Paper Topics

Choosing your topic is one of the most important steps in writing a paper.  While many students simply pick one and start writing, you may want to take your topic through this checklist to avoid major problems later in the term. 

• Is the topic manageable within your page limit? Topics like gun control, abortion, and the social, historical, political, and religious history of the Catholic Church could hardly fit a shallow (and most likely unimpressive) treatment into five pages.  More about such topics here.
• Are you interested in the topic?  You will spend a considerable amount of time researching, writing, and revising your paper throughout the term.  A little enthusiasm can be that spoon full of sugar you may need.
• Do you already know something about the topic?  If you're willing to research the topic, fine, but a little previous knowledge can give you a boost as you discover what questions you should be researching in the first place. 
• If the topic is complex, do you have a thorough understanding of its nuances?  Topics like the ethics of cloning experimentation can involve complicated values that you may find difficult to explain, much less understand clearly.  That's a big part of why it's so controversial in the first place.

Once you've chosen a topic, take a minute to decide what you'll do with it!   Again, this is an important step in the writing process and a few minutes now can save you hours of frustration later. 

Need some ideas for topics?  Find a list of over 250 ideas here or a few topics with some ideas for development here.