Topics for a Research Paper

Developing a Research Question: Focus on a Controversial Topic

There are controversial topics in almost every area of human endeavor. The following lists should demonstrate to you that is practically no limit to the topics which are possible for a research paper. Some of the following items are written as statements, while others are questions. Your task will be to write a research question when you finally decide on your topic.

Fashion

Furs as fashion: Should they be banned?

Film

There is too much censorship in the movies.

Hollywood has not portrayed the Native Americans accurately.

Exported American movies have adversely affected foreign cultures.

Hollywood uses too many stereotypes in its western movies.

Colorization of old movies should be discontinued.

Literature

Hamlet was insane.

Books like Harry Potter should not be allowed in schools.

Music

Rock stars are not musicians

The music industry should not monopolize the distribution of music

Who really benefits from "aid" concerts?

Marketed music is not real music.

Art

Can technology be art?

Earthwork sculpture: is it art or landscape blight?

History

Did the ancient Greeks practice real democracy?

Did Atlantis really exist?

Traditional insularity has adversely affected the economic development of Japan.

What were the real causes and effects of the Boxer Rebellion?

The relationship between blue-collar workers and employers in Japan needs to change.

Should trade barriers between nations be loosened or tightened?

What was the real cause of ___________ 's death?

John Kennedy. Adolf Hitler, Dian Fossey, etc.

What was the real cause of ________________ ?

Crash of Pan Am flight 103, Lockerbie, Scotland;

Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989; etc.

Was Christopher Columbus a great explorer?

Did the Americans really land on the moon?

What really happened during the Salem witch trials?

Did the sexual revolution of the 60s harm society?

Why is the United States military in the Gulf?

Who was responsible for the Kent State killings?

Agriculture

Is organic farming better than chemical farming?

Should genetically-engineered crops be banned?

Are modern farming methods destroying the world?

Should we keep trying to feed the world's ever-growing population?

Biology

Can animals think?

What can we do to stop the harvesting of wild animals for food in Africa?

Can apes acquire language?

Should the military use dolphins as weapons?

Seal hunting in Canada must be stopped.

Anthropology

How can we save the bedouin from extinction?

Are ancient human fossils fake?

Aggression is both natural and desirable.

Polyandry and polygamy should be legal.

Archaeology

Ancient ruins must not be reconstructed.

Ancient art and artifacts must be returned to their country of origin.

Architecture

Skyscrapers should be banned.

Green architecture should be promoted by the government.

Astronomy

Should billions of dollars be spent on space exploration?

Will the universe collapse?

Does an infinite number of universes exist?

Were the American missions to the moon justified?

How old is the universe?

Bioethics

For-profit hospitals are detrimental to quality patient care.

To what extent should technology be used to prolong a life?

Who should decide if a patient should be euthanized?

Should the federal government fund research using fetal cell transplants?

Should the French abortion pill, RU486, be available on demand in the United States?

Administering the death penalty by lethal injection is viewed by many health professionals as an ethical issue

Should doctors assist patients who wish to commit suicide because of pain and terminal illness?

Should suicide be everyone's personal choice? Anyone's?

The use of animal organs as human transplants: does the animal have any rights in these cases?

All human life must be preserved, regardless of the suffering or cost involved.

Should those who test HIV positive or have AIDS be identified?

Chemistry

Who is responsible for toxic dumping?

Could life have arisen from a primordial soup?

Economics

Would decreased taxation stimulate employment and production?

A national health care program would be good for the economy

The economics of nuclear power.

Are industrialized countries preventing developing countries ever repaying their national debt?

Immigration reform is necessary for the health of the economy.

Gas and oil companies are preventing the development of renewable fuels.

Should the government prohibit mergers of Fortune 500 corporations?

Can the market system be used to correct environmental problems?

Other Science Areas:

Energy Nuclear Power

Environment Oceans and Seas

Geography Philosophy

Geology Technology

Language Technology-History

Medicine Weather and Climate

Business

Advertising Personal Finance

Automotive Small Business

Aviation Television and Radio

Boats and Boating Transportation

Computers Travel

Libraries, Books and Publishing

Social Science

Adolescents Humanities

Consumer Labor

Contemporary Issues Population

Crime and Criminal Justice Religion

Education Sports and Recreation

Ethnic and Minority Groups Urban Affairs

Government & Law Working World

Health World Scene

Hobbies

Some tips on choosing a topic:

1. Think about yourself! Are you genuinely interested in this topic? If not, you will suffer greatly as you read articles in search of material for your paper. Choose a topic that you really want to know about.

2. You must read, read, read. There is no way you can write a good research question until you have acquired sufficient knowledge about the topic.

3. Don't "lock in" to a research question. As you read, you will discover new information about your topic which will surely affect the way you think about it. Be prepared to alter your research question to reflect what you have found out.

4. Be prepared to make your research question either broader or more narrow. Even after you have read many articles, your focus will change after you start writing. You may discover that your topic is so narrow that you can only write two pages about it, or you may find out that your topic so huge that you can't really cover it all in the few pages required by the assignment.

"Narrowing Your Essay Topic" at the University of Victoria Writer's Guide (http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/EssayNarrowTopics.html) has some excellent examples of how to move from a broad subject to a more narrow topic.

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This page last updated January 2002