Choosing a topic

Choosing a topic is the first part of any research project and may be the most important. Even if you are assigned a research topic by a professor, you will still be putting your own focus on it, and it will become your own. By the nature of the research process, you will first start with an idea. From there the idea will take shape as a subject for research, and from there will be born a topic. Don't let the first step bog you down. Once you have an idea, the rest of the research process will help you arrange and adjust it to make it take shape. As the idea is tranformed into a topic, you will almost immediately need to think of some special angle in which to present it, and the research you find may lead you in new directions in which you weren't aware when you began. Here are four important factors you should consider in choosing a topic.

FACTOR ONE) Pick a subject that interests you. If you enjoy the subject, it will be more enjoyable to spend a few (or more than a few) hours pursuing it. Research, there is no denying, can be extremely tedious, and it will be even more so if you have no interest in the subject you are exploring. Finally, if necessary, allow yourself to become interested.

FACTOR TWO) Pick a theme that fits. Put the topic in the context of the course you are in and the assignment that has been given. It is not enough that the subject is interesting to you. Keep in mind the requirements and the expectations your professor has for the project.

FACTOR THREE) Pick a topic that can be researched. There are many good ideas and interesting topics that do not work well as research topics. Some topics will be too obscure or too recent to have generated much literature that is available in the library. Other ideas may require creative thinking but do not lead themselves to research.

FACTOR FOUR) Match your topic to the scope of the project. The biggest single problem in choosing a topic is deciding on the size of the subject. The topic should neither be too broad or too narrow. The focus of the topic should fit the size of the project. You will have to work within the framework of amount of time you have. A five minute speech assigned the week before will require a different focus and different level of difficulty than a senior theme that requires a semester's full of work. The difference between a three page paper and a twenty page paper is not just 17 pages.