How do I choose a topic?

First, read your assignment to understand the requirements and/or limitations of your topic choices.

Then choose a topic that interests you:

• have you recently come across a video, news report, interview or photograph that made you angry, excited, upset, hopeful or stirred your curiosity? 
• do you have a strong opinion about a current social or political issue, an injustice, a new cultural or technological phenomenon?
• do you or a family member or a friend have a problem or a unique experience that you would like to dig deeper to understand?
• what perplexes, fascinates, worries or gives you hope about the future?
• what events or trends or characters from history are most unfamiliar to you?

• is there a topic from your textbook or class lecture that you want to further explore?

Is your topic....

• Debatable? (are there likely other points of views that exist?)

• Plausible? (there is likely valid evidence to support it)

• Consequential? (the outcome or conversation about this topic is worthwhile or significant)

Browsing for topic ideas

In the box below, you can find information about how to browse some databases. Looking through larger, general topics that these databases list out can often help you get ideas of what kind of information exists and perhaps help you to find something of interest to pick.

Concept Mapping is a great way to take an initial interest and think it through to a  more focused research topic.