Pick a topic that interests you, something that you really want to learn about. Get some ideas by:
- Looking through your textbook or other class readings for possible topics.
- Carefully reading your assignment.
- Talking to your instructor about the assignment.
- Using encyclopedias (both print and online) to get an overview of a topic, obtain definitions, discover how your idea fits into the larger picture, and get started on preliminary research.
- Looking at newspaper articles, magazines or journals to find topics you might want to research.
- Thinking about the two main types of research papers. Is your paper meant to inform or to persuade? To present one side or both sides of a controversial issue?
Be sure you know what your instructor wants: