Santiago Mallea
Content Writer At Gradehacker
Have you ever gone through a massive writers’ block because you couldn’t think of a good topic for your research paper?
If the answer is yes, don’t worry, we’ve all been there.
Choosing the right topic for a research paper is the first step of the writing process. It is what is going to define what your entire essay will be about, so if you fail to pick an interesting subject, you are bound to have a rough start.
So, you need a unique and appealing topic that both catches the eye of the reader and has enough published information for you to do the research.
Not only do you want to understand how topics need to be, but you need a topics list that inspires and guides you to finally find the subject of your next research paper. And you have found it!
Here at Gradehacker, we have years of writing all types of essays. We are the non-traditional student’s most trusted resource, and we want you to make up your mind and pick the best paper topic for your paper.
That’s why we are sharing our list of topics for your research paper.
But first, let’s cover the basics.
How to Choose a Research Paper Topic
A research paper is as interesting as its topic. So, it’s important that you have that covered from the very first step of the writing process.
You should always have in mind how you are going to approach the topic. It will depend on the class you are taking and the type of essay you have to write. Writing an argumentative paper won’t be the same as writing an informative research paper.
So, first of all, read the instructions of your assignment and make sure to understand all the specifications, and see if there are any limitations to what topic you can choose.
When you have clarity on which field of study you’ll be conducting the research, think of a topic that matches the following criteria:
- It's original
- It's specific
- It's possible to research
- It's interesting to you
It has to be original because you can’t just go ahead and conduct research that is already done. Not only would it be uninteresting, but it also would be plagiarizing, as you are not adding anything to the discussion, only using the work someone else has already done.
Also specific, mainly because choosing a broad topic will limit the arguments you can make. To avoid writing a too general paper, you can pick a broad subject and narrow it to specific issues within its field that are worth doing research for. These subtopics will be more unique, and it will be much easier to search for information and write about it.
It has to be possible to research because you can’t write a research paper without factual information. If there is a topic that you find interesting, but you know there is no way to find good data and statistics about it, you’ll have to think of a new essay topic.
And finally, it’s best to find your topic interesting, because you will spend a few hours doing research and writing about it. Picking a subject you don’t like will make the entire experience tedious. So, choose a topic that you are curious about, one which you’ll naturally keep doing research just because you want to learn more about it.
After you find a topic that checks all of these boxes, you’ll have to think of a strong thesis statement, which is your central argument. It summarizes your point and includes all the main arguments of the discussion.
How do you come up with a good thesis statement? Well, the best way to develop one is by answering the research question, which is basically the question that made you start the research.
Choosing a Research Paper Topic Example
Now, let’s imagine you have to write a research paper, and you choose bullying as the topic.
Instead of writing about bullying in general, first, think of all the sub topics and issues that are related to it:
- Bullying on social media
- Physical bullying
- Psychological bullying
- Bullying campaigns
- Impact of bullying on children's mental health
Try thinking about as many subtopics as you can. Once you have a few of them, see how they are related and try linking them. This way, you’ll end up with a specific and interesting topic.
For example, here we could choose:
- What was the impact of bullying campaigns in recent years, and why were they successful or failed?
- How bullying on social media impacted children's mental health?
- Which type of bullying is more common, physical or psychological, and why?
See how each topic is presented as a research question. Once you do the research and have an answer, you’ll have your thesis statement, meaning you can go ahead and start writing.
If you want to improve your writing skills with the best tips and learn how to write an outstanding research paper or an argumentative essay, you can check out our related blogs!
Research Paper Topics
Once you have an original, specific, and searchable subject and a solid thesis statement, you can start writing. But if you are still having problems choosing the right topic, don’t worry; we’ve got your back.
Here is our list of topics you can use for inspiration:
Topics for Research Papers About Health
Impacts of drugs or illnesses or their treatment in specific communities
Choose a specific drug (like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin) or illness (like depression or cardiovascular diseases), and see its impact on communities according to their race. Similarly, see how its treatment works and the issues people and communities have with it.
Example:
How many African Americans suffer from depression, and how many have access to proper mental health care?
How ACA changed access to healthcare in specific communities
The Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA) is a controversial topic that is always worth writing about. See its impact on specific communities like African Americans and Latinos, and compare the statistics you find with their situation before the ACA was enacted.
Example:
Did more black people living in southern states gain access to proper healthcare after the ACA was enacted? Why?
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the American healthcare system
The coronavirus pandemic changed how the healthcare system worked. You can write about how the access to healthcare changed, the disparities in the distribution of vaccines, and how healthcare professionals like doctors and nurses developed more health issues. To make your topic even more specific, you can study how any of these changes impacted a particular community.
Example:
How did African Americans access healthcare during covid? What was the percentage of black people vaccinated between the first months?
Topics for Research Papers About Ethics
Abortion in the United States
Abortion must be one of the most overused topics in essays, so be careful with this one. When reviewing its ethical issues, please don’t fall into the typical discussion of whether it should be legal or not. Instead, analyze how legalized abortions are practiced and how many people from different races can access them.
Example:
Even though abortion is legal, is the American government discriminating against thousands of women who don't have the economic resources to afford one?
The wealth distribution in the United States
Economic distribution can be an interesting topic to write about in an ethical context. See how the distribution of wealth is in the United States (internally and internationally), and ask if it’s fair or how it should be managed.
Example:
Is it fair that only 10% of the American population has 80% of the country's wealth? Should the distribution of wealth be more equal? Is this a problem that should be solved?
Topics for Research Papers About The Environment
How human intervention in nature created more natural disasters
Many of the important current problems we find today in nature come mainly from how people treat the environment. As a result, more natural disasters started occurring, like floods and acid rain. Pick a specific area where many natural disasters took place and see how these changed in relation to the decade.
Example:
Did the frequency of floods increase in deforested areas? Is it only in one place, or is it a repeated pattern?
Fossil fuels vs. Alternative fuel
For years, natural fossil fuels like natural gas have been one of the most important energy sources we regularly use. Still, in order to take better care of the planet, there are alternative fuels people can use. Try comparing each, listing the pros and cons each type of fuel has, and conclude which is better.
Example:
Which one is better? Using petroleum or gas as our primary energy source for cars, or driving electric cars that don't need any of these fuels? Which one is better for the environment? Is the best outcome possible?
Topics for Research Papers About Education
Effectivity of helicopter parenting
Helicopter parenting is an interesting topic. On the one hand, you have the impact it has on the children’s grades, and on the other, you have the consequences it has on their mental health while they grow. You can study it in a general area or choose a specific community.
Example:
Are children who receive helicopter parenting more likely to develop mental health issues when they grow? Which diseases? Which would be the solution?
Discrimination in education environments
In our example, we mentioned many cases for reviewing bullying in children, but another take is focusing on how racial discrimination affects it. You can also take it to the institutional system and see what the reality is for teachers of different sex, ethnicity, and cultures. How much do they earn, how many hours they work, and how many people with the same characteristics are employed or unemployed.
Example:
Are there any wage disparities between men and women working in the educational system? And how about white and black people?
Topics for Research Papers About Communication
Freedom of speech in media
Freedom of speech is a broad subject that is most interesting when analyzed on media platforms, whether it is a news channel, a newspaper, or social media. See how current media approaches it, and take into account fake news and misinformation too.
Example:
What is more dangerous? Allowing people in positions of control who intentionally spread misinformation or removing their ability to access social networks like Twitter and Instagram?
Portrayal of minorities in media
The portrayal of women, blacks, Latinos, and other minority groups has been a common topic in the modern agenda. See how much has changed in the last few years, compare actual statistics with data from previous decades, and state why it’s important or not.
Example:
What is the percentage of African American actors leading blockbusters movies in comparison to films from the late 20th Century? Are there more now?
Topics for Research Papers About Psychology
The relationship between serial killers and past trauma
Usually, before turning to crime, well-known serial killers had to endure traumatic events, like abandonment, child abuse (physical, psychological, and sexual), and violence. You can pick a specific serial killer and see if there are any traumatic events in their past, or select a few of them and point out the similarities and differences.
Example:
Did the physical, psychological, and sexual abuse Aileen Wuornos suffered as a child shape her into becoming a serial killer who only killed men?
Mental health issues in people who suffer a specific illness or condition
Mental health has a wide range of illnesses you can choose to study in-depth, and for each disease, you can see its impact on people with different conditions. Some of the mental health issues you can select are depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and bipolarity. You can study its effects on people who have physical problems, are substance-addicted, or have PTSD after a traumatic impact.
Example:
Are obese people more likely to develop depression? If so, is this something more common in men or women? How can this be solved?
Topics for Research Papers About Social Issues
Wage disparities according to sex and ethnicity
Unfortunately, there are many wage disparities between men and women or white people and other minority groups. Pick a specific area and see if there are any differences. Compare it with previous years to see if there is any change, and take into account that in this case, it would also be interesting to find out which are the fields with fewer disparities. Another option would be to choose one state and see the overall wage statistics, and in any case, compare it with other states with different numbers.
Example:
How much money do women earn in the state of Tennessee compared to men? Is it more or less? How much was it in the last few years? If it's less, how could this be solved?
Which is the minimum wage in a specific state, and is it enough
The minimum wage topic is interesting, especially considering that each state can have its own wage laws regardless of the federal minimum wage. You can analyze what people who barely earn the federal minimum wage can buy and see if it’s enough to live a decent life. Another topic could be standing on a new state law that aims to limit or increase their minimum wage and review if it would be for better or worse.
Example:
Is the recently passed Amendment 2 of Florida, which increases the minimum wage once per year until it reaches $15 in 2026, having positive effects on their economy?
Topics for Research Papers About Technology
Artificial Intelligence or advanced machinery replacing human labor
The rapid development of advanced technology has led many industries to replace their human workers with automated machines that can do the same job more efficiently and for a smaller cost. With Artificial Intelligence becoming a more common part of our world each year, ask what will happen when more complex tasks that until now could only be done by humans are now ready to be performed by intelligent machines. Find statistics (current or estimated) and ask what issues would this carry.
Example:
How many employees have lost their job to an advanced machine in the last five years? What are the advantages and disadvantages for both the employee and the employer? What can be done to avoid the existing issues?
Impact of social networks on mental health
The massive impact of social media in our daily lives has also brought up many issues. The effects it has on people’s mental health is an interesting topic to analyze. You can study how many suffer from depression or anxiety because of apps like Facebook or Instagram or how the necessity of likes and followers impacts people.
Example:
Do women who look after their body image to fit the parameters of beauty that are promoted on social networks develop more mental health illnesses like depression or anxiety?
Choose a Topic And Start Writing!
There are a lot of college students who have a hard time thinking of a strong, interesting, and unique essay topic for their assignment. But with this list of topics for research papers, it won’t be your case anymore.
However, don’t follow each of these ideas blindly. You can do it if you find it interesting, but try thinking about what else you can add to it or what other aspect of that topic you can do more research on. Plus, these are only a few ideas; there are many more out there, waiting for you to find and write about them.
Remember, as long as the topic you choose is specific, engaging, and has sources you can research, there is no way you can fail your research paper.
But if you feel like writing is not for you and need some help to nail that upcoming research paper, you can always trust Gradehacker to help you with anything you want. We have assisted tons of students like you with all types of essays, exams, and even their classes, and we’ll be happy to help you too!
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