Step 1 - Choosing a Research Topic - Library Research for College Students: Step-by-Step

How to Choose a Topic

Step 1 in the research process is to select your topic.

Assignment icon

Your Assignment is a Good Starting Point

Do you need to write an 1-2 page essay or a 5-7 page research paper?
Give a 2-3 minutes speech, a a 6-7 minute speech?
Do you need to present a short presentation or a long one?
Do you need to demo how to prepare a healthy snack or a healthy meal?
Does your assignment require you to use specific sources - . books? news articles? scholarly articles? Videos?

The scope and nature of your assignment will help you make a decision about what topic to choose.

For 2-3 minute speech or presentation may need information AND images or other visuals
For 1-2 page essay you may need background and scholarly information that requires thought and evaluation
Your target audience will guide your decision making
- instructor
- classmates
- someone else

Use the tools In this guide to help you get started!

Exploring Topics

Watch this short video to find out what it means to "explore a topic."

By NCSU Libraries

This video is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States license.

Find Topic Ideas Using the Library's Databases

Link to the library databases listed below to browse for ideas!

library databases

Credo Reference
Use this database to understand basic concepts taught in your courses. It's also a great database for the first step in your research process. It contains short articles from encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks and other reference sources on a wide range of subjects. Get started on your assignment or research project by learning about key people, places, dates, events, concepts, and ideas related to your topic.
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale in Context)
This is a great source for assignments related to current events and important social issues. This database contains full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, biographies, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to websites. Additional features include pro/con viewpoint articles, topic overviews, court cases, and issues of interest. Choose a research topic from a wide range of areas from genetic testing to gun safety to women in professional sports, to recycling, cell phones in schools, or medical technology, and much, much more.
SIRS Issues Researcher (ProQuest)
Contains thousands of full text articles exploring business, health, political, social, scientific, and global issues, etc. Graphics complement selected publications. Features include Pro and Con viewpoints, Trending Topics, and Need Help Choosing a Topic?

Find Topic Ideas Using Class Notes and Materials

Use class notes or other materials may provide good ideas for a research topic.

Flip back through your notes, handouts, slides, or textbook to see if anything sparks your interest. Is there any issue, study, or reference that you'd like to investigate more fully? Is there an important issue that would be interesting to learn more about?

Find Topic Ideas Using Websites

Try these web sources to find a good idea.

Idea Generator
From Old Dominion University. The "Idea Generator" was first created by Cynthia Wright Swaine in 1994 as a Web-based tool to help students at ODU, both on and off campus, select topics for papers or other assignments. It quickly caught on and was used by students everywhere. "Idea generator" has become a generic term.
Britannica Pro-Con
“To promote civility, critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.”-- A non-biased information source for includes well-researched pros and cons of debatable issues, along with reference information relevant to those issues. The pro and con format makes it easier to see the difference in the facts and arguments. It creates “beneficial confusion,” causing readers to struggle with well-presented opposing positions, and, therefore, to engage in evaluative thinking to formulate their own views. Readers who have a pre-existing view of an issue may feel more confident in their view, or they may change their view. In either case, many will recognize that the process of acquiring and critically evaluating information has a beneficial and satisfying effect on their decision-making.
TED Talk Topics
Browse TED topics from A to Z!

Find Topic Ideas Using Western Online Writing Center Resources

Ideas from the Learning Common's Writing Center

How to Explore a Topic

Adopt an Explore Mindset - Ask Questions

Things to think about....

You're looking for the research that already exists about your topic
- if you can't find enough information rethink your approach
  - are you looking for objective facts or a specific point of view?
  - be sure you don't already have a picture in mind of what you hope to find
Did you learn anything in class or your workplace about your topic?
What are other people saying about your topic?
- Have you seen information reported in the news?
- Who is writing or reporting this material?
  - What credentials do they have?
  - Might they be biased?

Library Research for College Students: Step-by-Step

Need help? Ask a Librarian!

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