Choosing a good research topic or question is a key step in making your paper or project a success! Your topic is the base for all the planning, searching, writing, and creating you’ll do to finish your project. Since picking and developing a topic can be one of the hardest parts, this guide will help you through the process.
In many assignments, your teacher may ask you to argue for or against an issue or support a theory. This means your topic should be something that people can discuss or have different opinions about.
You’ll also need to use evidence to back up your argument. Find facts, data, and other information to support your ideas. Your argument should be about something that can be studied, measured, or supported with research.
Your teacher probably didn’t ask you to write a whole book or create new research. Keep your topic manageable! Choose one that’s big enough to write about but focused enough to cover well in the space you have.
Example: “Climate Change” is too broad, but topics like “melting polar ice” or “extreme weather” are more specific.
This part is super important! You’ll likely spend a lot of time on your project, so pick a topic you find fun or exciting. When you’re interested, it’s easier to come up with creative ideas and enjoy the process, which can lead to even better research.
Not sure where to begin with a research idea or question? We recommend trying the following steps to get started.
These questions can help you focus your research and find key details to develop your topic further.
The rich combination of the Encyclopædia Britannica plus Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, magazines and periodicals, and many other research tools provides the variety of reliable sources that students need to consult when conducting thorough collegiate research.
Provides analysis of issues in the news, including health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology and the economy.
Contextual information and opinions on hundreds of today's hottest social issues. It features continuously updated viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazines, academic journals, news articles, primary source documents, statistics, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.
Points of View Reference Center is a full text database designed to provide students and schools with a series of controversial essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. Essays provide questions and materials for further thought and study and are accompanied by thousands of supporting articles from the world’s top political and societal publications.
Example: How does factory farming increase food production?
Example: Factory Farming
Research is a process, and your ideas may evolve as you explore new information.
Librarians can assist you in finding resources, and writing tutors at the Learning Center can help you refine your topic, create an outline, or brainstorm ideas. Visit the Learning Center Homepage for more support!
We a can help you learn how to use the library's online resources to get started with your research, locate books, or answer other general questions. Contact a librarian by
email: library@corning-cc.edu
phone: 607-962-9251
or schedule an appointment.