This document provides guidance on choosing a good topic for a research paper. It advises that a good topic leads to a good paper, holds the reader's attention, and makes research and writing easier. Students should choose a topic that interests them and do background research. Topics can be too broad with too much information or too narrow with too little information. The document recommends starting with a broad topic and narrowing it down through examples. It also provides hints for research like determining available time and being clear on the topic scope.

1. CHOOSING A TOPIC
THE FIRST THING YOU HAVE
TO DO WHEN WRITING A PAPER

2. THE TOPIC OF YOUR PAPER.
WHAT YOU WILL BE RESEARCHING.
WHAT YOU WILL BE WRITING ABOUT.

3. A GOOD TOPIC LEADS TO A GOOD PAPER.

4. A GOOD TOPIC HOLDS THE READERS’ ATTENTION.

5. A GOOD TOPIC MAKES IT EASIER TO DO RESEARCH.

6. A GOOD TOPIC MAKES IT
EASIER TO WRITE YOUR PAPER.

7. A GOOD TOPIC MEANS THAT WRITING THE PAPER
WILL BE EASIER, LESS TIME-CONSUMING,
AND MORE ENJOYABLE.

8. CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT INTERESTS YOU.
YOU’LL ENJOY IT MORE.
YOU’LL DO A BETTER JOB ON YOUR PAPER.

9. DO SOME BACKGROUND RESEARCH ON YOUR TOPIC.
READ ABOUT IT IN BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS.

10. 1. IT IS TOO BROAD.
YOU HAVE TOO MANY RESOURCES . YOU CAN’T DEAL
WITH ALL THE INFORMATION YOU FOUND.
TWO PROBLEMS THAT YOU CAN
HAVE WITH YOUR TOPIC:
2. IT IS TOO NARROW.
YOU CAN’T FIND ANY THING ABOUT IT.

11. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
START WITH A BROAD TOPIC
AND NARROW IT DOWN.

12. AN EXAMPLE.
“EBOLA”
THIS IS A VERY BROAD TOPIC.
A SEARCH IN GALILEO PRODUCED 100,998 RESULTS.

13. AN EXAMPLE.
“EBOLA AND HEALTH CARE WORKERS”
THIS IS NARROWER TOPIC.
A SEARCH IN GALILEO PRODUCED 5,487 RESULTS.

14. AN EXAMPLE.
“EBOLA AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING”
THIS IS A NARROWER TOPIC.
GALILEO PRODUCED 2,368 RESULTS.

15. FOCUSED TOPIC: Women Smokers and Breast Cancer
GOING FROM A BROAD SUBJECT
TO A NARROW TOPIC
BROAD TOPIC: Women’s Health
NARROWED TOPIC: Women and Cancer

16. FOCUSED TOPIC: Computer Game Violence and Children
GOING FROM A BROAD SUBJECT
TO A NARROW TOPIC
BROAD TOPIC: Computer Games
NARROWED TOPIC: Computer Game Violence

17. Threat of Bioterrorism in the U.S.
From a broad subject to a narrow topic:
this topic is too broad.
Make it narrower:
Terrorism and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
TERRORISM

18. HINTS FOR RESEARCH
When choosing a topic, do some research.
Look at magazines, encyclopedias, and the Internet.

19. HINTS FOR RESEARCH
Determine how much time you have to
complete an assignment. Then choose a
topic that can be finished in that time.

20. HINTS FOR RESEARCH
Be very clear about the topic that you are
choosing. If you are not clear about your topic,
you will likely get off track and waste time.

21. HINTS FOR RESEARCH
Choose a topic that is appropriate to the
length of your paper. A broad topic requires
time and effort. If you are writing a five page
paper, you should have a narrow topic.

22. IT IS IMPORTANT TO PICK A GOOD TOPIC.