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113 Great Research Paper Topics

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General Education

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One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

  • Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
  • Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
  • How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
  • How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
  • How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
  • How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

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Current Events

  • What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
  • How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
  • How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
  • Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
  • What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
  • What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
  • How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
  • How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
  • How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
  • What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
  • What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
  • What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
  • Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
  • Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
  • Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
  • Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
  • Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
  • Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
  • How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
  • What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
  • Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
  • What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
  • How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
  • What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
  • Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
  • Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
  • Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
  • How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
  • Should graduate students be able to form unions?

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  • What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
  • How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
  • Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
  • Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
  • How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
  • How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
  • Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
  • Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
  • Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
  • Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
  • Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
  • Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
  • Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
  • Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
  • Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
  • What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
  • How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
  • How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
  • What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
  • What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
  • Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
  • What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
  • What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
  • Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
  • Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
  • How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
  • Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
  • What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
  • How does stress affect the body?
  • Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
  • What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
  • Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
  • How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
  • What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
  • What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
  • Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
  • What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
  • What were the causes of the Civil War?
  • How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
  • Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
  • What caused Hitler's rise to power?
  • Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
  • What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
  • How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
  • What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

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  • Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
  • Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
  • How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
  • How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
  • What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
  • What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
  • How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

  • How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
  • How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
  • Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
  • Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
  • How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
  • How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
  • What are the pros and cons of fracking?
  • What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
  • What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
  • How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
  • Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
  • Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
  • What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
  • What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
  • How are black holes created?
  • Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
  • How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
  • Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
  • How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
  • Has social media made people more or less connected?
  • What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
  • Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
  • What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
  • How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
  • When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
  • Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

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How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

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These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Top 300+ Ideas For Research Paper Topics in 2024

Updated 28 Aug 2024

research paper topics

Some say the most difficult part of writing a text – is to start. But topic selection even precedes this starting point. This activity takes off a lot of time, and sometimes, imagination just doesn’t work in your favor. That’s where our list of best research paper topics will be useful.

Our  research paper writing service collected the most unhacked and powerful ideas to turn the average piece of writing into a research paper. Discover  what is a research paper and how to choose suitable and interesting research topics with our help. 

Writing a research topic on your own requires either producing one from scratch (based on your interests and goals and, potentially, on some brainstorming) or getting inspiration from a number of sources, like preassembled topic lists, course material, teachers, real-life, news headlines, published research in the respective field, etc.

What are the 3 Types of Research Questions?

Before formulating your research questions ideas, note that there are 3 important types of research questions:

Descriptive – these employ careful and comprehensive observation of a phenomenon/ event, subject, trait, etc. in order to characterize it in detail and to reveal important/ interesting/ undescribed aspects or patterns potentially.

Causal – these investigate whether altering some variables leads to changes in other variables, suggesting a causal relationship.

Comparative – these look into similarities and differences between two or more entities.

What is a Good Research Paper Topic?

Good research paper topics are characterized by several features that make them suitable for engaging and successful research papers. Features that tend to characterize good research questions are as follows:

specific and concrete – investigation goals and (expected results) have to be clear and focused

original – investigating aspects/ entities/ relationships that have not been researched before

highly important /impactful for the community/ society/ a professional field.

highly relevant for potential readers/ reviewers

trending – emerging disciplines/ topics spark more interest due to their novelty and yet unexplored potential

Choosing an appropriate topic influences various components of the research process, including the research question and methodology, ultimately affecting the quality and relevance of the findings.

College Research Paper Topics

  • The bias in the selection of the college internships and scholarships
  • The problems of reverse discrimination in post-college employment
  • Should multicultural education concepts be implemented at a greater depth?
  • The drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses
  • Does social media help students to find appropriate information and learn?
  • The psychological disorders and the support groups in modern colleges
  • Should people with ADHD and Autism be separated from the other students?
  • The art of college political campaigns
  • Pros and cons of religious colleges
  • Should college athletes be paid and provided with additional advantages?
  • The Influence of Social Media on College Students' Academic Performance and Well-being
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms in Higher Education
  • The Role of College Education in Fostering Entrepreneurial Skills
  • The Impact of Student Loan Debt on Career Choices Among Graduates
  • Analyzing the Shift in College Admissions Criteria in the Post-COVID Era

Health Research Paper Topics

  • The challenges of deafness and communication difficulties among special needs students
  • The concept of global health security
  • The ways to decrease household air pollution
  • How the information about infectious diseases is distributed online
  • Should people be allowed to know more about climate change issues?
  • The privacy factor and the personal health issues
  • The role of fitness ads in exercising practices
  • The healthy food standards are not always unbiased
  • The role of social media in the medical care system
  • The psychological aspect in the perception of allergies
  • The Long-term Effects of COVID-19 on Respiratory Health
  • Mental Health Outcomes of Prolonged Social Media Use Among Adolescents
  • The Efficacy of Plant-based Diets in Preventing Chronic Diseases
  • The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Accessibility to Healthcare
  • Analyzing the Impact of Sleep Quality on Daily Cognitive Functioning

Research Paper Topics on Medicine

  • Is life-sustaining therapy needed when it’s futile?
  • The role of placebo treatment
  • How to avoid animal testing?
  • Pros and contras of medical marijuana
  • Is being a vegetarian useful for child’s health?
  • How obesity affects our health?
  • Vaccines for kids: their usefulness or damage
  • Should prescription drugs be advertised directly to consumers?
  • Do doctors turn their patients into drug addicts?
  • Advancements in Gene Editing: Ethical Implications and Future Prospects
  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine
  • Personalized Medicine: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Genetic Profiles
  • The Impact of Microbiome Diversity on Human Health
  • Stem Cell Therapy: Current Applications and Ethical Considerations
  • The Challenges and Successes of Vaccine Development in the 21st Century

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Education Research Paper Topics

  • How can standardized tests improve education?
  • Does college graduates make more money?
  • Should education be cheaper?
  • How will modern technologies change the way of teaching in the future?
  • The creation of particular learning methods for blind children
  • Social networking and school
  • Metal detectors at schools
  • The effects of contemporary teaching methods
  • The role of technology in lesson planning
  • How to manage bullies and take actions against bullying at education institutions?
  • The Effects of Bilingual Education on Cognitive Development in Children
  • Evaluating the Long-term Impact of Early Childhood Education Programs
  • The Role of Technology in Enhancing Special Education
  • Standardized Testing: Measuring Intelligence or Memorization?
  • The Influence of Teacher-Student Relationships on Academic Achievement
Read also: 150+ Best Sociology Research Topics

Environmental Research Paper Topics

  • How to reduce global warming?
  • How to stop wasting paper and save trees?
  • Can overpopulation be managed?
  • Should more films about environmental issues be produced?
  • Human impacts on forests
  • Underground effects of earthquakes
  • How to elaborate the optimal adaptation of buildings threatened by hurricanes?
  • Is it possible to predict hurricane impacts?
  • Is nuclear power safe for humans?
  • How dangerous is GMO food?
  • Assessing the Impact of Urban Sprawl on Local Ecosystems
  • The Effectiveness of Plastic Ban Policies on Ocean Health
  • Carbon Capture Technology: Viability and Potential in Mitigating Climate Change
  • The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation
  • Analyzing the Environmental Consequences of Fast Fashion

Research Topics on Entertainment and Sport

  • Are social networks good for our society?
  • Do violent video games make kids angry and cruel?
  • Is it necessary to forbid using animals for entertainment?
  • Do beauty contests set the non-achievable beauty standards?
  • Are newspapers going to be replaced by online sources of information?
  • How gaming consoles influence the youth?
  • Should women be allowed to compete against men?
  • What television programs should be banned?
  • How tv shows impose fake moral standards?
  • Can the use of social media, such as Facebook, lower teens’ self-esteem?
  • The Psychological Impact of Competitive Sports on Young Athletes
  • The Influence of Celebrity Endorsements on Consumer Behavior
  • E-Sports: The Rise of Competitive Gaming and Its Recognition as a Legitimate Sport
  • The Role of Sports in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding
  • The Economic Impact of Major Sporting Events on Host Cities

Research Paper Topics on Media and Communication

  • Should the media programming of ads aimed at children be made illegal?
  • The role of mediation in the media
  • Should bloggers be considered as journalists?
  • The ethical side of modern news reports
  • The freedom of speech online
  • The copyright law restrictions and the vague concepts
  • The importance of psychology and communicative skills in journalism
  • The role of gender in interpersonal communication
  • The modern standards of nonverbal communication
  • The negative influence of Instagram and body image distortion
  • The Evolution of News Consumption: Impact of Social Media on Traditional Media
  • The Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion During Political Campaigns
  • The Ethics of Surveillance and Privacy in Digital Communication
  • The Effects of Smartphone Usage on Face-to-Face Communication Skills
  • Virtual Reality: The Future of Immersive Journalism

Research Paper Topics on Politics

  • Should the drinking age be lowered?
  • Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?
  • More gun control laws should be enacted
  • How can the international community prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons?
  • How can ethnic killings be stopped?
  • Current prospect for peace between Israel and the Palestinians
  • What world would be like without wars?
  • How to avoid workforce reduction?
  • Should the death penalty be allowed?
  • Is socialism possible?
  • The Influence of Social Media on Political Mobilization and Public Protests
  • Campaign Finance Reform: The Effects on Political Representation and Elections
  • The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Shaping Global Policy
  • The Impact of Populism on Traditional Political Party Systems
  • Cybersecurity in Elections: Protecting the Integrity of Democracy

Psychology Research Paper Topics

  • Is autism a disease or a development idiosyncrasy?
  • How to forecast and shape behavioral patterns?
  • How to manage child violence?
  • How to deal with a mental breakdown?
  • The impact of classical music on the work of the brain
  • How insomnia affects our health?
  • How bad dreams influence our mood?
  • Is stress really harmful?
  • How depression impacts the immune system?
  • Intellectually gifted people: how is it possible?
  • The Psychological Effects of Social Isolation in the Digital Age
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Mindfulness: Comparative Outcomes in Treating Anxiety
  • The Role of Resilience in Recovery from Trauma
  • The Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Personality Development
  • Neuroplasticity: How Learning and Experience Shape Brain Function

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Science & Technology Research Paper Ideas

  • How is light being used to treat cancer and other diseases?
  • What is the current evidence that Mars has had water and maybe life?
  • Can nanomedicine potentially extend the human lifespan?
  • What is the future of computing and artificial intelligence?
  • The role cryogenics may play in future
  • Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
  • Is it beneficial for wild animals to have interactions with people?
  • What evidence do we have that CMB is the result of the big bang?
  • How will self-driving cars change the way people live?
  • Can using system like bitcoin help protect identity theft?
  • The Potential of CRISPR and Gene Therapy in Curing Genetic Diseases
  • Nanotechnology in Medicine: The Next Frontier for Drug Delivery Systems
  • The Role of Quantum Computing in the Future of Cybersecurity
  • The Ethical Implications of Humanoid Robots in Society
  • Renewable Energy Technologies: Assessing the Efficiency and Sustainability of Solar Power Solutions

Research Topics Ideas on Culture

  • A new comprehension of past events
  • The origin of racial discrimination
  • The roots of antisemitism
  • The impact of advertisements and commercials on modern art
  • The most remarkable cultural achievements of the 20th century and their influence on our society
  • Cultural revolutions throughout history
  • How pop culture trends influence youth?
  • Should pregnant celebrities be exposed on magazine’s covers?
  • Why was Greek cultural influence so important for the ancient Mediterranean world?
  • Why was the Victorian period a time of cultural change?
  • Cultural Impact on Climate Change Response: A Comparative Study
  • The Preservation of Folklore and Oral Traditions in the Digital Age
  • Cross-Cultural Communication: Overcoming Language and Ethical Barriers
  • The Influence of Globalization on Indigenous Cultures
  • Cultural Diplomacy and Its Role in International Relations

Research Paper Topics on Math

  • The influence of algorithms
  • Is it possible to build a winning monopoly strategy?
  • Why is 'x' the unknown?
  • How math changed the world?
  • What's the solution to the McDonald's math problem?
  • How do math geniuses understand extremely hard math concepts so quickly?
  • Should high school math contests be banned?
  • What is the relationship between music and math?
  • Are math formulas ever used in real life?
  • What are some of the most confusing math problems ever?
  • The Role of Mathematics in Cryptography and Cybersecurity
  • Mathematical Models in Predicting Pandemic Outcomes: A Case Study of COVID-19
  • The Application of Game Theory in Economic and Social Decision Making
  • Chaos Theory and Its Implications in Weather Forecasting and Climate Science
  • The Impact of Big Data on the Evolution of Statistical Methods and Theories

Research Paper Topics on Business

  • How do dirty business tactics work?
  • Can business be started without money?
  • Notorious business leaders
  • Entrepreneurship and family business
  • Ethical decision making in everyday work situations
  • What are the most effective strategies for promoting a small business?
  • Is it worth it to expand the business into a new region or country?
  • How to build a successful startup
  • The role of international business and sustainable development
  • The impact of climate change on international business strategies
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: Measuring the Impact on Business Performance
  • The Gig Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for the Modern Workforce
  • Innovative Business Models in the Age of Sustainable Development
  • The Influence of Organizational Culture on Employee Productivity and Satisfaction
  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies

Research Paper Topics For Middle School

  • Is going vegan the healthiest choice for you?
  • Is the greenhouse effect artificial or natural?
  • The causes, effects, and consequences of earthquakes
  • How much computer games can one play without getting addicted
  • Princess Diana and her dynasty
  • Why is competition so critical for humans?
  • How did poetry evolve?
  • Methods used by ancient sailors to navigate the globe
  • Gender roles in children’s books and cartoons
  • Who is the greatest general who has lived on the planet?
  • The Science Behind Video Games: How Gaming Affects Reflexes and Learning
  • The History and Cultural Significance of a Popular Holiday
  • The Impact of Recycling Programs in Schools
  • Animal Habitats: How Urban Development Affects Local Wildlife
  • The Role of Social Media in Modern Communication Among Teens

High School Research Paper Ideas

  • The ways to address drug addiction cases in high school
  • The physical vs digital communications
  • The body image and the K-Pop culture
  • The importance of school volunteering and social work
  • The changes to the academic process due to Covid-19
  • The legacy of the Trail of Tears
  • The role of motivation in becoming a better student
  • The role of books in print and the libraries
  • The ways to improve school safety
  • The role of parental involvement in school work
  • Exploring the Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Self-Esteem
  • The Physics of Sports: Analyzing the Science Behind Athletic Performance
  • Climate Change and Its Effects on Local Ecosystems
  • The Evolution of Language in the Digital Age
  • The Rise of Cryptocurrency: Economic Education and the Future of Money

History Research Paper Topics

  • What were the impacts of World War II on the rights of women?
  • What factors initiated the WWII
  • Is liberalism the most optimal solution?
  • What were the consequences of women suffrage movements
  • What was the impact of Martin Luther King’s protest against the Catholic church
  • What is the most effective military strategy of all time
  • How has Asian art influenced contemporary art
  • How have different monetary systems affected the development of humanity
  • What is the correlation between the Roman and Greek culture?
  • Aztec empire and its architecture
  • The Role of Women in World War II and Its Impact on Gender Roles
  • The Influence of the Silk Road on the Cultural Exchange between East and West
  • The Effects of the Cold War on Space Exploration Competition
  • The Historical Accuracy of Popular Historical Films: A Case Study
  • The Impact of the Printing Press on the Renaissance and European Society

Art Research Paper Ideas

  • The reasons why digital museums must be present and made available
  • The peculiarities of the Flemish artists
  • Should Japanese anime be considered as a separate art form?
  • The role of Photoshop and similar digital solutions in the perception of modern art
  • The history of photography and the artistic expression forms
  • The challenges of the modern artists during social distancing times
  • The Middle Eastern perception of color and the light
  • Ancient Rome's role in the creation of the sculptures
  • Should the artists be allowed to represent their works in public parks?
  • The importance of art education in middle schools
  • The Evolution of Street Art and Its Acceptance into Mainstream Art Culture
  • The Influence of Digital Media on Traditional Painting Techniques
  • The Role of Patronage in the Development of Renaissance Art
  • The Psychological Impact of Color in Abstract Art
  • Cultural Representation and Diversity in Modern Art Museums

Literature Research Paper Topics

  • The American dream literature
  • How does harry potter reflects the ideal of the time
  • Can you show a new aspect of prose based on the independent investigation
  • The prose of women suffrage movements
  • The dawn of literature on modern society
  • Why do authors use metaphors and similes
  • Evaluate and discuss the allegory of 2 random novels
  • What factors are helpful in allowing you to identify the genre of a novel you are reading
  • Is fanfiction considered an independent literature
  • Romance and sex in Renaissance
  • Fiction as an instrument of propaganda
  • The Representation of Gender Roles in Victorian Literature
  • Postcolonial Voices: How Literature Has Shaped National Identity
  • The Journey Motif in Classic American Road Novels
  • Dystopian Visions: What Modern Dystopian Literature Tells Us About Today's Society

Law Research Paper Topics

  • How is the Islamic law perceived around the globe
  • Is ECOLEX a pathway to environmental law
  • Why is it critical to learn the GATT documents?
  • What does the European patent office do?
  • Mass communication law
  • Impact of women’s authority in different countries on the planet
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the international criminal law court tools
  • Detailed analysis and report of the comparative criminal procedure
  • Exciting outtakes from the inter-American human rights library
  • Does the US copyright office really help writers defend their businesses?
  • The Impact of International Law on Human Rights Practices in Developing Countries
  • Cyber Law: The Challenges of Regulating Online Behavior and Privacy
  • Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Age: Balancing Innovation and Protection
  • The Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in Juvenile Justice Systems
  • Comparative Analysis of Gun Control Legislation and Its Impact on Violent Crime Rates

Religion Research Paper Topics

  • The Role of Religion in Modern Secular Societies
  • Interfaith Dialogue: Benefits and Challenges in a Pluralistic Society
  • The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Ethical Decision-Making in Business
  • Religion and Politics: An Analysis of Their Intersections in Contemporary World Affairs
  • The Impact of Religious Education on Tolerance and Cultural Understanding
  • The Evolution of Religious Practices and Their Adaptation in the Digital Age
  • The Psychological Effects of Religious Rituals and Traditions
  • Comparative Study of Creation Myths Across Different Cultures
  • The Role of Women in Organized Religions: A Historical Perspective
  • Secularization: The Decline of Religious Influence in Western Societies
  • Religious Extremism: Understanding the Causes and Seeking Solutions
  • The Impact of Pilgrimage on Religious and Spiritual Life
  • Religious Symbols in Public Spaces: Freedom of Expression or a Call for Regulation?
  • The Relationship Between Religion and Morality in Contemporary Ethical Debates
  • The Effects of Globalization on Indigenous Religions and Spiritual Practices

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

  • Should education be made free for everyone?
  • The influencers and bloggers cannot be considered as a job
  • The role of military service is the way towards maturity
  • Should Internet access be limited during college lectures?
  • The death penalty service is not an ethical solution
  • Fashion industry creates a bad influence on young people
  • The Fairplay concept should be rewarded financially
  • Should tobacco be made illegal indoors?
  • Religious differences often become the cause of wars
  • The majority of mobile applications represent the invasion of privacy
  • Universal Basic Income: Economic Savior or Road to Dependency?
  • Mandatory Vaccinations: Public Health Requirement or Personal Choice Infringement?
  • The Death Penalty: A Necessary Deterrent or a Violation of Human Rights?
  • Climate Change Policies: Economic Hindrance or Long-term Investment?
  • Animal Testing in Medical Research: Ethical Consideration or Scientific Necessity?

These are the 200+ topics on various subjects, which you might find useful when creating your own. In case you need help aside from creating topics, you can also order the original research on Politics, Media & Communication, to do my Math homework , Law, and even Nursing papers for sale on nursing essay writing service Edubirdie.

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How to Choose a Good Research Paper Topic?

While it may seem challenging to come up with a good research paper topic as you try your best to narrow things down, the trick is to choose something that influences you because you know it well and can support your arguments with relevant evidence. When you write a research paper, the subject should be well-structured and relevant to your thesis statement. Always take time to research the list of sources to compose your topic sentences as well to make them relate to your thesis part. It’s always best to check a good research paper introduction example before you start working on the paper and choosing your topic, or contact our essay writing service for help. Conducting preliminary research is essential at this stage to gauge the availability of information and the feasibility of potential topics. Here are the steps to consider:

Start With Observing Your Interests.

If you are confused with a variety of interesting topics for writing a creative essay, it’s better to decide what interests you the most. Don’t stick to easy research paper topics just to complete the task fast. If you are allowed to freely choose what to write an essay about, use the opportunity to create something unique. Write down the list of your interests and break down every idea into small certain topics. When you have a list in front of your eyes, it will be easier to make up your mind and start considering a particular issue.

Then you should examine what aspect of the topic is preferable for you to outline in your research paper. A list will save you here again. Use pros/cons template to include all the arguments and objections to the issues.

Come Up With an Argumentative Research Question.

The most challenging part of choosing a competitive research paper topic is finding an aspect that poses some importance for your course and the subject per se. While it may seem that it is sufficient to make a general statement, your argumentation should include a clear research question. Consider asking yourself why you have chosen a particular topic and how your research will make it clearer or provide innovative solutions.

Study Available Research Topic Ideas.

Since we have already mentioned the dangers of choosing something too broad, it is vital to narrow things down and brainstorm the list of possible research paper ideas that deal with the same subject. In other words, you can write down at least five different subjects and see whether you can find sufficient information to support them with the sources or statistical data. Remember the importance of your topic’s wording!

Compose Strong Thesis Statement.

It must be done at the same time as you choose your research paper topic because these two concepts must be interconnected. Engaging with the writing process, including refining the topic, conducting thorough research, and developing a strong thesis statement, directly influences the overall effectiveness and enjoyment of crafting academic work. Make sure that you have the list of sources prepared in advance to incorporate relevant information in your body paragraphs. As always, they must be the supporting evidence for your thesis statement’s idea and the research purpose.

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Written by David Kidwell

David is one of those experienced content creators from the United Kingdom who has a high interest in social issues, culture, and entrepreneurship. He always says that reading, blogging, and staying aware of what happens in the world is what makes a person responsible. He likes to learn and share what he knows by making things inspiring and creative enough even for those students who dislike reading.

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beginner research paper topics

1000+ FREE Research Topics & Title Ideas

beginner research paper topics

Select your area of interest to view a collection of potential research topics and ideas.

Or grab the full list 📋 (for free)

Research topic idea mega list

PS – You can also check out our free topic ideation webinar for more ideas

How To Find A Research Topic

If you’re struggling to get started, this step-by-step video tutorial will help you find the perfect research topic.

Research Topic FAQs

What (exactly) is a research topic.

A research topic is the subject of a research project or study – for example, a dissertation or thesis. A research topic typically takes the form of a problem to be solved, or a question to be answered.

A good research topic should be specific enough to allow for focused research and analysis. For example, if you are interested in studying the effects of climate change on agriculture, your research topic could focus on how rising temperatures have impacted crop yields in certain regions over time.

To learn more about the basics of developing a research topic, consider our free research topic ideation webinar.

What constitutes a good research topic?

A strong research topic comprises three important qualities : originality, value and feasibility.

  • Originality – a good topic explores an original area or takes a novel angle on an existing area of study.
  • Value – a strong research topic provides value and makes a contribution, either academically or practically.
  • Feasibility – a good research topic needs to be practical and manageable, given the resource constraints you face.

To learn more about what makes for a high-quality research topic, check out this post .

What's the difference between a research topic and research problem?

A research topic and a research problem are two distinct concepts that are often confused. A research topic is a broader label that indicates the focus of the study , while a research problem is an issue or gap in knowledge within the broader field that needs to be addressed.

To illustrate this distinction, consider a student who has chosen “teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom” as their research topic. This research topic could encompass any number of issues related to teenage pregnancy such as causes, prevention strategies, health outcomes for mothers and babies, etc.

Within this broad category (the research topic) lies potential areas of inquiry that can be explored further – these become the research problems . For example:

  • What factors contribute to higher rates of teenage pregnancy in certain communities?
  • How do different types of parenting styles affect teen pregnancy rates?
  • What interventions have been successful in reducing teenage pregnancies?

Simply put, a key difference between a research topic and a research problem is scope ; the research topic provides an umbrella under which multiple questions can be asked, while the research problem focuses on one specific question or set of questions within that larger context.

How can I find potential research topics for my project?

There are many steps involved in the process of finding and choosing a high-quality research topic for a dissertation or thesis. We cover these steps in detail in this video (also accessible below).

How can I find quality sources for my research topic?

Finding quality sources is an essential step in the topic ideation process. To do this, you should start by researching scholarly journals, books, and other academic publications related to your topic. These sources can provide reliable information on a wide range of topics. Additionally, they may contain data or statistics that can help support your argument or conclusions.

Identifying Relevant Sources

When searching for relevant sources, it’s important to look beyond just published material; try using online databases such as Google Scholar or JSTOR to find articles from reputable journals that have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

You can also use search engines like Google or Bing to locate websites with useful information about your topic. However, be sure to evaluate any website before citing it as a source—look for evidence of authorship (such as an “About Us” page) and make sure the content is up-to-date and accurate before relying on it.

Evaluating Sources

Once you’ve identified potential sources for your research project, take some time to evaluate them thoroughly before deciding which ones will best serve your purpose. Consider factors such as author credibility (are they an expert in their field?), publication date (is the source current?), objectivity (does the author present both sides of an issue?) and relevance (how closely does this source relate to my specific topic?).

By researching the current literature on your topic, you can identify potential sources that will help to provide quality information. Once you’ve identified these sources, it’s time to look for a gap in the research and determine what new knowledge could be gained from further study.

How can I find a good research gap?

Finding a strong gap in the literature is an essential step when looking for potential research topics. We explain what research gaps are and how to find them in this post.

How should I evaluate potential research topics/ideas?

When evaluating potential research topics, it is important to consider the factors that make for a strong topic (we discussed these earlier). Specifically:

  • Originality
  • Feasibility

So, when you have a list of potential topics or ideas, assess each of them in terms of these three criteria. A good topic should take a unique angle, provide value (either to academia or practitioners), and be practical enough for you to pull off, given your limited resources.

Finally, you should also assess whether this project could lead to potential career opportunities such as internships or job offers down the line. Make sure that you are researching something that is relevant enough so that it can benefit your professional development in some way. Additionally, consider how each research topic aligns with your career goals and interests; researching something that you are passionate about can help keep motivation high throughout the process.

How can I assess the feasibility of a research topic?

When evaluating the feasibility and practicality of a research topic, it is important to consider several factors.

First, you should assess whether or not the research topic is within your area of competence. Of course, when you start out, you are not expected to be the world’s leading expert, but do should at least have some foundational knowledge.

Time commitment

When considering a research topic, you should think about how much time will be required for completion. Depending on your field of study, some topics may require more time than others due to their complexity or scope.

Additionally, if you plan on collaborating with other researchers or institutions in order to complete your project, additional considerations must be taken into account such as coordinating schedules and ensuring that all parties involved have adequate resources available.

Resources needed

It’s also critically important to consider what type of resources are necessary in order to conduct the research successfully. This includes physical materials such as lab equipment and chemicals but can also include intangible items like access to certain databases or software programs which may be necessary depending on the nature of your work. Additionally, if there are costs associated with obtaining these materials then this must also be factored into your evaluation process.

Potential risks

It’s important to consider the inherent potential risks for each potential research topic. These can include ethical risks (challenges getting ethical approval), data risks (not being able to access the data you’ll need), technical risks relating to the equipment you’ll use and funding risks (not securing the necessary financial back to undertake the research).

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200 Easy Research Paper Topics for College Students in 2021

200 Easy Research Paper Topics for College Students in 2021

Writing research papers is a must-do step in any educational process at college. In many cases, professors allow students to be creative with choosing a topic to complete this type of academic assignment. This privilege usually sounds great at first glance. However, thousands of learners might feel overwhelmed with a wide choice of interesting research topics they can find online. 

The truth is that you can easily get lost in countless research paper topics available on different websites. Moreover, exploring and narrowing down the solutions for your essay might appear too challenging. The reason is that many research topics for college available online are outdated or contain too broad concepts for the research. To make your investigation process easier, we’ve collected a list of 200 new and innovative topics for composing an impressive research essay, presentation, or report. No worries if you have little writing experience or creativity - this guide will help you choose a fresh solution for your assignments in no time. 

How to Choose Research Study Ideas for College Students

If the professor gives you complete freedom to pick up a topic, we have good news for you. Now, you can select a field or niche according to your individual preferences and background knowledge! There is no need to compose a boring paper that will make you yawn during the entire writing process. However, make sure you follow some basic rules of choosing good research paper topics below.

Stick to Your Favorite Topic 

Are you fond of cars? Feel free to research the benefits and drawbacks of electric automobiles. Can’t imagine your life without sports? Explore the dope issue in professional sports. The key to developing a successful paper is to write about the topic that makes you feel excited. If you write about something you show zero interest in, the process will likely slow down and become more challenging. Therefore, always try to find something inspiring.

Choose Understandable Solutions 

Many students are interested in modern technologies or space exploration. However, writing on these topics requires having advanced knowledge in the corresponding areas. Still, few learners can boast of having a deep understanding of artificial intelligence, computer programming, or space technologies. That is why it is better to look for easier and more comprehensive topics to write about. As a result, you will reduce the amount of time for research and cope with the college task faster. 

Make Sure You Will Find Enough Information 

When choosing ideas for a research paper, you need to make sure there are at least several reliable sources you can use for researching. The fact is that if you pick a truly out-of-the-box solution, you might fail to find enough relevant information about it. The same rule works for outdated topics. In case you select a played-out idea, you will hardly find new and up-to-date sources to support your idea. Here is a little hint for you: if you are looking for the relevant information for a chosen idea but fail to find anything suitable, it is better to change your topic. 

Look for Clear and Understandable Concepts and Issues 

When searching for the best research paper topics, don’t forget to think about your audience. What does it mean? The fact is that it is necessary to pick up a solution that is completely understandable for both you and the readers. In other words, avoid sticking to extremely difficult or complex topics that might make your audience feel confused. In case you use some specific terms in your paper that might be unfamiliar to the common reader, it is better to explain them briefly. 

Try to Be Specific 

Picking up too broad topics for research papers is one of the most common mistakes of hundreds of students. To avoid this issue, it is better to stay away from too general solutions that can be described from dozens of sides. Otherwise, you might go down in tons of diverse data and arguments you can use for your paper. Being precise and choosing only the most powerful facts are among the features of any successful student.

Look For Something Unique 

Picking up topics for a research paper some of your classmates are also writing about is never the best choice. It is better to select an idea you will be able to describe from an unusual perspective. If you prefer to cover simple and comprehensive topics, it will be great to try an innovative approach to describing facts. However, don’t experiment with the paper’s structure and focus on providing exclusive and original arguments only. The best research academic papers are intriguing and inspiring. 

Be In Trend 

There is nothing new that trendy topics attract more attention from the audience. The reason is that they have a huge unexplored potential and amazing research opportunities. If you pick up an emerging topic, you will likely get higher grades for your academic assignment. 

Simple Research Topics: Education 

If you are still wondering which idea is the best one for composing your research paper, it might be good to write about education . The truth is that this topic is one of the easiest to write about. Moreover, you will effortlessly find countless relevant sources to support your ideas related to education. Feel free to grab one of these handy solutions you can put into practice when writing your academic paper.

  • Are Standardized Tests Good to Evaluate the Student’s Knowledge? 
  • How to Make Education More Accessible for Students With Disabilities?
  • Should Tuition Become Free at All Colleges in the United States?
  • How Can Schools and Colleges Support International Students?
  • Becoming a Student and a Successful Businessman: Is It Possible? 
  • The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Education Sector
  • The Benefits of Social Networking at College and University 
  • The Innovations in the Education System of the United States 
  • Is It Possible to Start Building a Career During Studies?
  • How Can Schools Stop Violence Among Students? 
  • Should American Learners Have a “Gap Year”?
  • The Analysis of the Finnish Education System 
  • Homeschooling vs. Learning in the Classroom
  • British vs. American Education Systems
  • The Teaching Technologies of the Future 
  • Should College Students Have a Part-Time Job?
  • Is There Any Discrimination at High Schools?
  • Should Schools Have Sexual Education Lessons?
  • Most Common Issues of Bilingual Education
  • Why Do Students Need to Learn Religion at School? 
  • How to Stop Cheating on Exams
  • Student Loans: Pros and Cons
  • The Pros and Cons of Same-Sex Classrooms
  • The Development of Women’s Right to Education
  • Montessori Method: Advantages and Drawbacks 
  • Effective Ways to Improve the Quality of Teaching
  • How Can the Issue of “Useless Classes” Be Solved?
  • Should Colleges Become Business-Driven?
  • How to Improve Modern Elementary Education?
  • Should School Children Wear Uniforms?
  • How to Stop Hazing at High Schools? 

Unique Research Topics on Health

To put it short, these solutions remain topical among young learners for years. If you would like to select a comprehensive and brilliant solution for your research paper, choosing topics related to health might help you finish your essay fast. What to research? Here is a list of ideas you can start writing about right now. 

  • The Impact of Drugs on the Human Body
  • How to Stop Consuming Too Much Junk Food?
  • How Much Fruit and Vegetables Should a Common Student Consume per Day?
  • The Correlation Between Mood and the Health of the Immune System 
  • Is It Possible to Stop the COVID-19 Spread in All Countries?
  • Why Do Many Girls Suffer From Anorexia During Their Studies?
  • The Mental Issues of the Most Well-Known Criminals 
  • The Impact of Classical Music on Overall Well-Being
  • Main Reasons for Facing Serious Allergies
  • The Importance of Regular Health Screenings 
  • Ways to Prevent Serious Mental Diseases
  • Kids’ Vaccination: Advantages and Risks
  • Birth Control Issues in Developed Countries
  • The Impact of Breastfeeding on the Kids’ Health
  • The Impact of Insomnia on the Quality of Life
  • Most Effective Ways to Control Obesity
  • Top Reasons to Consume More Fats Regularly
  • Artificial Vitamins: Should Everyone Consume Them?
  • The Role of Nutrition for Maintaining Brain Health 
  • How to Decrease Stress Levels of Teenagers
  • The Pros and Cons of Reconstructive Surgery
  • Acupuncture: The Hidden Health Benefits 
  • The Most Important Aspects of Neonatal Nutrition 
  • Impact of Emotional Stability on Human Health 
  • Uncommon Solutions to Improve Short-Term Memory
  • Should Elementary Schools Have Homework?
  • The Psychology of Gifted People
  • Top Issues of Cardiovascular Care
  • How to Keep Your Brain Healthy
  • The Impact of Sports on Human Health 
  • The Future of Natural Medicine 
  • New Strategies for Coma Recovery
  • Basic Rules of Sun Safety 
  • The Dangers of Low-Fat Diets
  • The Future of Antibiotics Therapies
  • Pros and Cons of Dietary Supplements 
  • Non-Medical Cancer Treatments 
  • Most Effective Ways to Make Your Brain Work Harder 
  • Religion and Health
  • Benefits of Swimming
  • Eating Disorders 

Easy Research Paper Topics: Environment 

If you would like to follow the path of Greta Thunberg, it might be good to start your way with composing papers related to environment protection and ecology. Explore the main issues in this field and come up with an impressive research paper in a matter of a couple of hours. 

  • The Main Dangers of Air Pollution
  • Greenhouse Effect: Myths vs. Reality
  • Ways to Stop Marine Pollution
  • Advantages and Drawbacks of Using Pesticides in Agriculture
  • GMO Products vs. Organic Food
  • The Importance of “Green Programs” in Developing Countries
  • The Problem of Radioactive Waste Disposal
  • Should Environmental Regulations Become Stricter?
  • Is the Problem of Global Warming Exaggerated?
  • The Problem of Water Deficit in Developing Countries
  •  Ways to Protect Endangered Wildlife 
  • How Can an Individual Help Save an Environment?
  • Why Should Children Learn About Global Warming?
  • The Advantages of Solar Technologies
  • The Main Dangers of Producing Too Much Plastic
  • How to Start Using Eco-Friendly Products?
  • The Changes in the Climate of Earth in the 21st Century
  • The Analysis of the Deforestation Levels in South America
  • How to Improve Access to Clean Water in All Countries Globally? 
  • Is It Possible to Manage Overpopulation?
  • The Prospects of Nuclear Energy

Interesting Topics to Research: Technology and Media 

Modern technologies are developing at a breakneck speed. The new solutions, apps, and approaches revolutionize different industries and elevate the quality of lives of millions of people. If you choose a nice solution about innovation and computing for your essay, you will definitely have a chance to attract the attention of the audience. Top research papers topics ideas are right here below! 

  • The Possible Ways to Develop Artificial Intelligence Systems
  • How Will Smartphones Change in the Near Future?
  • The Benefits of Cloud Solutions in Storing Data
  • Top Areas to Use Drone Technologies
  • Ecommerce Solutions vs. Local Retailers
  • Online Currencies and Their Impact on the Global Financial System
  • How to Avoid the Dangers of the Dark Web?
  • Will Self-Driving Cars Become Common in the Future?
  • Privacy Issues Online
  • The Future of Blogging
  • Online vs. Offline Communication
  • Will People Colonize Mars?
  • Nanomedicine: Myths and Realities
  • Online Payments and Paper Money 
  • Breaking the Sound Barrier 
  • Is Social Media a New Technology?
  • Technologies That Might Impact Human Behavior
  • Safest Ways to Store Information in the 21st Century 
  • How Do Modern Technologies Allow People to Work From Home?
  • The Impact of Modern Technologies on Globalization
  • The Perspectives of Online Gaming
  • The Impact of Advertisements on Kids and Teens
  • Newest Technologies Used in Surgery
  • Internet Addiction and the Ways to Prevent It 
  • Censorship Control

Top Solutions Related to Business and Economy 

Many students are looking for research papers topics for college-related to the economy, e-commerce, and business. If you are one of them, explore this ultimate list of the newest ideas related to these popular spheres.

  • Most Effective Ways to Improve the Economy of the Developed Countries
  • How to Start Your Business in E-Commerce
  • Modern Ways to Manage Inflation
  • How to Fight Poverty and Hunger 
  • The Role of Taxes in the Modern Economy
  • How Did Industrialization Change the World?
  • International Tourism During the Pandemic Times
  • Industries That Were Impacted by the COVID-19 Crisis
  • The Correlation Between Culture and Economic Growth
  • How Can Immigration Impact the Country’s Economy?
  • The Global Pandemic and Employment Rates
  • Role of a Leader in Modern Business
  • Choosing the Best Work Environment 
  • The Impact of Corporate Culture on the Employment Rate
  • How to Set Up Effective Business Links?
  • The Most Common Issue of Taxation of Small Businesses
  • The Advantages of a Four-Day Workweek
  • How to Stop Discrimination at the Workplace?
  • Drawbacks of Using Unethical Business Practices
  • Social Media Ads to Promote Small Businesses 
  • How to Improve the Effectiveness of a Human Resource Department? 
  • Why Do Companies Attract International Investors?
  • Most Effective Types of Business Models
  • How to Become More Competitive in a Chosen Market?
  • Government Regulations and Business
  • Basic Reasons to Increase the Minimum Wage in the United States
  • Most Promising Business Ideas for the Near Future

Hot Topics for Research Paper: Family and Communication

Family is an essential part of our lives. How to set up healthy family relationships? What is the role of parents in raising children? Feel free to use any of these ideas for your research paper.  By the way, good research topics related to communication are also collected in this paragraph. 

  • Marital Rape and Its Impact on the Personality
  • Impact of Divorce on Kids and Teens
  • How to Stop Abusive Relationships?
  • How to Make Your Children Happier?
  • Effective Ways to Solve Conflicts in Families
  • How to Improve Communication Between Siblings?
  • Role of Grandparents in Raising Children 
  • Lack of Communication Between Family Members
  • Why Do Children Kill Abusive Parents?
  • The Impact of Parents’ Depression on Their Children
  • Happy Childhood and Leadership 
  • Advantages of Having a Big Family
  • Drugs and Alcoholism in Modern Families
  • Impact of Home Life on Child Development 
  • Do All Children Need to Respect Their Parents?
  • The Criticism of Freud’s Theories
  • Important Parental Rights
  • Gender Roles in the Family
  • Basic Family Values
  • Domestic Abuse 

Easy and Interesting Research Paper Topics

Many students face difficulties when choosing an idea for composing an academic paper. If you are not good at writing on education, health, business, or family relationships, it might be great to search for something more exciting. Here is a list of diverse topics you might find good-looking. 

  • The Role of International Health Organizations in Modern Society 
  • Corporate and Business Laws: Most Common Issues
  • Why Do Many People Watch TV Shows and Series?
  • Future of Chinese Economy
  • The Future of Video Streaming Services
  • Women’s Rights in the Modern World
  • How to Support Global Peacekeeping 
  • Gender Stereotypes in Advertising
  • Classical Hollywood Cinema 
  • Landmark Court Decisions
  • Possible Ways to Use 3d Printers
  • Portrayals of Superheroes in Movies
  • Cannabis Legalization: Pros and Cons
  • Should Companies Stop Animal Testing?
  • Criminalizing Protests
  • Socialism vs. Capitalism
  • How Has Feminism Changed Over the Years?
  • Origins of Racial Discrimination 
  • Should Modern People Read More?
  • Top Effective Promotion Solutions for Startups
  • Crowdfunding & Outsourcing
  • Policies That Are Related to Transgenders 
  • Role of Cultural Revolutions
  • How to Decrease Crime Rates in Big Cities?
  • What Are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Fracking?
  • Freedom of Religion: Basic Issues
  • Body Cameras for Police Officers: Pros and Cons
  • Should Penalties for Drunk Driving Become Stricter?
  • Abstinence Program: Do They Truly Work?
  • The Importance of Writing Research Papers at Colleges
  • Effective Techniques to Erase Bad Memories 
  • Ways to Solve the Immigration Crisis
  • Stereotypes in Modern Culture
  • Gun Safety and Control Policies

Top Tips to Writing a Winning Research Paper 

Picking up an excellent topic is only about 20% of the job you need to do to compose a flawless research paper. What’s next? Are there any prompts that might help you finish your assignment in no time? Sure! Our experts are ready to share some secrets on composing fantastic essays within the shortest terms. 

Double-Check the Professor’s Instructions 

The secret truth is that there are many types of research papers you might face during your studies. Consequently, these papers might have different requirements and writing rules you need to follow. How to find out how to compose your essay? The easiest way to discover all details is to read the instructions shared by the professor. Although it is a must step all students need to do before they start writing, many learners often forget about this easy rule. By the way, what information can you find in the college writing instructions? As a rule, you will find these types of data:

  • deadlines for completing assignments;
  • formatting styles;
  • the tone of voice you need to use;
  • assignment goals;
  • length specifications;
  • list of topics;
  • key features for your writing;
  • submission method;
  • most common mistakes you need to avoid. 

It is recommended to read the instructions at least a couple of times to make sure you understand all the requirements and specifications of your research paper. Avoid starting to write your essay before you’ve learned its basic rules. 

Be Realistic 

Many students are very confident about their research and writing skills. Therefore, thousands of learners still believe they can effortlessly develop a top-notch research paper in just a couple of hours. However, even professional writers can’t compose a superior 3000-word essay in just an hour. 

Therefore, it is vital to be realistic when setting up your individual deadlines and creating writing schedules to cope with your academic assignments. Even if you choose current research topics that are incredibly easy to write about, you will still need to do advanced research, choose trustworthy sources, and pick up the most impressive arguments for your paper. All these tasks might take you plenty of time. 

It is also not recommended to write research papers at the last moment. First, you might fail to meet the deadline. Second, you might easily come up with poor quality writing because of being unattentive. Third, you will hardly have enough time to proofread and edit your essay. Fourth, when in a hurry, you might copy and paste data from different sources into your paper. This will inevitably lead to extremely high plagiarism levels. All these issues might lead to receiving low grades for your academic assignment. 

Follow the Rules 

There are many writing rules you will need to follow. However, the basic one is to choose a traditional structure of an academic paper. In other words, your research paper will need to have an introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. Avoid being creative when choosing the structure of your paper - it is the worst place for showing off your innovation. If you would like to stand out from the crowd of other learners, it is better to select an out-of-the-box topic for your assignment. 

Proofread and Edit Your Paper

 Many students are so tired of doing the research and writing that they often forget to proofread their papers. However, this is an important step in completing any type of academic assignment. If you proofread your essay, you can easily detect dozens of inconsistencies, mistakes, and typos. Moreover, you can also find some repetitive phrases, sentences, or facts in your paper. All these issues can drastically worsen your quality of writing. Even if you are sure your writing is 100% excellent, make sure to proofread it before passing it to the professor. 

Check Originality 

Plagiarism is a true nightmare of any diligent student. How to avoid this serious issue when composing your academic paper? First, make sure to share the results of your analysis uniquely and uncommonly. Second, use citations carefully. Third, check your essay for plagiarism online! You can find dozens of plagiarism detecting tools and utilities designed for students on many websites. Feel free to use a couple of solutions to make sure your essay is fresh and original. If you suddenly find out your paper has a high plagiarism level, make sure to make significant modifications and be more original. After that, double-check your essay once again. 

The Best Way to Get a Perfect Research Paper 

There are plenty of important research topics you can use in your academic writing. But what if you’ve chosen a great idea but fail to compose a unique and flawless paper? Is there any solution if you don’t have enough time to meet the professor's deadline? Sure!

Thousands of students fail to deliver college or university assignments on time. The reasons for this issue might significantly vary. Some learners are not skilled writers, while others might not have a deep understanding of the chosen field. Moreover, many students are trying to build careers or dedicate all their free time to sports. Anyway, failure to meet deadlines might worsen the student’s academic performance and other problems related to studies. The good news is that you can avoid facing all these issues!

Our professional writers are always ready to help you complete any type of research paper within the shortest terms. You don’t need to provide any reasons for asking for writing help - we understand the students’ pain and can provide you with pro assistance anytime. Just place an order on our website, choose the deadline, and forget about all your learning issues. You will get a perfectly written academic paper right when you need it. We have thousands of happy customers and impressive guarantees, so you can always trust our service. We value each customer and always deliver superior papers to each of our clients.

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500 Good Research Paper Topics

Bonus Material: Essential essay checklist

Writing a research paper for a class and not sure how to start?

One of the most important steps to creating a great paper is finding a good topic! 

Here’s a hand-drafted list from a Princeton grad who has helped professors at Harvard and Yale edit their papers for publication and taught college writing at the University of Notre Dame and .

What’s more, we give you some foolproof formulas for creating your own paper topic to fit the requirements of your class.

Using these simple formulas, we’ve helped hundreds of students turn a B- paper topic into an A+ paper topic.

Keep reading for our list of 500 vetted research paper topics and our magic formulas for creating your own topic!

Of course, if you want help learning to write research papers tailored to your individual needs, check out our one-on-one writing coaching or academic writing workshop . Set up a free consultation to see how we can help you learn to write A+ papers!

Jump to paper topics in:

European & Mediterranean History

African history, asian history, history of the pre-columbian americas.

  • Latin American History

History of Science

Politics & public policy, education & education policy, political theory, science policy.

  • Health Sciences & Psychology

Download the essential essay checklist

What is a research paper?

In order to write a good research paper, it’s important to know what it is! 

In general, we can divide academic writing into three broad categories:

  • Analytical: analyze the tools an author uses to make their point
  • Research: delve deeply into a research topic and share your findings
  • Persuasive : argue a specific and nuanced position backed by evidence

What’s the difference between an analytical paper and a research paper? For an analytical paper, it’s okay to just use one or two sources (a book, poem, work of art, piece of music, etc.) and examine them in detail. For a research paper, however, the expectation is that you do, well . . . research .

student writing research paper

The depth of research that you’re expected to do will depend on your age and the type of class you’re taking.

In elementary or middle school, a “research paper” might mean finding information from a few general books or encyclopedias in your school library. 

In high school, your teachers might expect you to start using information from academic articles and more specific books. You might use encyclopedias and general works as a starting point, but you’ll be expected to go beyond them and do more work to synthesize information from different perspectives or different types of sources. You may also be expected to do “primary research,” where you study the source material yourself, instead of synthesizing what other people have written about the source material.

In college, you’ll be required to use academic journals and scholarly books, and your professors will now expect that you be more critical of these secondary sources, noticing the methodology and perspectives of whatever articles and books you’re using. 

In more advanced college courses, you’ll be expected to do more exhaustive surveys of the existing literature on a topic. You’ll need to conduct primary research that makes an original contribution to the field—the kind that could be published in a journal article itself.

For a walkthrough of the 12 essential steps to writing a good paper, check out our step-by-step guide .

student writing research paper

Working on a research paper? Grab our free checklist to make sure your essay has everything it needs to earn an A grade.

Get the essential essay checklist

What makes a good research paper topic?

One of the most important features of a research paper topic is that it has a clear, narrow focus. 

For example, your teacher may assign you to write a research paper related to the US Revolutionary War. Does that mean that your topic should be “the US Revolutionary War”? 

Definitely not! There’s no way to craft a good paper with in-depth research with such a broad topic. (Unless you’re in elementary or middle school, in which case it’s okay to have a more general topic for your research paper.)

Instead, you need to find a more specific topic within this broader one. There are endless ways that you can make this narrower! Some ideas generated from this one broader topic might be:

  • Causes of the US Revolutionary War
  • Changes in military strategy during the Revolutionary War
  • The experiences of Loyalists to England who remained in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War
  • How the Revolutionary War was pivotal for the career of Alexander Hamilton
  • The role of alliances with France during the US Revolutionary War
  • The experiences of people of color during the Revolutionary War
  • How George Washington’s previous military career paved the way for his leadership in the Revolutionary War
  • The main types of weaponry during the Revolutionary War
  • Changes in clothing and fashion over the courses of the Revolutionary War
  • How Valley Forge was a key moment in the Revolutionary War
  • How women contributed to the Revolutionary War
  • What happened in Amherst, Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War
  • Field medicine during the Revolutionary War
  • How the Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War
  • How different opinions about the Revolutionary War were reflected in poetry written during that time
  • Debates over abolition during the Revolutionary War
  • The importance of supply chains during the Revolutionary War
  • Reactions to the US Revolutionary war in Europe
  • How the US Revolutionary war impacted political theory in England and France
  • Similarities and differences between the US Revolutionary War and the French Revolution
  • Famous paintings inspired by the US Revolutionary War
  • Different ways that the US Revolutionary War has been depicted in modern contemporary culture
  • The appropriation of the “Boston Tea Party” by US politicians in the 2010s

This list could go on forever!

good research paper topics about the US Revolution

In fact, any of these topics could become even more specific. For example, check out the evolution of this topic:

  • Economic causes of the Revolutionary war
  • The way that tax policies helped lead to the Revolutionary War
  • How tax laws enacted 1763–1775 helped lead to the Revolutionary War
  • How the tax-free status of the British East India Company helped lead to the Revolutionary War
  • How the 1773 tax-free status of the British East India Company helped lead to the Revolutionary War, as reflected in letters written 1767–1775
  • How the 1773 tax-free status of the British East India Company helped lead to the Revolutionary War, as reflected in letters written by members of the Sons of Liberty 1767–1775

As you advance in your educational career, you’ll need to make your topic more and more specific. Steps 1–3 of this topic might be okay in high school, but for a college research paper steps 4–7 would be more appropriate!

As you craft your research paper topic, you should also keep in mind the availability of research materials on your subject. There are millions of topics that would make interesting research papers, but for which you yourself might not be able to investigate with the primary and secondary sources to which you have access.

Access to research materials might look like:

  • To the best of our knowledge, the sources exist somewhere
  • The source isn’t behind a paywall (or you or your school can pay for it)
  • Your school or local library has a copy of the source
  • Your school or local library can order a copy of the source for you
  • The source is in a language that you speak
  • The source has been published already (there’s tons of amazing research that hasn’t been published yet, a frustrating problem!)
  • You can access the archive, museum, or database where the primary source is held—this might mean online access or travel! To access a source in an archive or museum you’ll often need permission, which often requires a letter of support from your school.

If you’re not sure about access to source materials, talk to a librarian! They’re professionals for this question.

Finally, pick a research topic that interests you! Given that there are unlimited research topics in the world and many ways to adapt a broad topic, there should absolutely be a way to modify a research topic to fit your interests.

student writing research paper

Want help learning to write an amazing research paper? Work one-on-one with an experienced Ivy-League tutor to improve your writing skills or sign up for our bestselling academic writing workshop .

Insider tips to generate your own research paper topic

Use these formulas to generate your own research paper topics:

  • How did X change over a period of time (year, decade, century)?
  • What is the impact (or consequences) of X?
  • What led to X?
  • What is the role of X in Y?
  • How did X influence Y?
  • How did X become Y?
  • How was X different from Y?
  • How is X an example of Y?
  • How did X affect Y?
  • What were some reactions to X?
  • What are the most effective policies to produce X result?
  • What are some risks of X?
  • How is our current understanding of X incorrect? (advanced)
  • What happens if we look at X through the lens of Y theory or perspective? (advanced)

A good research paper topic often starts with the question words—why, how, what, who, and where. Remember to make it as specific as possible!

student writing research paper

Good research paper topics

These research paper topics have been vetted by a Princeton grad and academic book editor!

  • How did European rivalries (British vs French) impact North American history?
  • What was the role of British and French alliances with indigneous tribes during the Seven Years’ War?
  • Reactions to the 1754 Albany Congress among North American intellectual figures
  • How the Albany Plan served as a model for future attempts at union among the North American colonies
  • How did different religious identities (Calvinist, Catholic, etc.) play a role in the aftermath of the Seven Years’ War?
  • What were the consequences of the 1763 Treaty of Paris?
  • How did the Seven Years’ War impact British debt and colonial economics?
  • What were some causes of the US Revolutionary War?
  • How did military strategy change during the Revolutionary War?
  • What were the experiences of Loyalists to England who remained in the American colonies during the Revolutionary War?
  • How was the Revolutionary War pivotal for the career of Alexander Hamilton?
  • What was the role of alliances with France during the US Revolutionary War?
  • What were the experiences of people of color during the Revolutionary War?
  • How did George Washington’s previous military career pave the way for his leadership in the Revolutionary War?
  • What were the main types of weaponry during the Revolutionary War? How did that affect the options for military strategies?
  • How did clothing and fashion change over the courses of the Revolutionary War?
  • How was Valley Forge a key moment in the Revolutionary War?
  • How did women contribute to the Revolutionary War?
  • What happened in Amherst, Massachusetts (or any other specific location) during the Revolutionary War?
  • What was field medicine like during the Revolutionary War? 
  • How was the Battle of Saratoga a turning point in the Revolutionary War?
  • How were different opinions about the Revolutionary War reflected in poetry written during that time?
  • What were the debates over abolition during the Revolutionary War?
  • What was the role of supply chains during the Revolutionary War?
  • What were reactions to the US Revolutionary war like in Europe? What does that tell us about politics in England, France, the Netherlands, etc?
  • How did the US Revolutionary war impact political theory in England and France?
  • What are similarities and differences between the US Revolutionary War and the French Revolution?
  • What are some famous paintings inspired by the US Revolutionary War? What do differences between these paintings tell us about how the artists who created them saw the war?
  • What are some different ways that the US Revolutionary War has been depicted in modern contemporary culture? What does that tell us?
  • How was the story of the “Boston Tea Party” appropriated by US politicians in the 2010s, and why?
  • What was the difference between the Federalists and the Jeffersonians?
  • How did the 1797 XYZ Affair lead to the Quasi-War with France?
  • How were loans from European countries and companies (France, Spain, Dutch bankers) key to the early US?
  • What were reactions to the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
  • Why did the US remain neutral during the French Revolution?
  • How did the Alien and Sedition acts contribute to the election of Thomas Jefferson as president?
  • What was the US’s reaction to the Haitian revolution? Why did the US not recognize Haitian independence until 1862?
  • What were the reactions to John Jay’s Treaty of 1794?
  • How have the remarks made by George Washington in his Farewell Address inspired isolationist policies?
  • How did interpretations of the Monroe Doctrine change over the decades since its creation? 
  • How did the Roosevelt Corollary and Lodge Corollary change and expand the Monroe Doctrine?
  • How did the presence of US companies like the United Fruit Company affect US military interventions in Latin America? 
  • How was the Monroe Doctrine invoked in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962? 
  • How was US culture shaped by the Cold War?
  • How did ecology play a role in the rise of Ancient Egypt?
  • How did water management technologies impact Ancient Egypt?
  • How did bureaucracies function in Ancient Egypt?
  • How did Egyptian art influence Ancient Greek art?
  • Who could be a citizen in Athens in the 5th century BCE? What does this tell us about classical Athenian society?
  • What was the impact of the Peloponnesian War?
  • What was the impact of Alexander the Great’s attempt to create an empire?
  • How does the way that Alexander the Great is represented in art demonstrate conceptions about the relationship between the human and the divine?
  • Was there a conception of race in the ancient world? How were these ideas different from our own modern conceptions of race?
  • What was the role of debt slavery in the Roman republic? How were these policies ended, and what is the significance of the end of debt slavery? What kinds of slavery remained?
  • To what degree does the movie Gladiator accurately the Roman Empire in 176–192 CE?
  • What was the role of slavery in managing the large latifundia ?
  • How and why did the emperor Constantine I adopt Christianity?
  • How did patterns of urbanism in the latter Roman empire change? What does this tell us about challenges being faced at that time?
  • What do reactions to the Byzantine empress Theodora tell us about ideas of gender in 6th-century Byzantium?
  • How did scientific advancements in Islamic Spain influence the rest of Europe?
  • What was the relationship between Muslim, Christian, and Jewish populations in Islamic Spain? How does this compare to the experience of Muslim and Jewish populations in Christian Spain?
  • How did medieval troubadour poetry represent a new idea of romantic relationships?
  • What are similarities and differences between medieval troubadour poetry and lyric poetry in Ancient Greece? 
  • What do letters between women and popes tell us about gender, power, and religion in medieval Europe?
  • In what ways was Hildegard of Bingen groundbreaking for her time?
  • Who produced beer in medieval England, and what does this tell us about society?
  • How did the adoption of hops affect the production and distribution of beer?
  • How did beer production allow some women a way to be financially independent?
  • How was clothing used to mark religious and cultural identities in 15th- and 16th-century Spain?
  • How did print culture change relationships and courting in Georgian England?
  • How did churches function as social gathering spaces in Georgian England?
  • To what degree is Netflix’s Bridgerton series historically accurate?
  • How did ideas of love change in the 18th century? How did philosophy play a role in this?
  • When were Valentine cards first commercially available? What does that show us about cultural ideas of love and courtship?
  • What were the consequences of the desertification of the Sahara?
  • How did trade links on the Red Sea influence Nubian culture?
  • How did Carthage build power in Northern Africa around 600–500 BCE?
  • What was the impact of the Mercenary War (241–238 BCE) in Carthage?
  • How did the Roman province of Africa play a key role in financing the Roman Empire?
  • What were the consequences of the Donatist division in the 300s in Northern Africa?
  • What was the impact of the large-scale movement of Bedouins from the Arabian peninsula into the Maghreb?
  • How was Mande society organized in the Mali Empire? 
  • What was the role of the book trade in Timbuktu? What does this tell us about culture and learning in the Mali Empire?
  • How did Aksum use trade to build wealth and power? 
  • What do Nok terracotta sculptures tell us about Nok culture?
  • How did the Luba Empire create a centralized political system? How did the idea of spiritual kins ( balopwe ) play a role in this system?
  • How did tax collection work in the Lunda empire?
  • What does it mean to say that the Ajuran Empire was a hydraulic empire? How did control over water resources allow the Ajuran Empire to build and consolidate power?
  • What is the significance of diplomatic ties between the Somai Ajuran Empire and Ming dynasty China? 
  • How did the tribute system in the Kingdom of Kongo help to stimulate interregional trade?
  • What was the impact of the introduction of maize and cassava to the Kingdom of Kongo?
  • How did women wield influence in the Kingdom of Benin?
  • How did the Industrial Revolution in Europe help lead to the Scramble for Africa 1878–1898?
  • What were the consequences of the Second Boer War?
  • What happened in the Year of Africa (1960)?
  • How did the Han dynasty consolidate power in frontier regions? 
  • How and why did the Han dynasty nationalize the private salt and iron industries in 117 BCE?
  • What are the earliest records of papermaking, and what is the significance of this invention?
  • What was the role of Daoist religious societies in rebellions at the end of the Han dynasty (Yellow Turban Rebellion, Five Pecks of Rice Rebellion)?
  • What do tomb paintings tell us about ancient Chinese society?
  • What was the impact of the Sui dynasty’s standardization and re-unification of the coinage?
  • What was the role of standardized testing in Sui dynasty and Tang dynasty China?
  • Why is the Tang dynasty often regarded as a golden age of cosmopolitan culture in Chinese history?
  • What was the role of slavery in imperial China? 
  • How did the rise of jiedushi (regional military governments) undermine the civil-service system? What were the consequences of this?
  • How did Tang dynasty China exert power over Japan and Korea?
  • What was the Three Departments and Six Ministries system in imperial China and how did it work?
  • What does the appearance of Inca, Maya, and Aztec goods in North America (Utah, Canada) and the appearance of goods from the Great Lakes region in Maya and Aztec ruins tell us about trade in the Pre-Columbian Americas?
  • How did celebration of maize play a central role in Mesoamerican cultures?
  • How did the Aztec empire use relationships with client city-states to establish power? How did the Aztec empire use taxation to exert power?
  • How did the luxury good trade impact Aztec political power? 
  • How did the building of roads play a key role in the Aztec empire?
  • How and why has archaeology played a pivotal role in expanding our understanding of the pre-Columbian Americas?
  • What are some common misconceptions about the Americas in the year 1491? Why do these misconceptions exist?

Latin American History (post-1492)

  • How and why did the Spanish appropriate Aztec sites of significance (e.g. Mexico City at the site of Tenochtitlan)?
  • What were reactions among Latin American intellectuals (e.g. Luis María Drago, Alejandro Álvarez and Baltasar Brum) to the Monroe Doctrine?
  • How was the US’s involvement in the Venezuela Crisis of 1902–1903 a pivotal turning point in the relationship between the US and Latin American countries?
  • What were the effects of the US’s involvement in the Cuban War for Independence?
  • How did the Roosevelt Corollary of 1904 benefit the US?
  • How did Simon Bolivar’s time in Europe affect his ideas about Latin American independence?
  • How did 19th century academic societies play a role in the advancement of scientific discoveries? Who was excluded from these societies?
  • How was music connected to the sciences in medieval thinking?
  • When was the concept of zero first used, and how was it instrumental for advancements in math?
  • What role did Islamic Spain play in the spread of scientific advancements in medieval Europe?
  • What role has translation between languages played in the development of sciences?
  • Why were Galileo’s ideas about astronomy controversial at the time?
  • What was the connection between art and advancements in human anatomy?
  • Why were Darwin’s ideas about natural selection controversial at the time?
  • To what degree does the film Master and Commander accurately depict the voyages of Charles Darwin?
  • How did the discovery of quinine and other medical innovations help to facilitate the European colonization of Africa?
  • How and why was the internet invented?
  • Does Virgil’s Aeneid celebrate the new Roman Empire or subvert it?
  • Why was the poet Ovid exiled from Rome?
  • What are the pagan influences in Beowulf ? What are the Christian elements in Beowulf ? What does that tell us about late Anglo-Saxon England?
  • How does Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales reflect gender roles in late medieval England?
  • How does Dante’s Inferno draw on book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid ? 
  • How are gender roles presented and subverted in Shakespeare’s plays?
  • To what degree did Henry David Thoreau live out the ideals he described in Walden in his own life?
  • How did the serialized publication of novels affect the way that they were written?
  • Does Dickens’ novel A Tale of Two Cities accurately portray the French Revolution?
  • How did 18th-century novels propagate the idea of marrying for love?
  • What did contemporary readers think about Jane Austen and her novels?
  • To what degree do Jane Austen’s novels reflect economic realities for women in Regency England? What do they leave out?
  • How did Lord Byron’s personal life affect his poetry?
  • What do we know about the romantic life of Emily Dickinson?
  • What were the religious movements that influenced the writer George Eliot, and how do those influences appear in her novels?
  • In what ways were Walt Whitman’s writings new or different?
  • How did British poets react to the horrors of Word War I?
  • What do Tolkien’s letters reveal about the ways in which the two world wars influenced his writings?
  • How did the friendship between CS Lewis and Tolkien affect their respective writings?
  • What are the arguments for and against Catalonian independence from Spain?
  • What are the arguments for and against Scottish independence from the United Kingdom?
  • What are some risks of contact sports, especially for children?
  • What are the most effective policies for combating childhood obesity?
  • What are the most effective policies for reducing gun violence?
  • Which countries have the longest life expectancy and why?
  • What are some differences between the healthcare system in the US and in European countries? Which country has the most similar system to the US?
  • What policies for parental leave exist in different countries? What are some effects of these policies?
  • Has the drinking age in the US always been 21? What have been some different policies, and what were some consequences of them?
  • What is the debate around museum artifacts like the Elgin Marbles in London or the Benin Bronzes in Berlin?
  • How have politicians attempted to control population growth in different countries, either directly or indirectly? What have been some effects of these policies?
  • Which countries have the most gender parity reflected in national governments? How have they accomplished this?
  • How has public funding of K-12 education changed since the 1930s in the US? 
  • How has public funding of higher education changed in the US?
  • What is early childhood education like in different countries?
  • What are some effects of free or reduced-cost meals in schools?
  • How does access to menstrual products affect education outcomes for girls in different countries?
  • What was the impact of Rousseau’s writings on education?
  • How did Plato’s ideal forms of government reflect contemporary Athenian concerns about the unruly masses ( demos )?
  • How did Aristotle justify slavery?
  • How has wealth inequality increased in recent decades?
  • How is inflation calculated, and what are the implications of this methodology?
  • How have genetically-engineered crops changed the way that the planet feeds itself?
  • How has animal testing changed since 2000?
  • How is animal testing regulated differently in different countries?

Health Sciences and Psychology

  • How do different societies reflect the natural circadian rhythms of the human body?
  • How does secondhand smoke affect the human body?
  • How does lack of sleep affect the body?
  • How does stress affect the body?
  • What are some ways to reduce stress?
  • How have cancer treatments changed in the past 30 years?
  • Why is it hard to find a “cure” for cancer?
  • How has the Human Genome Project changed medical science?
  • How were the Covid vaccines developed so quickly? What is the difference between the various Covid vaccines that have been developed?

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beginner research paper topics

Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

717 Good Research Paper Topics

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Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

good and interesting research paper topics

Some examples of common research paper styles include:

  • Argumentative Research Papers
  • Persuasive Research Papers
  • Education Research Papers
  • Analytical Research Papers
  • Informative Research Papers

Your research essay topic may also need to be related to the specific class you are taking. For example, an economics class may require a business research paper, while a class on human behavior may call for a psychology research paper.

The requirements for your paper will vary depending on whether you are in high school, college, or a postgraduate student. In high school, you may be able to choose an easy topic and cite five or six sources you found on Google or Yahoo!, but college term papers require more in-depth research from reliable sources, such as scholarly books and peer-reviewed journals.

Do you need some help with brainstorming for topics? Some common research paper topics include abortion, birth control, child abuse, gun control, history, climate change, social media, AI, global warming, health, science, and technology. 

But we have many more!

On this page, we have hundreds of good research paper topics across a wide range of subject fields. Each of these topics could be used “as is” to write your paper, or as a starting point to develop your own topic ideas.

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How to Choose Your Research Paper Topic

The first step to developing an interesting research paper is choosing a good topic. Finding a topic can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to start. Finding the Right Research Paper Topic

If you are in a class that allows you to choose your own term paper topic, there are some important areas to consider before you begin your project:

Your Level of Interest: Research papers are time-consuming; you will be spending countless hours researching the topic and related topics, developing several primary and secondary sources, and putting everything together into a paper that is coherent and accomplishes your objectives. If you do not choose a topic you are passionate about, the process will be far more tedious, and the finished product may suffer as a result.

Your Level of Experience: Being interested in a topic is great, but it is even more helpful if you already know something about it. If you can find a topic that you already have some personal and/or professional experience with, it will vastly reduce the amount of research needed and make the whole process much easier.

Available Information on the Topic: Be sure to choose a topic that is not only interesting but also one that has numerous sources available from which to compile your research. A researchable topic with several potential sources gives you access to the level of information you need to become an authority on the subject.

Your Audience: An interesting topic to you may not necessarily be interesting to your professor or whoever is grading your research paper. Before you begin, consider the level of interest of the person(s) who will be reading it. If you are writing a persuasive or argumentative essay, also consider their point of view on the subject matter.

As you begin researching your topic, you may want to revise your thesis statement based on new information you have learned. This is perfectly fine, just have fun and pursue the truth, wherever it leads. If you find that you are not having fun during the research phase, you may want to reconsider the topic you have chosen.

The process of writing the research paper is going to be very time consuming so it’s important to select a topic that is going to sustain your interest for the duration of the project. It is good to select a topic that is relevant to your life since you are going to spend a long time researching and writing about it. Perhaps you are considering starting your own business or pursuing a career in politics. Look through the suggested research paper topics and find one in a category that you can relate to easily. Finding a topic that you have some personal interest in will help make the arduous task a lot easier, and the project will have better results because of your vested interest.

Our List of Research Topics and Issues

Affirmative action, health, pharmacy, medical treatments, interpersonal communication, marketing and advertising, barack obama, discrimination, bill clinton, hilary clinton, computer crimes and security, cosmetic surgery, controversial, criminal justice, donald trump, easy/simple, environment, family violence, foreign policy, gambling and lotteries, the lgbtq community, generational conflict, gun control, hate crimes, immigration, middle east, maternity/paternity leave, natural disasters, police work, population explosion, pornography, prisons and prisoners, prostitution, ronald reagan, student loan debt, teen issues, women, mothers, what, why, and how, relationships.

We compiled an exhaustive list of topics that would make excellent research papers. The topics are specifically organized to help you find one that will work for your project. Broad topics are headed, and then below them are narrowed topics, all to help you find an area to focus on. The way we have organized the topics for research papers can save you lots of time getting prepared to write your research paper.

We have topics that fit into categories that cover such areas as education, environmental sciences, communication and languages, current events, politics, business, criminal justice, art, psychology, economics to name just a few. Simply get started by choosing the category that interests you and peruse through the topics listed in that category and you’ll be well on your way to constructing an excellent research paper.

Be sure to check other topics ideas: persuasive speech topics , argumentative speech topics , policy speech topics . We also have some sample outlines and essay templates .

  • What limits are responsible?
  • What limits are realistic?
  • How to protect abortion doctors, pregnant women, and the protection of abortion clinics vs. the right to protest
  • Partial birth abortion
  • Scientific evidence vs. definition of viability
  • Stem cell research
  • Unborn victims of violence
  • Relative equality has been achieved vs. serious inequities continue
  • Can racial balance in business, education, and the military be achieved without policies that promote Affirmative Action
  • Reverse discrimination
  • NOW, National Organization for Women
  • No government support vs. fairness to parents who pay twice for education
  • Separation of church and state vs. religion’s contribution to the public good
  • Placement by age vs. placement by academic ability
  • Mainstreaming students with disabilities vs. special classrooms for their special needs
  • Required standardized tests for advancement vs. course requirements only
  • National standardized tests vs. local control of education
  • Discrimination in education
  • Multicultural/bilingual education vs. traditional basics
  • Teacher competency tests vs. degree requirements only
  • Teacher’s needs/demands vs. teaching as a service profession
  • Policing schools
  • School’s responsibility vs. parental responsibility for school violence
  • Drug and alcohol abuse, pregnancy, suicide
  • Zero tolerance toward violence vs. toughness with flexibility
  • Permit corporal punishment
  • Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment?
  • Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?
  • In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get “As”. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many “As” for Americans?
  • Education and funding
  • Grade inflation
  • No Child Left Behind Act: Is it working?
  • Home schooling
  • Standardized tests
  • Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet?
  • Should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the internet?
  • How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading?
  • How does a search engine work?
  • What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body?
  • What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana?
  • How does tobacco use affect the human body?
  • Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks?
  • What are some common sleep disorders and how are they treated?
  • What are the risks of artificial tanning or prolonged exposure to the sun?
  • Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums?
  • Low carbohydrate vs. low fat diets
  • Benefits of weight training vs. aerobics
  • How much weekly exercise is needed to achieve lasting health benefits
  • Health websites give too much information
  • Psychological disorders, such as cutting and self-harm, eating disorders, Autism, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, Asperger Syndrome
  • Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame?
  • Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?
  • Steroids, Antibiotics, Sprays; Are food manufacturers killing us?
  • Alternative medicine
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Causes of eating disorders, society’s portrayal of women
  • Eating disorders statistics
  • Down’s syndrome
  • Birth control
  • Dietary supplements
  • Exercise and fitness
  • Heart disease
  • In vitro fertilization
  • Attention deficit disorder
  • Investigate the history and authenticity of ADHD and ADD.
  • Organic foods
  • Prescription drugs
  • Vegetarianism
  • Learning disabilities
  • Schizophrenia
  • Coma recovery: techniques, successes, new strategies.
  • What are the primary types of cancer, and in what ways are they related?
  • Investigate the success ratio of holistic and non-medical cancer treatments.
  • Is Alzheimer’s inevitable? Examine theories regarding its prevention.
  • What forms of physical degeneracy are seen as linked to aging?
  • Investigate the connections between emotional stability and physical well-being, and provide evidence as to how the two may be related.
  • Investigate differences in rates of injury recovery and overcoming illness based on cultural parameters.
  • Examine the modern history of viral epidemics, researching what is known about the emergence of deadly viruses.
  • Examine how congenital heart disease may be treated, and how it differs from other forms of heart disease.
  • Is occasional depression a natural state to an extent, and is society too eager to treat this as a disorder?
  • Investigate Sociopathy, determine biological and psychological roots, typical patterns, and potentials of treatment.
  • How are compulsive behaviors determined as such? Explore examples of anal retention and expulsion, OCD, etc., as offering accepted criteria.
  • Research and analyze the nature of codependency as both a normal state of relations and as an unhealthy extreme.
  • Investigate the history and practice of electroshock, analyzing how and why this extreme treatment came to be widely used.
  • Hoarding: symptoms and treatments, causes, types of hoarding
  • Limits on extraordinary, costly treatments vs. doing everything possible
  • Nutritional/alternative therapy vs. mainstream medical treatment insurance coverage for alternative treatment?
  • Government grants for alternative treatment research?
  • Health superiority of alternative treatments?
  • Assisted suicide vs. preservation of life
  • Governmental insurance requirements
  • Should there be a national database to track controlled substances (i.e., OXYCODONE) or should it be a state issue?
  • Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?
  • Decline of communication due to technology
  • Online social networks and their influence
  • Impact of texting and cell phones
  • How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, and social circles)?
  • Limitations of the media
  • Marketing to children
  • Sexual innuendos in marketing
  • Global marketing trends
  • Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc…?
  • Children’s programming and advertising
  • Most controversial political ads
  • Media response and public outcry to political ads
  • Campaign funds and their relation to political advertising
  • Domestic policy
  • Separation of church and state
  • Judge nominations and make up of supreme court
  • Congressional opposition to presidential nominees/filibusters
  • Affirmative action
  • Erosion of civil liberties vs. protection against terrorism
  • Patriot Act One and Two
  • Most developed nations have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the U.S., the wealthiest nation, have it?
  • Tax cut as economic stimulation
  • Needs of the states vs. needs of the individuals
  • Budget deficits and deficit spending
  • Rich vs. poor
  • Protection of victims vs. freedom of speech/rights of the accused
  • How to improve race relations
  • Women still earn only 75 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why.
  • Discrimination in the workplace: analyzing issues for today’s corporations.
  • Gender discrimination
  • Interracial marriage
  • Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?
  • Pros and cons of school uniforms.
  • Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?
  • Charter schools
  • Prayer in schools
  • Rights of the individual vs. community safety (or campus safety)
  • Funding for research
  • U.S. obligation to third world countries
  • Manufacturing of generic drugs vs. U.S. pharmaceutical companies
  • How contagious diseases “jump” from animal hosts to human
  • What treatments are available to people infected with HIV and are they effective?
  • Right to privacy of a child with AIDS vs. safety of other children
  • Limits for campus safety vs. personal freedom
  • Implications on violence and crime
  • Issues with binge drinking
  • Should the U.S. lower the drinking age to 18?
  • Leniency because of condition vs. community safety
  • Revoking drivers license vs. being able to attend classes and work
  • Age discrimination of violators
  • Animal rights vs. medical research
  • Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment?
  • Humane treatment of animals vs. factory farms
  • Animal welfare in slaughter houses
  • Animal protection vs. business, employment interests
  • School prestige vs. academic standards
  • Should shoe companies be able to give away free shoes and equipment to high school athletes?
  • Should college athletes be paid?
  • Doping in sports
  • What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports?
  • Steroids: Should they be legalized?
  • Title IX: Has it helped women’s sports? Has it harmed men’s sports?
  • Social effects of team sports
  • Needed in public school library/curriculum?
  • Needed in entertainment industry?
  • Needed on the Internet?
  • Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?
  • Parental filters on the Internet. Does censorship actually increase curiosity and use of pornography?
  • How is internet censorship used in China and around the world?
  • How has United States censorship changed over the decades?
  • Democratic kingmaker, influence on political succession
  • Impact of global initiative
  • Influence on fundraising
  • Influence as Secretary of State
  • Foreign policies
  • Influence on women
  • ACT or SAT score requirements
  • Promotional techniques, such as 1st time scholarships
  • 4 year vs. 2 year colleges
  • College admission policies
  • College tuition planning
  • Distance education
  • Diploma mills
  • Online porn vs. freedom of speech
  • Stalking, invasion of privacy vs. reasonable access
  • Hacking crimes–workable solutions?
  • What are the latest ways to steal identity and money?
  • From where does spam email come and can we stop it?
  • How do computer viruses spread and in what ways do they affect computers?
  • Cyber security
  • Securing Internet commerce: is it possible in today’s arms’ race of hackers and evolving technology?
  • Is downloading of media (music, videos, software) infringing on the rights of media producers and causing economic hardships on media creators?
  • Should media producers prosecute students and individuals that they suspect of downloading copyrighted materials?
  • Programs such as SPOTIFY and PANDORA
  • Copyright Law
  • Age limitations on surgery
  • Addiction to surgery
  • Demand for beauty by society
  • The dangers of breast implants for teenagers
  • The cost of cosmetic surgery
  • Plastic surgery
  • Weight loss surgery
  • Are surgeons “scissor happy,” and are surgeries widely unnecessarily
  • Negative texting, instant messaging, email
  • Is cyber-bullying as bad as face-to-face?
  • Kinds of punishment for cyber-bullying
  • Media response
  • Should the state or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying?
  • Is homosexuality a choice, or are people born gay?
  • Evolution vs. Creationism.
  • Should “under God” remain in the Pledge of Allegiance?
  • Is healthcare a right or a privilege?
  • Fossil fuels vs. alternative energy.
  • Transgender bathroom policies.
  • Capitalism vs. socialism.
  • Should parents be allowed to spank their children?
  • Should sanctuary cities lose their federal funding?
  • The pros and cons of gun control.
  • Should the U.S. continue drone strikes in foreign countries?
  • Was the U.S. justified in going to war with Iraq?
  • How to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  • The pros and cons of animal testing.
  • Do pro athletes have the right to sit during the national anthem?
  • Incarceration rates in the U.S.
  • Technology and the criminal justice system.
  • Police brutality and minorities.
  • Should the police wear body cameras?
  • In what circumstances should the death penalty be allowed?
  • Should we have stiffer penalties for drunk driving?
  • Should those who text while driving be put in jail?
  • White-collar crime and punishment.
  • Criminalizing protests and activism.
  • The rise of wrongful convictions.
  • Mutual consent vs. exploitation
  • Campuses with “no touch” policy
  • Drugs associated to Date Rape
  • Violence and Rape
  • Government support vs. parental financing
  • Benefits vs. harmful effects
  • Trump’s unconventional presidential campaign.
  • The psychology of Donald Trump.
  • Who is behind Trump’s political rise?
  • Donald Trump and evangelical voters.
  • Donald Trump the businessman.
  • Trump’s war on the press (aka “fake news”).
  • The Trump Organization and conflicts of interest.
  • The border wall and illegal immigration policy.
  • Global warming and climate change policy.
  • Trump-Russia collusion.
  • The rapid rise of “The Resistance.”
  • Trump’s legislative agenda; e.g., health care, tax policy, deregulation, etc.
  • Trump’s “America First” trade and foreign policy.
  • The case for (or against) the Trump presidency.
  • Punishment vs. treatment
  • Family reactions
  • Social acceptance
  • Community safety vs. legalization
  • United States military involvement in Colombian drug trade?
  • Drug legalization
  • Abstinence Program: Do they work?
  • Should the federal government legalize the use of marijuana?
  • What is the true key to happiness?
  • What is the cause of America’s obesity crisis?
  • Why sleep is necessary.
  • Are plastic bottles really bad for you?
  • How to encourage people to recycle more.
  • How 3D printers benefit everyone.
  • How do GPS systems on smartphones work?
  • How have oil spills impacted the environment?
  • Verbal vs. nonverbal communication.
  • The accuracy of lie detector tests.
  • How Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the world.
  • The pros and cons of hitchhiking.
  • The PC vs. the Mac.
  • What causes tornadoes?
  • Pollution, air, and water
  • Endangered species
  • What are the risks of climate change and global warming?
  • Rain forests
  • Alternative energy
  • Alternative fuel/hybrid vehicles
  • Conservation
  • Deforestation
  • Greenhouse effect
  • Marine pollution
  • How have oil spills affected the planet and what steps are being taken to prevent them?
  • Sustainability of buildings
  • Recycling programs
  • Cost of “green” programs
  • Wind turbines
  • Landfill issues
  • Renewable fuels
  • Radioactive waste disposal
  • Soil pollution
  • Wildlife conservation: what efforts are being taken to protect endangered wildlife?
  • Excessive burden on industries?
  • Drilling for oil in Alaska’s ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)
  • Gasoline consumption vs. SUV’s popularity
  • Wildlife protection vs. rights of developers
  • Clean air and water standards–weakened vs. strengthened
  • What are the dangers of scuba diving and underwater exploration?
  • Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels?
  • Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated?
  • How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it?
  • Protecting victims vs. rights of the accused
  • Women who kill abusive husbands vs. punishment for murder
  • Marital rape?
  • How to protect children vs. respect for parental rights
  • Children who kill abusive parents
  • Child abuse–workable solutions?
  • Child abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Organic farming vs. mainline use of chemical sprays
  • How to best protect the environment; conservation
  • Family vs. corporate farms
  • Food production costs
  • Interventionism?
  • Third world debt and World Bank/International Monetary Fund
  • Military support vs. economic development of third world countries
  • Human rights violations
  • European Union in competition with the U.S.
  • Unilateralism
  • Relevance of the United Nations
  • Neocon role in foreign policy
  • Christian right influence on foreign policy
  • Pentagon vs. State Department
  • Nation building as a policy
  • Arms control
  • Obama’s National Strategy for Counterterrorism
  • Control of al Qaeda
  • Drawdown of U.S. Armed Forces in the Middle East
  • Cats vs. dogs: which makes the better pet?
  • My pet can live forever: why I love animal clones.
  • According to my social media profile, my life is perfect.
  • Football vs. baseball: which sport is America’s favorite pastime?
  • Starbucks vs. Caribou: whose coffee is better?
  • What does your dog really think of you?
  • Why millennials deserve lower pay.
  • What makes people end up with so many mismatched socks?
  • How to become a research paper master.
  • How reading Tuesdays with Morrie can make you wiser.
  • Easy way to earn revenues vs. social damage
  • Individual freedom vs. social damage
  • Do lotteries actually benefit education or is it a scam?
  • Can gamblers ever acquire a statistical advantage over the house in casino games?
  • Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry?
  • Adoption rights?
  • Need special rights for protection?
  • College campus response
  • Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
  • Gay parenting
  • Elderly to share in the tax burden vs. government support of elderly
  • Future of social security
  • Job discrimination
  • Child rearing
  • Employment issues
  • Generational differences
  • Community and police safety vs. unrestricted right to bear arms
  • NRA (National Rifle Association)
  • 2nd Amendment
  • Do states that allow citizens to carry guns have higher or lower crime rates?
  • Community safety vs. freedom of Speech
  • Punishment inequities
  • Persecution of alternative lifestyles
  • Church Arson: Hate crime?
  • Prevention of hazing
  • Greek organizations and rituals of hazing
  • Statistics of death or injury due to Hazing
  • High Schools and Hazing
  • What happened during the Salem witch trials?
  • How did trains and railroads change life in America?
  • What may have occurred during the Roswell UFO incident of 1947?
  • What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece?
  • How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt? What did she accomplish during her reign?
  • What are the origins of the conflict in Darfur?
  • What was the women’s suffrage movement and how did it change America?
  • How was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln plotted and executed?
  • How did Cold War tension affect the US and the world?
  • What happened to the lost settlers at Roanoke?
  • How did Julius Caesar affect Rome?
  • How did the Freedom Riders change society?
  • What was the code of the Bushido and how did it affect samurai warriors?
  • How did Joan of Arc change history?
  • What dangers and hardships did Lewis and Clark face when exploring the Midwest?
  • How are the Great Depression and the Great Recession similar and different?
  • What was the Manhattan Project and what impact did it have on the world?
  • Why did Marin Luther protest against the Catholic Church?
  • How did the Roman Empire fall?
  • How did the black plague affect Europe?
  • How did Genghis Khan conquer Persia?
  • How did journalists influence US war efforts in Vietnam?
  • Who is Vlad the Impaler and what is his connection to Count Dracula?
  • Who was a greater inventor, Leonardo di Vinci or Thomas Edison?
  • What was the role of African Americans during the Revolutionary War?
  • What was Britain’s view of India during British rule?
  • What were the factors in the China-Tibet conflict?
  • Research and analyze the emergence of the Catholic Church as a political force following the collapse of the Roman Empire.
  • Investigate Dr. Eileen Powers’ claim that the Roman Empire was lost primarily due to an inability to perceive itself as subject to the change inevitable to all governments, or her “force of nature” theory.
  • Explore and discuss the actual cooperation occurring through the centuries of Barbarian conquest of Rome.
  • Examine the differences and similarities between Western and Eastern concepts and practices of kingship.
  • Investigate and explain the trajectory of ALEXANDER THE GREAT’s empire, with minimal emphasis on personal leadership.
  • To what extent did commerce first link Eastern and Western cultures, and how did this influence early international relations?
  • Research and analyze how Japan moved from a feudalistic to a modern state, and how geographic isolation played a role in the process.
  • Analyze the process and effects of Romanization on the Celtic people of ancient England: benefits, conflicts, influences.
  • Overview of British dominance of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland! How was this justified in each case, and what motivated the attempts over centuries of rebellion and failure?
  • Investigate the known consequences of Guttenberg’s printing press within the first 30 years of its invention, and only in regard to the interaction between European nations.
  • Identify and analyze the point at which the Reformation became fused with European politics and nationalist agendas.
  • To what extent did Henry VIII promote the Reformation, despite his vigorous persecution of heretics in England?
  • Trace and discuss the uses of papal power as a military and political device in the 14th and 15th centuries.
  • Research the city/state of Florence from the 13th to the 16th centuries, discussing how and why it evolved as so fiercely republican.
  • Compare and contrast the Russian Czarism of Peter, Elizabeth, and Catherine with the monarchies of England and France in the 18th and 19th centuries.
  • Investigate the enormous significance of Catholic Orthodoxy as the dominant faith in Russia, and its meaning and influence in an empire populated by a minimal aristocracy and predominant serfdom.
  • To what extent did Philip II’s religious convictions shape European policy and conflict in the 16th century?
  • Trace the path leading to the convocation of the Estates in France in the late 18th century, leading to the Revolution. Assess political and social errors responsible.
  • What eventually ended serfdom in Russia, and why were numerous attempts to end it by the Czars in power consistently unsuccessful?
  • Research and report on how England was transformed in the 19th century by the industrial revolution and the advent of the railroad.
  • Compare and contrast the consequences of the industrial revolutions in England and America in terms of urbanization.
  • What were the circumstances leading to World War I, and how might the war have been averted?
  • Assess the Cold War of the 20th century in an historical context: can any parallels be made between this conflict and other ongoing tensions between major powers in earlier centuries?
  • Analyze Roosevelt’s decisions in implementing the New Deal, beginning with the closing of the banks. Suggest alternative strategies, or reinforce the rationale of the actions.
  • What architectural marvels were found in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire?
  • What was the cultural significance of the first moon landing?
  • Food programs
  • Welfare reform
  • Governmental supplementation
  • Homeless: urban restrictions vs. needs of the destitute
  • Workable solutions?
  • Realistic limits vs. openness toward people in need
  • English as official language vs. respect for diversity
  • Should illegal immigrants be made legal citizens?
  • Access to public school and public programs for Illegal Aliens
  • Policing borders–workable solutions?
  • Employment and/or taxation for Illegal Aliens
  • International trade
  • Democratization
  • “Shock and awe”
  • U.S. occupation vs. liberation
  • Iraqi run vs. U.S. puppet state
  • Oil and Gas prices-Control of resources
  • Effective self-government
  • War on Terrorism
  • Is America winning or losing the War? What is the measurement of success? Have the benefits outweighed the costs?
  • Parental leave for both parents
  • FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)
  • Bonding time
  • Preemptive strike policy
  • Precision weapons
  • Intelligence reliability
  • Afghanistan – a success or stalemate
  • Should the U.S. have mandatory military conscriptions? For whom?
  • Governmental support
  • Preparedness
  • School emergency plans
  • Community warning systems
  • Damage costs
  • U.S. presidential elections should be decided by the popular vote, rather than the Electoral College.
  • The minimum wage should be increased to provide a “livable” wage for working families.
  • There should be stiffer penalties for those who commit animal cruelty.
  • School vouchers increase competition and create better quality schools.
  • The corporate tax rate should be lowered to create more jobs.
  • Social Security should be privatized.
  • Human torture should be banned in all circumstances.
  • Affirmative action is still needed to ensure racial and gender equality.
  • The U.S. dollar should go back on the gold standard.
  • Euthanasia and assisted suicide should be outlawed.
  • Police brutality vs. dangers that police face
  • Racially motivated brutality?
  • Politician’s right to privacy vs. the public’s right to know
  • Amount of money going into presidential campaigns
  • Views on abortion, gay marriage, and other controversial topics
  • Political debates throughout history
  • Third-party candidates at presidential debates
  • Rights of religious citizens vs. freedom from imposition (e.g. prayer in schools)
  • Religious motivation for political involvement vs. cultural pluralism
  • Christian Right’s influence on foreign policy
  • How serious? Causes? Workable solutions?
  • Funding abortion as a form of birth control in third world countries?
  • What would happen globally if the demand for natural resources is greater than the supply?
  • Limitation of social deterioration vs. freedom of speech
  • Definition of Pornography
  • Child Pornography
  • Building prisons vs. alternative sentencing
  • Adjusted sentencing for lesser crimes
  • Community service
  • Diversion Programs for inmates
  • How does the prison population in America compare to other nations?
  • Prostitution laws in the US and abroad
  • Benefits and drawbacks to legalizing prostitution
  • Psychological effect on prostitutes and former prostitutes
  • Sex slavery, buying and selling
  • Should the government be allowed to wire tap without permission?
  • What limitations, if any, should be applied to the paparazzi?
  • What medical information should be confidential? Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records?
  • Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life?
  • Privacy rights
  • Do harsher punishments mean fewer convictions?
  • Date rape: consent vs. exploitation
  • Drugs-Rohypnol, GHB, KETAMINE
  • Legalization of Date Rape Drugs
  • Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys?
  • Acquaintance rape
  • Is there one true religion?
  • Freedom of religion
  • Offer distinct reasons why the Bible should be studied as literature, removed from religious significance.
  • From Hollywood to the White House: the political rise of Ronald Reagan.
  • The Great Communicator: how Reagan captured the hearts of Americans.
  • 1981 assassination attempt: bullet wound leaves Reagan inches away from death.
  • Reagan appoints the first female Supreme Court justice.
  • The PATCO breakup and decline of the labor unions.
  • Tax cuts and “Reaganomics.”
  • The “Iran-Contra” scandal.
  • Reagan, Gorbachev, and the end of the Cold War.
  • The final act: Reagan’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and long goodbye.
  • How has airport security intensified since September 11th, 2001?
  • Identity theft
  • Homeland Security: Are we safer since the creation of this department?
  • Should the government use invasive pat-downs and body scans to ensure passenger safety or are there better methods?
  • Is arming Pilots a good idea?
  • What responsibilities do secret service agents have?
  • Student loan scams
  • How to avoid student loan debt
  • Managing student loan debt
  • Driverless cars and the future of transportation.
  • Breaking the glass ceiling: the impact of the women’s rights movement.
  • How seniors contribute to societal well-being.
  • How disabled individuals are viewed by society.
  • The modern-day civil rights movement.
  • Has technology made us more detached from society?
  • The role of religion in society.
  • In today’s society, are we better off or worse off than previous generations?
  • Popular music and its impact on the culture.
  • Class and geographical segregation.
  • The differences between life in the city, suburbs, and/or rural areas.
  • Should parents be able to create designer babies?
  • Should microchips be implanted inside humans for better tracking and security?
  • Will smart watches eventually replace cell phones?
  • The pros and cons of being a global citizen.
  • Progressive vs. flat tax
  • Excessive taxes vs. worthwhile programs
  • Is text messaging contributing to teen illiteracy?
  • How eating disorders impact teens.
  • Tablets vs. textbooks.
  • Do standardized tests improve teen education?
  • Are violent video games contributing to juvenile delinquency?
  • Is English literature relevant for today’s teens?
  • Should the HPV vaccine be required for teen girls?
  • Do teachers inflate grades so students can pass?
  • Should advertisers be allowed to target teens?
  • How to encourage teens to stop smoking.
  • The causes and effects of teen alcohol and drug abuse.
  • How to prevent teen pregnancy.
  • Osama Bin Laden
  • World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings
  • September 11, 2001
  • War on terrorism
  • Afghanistan
  • Bioterrorism
  • Al Qaida: Has U.S. policy actually spread terrorism rather than contained it? Will it get better or worse? Why and how?
  • Can terrorism ever be justified?
  • What kind of person becomes a suicide bomber?
  • What were the circumstances surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden?
  • Has the Patriot Act prevented or stopped terrorist acts in America?
  • How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
  • Cell Phones: How have they changed us socially?
  • Does the Information Age mean we are losing important historical information?
  • Where did hip-hop music originate?
  • A day in the life of a Buddhist monk.
  • How does the brain store and retrieve memories?
  • What life is like inside an ant colony.
  • The case for and against the existence of UFOs.
  • Can virtual reality adequately substitute for actual reality?
  • Are dreams hidden messages or just hot air?
  • Why do people collect the most ridiculous things?
  • When is it time to get out of an abusive relationship?
  • The art of pretending to care.
  • Public attitudes toward veterans
  • Health issues caused by service time
  • Organizations for veterans
  • Governmental support for veterans
  • What programs are available to help war veterans get back into society?
  • Iraq War Vets: Are they being cheated on medical benefits?
  • Is there a glass ceiling?
  • Obstacles to women running for political office?
  • Should women be priests, pastors, ministers, and rabbis?
  • What differences, if any, are there in children who are raised by stay-at-home moms and working moms? Does society today still discriminate against working mothers who wish to have flexible work schedules?
  • Should stay-at-home moms get a salary from the government?
  • Why do we sleep?
  • How do GPS systems work?
  • Who was the first person to reach the North Pole?
  • Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz?
  • What was life like for a gladiator?
  • Are there any effective means of repelling insects?
  • How is bulletproof clothing made?
  • How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years?
  • What is life like inside of a beehive?
  • Where did hip hop originate and who were its founders?
  • What makes the platypus a unique and interesting mammal?
  • What is daily life like for a Buddhist monk?
  • How did gunpowder change warfare?
  • How were cats and dogs domesticated and for what purposes?
  • What do historians know about ninjas?
  • Are humans still evolving?
  • What is the curse of the pharaohs?
  • Why was Socrates executed?
  • How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?
  • How are black holes formed?
  • How do submarines work?
  • Do lie detector tests accurately determine truthful statements?
  • How does a hybrid car save energy?
  • What ingredients can be found in a hotdog?
  • How does a shark hunt?
  • How does the human brain store and retrieve memories?
  • How does stealth technology shield aircraft from radar?
  • What causes tornados?
  • How does night vision work?
  • What causes desert mirages, and how do they affect wanderers?
  • What are sinkholes, and how are they formed?
  • What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs?
  • Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?
  • Divorce rates
  • Family relationships
  • Family values
  • Race relations
  • Marriage and Divorce
  • A view of home life and its effect on child development
  • How 4 generations in the workplace can work together.
  • Building positive employee relationships
  • Modern work environments
  • Business leadership
  • Workforce regulations
  • Small business and taxation
  • Corporate law
  • Issues in modern Human Resources: Are today’s corporations patronizing employees or being more responsible for them?
  • Cultural conflict in globalization: Strategies for successfully establishing a presence in a foreign culture
  • Corporate abuse: How can executives so successfully manipulate corporations criminally?
  • Identifying stakeholders in non-public companies: is the corporate responsibility the same as for public offerings?
  • Devise a new model of leadership for business today, incorporating elements of existing leadership models and theories.
  • Examine the actual impact of social media as a business promotion instrument.
  • Devise a scenario in which traditionally unethical business practices may be justified.
  • Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources?
  • Do the media (both print and broadcast) report fairly? Do they ever cross the line between reporting the news and creating the news?
  • Does news coverage favor whites?
  • What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
  • How have the film and music industries dealt with piracy?
  • Media conglomerates/ownership
  • Minorities in mass media
  • Portrayal of women
  • Reality television
  • Television violence
  • Media portrayals
  • Sensationalized media
  • Examine the issues of responsibility in pharmaceutical companies’ promotion of drugs in the media.
  • Forensic science technology
  • What are the current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers?
  • What obstacles faced scientists in breaking the sound barrier?
  • What is alchemy and how has it been attempted?
  • What technologies are available to home owners to help them conserve energy?
  • Nuclear energy
  • Clean energy resources
  • Wind energy: Is wind energy really that inexpensive? Is it effective? Is it practical?
  • What are the dangers and hazards of using nuclear power?
  • Investigate Freud’s contributions to psychology as they exist today: what value remains?
  • Are there gender foundations to psychology and behavior that are removed from cultural considerations? To what extent does gender actually dictate thought process?
  • To what extent is sexual orientation dictated by culture, and is there an orientation not subject to social and cultural influences?
  • Investigate the psychological process in group dynamics with regard to the emergence of leaders and the compliance of others.
  • Compare and contrast Jung, Freud, and Adler: explore distinctions and commonalities.
  • What is “normal,” and to what extent is psychology reliant on culture to define this?
  • Research and assess the effectiveness of radical psychotherapies and unconventional treatments.
  • Research the concept of human will as both a component of individual psychology and a process or element removed from it.
  • To what extent is self-image influenced by culture in regard to eating disorders? Are external factors entirely to blame?
  • How do centuries-old beliefs of madness and dementia relate to modern conceptions of mental illness?
  • Is psychology itself inevitably a non-science in that virtually any theory may be substantiated, or is there a foundation of science to the subject to which all theorists must conform?
  • Examine Euripides and gender psychology: what do the Trojan Women and Medea reveal?
  • Using three characters, explore Chaucer’s insight into human behavior in The Canterbury Tales.
  • Identify the true relationship between Dante and Virgil in The Divine Comedy, emphasizing Dante’s reliance on the poet.
  • Research and discuss the English fascination for euphemism and ornate narratives in the 16th century, beginning with John Lyly.
  • Examine any existing controversies regarding Shakespearean authorship, citing arguments on both sides.
  • Analyze similarities and differences between Marlowe and Shakespeare in regard to Tamburlaine and Titus Andronicus.
  • Defend or support Bloom’s assertion of Shakespeare as the “inventor of the human being.”
  • To what degree are Shakespeare’s plays influenced by, or reflective, of the Elizabethan era? Identify specific cultural and national events linked to at least 3 plays.
  • Analyze the unusual construction of A Winter’s Tale in regard to transition from comedy to drama. Is this valid? Does the transition benefit or harm the play?
  • Support the belief that Shakespeare is representing himself as Prospero through evidence, or similarly refute the belief.
  • Why was extreme violence so popular in English Reformation drama? Cite Marlowe, Kyd, Webster, and Shakespeare.
  • Analyze the metaphysical in Donne’s poetry: is it spiritual, existential, or both?
  • What is Shelley seeking to say in Frankenstein? Support your answer with passages from the novel.
  • Compare and contrast Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina with Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, noting the characters of the heroines.
  • It is argued that Dickens failed when he turned to serious, romantic narrative in his novels. Using Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Dombey and Son, defend or refute this claim.
  • Assess Dickens’ stance as a moralist in Bleak House and Hard Times: to what extent does he seek reform, and to what does he comment on the human condition?
  • Was the Harry Potter phenomenon warranted by quality of storytelling or more a matter of public receptivity at the time combined with media exposure?

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20 thoughts on “717 Good Research Paper Topics”

How has music evolved? How has music effected history? Music of the past vs music of the present. How has the music industry effected the music’s quality?

Do you think abortion is legal? Why they do abortion?

Why are people instinctively afraid of animals that are not mammals?

Should abortion be legalized? Should domestic abuse and child abuse victims be granted clemency for killing their abuser?

Jewish holocaust and its contribution to European History, specifically Germany

What is the most popular college in the United States?

The Black Knight: Space Waste or Alien Satellite? The Moon Landing: Real or Hollywood Hoax? Have We Become Too Politically Correct? Paranormal Research: Real? Fake? Should it be offered in college? Who really was Jack the Ripper? Can a zombie apocalypse truly occur? Who is the best or worst president of the USA? The Men in Black: real or hoax?

Why Marching Band is a sport.

Marching band is not a sport

how did aids start?

Topic : Alternative medicine Research question : Does the alternative medicine is safe and standardized Hypothesis : analyse the quality controle of alternative medicine formulations

Does our nostalgic music/childhood songs affect our present lifestyle, and in what ways?

reverse discriminations is still discrimination so there’s no such thing as that. like reverse racism isn’t a thing because that is still racism

Men on birth control and not women.

You forget the topic Islamophobia 😉

You should add a music section. Is Muzio Clementi overshadowed by Mozart? The Toccata and Fugue in D- really wasn’t written by Bach The use of the “Dies Irae” in cinema Why is modern music so repetitive and simple compared to classical music?

I want to do a research project on Education

I want to research but not get a perfect topic help me give me a best topic about current affairs

Topic: History. Are the Crusades oversimplified? where they justified? If so, how? Topic: Current affairs. Is the term “conspiracy theory” used to discredit any non-mainstream, controversial opinions. Topic: Gun control. Does limiting magazine capacity for firearms have any effect on gun crime? Are high-capacity magazines ever necessary for self-defense? Topic: Economics. Are minimum wage laws necessary to guarantee “decent”, or do the laws of supply and demand automatically ensure that?

Are women funny?

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How to start your research paper [step-by-step guide]

beginner research paper topics

1. Choose your topic

2. find information on your topic, 3. create a thesis statement, 4. create a research paper outline, 5. organize your notes, 6. write your introduction, 7. write your first draft of the body, 9. write your conclusion, 10. revise again, edit, and proofread, frequently asked questions about starting your research paper, related articles.

Research papers can be short or in-depth, but no matter what type of research paper, they all follow pretty much the same pattern and have the same structure .

A research paper is a paper that makes an argument about a topic based on research and analysis.

There will be some basic differences, but if you can write one type of research paper, you can write another. Below is a step-by-step guide to starting and completing your research paper.

Choose a topic that interests you. Writing your research paper will be so much more pleasant with a topic that you actually want to know more about. Your interest will show in the way you write and effort you put into the paper. Consider these issues when coming up with a topic:

  • make sure your topic is not too broad
  • narrow it down if you're using terms that are too general

Academic search engines are a great source to find background information on your topic. Your institution's library will most likely provide access to plenty of online research databases. Take a look at our guide on how to efficiently search online databases for academic research to learn how to gather all the information needed on your topic.

Tip: If you’re struggling with finding research, consider meeting with an academic librarian to help you come up with more balanced keywords.

If you’re struggling to find a topic for your thesis, take a look at our guide on how to come up with a thesis topic .

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing. It can be defined as a very brief statement of what the main point or central message of your paper is. Our thesis statement guide will help you write an excellent thesis statement.

In the next step, you need to create your research paper outline . The outline is the skeleton of your research paper. Simply start by writing down your thesis and the main ideas you wish to present. This will likely change as your research progresses; therefore, do not worry about being too specific in the early stages of writing your outline.

Then, fill out your outline with the following components:

  • the main ideas that you want to cover in the paper
  • the types of evidence that you will use to support your argument
  • quotes from secondary sources that you may want to use

Organizing all the information you have gathered according to your outline will help you later on in the writing process. Analyze your notes, check for accuracy, verify the information, and make sure you understand all the information you have gathered in a way that you can communicate your findings effectively.

Start with the introduction. It will set the direction of your paper and help you a lot as you write. Waiting to write it at the end can leave you with a poorly written setup to an otherwise well-written paper.

The body of your paper argues, explains or describes your topic. Start with the first topic from your outline. Ideally, you have organized your notes in a way that you can work through your research paper outline and have all the notes ready.

After your first draft, take some time to check the paper for content errors. Rearrange ideas, make changes and check if the order of your paragraphs makes sense. At this point, it is helpful to re-read the research paper guidelines and make sure you have followed the format requirements. You can also use free grammar and proof reading checkers such as Grammarly .

Tip: Consider reading your paper from back to front when you undertake your initial revision. This will help you ensure that your argument and organization are sound.

Write your conclusion last and avoid including any new information that has not already been presented in the body of the paper. Your conclusion should wrap up your paper and show that your research question has been answered.

Allow a few days to pass after you finished writing the final draft of your research paper, and then start making your final corrections. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gives some great advice here on how to revise, edit, and proofread your paper.

Tip: Take a break from your paper before you start your final revisions. Then, you’ll be able to approach your paper with fresh eyes.

As part of your final revision, be sure to check that you’ve cited everything correctly and that you have a full bibliography. Use a reference manager like Paperpile to organize your research and to create accurate citations.

The first step to start writing a research paper is to choose a topic. Make sure your topic is not too broad; narrow it down if you're using terms that are too general.

The format of your research paper will vary depending on the journal you submit to. Make sure to check first which citation style does the journal follow, in order to format your paper accordingly. Check Getting started with your research paper outline to have an idea of what a research paper looks like.

The last step of your research paper should be proofreading. Allow a few days to pass after you finished writing the final draft of your research paper, and then start making your final corrections. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill gives some great advice here on how to revise, edit and proofread your paper.

There are plenty of software you can use to write a research paper. We recommend our own citation software, Paperpile , as well as grammar and proof reading checkers such as Grammarly .

beginner research paper topics

61 intriguing psychology research topics to explore

Last updated

11 January 2024

Reviewed by

Brittany Ferri, PhD, OTR/L

Short on time? Get an AI generated summary of this article instead

Psychology is an incredibly diverse, critical, and ever-changing area of study in the medical and health industries. Because of this, it’s a common area of study for students and healthcare professionals.

We’re walking you through picking the perfect topic for your upcoming paper or study. Keep reading for plenty of example topics to pique your interest and curiosity.

  • How to choose a psychology research topic

Exploring a psychology-based topic for your research project? You need to pick a specific area of interest to collect compelling data. 

Use these tips to help you narrow down which psychology topics to research:

Focus on a particular area of psychology

The most effective psychological research focuses on a smaller, niche concept or disorder within the scope of a study. 

Psychology is a broad and fascinating area of science, including everything from diagnosed mental health disorders to sports performance mindset assessments. 

This gives you plenty of different avenues to explore. Having a hard time choosing? Check out our list of 61 ideas further down in this article to get started.

Read the latest clinical studies

Once you’ve picked a more niche topic to explore, you need to do your due diligence and explore other research projects on the same topic. 

This practice will help you learn more about your chosen topic, ask more specific questions, and avoid covering existing projects. 

For the best results, we recommend creating a research folder of associated published papers to reference throughout your project. This makes it much easier to cite direct references and find inspiration down the line.

Find a topic you enjoy and ask questions

Once you’ve spent time researching and collecting references for your study, you finally get to explore. 

Whether this research project is for work, school, or just for fun, having a passion for your research will make the project much more enjoyable. (Trust us, there will be times when that is the only thing that keeps you going.) 

Now you’ve decided on the topic, ask more nuanced questions you might want to explore. 

If you can, pick the direction that interests you the most to make the research process much more enjoyable.

  • 61 psychology topics to research in 2024

Need some extra help starting your psychology research project on the right foot? Explore our list of 61 cutting-edge, in-demand psychology research topics to use as a starting point for your research journey.

  • Psychology research topics for university students

As a university student, it can be hard to pick a research topic that fits the scope of your classes and is still compelling and unique. 

Here are a few exciting topics we recommend exploring for your next assigned research project:

Mental health in post-secondary students

Seeking post-secondary education is a stressful and overwhelming experience for most students, making this topic a great choice to explore for your in-class research paper. 

Examples of post-secondary mental health research topics include:

Student mental health status during exam season

Mental health disorder prevalence based on study major

The impact of chronic school stress on overall quality of life

The impacts of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying can occur at all ages, starting as early as elementary school and carrying through into professional workplaces. 

Examples of cyberbullying-based research topics you can study include:

The impact of cyberbullying on self-esteem

Common reasons people engage in cyberbullying 

Cyberbullying themes and commonly used terms

Cyberbullying habits in children vs. adults

The long-term effects of cyberbullying

  • Clinical psychology research topics

If you’re looking to take a more clinical approach to your next project, here are a few topics that involve direct patient assessment for you to consider:

Chronic pain and mental health

Living with chronic pain dramatically impacts every aspect of a person’s life, including their mental and emotional health. 

Here are a few examples of in-demand pain-related psychology research topics:

The connection between diabetic neuropathy and depression

Neurological pain and its connection to mental health disorders

Efficacy of meditation and mindfulness for pain management

The long-term effects of insomnia

Insomnia is where you have difficulty falling or staying asleep. It’s a common health concern that impacts millions of people worldwide. 

This is an excellent topic because insomnia can have a variety of causes, offering many research possibilities. 

Here are a few compelling psychology research topics about insomnia you could investigate:

The prevalence of insomnia based on age, gender, and ethnicity

Insomnia and its impact on workplace productivity

The connection between insomnia and mental health disorders

Efficacy and use of melatonin supplements for insomnia

The risks and benefits of prescription insomnia medications

Lifestyle options for managing insomnia symptoms

The efficacy of mental health treatment options

Management and treatment of mental health conditions is an ever-changing area of study. If you can witness or participate in mental health therapies, this can make a great research project. 

Examples of mental health treatment-related psychology research topics include:

The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for patients with severe anxiety

The benefits and drawbacks of group vs. individual therapy sessions

Music therapy for mental health disorders

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for patients with depression 

  • Controversial psychology research paper topics

If you are looking to explore a more cutting-edge or modern psychology topic, you can delve into a variety of controversial and topical options:

The impact of social media and digital platforms

Ever since access to internet forums and video games became more commonplace, there’s been growing concern about the impact these digital platforms have on mental health. 

Examples of social media and video game-related psychology research topics include:

The effect of edited images on self-confidence

How social media platforms impact social behavior

Video games and their impact on teenage anger and violence

Digital communication and the rapid spread of misinformation

The development of digital friendships

Psychotropic medications for mental health

In recent years, the interest in using psychoactive medications to treat and manage health conditions has increased despite their inherently controversial nature. 

Examples of psychotropic medication-related research topics include:

The risks and benefits of using psilocybin mushrooms for managing anxiety

The impact of marijuana on early-onset psychosis

Childhood marijuana use and related prevalence of mental health conditions

Ketamine and its use for complex PTSD (C-PTSD) symptom management

The effect of long-term psychedelic use and mental health conditions

  • Mental health disorder research topics

As one of the most popular subsections of psychology, studying mental health disorders and how they impact quality of life is an essential and impactful area of research. 

While studies in these areas are common, there’s always room for additional exploration, including the following hot-button topics:

Anxiety and depression disorders

Anxiety and depression are well-known and heavily researched mental health disorders. 

Despite this, we still don’t know many things about these conditions, making them great candidates for psychology research projects:

Social anxiety and its connection to chronic loneliness

C-PTSD symptoms and causes

The development of phobias

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) behaviors and symptoms

Depression triggers and causes

Self-care tools and resources for depression

The prevalence of anxiety and depression in particular age groups or geographic areas

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a complex and multi-faceted area of psychology research. 

Use your research skills to learn more about this condition and its impact by choosing any of the following topics:

Early signs of bipolar disorder

The incidence of bipolar disorder in young adults

The efficacy of existing bipolar treatment options

Bipolar medication side effects

Cognitive behavioral therapy for people with bipolar 

Schizoaffective disorder

Schizoaffective disorder is often stigmatized, and less common mental health disorders are a hotbed for new and exciting research. 

Here are a few examples of interesting research topics related to this mental health disorder:

The prevalence of schizoaffective disorder by certain age groups or geographic locations

Risk factors for developing schizoaffective disorder

The prevalence and content of auditory and visual hallucinations

Alternative therapies for schizoaffective disorder

  • Societal and systematic psychology research topics

Modern society’s impact is deeply enmeshed in our mental and emotional health on a personal and community level. 

Here are a few examples of societal and systemic psychology research topics to explore in more detail:

Access to mental health services

While mental health awareness has risen over the past few decades, access to quality mental health treatment and resources is still not equitable. 

This can significantly impact the severity of a person’s mental health symptoms, which can result in worse health outcomes if left untreated. 

Explore this crucial issue and provide information about the need for improved mental health resource access by studying any of the following topics:

Rural vs. urban access to mental health resources

Access to crisis lines by location

Wait times for emergency mental health services

Inequities in mental health access based on income and location

Insurance coverage for mental health services

Systemic racism and mental health

Societal systems and the prevalence of systemic racism heavily impact every aspect of a person’s overall health.

Researching these topics draws attention to existing problems and contributes valuable insights into ways to improve access to care moving forward.

Examples of systemic racism-related psychology research topics include: 

Access to mental health resources based on race

The prevalence of BIPOC mental health therapists in a chosen area

The impact of systemic racism on mental health and self-worth

Racism training for mental health workers

The prevalence of mental health disorders in discriminated groups

LGBTQIA+ mental health concerns

Research about LGBTQIA+ people and their mental health needs is a unique area of study to explore for your next research project. It’s a commonly overlooked and underserved community.

Examples of LGBTQIA+ psychology research topics to consider include:

Mental health supports for queer teens and children

The impact of queer safe spaces on mental health

The prevalence of mental health disorders in the LGBTQIA+ community

The benefits of queer mentorship and found family

Substance misuse in LQBTQIA+ youth and adults

  • Collect data and identify trends with Dovetail

Psychology research is an exciting and competitive study area, making it the perfect choice for projects or papers.

Take the headache out of analyzing your data and instantly access the insights you need to complete your next psychology research project by teaming up with Dovetail today.

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Research Paper Topics

Research Paper Topics for 2024: Explore Ideas Across Various Fields

beginner research paper topics

When you start writing a research paper, it’s like diving into a big pool of exploration and analysis. A good research paper goes beyond just gathering facts. It’s more about exploring a topic, asking the right questions, and coming up with thoughtful answers. Whether you're looking at historical events, scientific discoveries, or cultural trends, the trick is to find interesting research topics that catch your interest and keep you motivated throughout the process.

This article is here to help with that sometimes tricky job of picking a topic. We’ll cover a variety of interesting research topics from different areas, making it easier for you to find one that not only fits your assignment but also grabs your attention.

But let’s be honest, picking the right topic isn’t always easy. If you’re still unsure after reading this article, EssayService is a great place to turn for help, whether you need assistance choosing a topic or writing the entire paper.

How to Pick a Topic for a Research Paper

Choosing the right topic can make or break your research paper. Here's how to make it easier:

  • Start with your interests: Pick a few areas or subjects that genuinely interest you. Narrow it down to the one that excites you the most. If you’re interested, it’ll show in your writing.
  • Check for resources: Before committing, do a quick search to ensure there are enough references available. You’ll want a topic that’s well-discussed so you have plenty of material to work with.
  • Stick to guidelines: Make sure your topic fits within any guidelines your teacher has set. Whether it's avoiding certain subjects or meeting specific requirements, this step is crucial for getting your paper off to a good start.

If you’re looking for easy research paper topics, keep these tips in mind to ensure you choose one that’s both manageable and engaging.

What Are Good Research Topics?

Choosing a successful research topic isn’t just about what sounds interesting — it’s about finding a topic that will help you produce a strong, insightful paper. Good research topic ideas should tick a few key boxes to ensure they’re both impactful and manageable.

Feature Description
🔍 Specific and Focused Narrow down broad areas like “climate change” to something more specific, like “the impact of urban development on local microclimates.” This gives your research a clear direction.
✨ Unique Angle Instead of rehashing well-covered topics like “social media and mental health,” explore a niche, such as “the effects of social media detox on productivity in college students.”
🌍 Significant Impact Choose topics that matter, like “renewable energy adoption in developing countries,” which could contribute to important discussions in your field or society.
📚 Accessible Sources Make sure there’s enough material available by checking databases for studies on topics like “the history of vaccine development” to ensure you have the resources you need.
🔥 Current and Relevant Focus on emerging issues, such as “the role of AI in cybersecurity,” which are timely and likely to interest both readers and reviewers.

Best Research Paper Topics for 2024

In 2024, new challenges and innovations are shaping the world around us, making it an exciting time to dive into research. Here are 15 detailed and highly relevant topics that will keep your paper ahead of the curve:

  • The impact of remote work on urban development in major U.S. cities.
  • Ethical implications of AI-driven decision-making in healthcare.
  • The role of social media algorithms in shaping public opinion during elections.
  • Effects of climate change on global food security and crop yields.
  • The influence of blockchain technology on supply chain transparency.
  • Mental health outcomes related to long-term social media use among teenagers.
  • Renewable energy adoption in emerging economies and its impact on local communities.
  • The rise of electric vehicles and its effect on traditional automotive industries.
  • Privacy concerns surrounding the use of biometric data in consumer devices.
  • The evolution of cybersecurity threats in the age of quantum computing.
  • Gender disparities in STEM education and their long-term effects on the workforce.
  • The economic impact of climate migration on coastal regions.
  • Implications of CRISPR technology in human genetic modification.
  • The effectiveness of universal basic income trials in reducing poverty.
  • The role of telemedicine in improving access to healthcare in rural areas.

College Research Paper Topics

These topics explore some of the most relevant and intriguing issues facing college students today, offering plenty of angles to explore in your research:

  • How student loan debt shapes career paths and financial stability after graduation.
  • Comparing online learning to traditional classrooms: What works best for today’s college students?
  • Social media’s influence on mental health and academic success among college students.
  • Diversity and inclusion: How initiatives are changing campus life and student experiences.
  • University sustainability efforts: How climate change is driving new campus policies.
  • The rise of esports: Transforming college athletics and student engagement.
  • Campus housing: How living arrangements affect academic success and student retention.
  • Balancing part-time jobs with academics: The impact on college students’ grades and well-being.
  • Navigating controversial topics: The importance of academic freedom in college debates.
  • Digital vs. traditional libraries: How technology is reshaping student research habits.
  • Study abroad programs: Enhancing global awareness and boosting future career opportunities.
  • Evaluating campus mental health services: Are they meeting students’ needs?
  • Fraternities and sororities: Examining their influence on college culture and student life.
  • Free college tuition: Exploring the economic and social outcomes in different countries.
  • Standardized testing: How it’s affecting college admissions and the diversity of student bodies.

beginner research paper topics

Research Paper Topics By Subject

Choosing a good research topic that aligns with your academic focus can make your work more relevant and engaging. Below, you’ll find topics organized by subject to help you get started.

Research Paper Topics on Health

Health is a dynamic field with ongoing developments and challenges, making it a rich area for research. These topics cover a range of health-related issues, from public health policies to advancements in medical technology:

  • How COVID-19 has changed the approach to mental health care.
  • Adoption rates of telemedicine among different age groups.
  • Antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Exploring new treatment options.
  • Barriers to healthcare access in low-income neighborhoods.
  • Ethical dilemmas in using genetic testing for personalized treatments.
  • Success rates of mental health programs in high schools.
  • Comparing dietary patterns in managing type 2 diabetes across cultures.
  • Teen vaping trends and their connection to lung health issues.
  • Strategies for supporting healthcare needs in rapidly aging populations.
  • Tracking climate-related health issues in coastal communities.
  • Innovations in vaccine development for emerging diseases.
  • Social isolation during pandemics and its link to anxiety disorders.
  • Recent changes in U.S. healthcare laws and their influence on patient choices.
  • Exploring how traditional beliefs shape approaches to medical treatment.
  • Evaluating progress in global vaccination campaigns against childhood diseases.

Research Paper Topics on Medicine

Medicine is a vast field with plenty of areas to explore. Here are some specific topics that focus on medical advancements, practices, and challenges:

  • New techniques in minimally invasive surgery for heart conditions.
  • Developments in gene therapy for treating inherited diseases.
  • Challenges in diagnosing and treating rare diseases.
  • The role of AI in improving diagnostic accuracy in radiology.
  • Progress in personalized cancer treatments based on genetic profiling.
  • The rise of antibiotic alternatives in treating infections.
  • Stem cell research advancements for spinal cord injuries.
  • Managing chronic pain: Exploring non-opioid treatment options.
  • Trends in telemedicine for rural healthcare delivery.
  • Breakthroughs in vaccine technology for emerging viruses.
  • Long-term outcomes of organ transplants in pediatric patients.
  • Advances in robotic surgery and their impact on patient recovery.
  • New approaches to treating drug-resistant tuberculosis.
  • Innovations in prenatal care and fetal surgery techniques.
  • The future of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Research Paper Topics on Media

Explore the ever-changing world of media with these fresh and relevant topics. Each one dives into the trends and challenges shaping how we consume and create content today.

  • Analyze the impact of TikTok on modern marketing strategies.
  • Investigate the role of influencers in shaping public opinion during elections.
  • Explore the effects of streaming services on traditional cable TV viewership.
  • Examine how social media platforms handle misinformation and its consequences.
  • Study the rise of podcasts and their influence on news consumption.
  • Compare the portrayal of mental health in TV shows across different cultures.
  • Track the evolution of digital journalism and its impact on print media.
  • Look into the ethics of deepfake technology in video production.
  • Research the effects of binge-watching on viewer behavior and mental health.
  • Explore the relationship between video game streaming and the gaming industry.
  • Analyze the shift from traditional news outlets to social media for breaking news.
  • Investigate how algorithms curate personalized content and influence user behavior.
  • Study the changing landscape of advertising in the age of ad-blockers.
  • Examine the role of memes in political discourse and cultural commentary.
  • Explore the use of virtual reality in media and entertainment.

Research Paper Topics on Politics

Politics is a field that’s constantly evolving, with new issues and debates emerging all the time. Whether you're interested in global dynamics, domestic policies, or the role of technology in politics, there’s no shortage of interesting topics to explore:

  • How social media is influencing voter behavior in recent elections.
  • The rise and impact of grassroots movements on political change.
  • Fake news and its role in shaping public perception of political events.
  • The effects of immigration policies on relationships between countries.
  • Populism’s growth in global politics and what it means for the future.
  • How economic inequality contributes to political instability.
  • The power of political lobbying in creating and shaping laws.
  • Challenges faced by democracies under authoritarian regimes.
  • Youth activism and its growing influence in modern politics.
  • How climate change policies are impacting national security.
  • The role of technology in improving election security and voter turnout.
  • Government approval ratings and their connection to pandemic responses.
  • Influence of international organizations on a country’s domestic policies.
  • Shifts in global trade agreements and their effects on international relations.
  • The impact of gerrymandering on election results and fairness.

Research Paper Ideas on Technology

Technology is rapidly transforming our world, offering endless opportunities for research. Here are some intriguing ideas to explore:

  • The ethics of artificial intelligence in decision-making processes.
  • How blockchain technology is revolutionizing financial transactions.
  • The role of 5G networks in shaping the future of communication.
  • Cybersecurity challenges in the era of smart homes and IoT devices.
  • The environmental impact of cryptocurrency mining.
  • Virtual reality’s influence on education and training programs.
  • How autonomous vehicles are changing urban planning and infrastructure.
  • The potential of quantum computing in solving complex global problems.
  • Social media algorithms and their impact on public discourse.
  • The digital divide: Access to technology in rural versus urban areas.
  • How wearable tech is transforming personal health management.
  • The implications of deepfake technology in media and politics.
  • The future of remote work and its long-term effects on productivity.
  • Advancements in drone technology for disaster management and rescue operations.
  • The role of big data in personalizing online shopping experiences.

Research Topic Ideas on Culture

Whether you’re interested in examining specific cultural practices or looking at how modern trends reshape traditional customs, these research topics will provide you with a focused and detailed starting point:

  • Adoption of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies in contemporary urban settings.
  • Practices of food preservation among Inuit communities in the Arctic.
  • The revival of Celtic languages in Wales and Ireland through education programs.
  • Depiction of queer relationships in Netflix original series from 2015 to 2024.
  • Evolution of traditional African hairstyles in Black communities across the U.S.
  • Transformation of street art in Berlin post-German reunification.
  • Cultural significance of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Mexican-American neighborhoods.
  • Popularity of Korean skincare routines among Western beauty bloggers.
  • Modern interpretations of Norse mythology in Scandinavian literature.
  • Changes in wedding rituals among Indian diaspora in the UK.
  • Resurgence of indigenous Australian painting techniques in contemporary art.
  • Representation of disability in children’s books published in the last decade.
  • Use of traditional Māori patterns in New Zealand’s fashion industry.
  • Changes in burial customs in urbanized areas of Southeast Asia.
  • Incorporation of First Nations symbols in Canadian public architecture.

Research Paper Topics on Math

If you're looking to explore the depth and applications of math, these research topics are both specific and engaging:

  • Applications of fractal geometry in modeling natural phenomena.
  • Mathematical approaches to solving complex optimization problems in logistics.
  • Development of new algorithms for large-scale data encryption.
  • Mathematical modeling of population dynamics in ecology.
  • The use of game theory in economic decision-making processes.
  • Exploring the mathematics behind machine learning algorithms.
  • Advancements in numerical methods for solving partial differential equations.
  • Topological data analysis and its applications in computational biology.
  • Mathematical analysis of voting systems and fairness.
  • The role of number theory in modern cryptography.
  • Predictive models for financial markets using stochastic calculus.
  • Mathematical foundations of quantum computing and quantum algorithms.
  • Applications of chaos theory in weather prediction.
  • Geometry of space-time in the context of general relativity.
  • Mathematical techniques for analyzing big data in social networks.

Research Paper Topics on Art

Art is full of fascinating details and stories waiting to be explored. If you’re into art research, here are some research topics that might catch your interest:

  • How Caravaggio used light and shadow in his religious paintings.
  • The way Cubism shaped Picasso’s "Les Demoiselles d’Avignon."
  • Gustav Klimt’s "The Kiss" and its ties to Viennese culture.
  • Hokusai’s woodblock techniques in "The Great Wave off Kanagawa."
  • Bauhaus principles that still influence graphic design today.
  • Emotions and color in Mark Rothko’s abstract paintings.
  • Leonora Carrington’s role in the Surrealist movement.
  • Gaudí’s architectural genius in designing La Sagrada Familia.
  • Industrial scenes captured in Charles Sheeler’s Precisionist art.
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat’s take on graffiti and cultural identity.
  • Frida Kahlo’s evolving self-portraits through her life.
  • Claude Monet’s unique use of light in his Impressionist works.
  • Diego Rivera’s murals as powerful political statements.
  • The simplicity and impact of Donald Judd’s minimalist sculptures.
  • How African art influenced Henri Matisse during his Fauvist period.

Research Topics on Sports

Sports offer a wide range of topics that are both intriguing and highly relevant. Here are some specific research ideas to consider if you're looking to explore the world of sports:

  • The biomechanics behind sprinting techniques in elite athletes.
  • The psychological effects of team sports on adolescent development.
  • Injury prevention strategies in professional football (soccer).
  • The impact of altitude training on endurance performance in marathon runners.
  • Gender equity in sports: The evolution of women’s participation in the Olympics.
  • The role of nutrition in recovery and performance for endurance athletes.
  • How advanced analytics are changing strategies in basketball.
  • The effects of early specialization in youth sports on long-term athletic development.
  • The influence of sports media coverage on public perceptions of athletes.
  • Technology in sports: The use of wearable devices to monitor athlete performance.
  • Doping scandals and their long-term impact on athletes' careers.
  • Mental health challenges faced by retired professional athletes.
  • The economics of hosting major sporting events like the World Cup or Olympics.
  • How climate change is affecting outdoor sports events and training schedules.
  • The evolution of sports science in enhancing athlete training programs.

In 2024, some of the most popular research topics include the impact of technology on sports, the psychological aspects of team dynamics, and the evolution of gender equity in athletics. 

If you’re still unsure about which topic to choose or need help with your essay, EssayService is a great option. Our research paper writing service can assist with everything from selecting the perfect topic to crafting a well-written paper, making the whole process a lot easier.

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70 Quick and Easy Research Paper Topics

Find our quick and easy list of research paper topics for your research paper below. These paper titles are great for high school, college, or university students. If you need help with a research paper topic , let us talk and assign you a perfect writer.

Why a good research paper topic matters

The skill of finding the best research paper topic is necessary for college and university students. Not all research paper topics you are interested in maybe easy to write about. The best research paper topic is one that suits factors such as level of education, funding, and other factors.

Resources are the most important determinants of how successful your research will be. The easier you can locate books, journals, and even participants, the higher chances you have of succeeding.

The initial step is to identify a broad research topic and narrow it down. If it is a controversial subject, choose a particular perspective you will take.

Unsure about how to select a research topic? Don’t worry because we have compiled a list of 10 ideas that can help you start.

Business Research Topics

Global powers today revolve around business. Business is an ever-changing practice. No wonder business is a widely researched area with numerous opportunities of coming up with new research topics to investigate.

  • Cybersecurity is the main threat to globalization.
  • E-business will not eliminate traditional businesses.
  • Ethics in business is impossible to achieve.
  • Online retail leads to massive unemployment.

Crime and Law Research Paper Topics

Crime is a concern for nearly all countries. However, the rates of crime vary from one country to another, and this is due to the different crime policies and law enforcement units.

Some countries have low rates of crime. Other countries report an excessively high number of law-breakers. Here are some of the crime and law research paper topics you can investigate.

  • Rape should be punishable by death
  • Animals have a right to seek justice for abuse or death through slaughter.
  • Physician-assisted suicide should be illegalized.
  • Capital punishment is inhumane and needs to be eradicated globally.
  • Countries should reduce the drinking age to 16 years.
  • Gun control will not prevent rampant violence in the United States.
  • Police brutality has no racial origins.
  • Private prisons drive up incarcerations.
  • Sexual harassment affects men and women equally.

Research Paper Topics on Drugs and Substance Abuse

The controversy surrounding the legalization of Marijuana has created a big opportunity to research drugs and substance abuse.

Drug lords cause gang violence that leads to deaths. The business of illegal drug trafficking affects millions of families whose members are addicts. Some four research paper topics that you can investigate include:

  • Alcohol abuse is the number one driver of cancer deaths.
  • Legalization of marijuana lowers its abuse.
  • Doping in sports should be legalized.
  • The solution to drug addiction lies in how parents raise their kids and not law enforcement.

Research paper topics on Education

It is commonly said that education is the key to success. If that has any sense of truth in it, then researchers need to investigate the best strategies to provide quality education to all.

Examples of relevant education research paper topics could include the following:

  • It is better to teach in public schools than charter schools.
  • College athletes should be paid like professional athletes.
  • Quality of distance learning differs is similar to n campus learning.
  • Governments are obliged to provide more funding for public schools.
  • milarHome schooling.
  • Pedagogy for learners with disabilities.
  • No child left behind.
  • Standardized testing
  • Sex education

Environmental Research Paper Topics

With global warming and the numerous severe impacts of climate change, researchers can investigate these research paper topics.

  • Renewable energy
  • Deforestation
  • Marine pollution
  • Fossil fuels
  • The controversy of nuclear energy
  • Pesticide control in agriculture

Research Paper Topics on Health and Nursing

Healthcare systems are constantly seeking evidence-based practices to improve quality of care and reduce mortality. Health professionals can research the following topics:

  • Legalization of abortion
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Artificial insemination in humans
  • Alternative medicine
  • Birth control
  • Physician-assisted suicide
  • Medicaid and Medicate
  • Fast food and obesity
  • Bariatric surgery

Research paper topics on Media and Communication

Media outlets influence social and political events in a country. Some relevant research paper topics on the subject include:

  • Body shaming
  • Freedom of speech
  • Copyright infringement
  • False advertising
  • Stereotypes
  • Television and violent behavior

Psychology Research Paper Topics

The field of psychology is broad. There are many research paper topic options for students.

  • Physical attraction
  • Childhood development and autism
  • Influence of bad dreams on mood
  • Stress and physical health

Research paper topics on current events

This is most likely the best option for students who intend to understand modern-day trends and human behaviors.

  • Impacts of one-child policy in China
  • The new wave of feminism
  • Trump presidency and American democracy
  • The strained relationship between America and North Korea
  • S. immigration laws
  • Black Live Matter Movement
  • Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
  • Brexit (The UK exit from the European Union
  • Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies

History research paper topics

The world has a history worth studying. Archeologists and historians are always looking for clues to explain human civilizations. One can research the following topics.

  • The Second World War and its impact on women rights
  • Asian art and how it influenced modern art
  • Roman and Greek cultures
  • Colonization of Africa and slave trade

Find a good writer to write a research paper for you based on one of the research paper topics above. Order Now.

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How to write your first research paper.

Writing a research manuscript is an intimidating process for many novice writers in the sciences. One of the stumbling blocks is the beginning of the process and creating the first draft. This paper presents guidelines on how to initiate the writing process and draft each section of a research manuscript. The paper discusses seven rules that allow the writer to prepare a well-structured and comprehensive manuscript for a publication submission. In addition, the author lists different strategies for successful revision. Each of those strategies represents a step in the revision process and should help the writer improve the quality of the manuscript. The paper could be considered a brief manual for publication.

It is late at night. You have been struggling with your project for a year. You generated an enormous amount of interesting data. Your pipette feels like an extension of your hand, and running western blots has become part of your daily routine, similar to brushing your teeth. Your colleagues think you are ready to write a paper, and your lab mates tease you about your “slow” writing progress. Yet days pass, and you cannot force yourself to sit down to write. You have not written anything for a while (lab reports do not count), and you feel you have lost your stamina. How does the writing process work? How can you fit your writing into a daily schedule packed with experiments? What section should you start with? What distinguishes a good research paper from a bad one? How should you revise your paper? These and many other questions buzz in your head and keep you stressed. As a result, you procrastinate. In this paper, I will discuss the issues related to the writing process of a scientific paper. Specifically, I will focus on the best approaches to start a scientific paper, tips for writing each section, and the best revision strategies.

1. Schedule your writing time in Outlook

Whether you have written 100 papers or you are struggling with your first, starting the process is the most difficult part unless you have a rigid writing schedule. Writing is hard. It is a very difficult process of intense concentration and brain work. As stated in Hayes’ framework for the study of writing: “It is a generative activity requiring motivation, and it is an intellectual activity requiring cognitive processes and memory” [ 1 ]. In his book How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing , Paul Silvia says that for some, “it’s easier to embalm the dead than to write an article about it” [ 2 ]. Just as with any type of hard work, you will not succeed unless you practice regularly. If you have not done physical exercises for a year, only regular workouts can get you into good shape again. The same kind of regular exercises, or I call them “writing sessions,” are required to be a productive author. Choose from 1- to 2-hour blocks in your daily work schedule and consider them as non-cancellable appointments. When figuring out which blocks of time will be set for writing, you should select the time that works best for this type of work. For many people, mornings are more productive. One Yale University graduate student spent a semester writing from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. when her lab was empty. At the end of the semester, she was amazed at how much she accomplished without even interrupting her regular lab hours. In addition, doing the hardest task first thing in the morning contributes to the sense of accomplishment during the rest of the day. This positive feeling spills over into our work and life and has a very positive effect on our overall attitude.

Rule 1: Create regular time blocks for writing as appointments in your calendar and keep these appointments.

2. start with an outline.

Now that you have scheduled time, you need to decide how to start writing. The best strategy is to start with an outline. This will not be an outline that you are used to, with Roman numerals for each section and neat parallel listing of topic sentences and supporting points. This outline will be similar to a template for your paper. Initially, the outline will form a structure for your paper; it will help generate ideas and formulate hypotheses. Following the advice of George M. Whitesides, “. . . start with a blank piece of paper, and write down, in any order, all important ideas that occur to you concerning the paper” [ 3 ]. Use Table 1 as a starting point for your outline. Include your visuals (figures, tables, formulas, equations, and algorithms), and list your findings. These will constitute the first level of your outline, which will eventually expand as you elaborate.

1. What is the topic of my paper?
2. Why is this topic important?
3. How could I formulate my hypothesis?
4. What are my results (include visuals)?
5. What is my major finding?

The next stage is to add context and structure. Here you will group all your ideas into sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion/Conclusion ( Table 2 ). This step will help add coherence to your work and sift your ideas.

1. Why is your research important?
2. What is known about the topic?
3. What are your hypotheses?
4. What are your objectives?
1. What materials did you use?
2. Who were the subjects of your study?
3. What was the design of your research?
4. What procedure did you follow?
1. What are your most significant results?
2. What are your supporting results?
1. What are the studies major findings?
2. What is the significance/implication of the results?

Now that you have expanded your outline, you are ready for the next step: discussing the ideas for your paper with your colleagues and mentor. Many universities have a writing center where graduate students can schedule individual consultations and receive assistance with their paper drafts. Getting feedback during early stages of your draft can save a lot of time. Talking through ideas allows people to conceptualize and organize thoughts to find their direction without wasting time on unnecessary writing. Outlining is the most effective way of communicating your ideas and exchanging thoughts. Moreover, it is also the best stage to decide to which publication you will submit the paper. Many people come up with three choices and discuss them with their mentors and colleagues. Having a list of journal priorities can help you quickly resubmit your paper if your paper is rejected.

Rule 2: Create a detailed outline and discuss it with your mentor and peers.

3. continue with drafts.

After you get enough feedback and decide on the journal you will submit to, the process of real writing begins. Copy your outline into a separate file and expand on each of the points, adding data and elaborating on the details. When you create the first draft, do not succumb to the temptation of editing. Do not slow down to choose a better word or better phrase; do not halt to improve your sentence structure. Pour your ideas into the paper and leave revision and editing for later. As Paul Silvia explains, “Revising while you generate text is like drinking decaffeinated coffee in the early morning: noble idea, wrong time” [ 2 ].

Many students complain that they are not productive writers because they experience writer’s block. Staring at an empty screen is frustrating, but your screen is not really empty: You have a template of your article, and all you need to do is fill in the blanks. Indeed, writer’s block is a logical fallacy for a scientist ― it is just an excuse to procrastinate. When scientists start writing a research paper, they already have their files with data, lab notes with materials and experimental designs, some visuals, and tables with results. All they need to do is scrutinize these pieces and put them together into a comprehensive paper.

3.1. Starting with Materials and Methods

If you still struggle with starting a paper, then write the Materials and Methods section first. Since you have all your notes, it should not be problematic for you to describe the experimental design and procedures. Your most important goal in this section is to be as explicit as possible by providing enough detail and references. In the end, the purpose of this section is to allow other researchers to evaluate and repeat your work. So do not run into the same problems as the writers of the sentences in (1):

1a. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation. 1b. To isolate T cells, lymph nodes were collected.

As you can see, crucial pieces of information are missing: the speed of centrifuging your bacteria, the time, and the temperature in (1a); the source of lymph nodes for collection in (b). The sentences can be improved when information is added, as in (2a) and (2b), respectfully:

2a. Bacteria were pelleted by centrifugation at 3000g for 15 min at 25°C. 2b. To isolate T cells, mediastinal and mesenteric lymph nodes from Balb/c mice were collected at day 7 after immunization with ovabumin.

If your method has previously been published and is well-known, then you should provide only the literature reference, as in (3a). If your method is unpublished, then you need to make sure you provide all essential details, as in (3b).

3a. Stem cells were isolated, according to Johnson [23]. 3b. Stem cells were isolated using biotinylated carbon nanotubes coated with anti-CD34 antibodies.

Furthermore, cohesion and fluency are crucial in this section. One of the malpractices resulting in disrupted fluency is switching from passive voice to active and vice versa within the same paragraph, as shown in (4). This switching misleads and distracts the reader.

4. Behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 were programmed by using E-Prime. We took ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods). The preferred and unpreferred status of the music was operationalized along a continuum of pleasantness [ 4 ].

The problem with (4) is that the reader has to switch from the point of view of the experiment (passive voice) to the point of view of the experimenter (active voice). This switch causes confusion about the performer of the actions in the first and the third sentences. To improve the coherence and fluency of the paragraph above, you should be consistent in choosing the point of view: first person “we” or passive voice [ 5 ]. Let’s consider two revised examples in (5).

5a. We programmed behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 by using E-Prime. We took ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods) as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music. We operationalized the preferred and unpreferred status of the music along a continuum of pleasantness. 5b. Behavioral computer-based experiments of Study 1 were programmed by using E-Prime. Ratings of enjoyment, mood, and arousal were taken as the patients listened to preferred pleasant music and unpreferred music by using Visual Analogue Scales (SI Methods). The preferred and unpreferred status of the music was operationalized along a continuum of pleasantness.

If you choose the point of view of the experimenter, then you may end up with repetitive “we did this” sentences. For many readers, paragraphs with sentences all beginning with “we” may also sound disruptive. So if you choose active sentences, you need to keep the number of “we” subjects to a minimum and vary the beginnings of the sentences [ 6 ].

Interestingly, recent studies have reported that the Materials and Methods section is the only section in research papers in which passive voice predominantly overrides the use of the active voice [ 5 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. For example, Martínez shows a significant drop in active voice use in the Methods sections based on the corpus of 1 million words of experimental full text research articles in the biological sciences [ 7 ]. According to the author, the active voice patterned with “we” is used only as a tool to reveal personal responsibility for the procedural decisions in designing and performing experimental work. This means that while all other sections of the research paper use active voice, passive voice is still the most predominant in Materials and Methods sections.

Writing Materials and Methods sections is a meticulous and time consuming task requiring extreme accuracy and clarity. This is why when you complete your draft, you should ask for as much feedback from your colleagues as possible. Numerous readers of this section will help you identify the missing links and improve the technical style of this section.

Rule 3: Be meticulous and accurate in describing the Materials and Methods. Do not change the point of view within one paragraph.

3.2. writing results section.

For many authors, writing the Results section is more intimidating than writing the Materials and Methods section . If people are interested in your paper, they are interested in your results. That is why it is vital to use all your writing skills to objectively present your key findings in an orderly and logical sequence using illustrative materials and text.

Your Results should be organized into different segments or subsections where each one presents the purpose of the experiment, your experimental approach, data including text and visuals (tables, figures, schematics, algorithms, and formulas), and data commentary. For most journals, your data commentary will include a meaningful summary of the data presented in the visuals and an explanation of the most significant findings. This data presentation should not repeat the data in the visuals, but rather highlight the most important points. In the “standard” research paper approach, your Results section should exclude data interpretation, leaving it for the Discussion section. However, interpretations gradually and secretly creep into research papers: “Reducing the data, generalizing from the data, and highlighting scientific cases are all highly interpretive processes. It should be clear by now that we do not let the data speak for themselves in research reports; in summarizing our results, we interpret them for the reader” [ 10 ]. As a result, many journals including the Journal of Experimental Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Investigation use joint Results/Discussion sections, where results are immediately followed by interpretations.

Another important aspect of this section is to create a comprehensive and supported argument or a well-researched case. This means that you should be selective in presenting data and choose only those experimental details that are essential for your reader to understand your findings. You might have conducted an experiment 20 times and collected numerous records, but this does not mean that you should present all those records in your paper. You need to distinguish your results from your data and be able to discard excessive experimental details that could distract and confuse the reader. However, creating a picture or an argument should not be confused with data manipulation or falsification, which is a willful distortion of data and results. If some of your findings contradict your ideas, you have to mention this and find a plausible explanation for the contradiction.

In addition, your text should not include irrelevant and peripheral information, including overview sentences, as in (6).

6. To show our results, we first introduce all components of experimental system and then describe the outcome of infections.

Indeed, wordiness convolutes your sentences and conceals your ideas from readers. One common source of wordiness is unnecessary intensifiers. Adverbial intensifiers such as “clearly,” “essential,” “quite,” “basically,” “rather,” “fairly,” “really,” and “virtually” not only add verbosity to your sentences, but also lower your results’ credibility. They appeal to the reader’s emotions but lower objectivity, as in the common examples in (7):

7a. Table 3 clearly shows that … 7b. It is obvious from figure 4 that …

Another source of wordiness is nominalizations, i.e., nouns derived from verbs and adjectives paired with weak verbs including “be,” “have,” “do,” “make,” “cause,” “provide,” and “get” and constructions such as “there is/are.”

8a. We tested the hypothesis that there is a disruption of membrane asymmetry. 8b. In this paper we provide an argument that stem cells repopulate injured organs.

In the sentences above, the abstract nominalizations “disruption” and “argument” do not contribute to the clarity of the sentences, but rather clutter them with useless vocabulary that distracts from the meaning. To improve your sentences, avoid unnecessary nominalizations and change passive verbs and constructions into active and direct sentences.

9a. We tested the hypothesis that the membrane asymmetry is disrupted. 9b. In this paper we argue that stem cells repopulate injured organs.

Your Results section is the heart of your paper, representing a year or more of your daily research. So lead your reader through your story by writing direct, concise, and clear sentences.

Rule 4: Be clear, concise, and objective in describing your Results.

3.3. now it is time for your introduction.

Now that you are almost half through drafting your research paper, it is time to update your outline. While describing your Methods and Results, many of you diverged from the original outline and re-focused your ideas. So before you move on to create your Introduction, re-read your Methods and Results sections and change your outline to match your research focus. The updated outline will help you review the general picture of your paper, the topic, the main idea, and the purpose, which are all important for writing your introduction.

The best way to structure your introduction is to follow the three-move approach shown in Table 3 .

a. Show that the general research area is important, central, interesting, and problematic in some way;
a. Indicate a gap in the previous research, or extend previous knowledge in some way.
a. Outline purposes or state the nature of the present research;
b. List research questions or hypotheses;
c. Announce principle findings;
d. State the value of the present research;
e. Indicate the structure of the research paper.

Adapted from Swales and Feak [ 11 ].

The moves and information from your outline can help to create your Introduction efficiently and without missing steps. These moves are traffic signs that lead the reader through the road of your ideas. Each move plays an important role in your paper and should be presented with deep thought and care. When you establish the territory, you place your research in context and highlight the importance of your research topic. By finding the niche, you outline the scope of your research problem and enter the scientific dialogue. The final move, “occupying the niche,” is where you explain your research in a nutshell and highlight your paper’s significance. The three moves allow your readers to evaluate their interest in your paper and play a significant role in the paper review process, determining your paper reviewers.

Some academic writers assume that the reader “should follow the paper” to find the answers about your methodology and your findings. As a result, many novice writers do not present their experimental approach and the major findings, wrongly believing that the reader will locate the necessary information later while reading the subsequent sections [ 5 ]. However, this “suspense” approach is not appropriate for scientific writing. To interest the reader, scientific authors should be direct and straightforward and present informative one-sentence summaries of the results and the approach.

Another problem is that writers understate the significance of the Introduction. Many new researchers mistakenly think that all their readers understand the importance of the research question and omit this part. However, this assumption is faulty because the purpose of the section is not to evaluate the importance of the research question in general. The goal is to present the importance of your research contribution and your findings. Therefore, you should be explicit and clear in describing the benefit of the paper.

The Introduction should not be long. Indeed, for most journals, this is a very brief section of about 250 to 600 words, but it might be the most difficult section due to its importance.

Rule 5: Interest your reader in the Introduction section by signalling all its elements and stating the novelty of the work.

3.4. discussion of the results.

For many scientists, writing a Discussion section is as scary as starting a paper. Most of the fear comes from the variation in the section. Since every paper has its unique results and findings, the Discussion section differs in its length, shape, and structure. However, some general principles of writing this section still exist. Knowing these rules, or “moves,” can change your attitude about this section and help you create a comprehensive interpretation of your results.

The purpose of the Discussion section is to place your findings in the research context and “to explain the meaning of the findings and why they are important, without appearing arrogant, condescending, or patronizing” [ 11 ]. The structure of the first two moves is almost a mirror reflection of the one in the Introduction. In the Introduction, you zoom in from general to specific and from the background to your research question; in the Discussion section, you zoom out from the summary of your findings to the research context, as shown in Table 4 .

a. State the study’s major findings.
b. Explain the meaning and importance of your finding.
c. Consider alternative explanations of the findings.
a. Compare and contrast your findings with those of other published results.
b. Explain any discrepancies and unexpected findings.
c. State the limitations, weaknesses, and assumptions of your study.
a. Summarize the answers to the research questions.
b. Indicate the importance of the work by stating applications, recommendations, and implications.

Adapted from Swales and Feak and Hess [ 11 , 12 ].

The biggest challenge for many writers is the opening paragraph of the Discussion section. Following the moves in Table 1 , the best choice is to start with the study’s major findings that provide the answer to the research question in your Introduction. The most common starting phrases are “Our findings demonstrate . . .,” or “In this study, we have shown that . . .,” or “Our results suggest . . .” In some cases, however, reminding the reader about the research question or even providing a brief context and then stating the answer would make more sense. This is important in those cases where the researcher presents a number of findings or where more than one research question was presented. Your summary of the study’s major findings should be followed by your presentation of the importance of these findings. One of the most frequent mistakes of the novice writer is to assume the importance of his findings. Even if the importance is clear to you, it may not be obvious to your reader. Digesting the findings and their importance to your reader is as crucial as stating your research question.

Another useful strategy is to be proactive in the first move by predicting and commenting on the alternative explanations of the results. Addressing potential doubts will save you from painful comments about the wrong interpretation of your results and will present you as a thoughtful and considerate researcher. Moreover, the evaluation of the alternative explanations might help you create a logical step to the next move of the discussion section: the research context.

The goal of the research context move is to show how your findings fit into the general picture of the current research and how you contribute to the existing knowledge on the topic. This is also the place to discuss any discrepancies and unexpected findings that may otherwise distort the general picture of your paper. Moreover, outlining the scope of your research by showing the limitations, weaknesses, and assumptions is essential and adds modesty to your image as a scientist. However, make sure that you do not end your paper with the problems that override your findings. Try to suggest feasible explanations and solutions.

If your submission does not require a separate Conclusion section, then adding another paragraph about the “take-home message” is a must. This should be a general statement reiterating your answer to the research question and adding its scientific implications, practical application, or advice.

Just as in all other sections of your paper, the clear and precise language and concise comprehensive sentences are vital. However, in addition to that, your writing should convey confidence and authority. The easiest way to illustrate your tone is to use the active voice and the first person pronouns. Accompanied by clarity and succinctness, these tools are the best to convince your readers of your point and your ideas.

Rule 6: Present the principles, relationships, and generalizations in a concise and convincing tone.

4. choosing the best working revision strategies.

Now that you have created the first draft, your attitude toward your writing should have improved. Moreover, you should feel more confident that you are able to accomplish your project and submit your paper within a reasonable timeframe. You also have worked out your writing schedule and followed it precisely. Do not stop ― you are only at the midpoint from your destination. Just as the best and most precious diamond is no more than an unattractive stone recognized only by trained professionals, your ideas and your results may go unnoticed if they are not polished and brushed. Despite your attempts to present your ideas in a logical and comprehensive way, first drafts are frequently a mess. Use the advice of Paul Silvia: “Your first drafts should sound like they were hastily translated from Icelandic by a non-native speaker” [ 2 ]. The degree of your success will depend on how you are able to revise and edit your paper.

The revision can be done at the macrostructure and the microstructure levels [ 13 ]. The macrostructure revision includes the revision of the organization, content, and flow. The microstructure level includes individual words, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

The best way to approach the macrostructure revision is through the outline of the ideas in your paper. The last time you updated your outline was before writing the Introduction and the Discussion. Now that you have the beginning and the conclusion, you can take a bird’s-eye view of the whole paper. The outline will allow you to see if the ideas of your paper are coherently structured, if your results are logically built, and if the discussion is linked to the research question in the Introduction. You will be able to see if something is missing in any of the sections or if you need to rearrange your information to make your point.

The next step is to revise each of the sections starting from the beginning. Ideally, you should limit yourself to working on small sections of about five pages at a time [ 14 ]. After these short sections, your eyes get used to your writing and your efficiency in spotting problems decreases. When reading for content and organization, you should control your urge to edit your paper for sentence structure and grammar and focus only on the flow of your ideas and logic of your presentation. Experienced researchers tend to make almost three times the number of changes to meaning than novice writers [ 15 , 16 ]. Revising is a difficult but useful skill, which academic writers obtain with years of practice.

In contrast to the macrostructure revision, which is a linear process and is done usually through a detailed outline and by sections, microstructure revision is a non-linear process. While the goal of the macrostructure revision is to analyze your ideas and their logic, the goal of the microstructure editing is to scrutinize the form of your ideas: your paragraphs, sentences, and words. You do not need and are not recommended to follow the order of the paper to perform this type of revision. You can start from the end or from different sections. You can even revise by reading sentences backward, sentence by sentence and word by word.

One of the microstructure revision strategies frequently used during writing center consultations is to read the paper aloud [ 17 ]. You may read aloud to yourself, to a tape recorder, or to a colleague or friend. When reading and listening to your paper, you are more likely to notice the places where the fluency is disrupted and where you stumble because of a very long and unclear sentence or a wrong connector.

Another revision strategy is to learn your common errors and to do a targeted search for them [ 13 ]. All writers have a set of problems that are specific to them, i.e., their writing idiosyncrasies. Remembering these problems is as important for an academic writer as remembering your friends’ birthdays. Create a list of these idiosyncrasies and run a search for these problems using your word processor. If your problem is demonstrative pronouns without summary words, then search for “this/these/those” in your text and check if you used the word appropriately. If you have a problem with intensifiers, then search for “really” or “very” and delete them from the text. The same targeted search can be done to eliminate wordiness. Searching for “there is/are” or “and” can help you avoid the bulky sentences.

The final strategy is working with a hard copy and a pencil. Print a double space copy with font size 14 and re-read your paper in several steps. Try reading your paper line by line with the rest of the text covered with a piece of paper. When you are forced to see only a small portion of your writing, you are less likely to get distracted and are more likely to notice problems. You will end up spotting more unnecessary words, wrongly worded phrases, or unparallel constructions.

After you apply all these strategies, you are ready to share your writing with your friends, colleagues, and a writing advisor in the writing center. Get as much feedback as you can, especially from non-specialists in your field. Patiently listen to what others say to you ― you are not expected to defend your writing or explain what you wanted to say. You may decide what you want to change and how after you receive the feedback and sort it in your head. Even though some researchers make the revision an endless process and can hardly stop after a 14th draft; having from five to seven drafts of your paper is a norm in the sciences. If you can’t stop revising, then set a deadline for yourself and stick to it. Deadlines always help.

Rule 7: Revise your paper at the macrostructure and the microstructure level using different strategies and techniques. Receive feedback and revise again.

5. it is time to submit.

It is late at night again. You are still in your lab finishing revisions and getting ready to submit your paper. You feel happy ― you have finally finished a year’s worth of work. You will submit your paper tomorrow, and regardless of the outcome, you know that you can do it. If one journal does not take your paper, you will take advantage of the feedback and resubmit again. You will have a publication, and this is the most important achievement.

What is even more important is that you have your scheduled writing time that you are going to keep for your future publications, for reading and taking notes, for writing grants, and for reviewing papers. You are not going to lose stamina this time, and you will become a productive scientist. But for now, let’s celebrate the end of the paper.

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How to Start a Research Paper

beginner research paper topics

Beginning is always the hardest part of an assignment. The introduction should not be the first thing you begin to write when starting to work on an essay. First, tons of research should be conducted — in order for your paper to be good. Only then you will be able to extract the main points of your work, and introduce them to your readers. A good introduction will also include your personal opinion of the problem, and, therefore, will make the writing easier overall. Let's dive into the details with admission essay writing services .

What Is a Research Paper?

A research paper is a type of writing in which the author does an independent analysis of the topic and describes the findings from that investigation. Furthermore, one will have to identify the weaknesses and strengths of the subject and evaluate them accordingly.

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A good way to write an introduction for a research paper is to introduce your reader to the topic by telling them what you are writing about. Then, make sure you include an interesting fact, or some surprising statistical data, so that your reader will be hooked and will continue to read your research paper. Treat your essay introduction like an advertisement for a product you want to sell—if your advertisement is bad, the sales won’t be great. The same goes for a bad introduction; if it does not intrigue readers, they might lose interest in your paper.

The beginning is always the hardest part of an assignment. Regardless of if you are writing a small resume education section or a full-blown research paper - following the correct steps is very important . The introduction should not be the first thing you begin to write when starting to work on an essay.

You might also be interested in getting more info about HOW TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER

Introduction Paragraph Outline

intro research paper

Present Your Essay Topic

The base of every essay is its topic. What you are writing about should always be a reflection of your topic. Simply start off your introduction by telling your readers, in a simple and accessible language, what it is you are writing your research paper about. Although, we suggest you include a “trigger” when introducing the topic of your paper. A personal reference, or a story that relates to the essay topic, are options for a good way to link plain text to people’s emotions. So, feel free to write sincerely, as if you were talking to a friend.

The best strategy to start your introduction is by writing a broad topic presentation, then gradually narrow it down to what you would like to focus on exactly. It will put your topic into perspective for readers’ general understanding. When writing your research paper, make sure to include your opinion on the issue in your introduction. This will make your topic sound more personal and it will likely become more important to your audience as well.

Provide Background Information and Context

The topic you begin writing about is likely very familiar to you, as it is expected that you have done plenty of research. But what about your readers? For the most part, the amount of context is determined by what your audience already knows—though, let’s focus on a bigger assortment of readers, to make sure everyone’s needs are met. Imagine that you are part of your audience. Read the information you provided in the introduction. Is this sufficient? Does it leave gaps and unanswered questions in your research? Your job as a writer is to provide the perfect background to your topic, which gives readers just enough information to be able to grasp your topic and enjoy your research paper to the fullest. Another extreme you should avoid is giving too much context—consequently making the audience feel bored right from the introduction. Write your essay as something that you would enjoy reading yourself, like a story, but not an academic research paper.

Explain the Importance of Your Research

There is no doubt that after plenty of research you are an expert in your field. But what about your readers? In the introduction you need to showcase the extent of your research and write about the work you have completed. This will also help your readers understand that your ideas are supported by other scholars, and you share their views in your paper.

Make sure to write about all the works you have studied in order to persuade readers of your expertise. For your introduction, simply use the names you are referencing, or their most important works, so that the audience does not feel overwhelmed. It is also necessary to cite all your sources—in order to avoid academic plagiarism.

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Make Your Rationale Work

Rationale is the most important part of the beginning of your paper. Explain to readers the reasoning behind your research paper—the importance of this is a guarantee that they will keep reading and appreciate your topic. In the introduction, you need to write an explanation of how your paper fits into all the research that has already been done in that field; this shows your audience the importance of your essay and the role your research plays in the field overall.

Show the Significance of Your Research

You, and only you, understand how important your research is. The next step of your introduction is to prove to your audience how important it is. Include the basic, and the most important literature, you support your ideas with. This will show the readers your solid analytical skills, your writing capabilities, and your ability to sort out information to deliver the most important points for your paper. And the final part of the introduction is to simply explain why your research is important to the field, to society, to the whole world, and, most importantly, to the readers. When a person can relate to an idea, it is almost always a guarantee that your argument will be persuasive and have a positive outcome.

Make Sure Your Thesis Is Clear

A research paper introduction uses primary sources and data to support its thesis statement. A research paper’s thesis statement has a lot in common with a thesis for an essay, or other non-research assignment. The difference lies in the fact that in a research thesis, you gather evidence from valid sources to prove your perspective on a topic. Despite the fact that you support your thoughts by sources, the idea for your thesis in your introduction should be original and your own, as it reflects the way you think.

Here is a quick checklist for writing a thesis statement:

  • Remember, the thesis is your argument. Make sure it sounds assertive.
  • Write two to three versions of your thesis and choose the best one.
  • Share your thesis with a neutral person—to get a different point of view.
  • Discuss your thesis with others; they might have good ideas as well.
  • It should appear in your introduction, and be restated in your conclusion.

If you're looking to free yourself from the burden of academic writing, consider our research papers for sale , offering a convenient solution to meet your scholarly needs efficiently.

Research Paper Title Page

Mla title page.

Here are some tips from our writing team on how to format your research paper MLA title page:

  • The title page is double spaced and the text needs to be centred.
  • Write the name of your university or college.
  • Skip about one-third of the page down and type your research paper title—include a subtitle if you have one.
  • Skip several lines down and type your name, your course name and number, your instructor’s name, and your paper’s due date.

mla-title-page

APA Title Page

  • Place a running head in your page’s header:
  • Use the label “Running head:” then, put your shortened title (IN UPPERCASE LETTERS), and align it all to the left.
  • Place the page number in this same header, but align it to the right, and begin with page number 1.
  • The header should be 1 inch from the top. Some teachers say 1/2 inch is okay as well.
  • Place your paper’s title in the upper half of the page, centred. Capitalize the first letter of all of the important words in your title.
  • Place your University’s name below your name, double-spaced.

apa-title-page-2

Read also our research proposal example APA .

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on finishing your research paper! Answer these questions to avoid careless mistakes.

  • Are all of your quotations, paraphrases, and summaries accurate?
  • Are all of your references accurate?
  • Is your format the proper format assigned by your instructor?
  • Are all the concepts defined and easily understood by an average reader?
  • Is your “hook” good enough for the reader to become interested?
  • Is there a structure to your introduction that is easy to navigate for the reader?
  • Does your introduction give a good idea of what your paper is about?

And here are several tips for your help:

tips research paper

If you need, you can hire a coursework, buy research paper or other specialist at our research proposal writing service . All you need to do is just leave us a notice like ' write my paper for me ' or something else.

Research Paper Introduction Example

Now that you have a solid idea about the introduction of a research paper, let’s take a look at some examples from our writers. They will help you see how all of the rules we presented above work in practice. ‍

Research Paper Introduction Example: Should Parents Be Held Accountable for the Criminal Acts of Their Children? Recently, youth gang connected attacks have been occurring in an increasing prevalence, with some even causing deaths, such as the killing of a college student at Suburbs East. Such occurrences have made a lot of people to wonder about the origin of those violent actions, with much of the extent of guilt being put on the parents of such adolescents. In any event, one has to question whether the parents should be penalized for the offenses of their kids. Some people believe that parents should be held responsible for the criminal acts of their offspring because parents are mostly accountable for the education and upbringing of their kids, and frequently impact the actions and behavior of their children until they become mature and independent. This is because they are almost always the ones that raise their kids after birth. As such, it is believed that parents start to influence the ethical range of their children from a young age, and one’s ethics are critically impacted by the way parents act and their personalities (Gratz, 169). This logic can make parents responsible for their children if they do wrong later on — because they are understood to not have raised their child in the right way. Furthermore, there is an argument that children are virtually completely controlled by their parents, as they are apt to want to make their parents happy, and they would, therefore, listen to whatever they are told to do or how they are told to behave (Michael, Andrew and Michael, 4). This, in turn, makes many people think that parents should always be the ones to be blamed for the criminal acts of their children, as they believe that they have the power to warn and control them.

Need Some Help with Your Research Paper?

A research paper is a very challenging task to complete. The introduction is a crucial piece of it: it ensures that the reader is interested and will enjoy your paper. If you are still struggling with any part of your essay, remember that you can always pay for a research paper . We are always here to give you a helping hand to make your life easier.

Daniel Parker

Daniel Parker

is a seasoned educational writer focusing on scholarship guidance, research papers, and various forms of academic essays including reflective and narrative essays. His expertise also extends to detailed case studies. A scholar with a background in English Literature and Education, Daniel’s work on EssayPro blog aims to support students in achieving academic excellence and securing scholarships. His hobbies include reading classic literature and participating in academic forums.

beginner research paper topics

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How to Write a Music Essay: Topics and Examples

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200+ Best Engineering Research Paper Topics in 2022

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Team Desklib

Published: 2022-10-13

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Since the dawn of humanity, there have been  engineering issues   and a need to solve them. Without technological understanding, ancient civilizations would not have been feasible because even then, enormous cities were being constructed with the aid of engineering principles.

This list of research issues aims to familiarise anyone interested in real-world engineering with specific scenarios that occur during practically any sort of professional activity of an engineer and call for ethical problem-level solutions.

You should first define the direction of engineering before beginning your research. You can locate an intriguing research topic in a variety of areas and subtopics. Students interested in history can learn more about engineering anthropology and comprehend this field's numerous phenomena and growth.

Genetic engineering might be a topic for those that enjoy biology. Additionally, any student is free to approach the teacher for suggestions on the most delicate subject matter.

You can choose the topic that will help you find a lot of useful technical information with the assistance of someone with years of experience.

There are many intriguing  engineering research paper   themes available in today's technologically advanced world. However, their diversity can also be an issue because it might be difficult to choose the proper one if you want to present high-quality work.

In this post, we provide a list of intriguing research paper topics for engineering students that are both simple to investigate and enjoyable to write about.

But before suggesting you some good engineering research topics we want to teach you how to choose engineering topics for your research paper.

The following procedures and advice will assist you in selecting the appropriate option from the list of options:

  • If there isn't a list of suggested subjects, brainstorm ideas to come up with engaging engineering research topics that are pertinent to both your project and the industry as a whole.  
  • Select a topic that you are familiar with because engineering topics can get very difficult; moreover, ensure that the topic you select is one that you can understand.  
  • Ensure there are enough resources available on the topics; while writing an essay on a specialized subject can produce intriguing content, it can become too difficult if there aren't good information sources available.  
  • Be open-minded while making your choice; instead of limiting yourself to topics you are familiar with, consider what will make your essay compelling and leave an impression on the grader.

The application of scientific principles is a  direct concern of engineering . Because of this, this field has several unique  characteristics that you cannot find elsewhere.

These are the engineering subjects that touch on them:

  • Engineering education issues and suggestions for improvement
  • The idea of engineering optimization
  • Engineering, quality assurance
  • Engineering measurement and data analysis specifics
  • Utilizing optical techniques for engineering analysis
  • Corrosion's impact on engineering
  • Nanotechnology applications in contemporary engineering
  • Value engineering and analysis
  • AI and machine learning applications in engineering
  • Engineering modeling techniques
  • Engineering and upkeep
  • Micromanufacturing and engineering
  • Engineering advancements in Western culture
  • Technical economy
  • Engineering's theoretical underpinnings and their connection to science
  • Engineering material specifics
  • The design and administration of complex systems
  • Reliability's significance in engineering
  • Complex nuclear engineering issues
  • The function of statistics and probability in engineering
  • Trends in the creation of agricultural technology equipment.
  • Technology in the food sector conserves energy and resources.
  • Innovations in the food business that produces little or no waste.
  • Food industry engineering in small businesses.
  • The modern technosphere's high level of complexity and its extensive integration into societal life.
  • Apparatus for heating up food bulk.
  • Hardware for filling and presenting finished goods.
  • Automation and mechanization of technological procedures in the food sector.
  • Food industry construction products.
  • Food industry production lines.
  • Approaches to systems engineering.
  • Theories for making an engineering-related career decision.
  • Professional analysis of an engineer's education and activity.
  • Professional competency is formed and developed during training.
  • An engineer's design and engineering tasks.
  • Engineering organization and management tasks.
  • Engineering production and technological activities.
  • Engineers and inventors from the United States and Europe (in the field of food production).
  • Types of programs for engineering education.
  • American and international engineering training systems integration

Top 8 Engineering Branches and Research Topics

  • Engineering ethics-related research paper topics
  • Genetic engineering research paper topics
  • Biomedical engineering research paper topics
  • Electrical engineering research paper topics
  • Security engineering research paper topics
  • Software engineering research paper topics
  • Mechanical engineering research paper topics
  • Civil engineering research paper topics

20 Best Engineering Ethics-related Research Paper Topics

  • A set of moral guidelines that engineers use in their work.
  • How might a moral engineer benefit society more?
  • What moral ideals ought to guide engineering practice and research?
  • What moral considerations ought every engineer to make before beginning their professional development?
  • The conception of a product in accordance with all moral principles.
  • Problems with ethics in the test and design areas.
  • Ethical problems with goods and services. How can they be fixed?
  • Moral dilemmas in leadership and collaboration.
  • Obeying the law and ethical principles.
  • What are the most crucial moral principles for engineers?
  • How can an engineer maintain morality?
  • Phases of a personality's growth professionally in engineering.
  • Engineering ethics: What is it?
  • How may engineering ethics be followed?
  • The primary functions of engineering psychology and ergonomics.
  • Why is a strong work ethic necessary in an organization?
  • How does a strong work ethic help a company avoid many issues?
  • Humanitarian knowledge's integration into engineering methods.
  • How may human knowledge be related in many ways to technical thinking?
  • The fundamentals of engineering ethics.

20 Best Genetic Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Genetic engineering and morality
  • Genetic engineering's significance in modern agriculture
  • Using genetic engineering to increase the production of biofuel
  • One of the key tools for genetic engineering is CRISPR-Cas.
  • Manufacture of antibiotics with genetic engineering
  • The global politics of genetic engineering
  • Genetic engineering: Myths and actual risks
  • Genetic modification and organic food production
  • Possibilities of combining conventional breeding with genetic engineering
  • Utilizing genetic engineering to combat pollution
  • Gene therapy in genetic engineering.
  • How much of our genetic makeup is under our control, and when do we stop being human?
  • What are the benefits of genetically modified organisms?
  • Describe the advantages and disadvantages of genetic testing.
  • What are epigenetics and its value?
  • How to label food with genetically modified organisms?
  • Use of genetically modified organisms in future farming.
  • How can we involve nursing in genomics?
  • Explain the genetic characteristics in humans having different traits like homosexuality.
  • Food safety and guidelines for using genetically modified food products.

Top 20 Interesting Biomedical Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Research On Blood Resistivity-Based Blood Glucose Measurement
  • Using Finite Element Analysis, A Hybrid Artificial Hip Joint Was Designed.
  • Design Of A Clinical Engineering Department's Management Program With a Real-Time Planning System for Recognizing Heart Sounds
  • Design of a Programmed Oxygen Delivery System Improvement: Adaptive Techniques for Cardiac Arrhythmia Detection Using Artificial Neural Networks By looking for a suitable activation function short message technique in health level 7, U-Net for MRI brain tumor segmentation (HL7)
  • A Study of the Optical and Thermal Effects of Gold Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Noise Reduction Image
  • Analysis of Heart Rate Variability Using Statistical Techniques
  • Reflexology for the Early Detection of Stomach Pain
  • Central Medical Waste Treatment Facility Developing an Internet-Based Tele-Pediatric System
  • Conducting polymers are used in biomedical engineering.
  • The greatest successes in contemporary biomedical engineering
  • IoT applications for biomedical engineering
  • Engineering in biomedicine and 3D printing
  • Carbon-based nanomaterials' significance for biomedical engineering
  • Tactile sensing techniques and technologies
  • Techniques for repairing damaged nerves with biomedical engineering
  • Biomedical engineering uses X-rays, terahertz imaging, and spectrography for medical imaging.
  • Potential of biological materials in biomedical engineering
  • Piezoelectricity in systems for biomedical engineering
  • Breast cancer can be detected by using artificial neural networks.
  • Medical waste treatment equipment.

Best 30 Electrical Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Can general relativity affect the techniques used in electrical engineering?
  • Electrical engineering and computer science integration
  • Methods for electronic control in mechanical engineering
  • Electrical engineering ideas of energy and information
  • Engineering in electrical nonlinear optimization
  • Dielectric materials that work best for electrical engineering
  • Electrical engineering's differential progression
  • Electrical circuits and quantum electrodynamics
  • Optimization's advantages in electrical engineering
  • Electrical engineering uses polymers and nanoparticles
  • High-speed, high-power PM machines.
  • Active voltage equalization using li-ion and supercapacitor cells connected in series.
  • Direct drive in-wheel motor design choice.
  • Inertia Motors.
  • Nanoelectronics.
  • Interaction engineering at the atomic level.
  • Using silicon carbide, graphene, and photovoltaics.
  • Ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity.
  • Analyzing behavior using computer modeling.
  • Computational research on novel materials and technologies.
  • Powerful electronic devices and tools.
  • Motors for electric vehicles and their redesign.
  • Networks of energy and the mathematics supporting them.
  • Engineering for electrical systems using computers.
  • Monitoring for smart grids.
  • Composites made of soft magnets.
  • Gearboxes and motors for electric vehicles.
  • Loss detection of grid events in distributed generating systems using pattern recognition
  • Autonomous power system difficulties
  • Hybrid electric aerospace.

Top 30 Security Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Patterns used in security engineering
  • Cloud security engineering specifics
  • Security design for distributed or complicated systems
  • Engineering for privacy and security
  • Security requirements analysis's significance
  • Engineering security in the automobile sector
  • Modeling and testing for security analysis
  • A financial viewpoint on security engineering
  • Flexible security measures
  • Using attack graph models to improve network security
  • the development of ransomware in the field of cybersecurity.
  • Digital device denial-of-service attacks.
  • the foundation of the global cybersecurity strategy.
  • Network intrusion detection and remedies.
  • How should the government deal with cybersecurity?
  • A firewall's function in securing networks.
  • the most typical closed weaknesses.
  • After a data breach, what to do?
  • Widespread spectrum sharing for communications in public safety.
  • Digital security and downloaded materials
  • How to efficiently use the Internet.
  • Modern virus encryption technology.
  • Investigating the importance of algorithm encryption.
  • What is digital piracy?
  • How to navigate the efficiency of the internet?
  • Where do the vulnerabilities come from in a wireless mobile data exchange?
  • Describe the evolution of Android malware.
  • How to detect mobile phone hacking?
  • Privacy and security issues come in chatbots.
  • Cybersecurity and malware connection.

20 Interesting Software Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Software engineering economics
  • Experimental software engineering techniques
  • There are significant disparities between software engineering theory and practice.
  • Software engineering role models
  • Software engineering for industry
  • Testing's significance in software engineering
  • Collaborating when developing software
  • Security through software engineering
  • Problems with embedded software engineering
  • Managerial techniques in software engineering
  • Describe the distribution of anti-virus software.
  • Suggest some software tools for qualitative research.
  • Software development by data scientists.
  • What is an agile software development process?
  • The Capabilities of Compiere Software and How Well It Fits Into Different Industries.
  • WBS completion and software project management.
  • International Software Development's Ethical Challenges: User-Useful Software
  • People with visual impairments face difficulties using assistive application software.
  • Getting to the Ideal Process. Application Development
  • Development of Software with IPR Violations.

Top 25 Mechanical Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Nonlinear oscillations and mechanical engineering
  • Mechanical engineering education through gaming Techniques for dependable and sustainable design
  • How can the design development cycle for mechanical engineering designs be shortened?
  • appropriate material selection's significance in mechanical engineering
  • Mechanical engineering's use of mechatronics and microcontrollers
  • German mechanical engineering is a benchmark worldwide
  • Modern mechanical engineering techniques for modeling and prototyping
  • System design using numerical calculation techniques
  • What effects has the growth of mechanical engineering had on Western culture?
  •  Machine learning approaches for quality assurance in a manufacturing setting
  • Using a variable speed drive with supervisory control and data acquisition to control an induction motor.
  • Biomechanics.
  • Energy and combustion systems.
  • Fluid mechanics and aerodynamics.
  • Fluid-structure interactions, acoustic, and vibrations.
  • Food industry category for quality.
  • Food industry physical and mechanical procedures.
  • The food sector uses thermal procedures.
  • Food industry physical and chemical processes.
  • Processes of mass transfer in the food business.
  • Food industry biochemical and microbiological processes.
  • the significance of technological chemical regulation in the food sector.
  • Process engineers and mechanical engineers have different jobs in the food industry.
  • Tools for preparing raw materials for the main technical procedures.
  • Equipment for processing food bulk mechanically.

Best 20 Civil Engineering Research Paper Topics

  • Civil engineering's effect on how we live our daily lives
  • Neural networks' use in civil engineering
  • Engineering and vegetation
  • Techniques for inspecting civil engineering components
  • various composite materials' micromechanics in civil engineering
  • Uncertainty's relevance in civil engineering modeling
  • IR thermography's application to civil engineering
  • In civil engineering, cutting-edge materials and adhesives are employed.
  • Risk assessment's significance in civil engineering
  • Sustainability and civil engineering
  • Techniques for enhancing plants' ability to withstand water stress.
  • The most pressing issues in civil engineering and solutions.
  • Building quality is in jeopardy due to a lack of certified professionals.
  • Economics in transportation engineering is significant.
  • Protection at building sites.
  • Modern developments in civil engineering.
  • How can the entropy theory be applied in real life?
  • How can I discover a suitable job offer and how much is civil engineering worth?
  • How can issues in seismically active areas be resolved?
  • What opportunities does civil engineering have?

A theoretical inquiry is part of the  engineering discipline's control task . You must independently choose the pertinent scientific data, process it, and accurately present it in a sequential manner for your answer to be effective.

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10 Must Read Machine Learning Research Papers

Machine learning is a rapidly evolving field with research papers often serving as the foundation for discoveries and advancements. For anyone keen to delve into the theoretical and practical aspects of machine learning, the following ten research papers are essential reads. They cover foundational concepts, groundbreaking techniques, and key advancements in the field.

Table of Content

1. “A Few Useful Things to Know About Machine Learning” by Pedro Domingos

2. “imagenet classification with deep convolutional neural networks” by alex krizhevsky, ilya sutskever, and geoffrey e. hinton, 3. “playing atari with deep reinforcement learning” by volodymyr mnih et al., 4. “sequence to sequence learning with neural networks” by ilya sutskever, oriol vinyals, and quoc v. le, 5. “attention is all you need” by ashish vaswani et al., 6. “generative adversarial nets” by ian goodfellow et al., 7. “bert: pre-training of deep bidirectional transformers for language understanding” by jacob devlin et al., 8. “deep residual learning for image recognition” by kaiming he et al., 9. “a survey on deep learning in medical image analysis” by geert litjens et al., 10. “alphago: mastering the game of go with deep neural networks and tree search” by silver et al..

This article highlights 10 must-read machine learning research papers that have significantly contributed to the development and understanding of machine learning. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced practitioner, these papers provide invaluable insights that will help you grasp the complexities of machine learning and its potential to transform industries.

Summary : Pedro Domingos provides a comprehensive overview of essential machine learning concepts and common pitfalls. This paper is a great starting point for understanding the broader landscape of machine learning.

Key Contributions:

  • Distills core principles and practical advice.
  • Discusses overfitting, feature engineering, and model selection.
  • Offers insights into the trade-offs between different machine learning algorithms.
Access: Read the Paper

Summary : Often referred to as the “AlexNet” paper, this work introduced a deep convolutional neural network that significantly improved image classification benchmarks, marking a turning point in computer vision.

  • Demonstrated the power of deep learning for image classification.
  • Introduced techniques like dropout and ReLU activations.
  • Showed the importance of large-scale datasets and GPU acceleration.

Summary : This paper from DeepMind presents the use of deep Q-networks (DQN) to play Atari games . It was a seminal work in applying deep learning to reinforcement learning.

  • Introduced the concept of using deep learning for Q-learning.
  • Showcased the ability of DQNs to learn complex behaviors from raw pixel data.
  • Paved the way for further research in reinforcement learning.

Summary : This paper introduced the sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) learning framework , which has become fundamental for tasks such as machine translation and text summarization.

  • Proposed an encoder-decoder architecture for sequence tasks.
  • Demonstrated effective training of neural networks for sequence modeling.
  • Laid the groundwork for subsequent advancements in natural language processing.

Summary : This paper introduces the Transformer model, which relies solely on attention mechanisms, discarding recurrent layers used in previous models. It has become the backbone of many modern NLP systems.

  • Proposed the Transformer architecture, which uses self-attention to capture dependencies.
  • Demonstrated improvements in training efficiency and performance over RNN-based models.
  • Led to the development of models like BERT, GPT, and others.

Summary : Ian Goodfellow and his colleagues introduced Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) , a revolutionary framework for generating realistic data through adversarial training.

  • Proposed a novel approach where two neural networks compete against each other.
  • Enabled the generation of high-quality images, text, and other data types.
  • Spurred a plethora of research on GAN variations and applications.

Summary : BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) introduced a new way of pre-training language models, significantly improving performance on various NLP benchmarks.

  • Proposed bidirectional training of transformers to capture context from both directions.
  • Achieved state-of-the-art results on several NLP tasks.
  • Set the stage for subsequent models like RoBERTa, ALBERT, and DistilBERT.

Summary : This paper introduces Residual Networks (ResNets), which utilize residual learning to train very deep neural networks effectively.

  • Addressed the issue of vanishing gradients in very deep networks.
  • Demonstrated that extremely deep networks can be trained successfully.
  • Improved performance on image classification tasks and influenced subsequent network architectures.

Summary : This survey provides a comprehensive review of deep learning techniques applied to medical image analysis, summarizing the state of the art in this specialized field.

  • Reviewed various deep learning methods used in medical imaging.
  • Discussed challenges and future directions in the field.
  • Provided insights into applications such as disease detection and image segmentation.

Summary : This paper describes AlphaGo, the first AI to defeat a world champion in the game of Go, using a combination of deep neural networks and Monte Carlo tree search.

  • Demonstrated the effectiveness of combining deep learning with traditional search techniques.
  • Achieved a major milestone in AI by mastering a complex game.
  • Influenced research in AI and its application to other complex decision-making problems.

These ten research papers cover a broad spectrum of machine learning advancements, from foundational concepts to cutting-edge techniques. They provide valuable insights into the development and application of machine learning technologies, making them essential reads for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of the field. By exploring these papers, you can gain a comprehensive view of how machine learning has evolved and where it might be heading in the future.

10 Must Read Machine Learning Research Papers – FAQ’s

What are large language models (llms) and why are they important.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are advanced AI systems designed to understand and generate human language. They are built using deep learning techniques, particularly transformer architectures. LLMs are important because they enable applications such as text generation, translation, and sentiment analysis, significantly advancing the field of natural language processing (NLP).

Why should I read “A Few Useful Things to Know About Machine Learning” by Pedro Domingos?

Pedro Domingos’ paper provides a broad overview of key machine learning concepts, common challenges, and practical advice. It’s an excellent resource for both beginners and experienced practitioners to understand the underlying principles of machine learning and avoid common pitfalls.

What impact did “ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks” have on the field?

The “AlexNet” paper revolutionized image classification by demonstrating the effectiveness of deep convolutional neural networks. It significantly improved benchmark results on ImageNet and introduced techniques like dropout and ReLU activations, which are now standard in deep learning.

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Economics JIW - Tips for Choosing a Topic: Home

Choosing a topic.

Choosing a topic that can answer an economic research question is challenging.  Some tips:

  •  Ripped from the headlines rarely makes a good economic paper.  You will be using data to determine causation or correlation.  Sometimes a similar event can be used.  Topics such as artificial intelligence may make a good policy paper but not a good economic one due to lack of data.
  • Literature Review: Your JIW should use primarily scholarly sources.  Start with Econlit (the database of the American Economic Association).  Econlit indexes major journals, working papers, conference proceedings, dissertations, and chapters in critical books. It takes a long time for scholarly literature to appear.   Preprints are called working papers in economics and major ones are indexed in Econlit.  Y ou are your own research team and have limited time.  Many articles are written over a couple of years and involve many people gathering and cleaning the data. Some starting places: see https://libguides.princeton.edu/econliterature/gettingstarted
  • Outside of finance and some macroeconomic data, most data will not have many points in time.  Data determines the methods used .   While a linear regression can be great for time series data, it is likely not what you will use for survey data.
  • Longitudinal or panel study :  same group of individuals is interviewed at intervals over a period of time.  This can be very useful to observe changes over time. Keep in mind when using a long running longitudinal dataset that the panel generally is not adding new participants so may not reflect today’s demographics.
  • Cross-sectional study :  data from particular subjects are obtained only once.  While you are studying different individuals each time, you are looking at individuals with similar demographic characteristics.  Demography is typically rebalanced to reflect the population.
  • Summary statistics : aggregated counts of survey or administrative data.
  • Typically around a 2 year time lag from the time the survey data is collected to the time of release.  The Economic Census and Census of Agriculture take about 4 years for all data to be released.  Many surveys never release the microdata.
  • Very little subnational data is available and is often restricted when available.   State level macro data for the United States is more prevalent.  City level data is often a case study or only available for very large cities.
  • Many micro-level datasets are restricted. It is not uncommon to wait a year before getting permission or denial to use the data.  Each organization has its own rules.
  • Historical data in electronic format prior to 1950 is rare. Most governmental links provide current data only.
  • What is measured changes over time .  Do not assume modern concepts were tracked in the past.  Definitions of indicators often change over time.
  • Data cannot be made more frequent.  Many items are collected annually or even once a decade.  Major macroeconomic indicators such as GDP tend to be quarterly but some countries may only estimate annually. 
  • What exists for one country may not exist for another country. Data is generally inconsistent across borders .
  • Documentation is typically in the native language .
  • Always look at the methodology. The methodology section is one of the most important parts of the paper. Someone should be able to replicate your work. Describe the dataset and its population. Describe how the data was subset, any filters used, and any adjustment methods. While you are likely not trying to publish in American Economic Review  or Journal of Finance , these are the gold standards.  See how they layout the articles and in particular the methodology and data sections.
  • The basic question to ask when looking for economic data is " who cares about what i am studying ?"  Unfortunately, the answer may be no one. Ideally, look for an organization that is concerned with your research as part of its mission. Examples include the International Labor Organization or the Bureau of Labor Statistics focusing on labor research; the International Monetary Fund or the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System focusing on monetary and fiscal concerns; the World Bank focusing on development; and the World Health Organization focusing on health. This does not mean these organizations collect data on all topics related to that field.
  • Find a topic for which there is literature and data but allows room to add a contribution.  Topics such as sports and music are popular due to personal interests but may not make good research topics due to lack of data and overuse.

   More tips:

  • Data is typically not adjusted for inflation.  It is usually presented in current (nominal) currency.  This means the numbers as they originally appeared.  When data has been adjusted for inflation (constant or real), a base year such as 2020 or 1990 will be shown.  If a base year is not provided, then data is current and therefore not adjusted for inflation.  If given a choice, choose current dollars.  Data is often derived from different datasets and many will use different base years.  Adjust everything at the end.  It is easier than doing reverse math!
  • While most datasets are consistent within the dataset for currency used such as all in US Dollars or Euro or Japanese Yen or each item in local currency, some will mix and match.  LCU is a common abbreviation meaning local currency units. Consider looking at percent changes rather than actual values.  If adjusting use the exchange rate for each period of time, not the latest one.
  • Economic indicators may be either seasonally adjusted or not seasonally adjusted.  This is very common for employment and retail sales.   Unless something says it is seasonally adjusted, it is not.  Be consistent and note in methodology.

Librarians are here to help!  Librarians can help to devise a feasible topic, assist with the literature search, and choose appropriate data.  Your data may fall into multiple categories.  Think of the primary aspect of your topic in terms of first contact.  Do not email librarians individually.  If unsure who to contact either put all that apply on same email or email just one.  If that person is not the best, they will refer you.  

Bobray Bordelon Economics, Finance, & Data Librarian   [email protected]

Charissa Jefferson

Labor Librarian [email protected]

Mary Carter Finance and Operations Research Librarian [email protected]

Data workshops

  • Environmental and energy data  (Bordelon), 9/23/2024  - 7:30-8:50 pm
  • Health, Crime and other Socioeconomic Data  (Bordelon), 9/23/2024 and 10/02/2024 - 3-4:20 pm 
  • Macroeconomics and trade data  (Bordelon), 9/25/2024 and 9/30/2024 - 3-4:20 pm
  • Finance data  (Carter), 9/23/2024 and 9/25/2024 - 3-4:20 pm
  • Labor and education data  (Jefferson), 9/23/2024 and 9/25/2024 - 3-4:20 pm

Workshops listed twice have the same content and are done as an opportunity to fit your schedule.  While you must attend at least one data workshop, it is wise to attend more than one.  If in a certificate program, with the exception of political economy which has to be incorporated into your JIW, other programs have different requirements which are typically for your senior year.  As an example, if in finance, if you choose not to explore a finance topic this year you will still need to incorporate in your senior theses so try and attend a finance workshop in addition to your topical workshop for your JIW since these are intended to help you for your time at Princeton and both the JIW but also the senior thesis.

  • Last Updated: Aug 28, 2024 9:32 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.princeton.edu/ECOJIWTopics

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Research: How to Build Consensus Around a New Idea

  • Devon Proudfoot
  • Wayne Johnson

beginner research paper topics

Strategies for overcoming the disagreements that can stymie innovation.

Previous research has found that new ideas are seen as risky and are often rejected. New research suggests that this rejection can be due to people’s lack of shared criteria or reference points when evaluating a potential innovation’s value. In a new paper, the authors find that the more novel the idea, the more people differ on their perception of its value. They also found that disagreement itself can make people view ideas as risky and make them less likely to support them, regardless of how novel the idea is. To help teams get on the same page when it comes to new ideas, they suggest gathering information about evaluator’s reference points and developing criteria that can lead to more focused discussions.

Picture yourself in a meeting where a new idea has just been pitched, representing a major departure from your company’s standard practices. The presenter is confident about moving forward, but their voice is quickly overtaken by a cacophony of opinions from firm opposition to enthusiastic support. How can you make sense of the noise? What weight do you give each of these opinions? And what does this disagreement say about the idea?

beginner research paper topics

  • DP Devon Proudfoot is an Associate Professor of Human Resource Studies at Cornell’s ILR School. She studies topics related to diversity and creativity at work.
  • Wayne Johnson is a researcher at the Utah Eccles School of Business. He focuses on evaluations and decisions about new information, including persuasion regarding creative ideas and belief change.

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Race, Ethnicity, and Measurement Error

Large literatures have analyzed racial and ethnic disparities in economic outcomes and access to the safety net. For such analyses that rely on survey data, it is crucial that survey accuracy does not vary by race and ethnicity. Otherwise, the observed disparities may be confounded by differences in survey error. In this paper, we review existing studies that use linked data to assess the reporting of key programs (including SNAP, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare, and private pensions) in major Census Bureau surveys, aiming to extract the evidence on differences in survey accuracy by race and ethnicity. Our key finding is a strong and robust, but previously largely unnoticed, pattern of greater measurement error for Black and Hispanic individuals and households relative to whites. As the dominant error is under-reporting for a wide variety of programs, samples, and surveys, the implication is that the safety net better supports minority groups than the survey data suggest, through higher program receipt and greater poverty reduction. These biases in survey estimates are large in many cases examined in the literature. We conclude that racial and ethnic minorities are inadequately served by our large household surveys and that researchers should cautiously interpret survey-based estimates of racial and ethnic differences in program receipt and post-benefit income. We briefly discuss paths forward.

We thank Mandana Vakil and Gabriel Rogow-Patt for excellent research assistance. For helpful comments, we thank Randy Akee, Larry Katz, Mark Loewenstein, Maxim Massenkoff, Robert Moffitt, and audiences at the 2024 NBER CRIW Conference, 2024 AEA Meetings, and 2023 NBER CRIW pre-conference. We are grateful to the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation, Charles Koch Foundation, Menard Family Foundation, National Institute on Aging, and American Enterprise Institute for their support of the Comprehensive Income Dataset Project. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

MARC RIS BibTeΧ

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In addition to working papers , the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals — the NBER Reporter , the NBER Digest , the Bulletin on Retirement and Disability , the Bulletin on Health , and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship  — as well as online conference reports , video lectures , and interviews .

2024, 16th Annual Feldstein Lecture, Cecilia E. Rouse," Lessons for Economists from the Pandemic" cover slide

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  1. 113 Great Research Paper Topics · PrepScholar

    113 Great Research Paper Topics. One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily ...

  2. 55 Research Paper Topics to Jump-Start Your Paper

    55 Research Paper Topics to Jump-Start Your Paper. Matt Ellis. Updated on October 9, 2023 Students. Coming up with research paper topics is the first step in writing most papers. While it may seem easy compared to the actual writing, choosing the right research paper topic is nonetheless one of the most important steps.

  3. 300+ Research Paper Topics for Every Student in 2024

    These are the 200+ topics on various subjects, which you might find useful when creating your own. In case you need help aside from creating topics, you can also order the original research on Politics, Media & Communication, to do my Math homework, Law, and even Nursing papers for sale on nursing essay writing service Edubirdie.

  4. 1000+ Research Topics & Research Title Examples For Students

    1000+ FREE Research Topics & Title Ideas. Select your area of interest to view a collection of potential research topics and ideas. AI & Machine Learning. Blockchain & Cryptocurrency. Biotech & Genetic Engineering. Business & Management. Communication. Computer Science & IT. Cybersecurity.

  5. 200 Easy Research Paper Topics for College Students in 2021

    200 Easy Research Paper Topics for College Students in 2021. Writing research papers is a must-do step in any educational process at college. In many cases, professors allow students to be creative with choosing a topic to complete this type of academic assignment. This privilege usually sounds great at first glance.

  6. 99+ Interesting Research Paper Topics

    There are always more interesting topics to research in these areas. Exploring the Origins of the Universe: Big Bang Theory vs. Multiverse Theory. Enhancing Creativity through Neuroscience Research. The Physics of Black Holes: Mysteries and Discoveries. The Future of Space Exploration: Mars Colonization and Beyond.

  7. How to Choose a GOOD Research Topic: Research Papers for Beginners

    Smart Student FREE Resources 🔽SMART WRITERS MASTERCLASS 💻https://www.mysmartstudent.com/registration-page-1 APA MADE EASY WORKSHOP https://www.mysmartstud...

  8. 100 Science Topics for Research Papers

    Science: As a premier publication in the field, Science publishes peer-reviewed research and expert-curated information. Nature: Publishes peer-reviewed articles on biology, environment, health, and physical sciences. Nature is an authoritative source for current information. If articles are difficult to read, you can search for the same ...

  9. 500 Good Research Paper Topics

    The appropriation of the "Boston Tea Party" by US politicians in the 2010s. This list could go on forever! In fact, any of these topics could become even more specific. For example, check out the evolution of this topic: Causes of the US Revolutionary War. Economic causes of the Revolutionary war.

  10. How to Write a Research Paper

    Choose a research paper topic. Conduct preliminary research. Develop a thesis statement. Create a research paper outline. Write a first draft of the research paper. Write the introduction. Write a compelling body of text. Write the conclusion. The second draft.

  11. 717 Good Research Paper Topics [Updated August 2024 ]

    Some examples of common research paper styles include: Argumentative Research Papers. Persuasive Research Papers. Education Research Papers. Analytical Research Papers. Informative Research Papers. Your research essay topic may also need to be related to the specific class you are taking. For example, an economics class may require a business ...

  12. A Beginner's Guide to Starting the Research Process

    Step 4: Create a research design. The research design is a practical framework for answering your research questions. It involves making decisions about the type of data you need, the methods you'll use to collect and analyze it, and the location and timescale of your research. There are often many possible paths you can take to answering ...

  13. How to start your research paper [step-by-step guide]

    Below is a step-by-step guide to starting and completing your research paper. Organize your papers in one place. Try Paperpile. No credit card needed. Get 30 days free. 1. Choose your topic. Choose a topic that interests you. Writing your research paper will be so much more pleasant with a topic that you actually want to know more about.

  14. 50 Best Research Paper Topics from Easy to Challenging With Examples

    The Work Of The Holy Spirit In The Life Of A Christian Research Paper. Research Paper On One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Literary Analysis. Research Paper on Ben And Jerry's Target Market. Law Of Tort In Business Research Paper. Theme Symbolism And Imagery Within Young Goodman Brown Research Paper.

  15. 61 Interesting Psychology Research Topics (2024)

    Seeking post-secondary education is a stressful and overwhelming experience for most students, making this topic a great choice to explore for your in-class research paper. Examples of post-secondary mental health research topics include: Student mental health status during exam season. Mental health disorder prevalence based on study major

  16. 165 Research Paper Topics for Students [2024]

    Research Paper Topics on Math. If you're looking to explore the depth and applications of math, these research topics are both specific and engaging: Applications of fractal geometry in modeling natural phenomena. Mathematical approaches to solving complex optimization problems in logistics. Development of new algorithms for large-scale data ...

  17. 70 Quick and Easy Research Paper Topics

    One can research the following topics. The Second World War and its impact on women rights. Liberalism. Asian art and how it influenced modern art. Roman and Greek cultures. Colonization of Africa and slave trade. Find a good writer to write a research paper for you based on one of the research paper topics above.

  18. Beginner's Guide to the Research Process: From Topic Selection to

    Discover the essential steps of the research process in this beginner's guide. Learn how to choose a research topic, identify gaps in literature, formulate research questions, design your study, and write a compelling research proposal. Perfect for students and researchers at any stage.

  19. How to Write Your First Research Paper

    After you get enough feedback and decide on the journal you will submit to, the process of real writing begins. Copy your outline into a separate file and expand on each of the points, adding data and elaborating on the details. When you create the first draft, do not succumb to the temptation of editing.

  20. How to Start a Research Paper: Guide with Examples

    Here are some tips from our writing team on how to format your research paper MLA title page: The title page is double spaced and the text needs to be centred. Write the name of your university or college. Skip about one-third of the page down and type your research paper title—include a subtitle if you have one.

  21. PDF 6 Simple Steps for Writing a Research Paper

    Step 4: Construct an Outline. Once you have collected all of the research, it may be helpful to organize your thoughts with an outline. To construct an outline, you must group your notes together and match information that fits together. An outline should be formatted in this manner: I. II. III.

  22. A Beginners Guide To Research Papers: 8 Steps You Should Follow

    First, you have to select a specific topic, find credible information about it, formulate a thesis, create an outline, and then start writing. Research papers are important pieces of scientific literature that are created on specific topics. Learning how to write a proper research paper is a very important part of student academics.

  23. 7 Best Research Papers To Read To Get Started With Deep Learning

    3. U-Net: Research Paper: U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation Authors: Olaf Ronneberger, Philipp Fischer, and Thomas Brox Summary: The task of segmenting involves categorizing similar parts of an image into a cluster. All the identical classes are classified and segmented into a particular entity.

  24. 200+ Best Engineering Research Paper Topics in 2022

    Top 20 Interesting Biomedical Engineering Research Paper Topics. Research On Blood Resistivity-Based Blood Glucose Measurement; Using Finite Element Analysis, A Hybrid Artificial Hip Joint Was Designed. Design Of A Clinical Engineering Department's Management Program With a Real-Time Planning System for Recognizing Heart Sounds

  25. 10 Must Read Machine Learning Research Papers

    This article highlights 10 must-read machine learning research papers that have significantly contributed to the development and understanding of machine learning. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced practitioner, these papers provide invaluable insights that will help you grasp the complexities of machine learning and its potential to transform industries.

  26. Research Guides: Economics JIW

    Choosing a topic that can answer an economic research question is challenging. Some tips: Ripped from the headlines rarely makes a good economic paper. You will be using data to determine causation or correlation. Sometimes a similar event can be used. Topics such as artificial intelligence may make a good policy paper but not a good economic ...

  27. Research: How to Build Consensus Around a New Idea

    Previous research has found that new ideas are seen as risky and are often rejected. New research suggests that this rejection can be due to people's lack of shared criteria or reference points ...

  28. Guides: CWP: Craft of Prose: Researching the White Paper

    Unlike a school research paper, the author does not set out to argue for or against a particular position, and then devote the majority of effort to finding sources to support the selected position. Instead, the author sets out in good faith to do as much fact-finding as possible, and thus research is likely to present multiple, conflicting ...

  29. Markups and Markdowns

    In this review, I offer a conceptual overview of both metrics and survey recent research examining them. I pay particular attention to the distinct interests that microeconomists and macroeconomists have had regarding these metrics, as well as topics that have bridged and are bridging these often distinct literatures.

  30. Race, Ethnicity, and Measurement Error

    In this paper, we review existing studies that use linked data to assess the reporting of key programs (including SNAP, Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, TANF, Medicaid, Medicare, and private pensions) in major Census Bureau surveys, aiming to extract the evidence on differences in survey accuracy by race and ethnicity.