Research Paper Topics

To write a good research paper, it helps to work with paper topics that interest you. The topic should also have enough depth and academic merit to secure you high marks, and of course it should also be relevant to your field of study. If your topic meets these criteria, the research, planning and writing process will be much more satisfying and it will be much easier to achieve your desired grade.

Thinking About Research Paper Topics

It is generally best to come up with your own topic, however if you are not sure, it is a good idea to look at sample topics such as the ones provided here to get the imagination flowing. Given that there are various types of research paper, you’ll want to know which type you want to work with (or have been assigned) before you commit to a specific topic. For example, controversial research paper topics are good for argumentative papers, while factual paper topics are good for analytical, descriptive papers.

Extra Tips and Advice

To make the search for your topic easier, first narrow down example topics based on your academic field. Which areas do you already have existing in-depth knowledge? If you are already versed with a certain subject then the planning and research will be easier and less time consuming. Once you have a number of potential topics that are within your academic field, you should then narrow down the choices based on your interest in them.

Objectivity is very important in research paper writing, and this is why you should not choose a topic that you are emotionally involved with. Try to find a topic that is important and relevant, but still allows you to keep your distance and remain objective. What is the debate based on?

50 Example Research Paper Topics

• Fracking has an impact on clean water supply
• The structure of an ant colony
• Expansion of Ancient Rome’s territory
• The first expedition to the North Pole
• The execution of Socrates
• Darfur conflict: reasons and origins
• Changes in airport/airline security since 9/11
• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
• Treating stress with alternative medicine
• How safe is creatine?
• The daily life of a Buddhist monk
• Have humans stopped evolving?
• America’s prison population
• The case for GM crops in Africa
• How could quantum computing change the world?
• The rise of Botnets
• The disappearance of the dinosaurs: theories
• The domestication of wild animals
• How has the internet changed music commerce?
• How has the music industry reacted to online piracy?
• The relationship between gun ownership and crime
• What reasons are there for the failure of communism?
• Year-round schooling should be implemented
• Mobile technology is affecting school grades
• The moon’s importance in Earth evolution
• Meditation and stress/anxiety
• Music therapy and Alzheimer’s Disease
• How carbon fiber is made
• The effects of steroid use on the body
• The life of a gladiator in Ancient Rome
• Sleep disorders: how to treat them
• How does big retail business affect local economies?
• The woman’s suffrage movement
• The physics and submarines
• Computer chips and Moore’s Law
• The workings of night vision
• The affects of videogames on children
• The growth of a recently-developed country
• The Manhattan Project and its consequences
• How does the brain create and retrieve memories?
• Technology for cleaning oil spills
• The formation of black holes
• The latest nonlethal weapon technology
• The risks of prolonged exposure to the sun
• Addressing PTSD and other problems in veterans
• How did automatic weapons change warfare?
• How do GPS systems work?
• The formation of the Himalayas
• The cost of America’s War on Drugs
• Customs and practices in Ancient Greece