations affect the living conditions of people
living near paper mills?" This question covers
"who" (people living near paper mills), "what"
(living conditions), "where" (near paper mills),
and "why" (environmental regulations).
Build a list of potential sources.
Write down citation information as you work. Even
sources that you find in your preliminary research
might end up being something you use in your final
paper. Writing down the citation information also
ensures that you can find the source again if you want
to refer back to it.
• At this point, your list is still a "working" list.
You won't necessarily use all the sources you
find in your actual paper.
• Building a working list of sources is also helpful
if you want to use a source and can't
immediately get access to it. If you have to get
it through your professor or request it from
another library, you have time to do so.
Develop your thesis.
Your thesis is the answer to your research
question. Once you've got a little bit of research under
your belt, you should be able to decide how you want
to answer your research question. Then, you'll do
additional research to prove or disprove your
thesis.[10]
• For example, suppose your research question
is "How did environmental regulations affect
the living conditions of people living near paper
mills?" Your thesis might be something like:
"Environmental regulations improved living
conditions for people living around paper
mills."
• As another example, suppose your research
question is "Why did hate crimes spike in the
US from 2017 to 2020?" Your thesis might be:
"A permissive attitude towards racial
supremacy caused a spike in hate crimes in the
US from 2017 to 2020."
• Keep in mind, you don't have to prove that your
thesis is correct. Proving that your thesis was
wrong can make for an even more compelling
research paper, especially if your thesis follows
conventional wisdom.
Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Topic-for-
Your-Research-Paper