tips on finding Topics

See also How to Choose a Topic

For general topics

• What hobby or special interest do you have (sailing, blogging, graphic novels, etc.)? Investigate something you don't know: its origins, its technology,  How it is practiced in another culture, etc.
• Where would you like to travel? Try to find out all you can about your destination. What particular aspect surprises you or makes you want to know more?
• Wander through a museum with exhibits that appeal or to you or cover an area that is entirely new to you (a virtual tour on the Internet is a possibility). Stop when something catches your interest. What more do you want to know about it?
• Wander through a shopping mall or store, asking yourself, How do they make it? Who thought up this product?
• Leaf through a Sunday newspaper, especially its features section. Skim reviews of books or movies, in newspapers or on the Internet.
• Browse magazines at the library or bookstore. Look for trade magazines or those that cater to specialized interests. Investigate whatever catches your interest.
• Tune into talk radio or interview programs on TV until you hear a claim you disagree with. See whether you can make a case to refute it.
• Is there a common belief that you suspect is simplistic or just wrong? A common practice that you find pointless or irritating? Do research to make a case against it.
• What courses will you take in the future? What research would help you prepare for them?

For topics focused on a particular field

• Browse through a textbook of a course that is one level beyond yours or a course that you know you will have to take. Look especially hard at the study questions.
• Attend a lecture for an advanced class in your field, and listen for  something you disagree with,  don't understand or want to know more about.
• Ask your instructor about the most contested issues in your field.
• Find an Internet discussion group or blog in your field. Browse its archives, looking for matters of controversy or uncertainty.
• Look for topic ideas on the Web sites of departments of major universities, including class sites. Check also sites of museums, national associations, and government agencies, if they seem relevant.

Modified from Booth, Wayne C. (2008). The craft of research. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

The page was created on August 1, 2011