Research Help

Deciding on a paper topic that interests you can sometimes be challenging.  Here are some ideas to help you find an appropriate research topic:

1) Pick a topic from a newspaper or magazine article;

2) Pick a topic from a news story you saw on television, heard on the radio, or read online; 

3) Find a topic in an online resource, such as:

4) Take a look at the following website for some good ideas:

• Best Information on the Web
  Hot paper topics by St. Ambrose University Library

5) Look through some reference sources, either in print in the library or online.

Reference sources are available in general or subject specifics contexts and in print or online formats. You need to evaluate each source and determine which are helpful to you and appropriate for you to use.

Examples:

• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Almanacs
• Glossaries
• Handbooks
• Atlases
• Bibliographies
• Indexes

Reference materials are good starting points for research projects because they can provide:

• background or introductory information on a topic
• terminology or additional keywords to use in further searches
• a bibliography listing other materials on a topic

Pull out the most important aspects of your research question 

• Who
• What
• Where

Use different keywords / synonyms / alternate terms

Brainstorm a list or create a word web

Use a thesaurus to help you think of alternate words

Example:

Have social media sites led to an increase in bullying among young adults? 

• Social Media
• Bullying
• Young Adults

Social Media: social network, social platform

Bullying: tormenting, hectoring, harassing

Young Adults: adolescent, juvenile, teenager, emerging adult