Research Guides: College Writing Research: Choosing a Topic

Develop Topic Ideas

Need help coming up with a topic for your research?

Think about a topic that has different elements within a whole so your finished product will be cohesive without being repetitive.
Scan your syllabus - did your professor provide topic guidelines?
Browse current journals, magazines, newspapers, and/or news websites (with reliable information).
Click the link on this page to find out the current news of the day from the newspapers in our collection.
Search encyclopedias -- try the Credo Reference search box on this page.

Once you have selected a topic, the next step is to develop research questions.

TIPS:

Credo Reference: Academic Core Collection This link opens in a new window
Full-text online versions of over 900 published reference works in a variety of major subjects. These include general and subject dictionaries, encyclopedias, images, and videos.

Don't cry, you just need to narrow down your topic!

Research Question:

How has the number of African-Americans households in Chicago, living in poverty, changed over the last 20 years?