Generating a Topic

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How to Choose a Topic

Your ENG 104 teacher may have a theme for their course, or they may ask you to pick a topic from scratch. Either way, you will likely have some flexibility in what you research this semester. Picking a good topic that will sustain a college-level research project is difficult. This video talks you through some ideas for how to come up with a strong topic. Even this stage involves research!  

Ideas

Ideas come from lots of different places, but it’s important to choose an overall topic that you are interested in. You might start by thinking about what brings you to college. What is your major? What do you want to study? What career path are you thinking about? Hobbies can also be a starting ground for great topics. Try the exploring the webpage for your major.

  • Look for areas your professors are researching
  • Look for what might come up in classes in your major
  • Identify keywords that you might use in further searching

Put an academic spin on a hobby or interest. Think about an academic spin on that interest. For example, if you love skateboarding, you could research how skateparks benefit communities.

Initial Searching

After you have a few topic ideas, you can do some initial searching. This will help you narrow your topic and choose between multiple topics that interest you. Pay attention to how many search results you get as well as key words you see used by others as you search.

  • Experiment with Google Scholar
  • Do some general searching in Google, on Wikipedia, Google Images, etc
  • Look for keywords and narrow your topic
  • Experiment with the library’s general search tool, OneSearch/CardCat
  • Use the Library Databases to continue to focus your topic and find academic sources!

Tips

As you explore, jot down topics and words that catch your interest.  Some of these words will become keywords when you search the library databases. Depending on your search engine, you may even be able to click on a word to find more about that topic. If your instructor uses a theme, be sure to ask them about the topic you are considering and how it fits with the theme. Often the themes are broad, and you can find your own interests within them. For example, a superhero-themed class might allow a paper about firefighters as heroes in society not just official Marvel or DC characters.

Pitfalls

Avoid topics that are too current, unless the assignment calls for it. Try to connect topics in the news with more stable topics that have been researched over time. For example, you may not find academic research on the deaths of children from the immigrants who were detained in 2018, but you would likely find a lot of information on the effect of immigration policies on children. Also, avoid “hot button” issues like gun control or abortion that lead to a black and white paper. Instead, try to focus on a particular question about the issue, such as the psychological effects of abortion on women who decide to have one. Also, avoid anything you already have a strong opinion about–what’s the point of doing research if you already have your mind made up? Finally, avoid topics that have an easy yes/no answer. Asking if climate change exists is going to make for a short paper since the answer has already been proven to be yes. However, asking what is causing it, how to fix it, to what extent humans are responsible–these are all topics that lead to a more nuanced project.

Activities

Freewrite: Write for five minutes straight on anything that interests you. You can write about one thing the whole time or keep writing and make a list. Think about your interests. Think about something you have learned in another class that you liked. Just keep writing! Don’t edit as you go! Social Invention: Talk about your interests for 2 minutes with a classmate. Just keep talking about things you enjoy. That classmate will write down questions but not respond yet. Then, when your time is up, continue for another 2-3 minutes with that classmate asking questions and suggesting a direction for your ideas. Then switch!

Worksheet

  • You can use this worksheet for your own idea formation, or it might be something you complete in class, turn in for homework, or bring to a conference with your teacher. Click the right arrow after completing the form to download as a Word document.[h5p id=”4″]

Multimodal Minute

One reason for writing in multiple modes is to change your thinking process. This can help with brainstorming, too. Consider one of the following ways of finding or narrowing a topic that use your multimodal thinking skills:

  • Do a Google Image search for your topic. Follow the images to their source. Look for ideas and/or sources.
  • Make a web that shows how different topics might branch into more narrow, focused options.
  • Take a freewrite and color-code your ideas. Link common threads together and see if you can link them to make a solid topic!

Summary

Finding a great topic is a crucial first step. Who wants to research something boring for a long project or something they already know the answer to? Finding the right topic for you takes time and initial research. The next section will guide you from a general topic to a specific research question.

NEXT: Generating a Research Question