3 Tips to Generate Interesting Research Paper Topics

If you’re dealing with the average college professor, you know they live only to make your life more difficult. One of the ways they do this is by forcing you to come up with unique and interesting topics for writing your research papers. But, don’t fret! Doing so not only pleases your professor, but also makes it a lot more enjoyable for you to actually write your paper.

Take these tips and run with them to put together an interesting topic for any research paper.

Choose a Topic That Has Personal Meaning

If you feel that you’ll gain something of value from writing your research paper (beyond a passing grade) you’ll be far more passionate about writing it. Think of how you can take something related to the subject of your class and tie it to something that you personally enjoy. Here are a few examples:

1. In an anthropology course, you could write a research paper identifying the cultural evolution of your favorite massively multiplayer online game
2. In a health related class, you could focus on an illness that runs in your family – such as cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, amongst others
3. In a science related course, you could choose a topic related to cooking, learning several new recipes in the process

Figure Out a Unique Approach to Your Subject

Don’t just simply regurgitate the same stuff you’ve learned in class when writing your paper. Instead, think of the part of the course that excited you the most, and continue your studies in that direction. For instance, if your history professor only briefly mentioned a mining town that seemed rather interesting, but then moved on to other topics, you can formulate your entire thesis around this mining town. Since it interests you, it will be much more fun to write it.

Get Help from the Librarian!

Unfortunately, the internet has caused many students to forget the most useful resource on campus – the librarian! He or she can help you dig a bit deeper into the materials available, helping you find another aspect of a topic you really enjoy.

Stop by your library and tell the librarian that you’d like to find a more interesting topic to write your essay on. He or she will have several questions to help guide the selection process. Within just a few minutes, you’ll have a trove of books that you can crawl through until you find something that really sparks your interest.