100+10 Best Ideas for Research Paper Topics in 2019

Starting to work on your assignment is the most challenging part. You should never procrastinate so that you catch up with the deadline for sure. The topic choice always precedes the starting point of your work. It requires responsibility and time. Imagination doesn’t always work in your favor.

So, choosing a topic is the primary stage of the pre-writing process. It leaves many students somewhat confused as the pool of options is great.

Our team has analyzed the most interesting topics for research papers. You will also find out how to choose ideas for discussion and exclude the useless ones.

Three Types of Research Questions

Would you like to come up with a research question instead of the topic? Then, you should decide on the type of question:

• Descriptive - If you choose a question of this type, provide a detailed explanation of an event, topic, quality, etc. You should think about the most interesting aspects of patterns and offer them to the audience.
• Causal – A writer will have to explore the variables and decide whether they lead to changes or not;
• Comparative – The idea is to compare and contrast various entities.

How to Define a Good Research Paper Topic?

Before we explain how to pick the best idea for a research paper, we will name its qualities. So, a topic should be:

• Specific and narrow - Make sure the objectives of your study are focused and concrete.
• Relevant and critical for the community;
• Original – Try to pick something that has not been fully investigated earlier or is completely new for society;
• Trending – Choose the topics with unobserved potential (e.g., from emerging fields like SEO or artificial intelligence).

Begin with Analyzing Your Interests and Hobbies

If you are given a right to select the topic, idea, or research question on your own, you are the lucky beggar; you won’t have to study the theme that makes no interest to you. It is way easier to write a research paper on something you consider curious and would like to investigate. That is why modern tutors rarely insist on the particular topic for the assignment. They are interested in the choice of their students.

Still, it does not mean that you should choose the simplest topic and avoid difficulties. You should recall your interests, but consider the lessons you’ve recently covered in class. Use a chance to study something new and offer solutions. Come up with the list of all thoughts that come to your mind. Cross out the topics that do not meet the criteria of a good research paper topic. You’ll find these criteria in this post. With a list of ideas in front of your eyes, it will be way easier to make a decision.

Brainstorming

This is a technique you will frequently use in your life. It is one of the best methods of choosing ideas for discussion. If you wish to pick a theme that will be equally interesting for you and your target audience, you have to respond to the next questions:

• Are there any recent or current news related to the topic of your choice?
• Does something related to the question you are considering make you feel angry or concerned?
• Do you have something to say about the recent social/political controversy?
• Is there a personal problem somehow related to the studied subject that you would like to share and try to solve with the help of relevant materials?
• Which aspect of the studied subject are you the most curious about?

As for the specific sources to analyze for more inspiration, you can find plenty of them below. Some of the top examples include:

• Washington File  
• Healthfinder.gov  
• Health & Wellness Resource Center or the National Library of Medicine  
• National Endowment for the Humanities  
• The Scout Report  
• The New York Times  
• The official website of your college or university  

Each time you explore the source or answer one of the offered questions, come up with the possible keywords and concepts that might be useful. Avoid overused topics and those that do not encourage any debate or active discussion.

Stay Focused

To make it easier for you not to fall off the topic at any moment, divide the questions to answer by categories. Keep the work manageable. A question will be complicated to explore if it is too general or, vice versa, very narrow. Thus, try to choose “the golden mean.” You can use one of the expert ideas to restrict a topic enough.

• By geolocation

For instance, discuss the problems with the environment only in one region like Arizona instead of covering the entire country.

• By culture and traditions

For example, talk about the way people celebrate Christmas in the United Kingdom only.

• By period

For instance, cover how beauty stereotypes have developed over the last decade.

• By subject

You may think about the trends in fashion and how they impact the only business environment today.

• By population

You may list the consequences of the global financial crisis on the aged people.

Remain Flexible

Writing a research paper is all about being flexible. It is okay to edit your topic and thesis statement slightly when working on the project. It is hard to predict what you can find and how the situation may change in a few weeks (after all, a research paper is not a project that has to be done in a single day). Sometimes, you feel like the focus has to be narrowed, or, vice versa, expanded just a little bit. You may want to briefly list and describe some minor aspects of the selected topic.

Anyway, you should always stick to the instructions of your tutor. In your prompt, you can see the desired length and other important requirements like format and chapters that have to be included. Your word count should not exceed the recommended one.

Know the depth of coverage required and the date of submission. In any case, you should decide on the topic as soon as you receive the assignment. After all, you will have to show the problem or question to your tutor to find out whether it is okay and you can start working on it. After analyzing the specific requirements, our experts offered this table to make your work more convenient:

Resources That You Should Consult

When choosing a topic, you need to do a preliminary research. You can mix the materials found on the web and in the libraries. Here are the sources of inspiration for you:

• Your mentor, lecture notes, study materials, open-source encyclopedias, and search engines. They are always full of ideas for your academic projects.
• A specified research guide on the narrow topic. This type of reading will help to select the starting point. Usually, those are e-books, archives, databases, etc. Library Service Desk also offers a personal librarian.
• Locations like CQ Researcher or Credo Reference Unlimited. There you can find many introductions to different subjects. These sources are full of useful links and ideas.

Develop a Thesis Statement

Only once you are done with the formulation of a thesis statement, we can say that your topic is ready. In fact, a thesis represents your theme just as a title of your work. This statement made of a sentence or a few could be the answer to your question or solution to a problem. It should clearly state the goal of your project. The creation of this part is sufficient evidence to support your point of view.

At the same time, the title of your work should not sound the same as your thesis. It must reflect the main objective and significance of your study. You should always get the approval from your tutor before starting to work on your project.

Now, it is time to share some of the best ideas for your research paper topics. We have divided the list into categories by disciplines for your convenience.

Environmental Research Paper Topics

People should be more concerned about the surrounding. A paper on one of these ideas will help you to contribute to your community or society in general.

1. 1. Effective methods to decrease the level of global warming
2. 2. Influence of people on woods
3. 3. Ways to reduce the consumption of trees in paper manufacturing
4. 4. The truth about GMO food
5. 5. Can nuclear power be safe for our planet?
6. 6. Post-effects of tsunami and hurricane
7. 7. Methods to effectively manage overpopulation
8. 8. How movies on the environmental issue can improve the situation
9. 9. Can scientists predict various natural disasters more accurately?
10. 10. Ways to protect buildings from tornados

Psychology Ideas for Research Paper

People often underestimate the importance of mental health. In one of these papers, you can explain how to keep yourself away from stresses and depressions.

1. 1. Can stressful situations cause physical harm?
2. 2. Methods used to manage teen violence
3. 3. How to predict and change patterns of behavior
4. 4. The impact of bad dreams on our mood
5. 5. Autism: Ways to deal with this disability
6. 6. Causes and effects of insomnia and how to cope with it
7. 7. The impact of rock music on the human brain
8. 8. The influence of depression on the central immune system
9. 9. Symptoms, consequences, and treatment of Anorexia Nervosa
10. 10. Explanation of why some people are more intellectually gifted than others

Ethical Topics for Research Paper

We should always think about the ethical and moral aspects of different actions. It will make the world much better.

1. 1. Should euthanasia be legalized today?
2. 2. Various methods to decrease gun-caused deaths in the United States
3. 3. The reasons for speedy changes in divorce rates
4. 4. The impact of stem cell research on modern medicine
5. 5. Effective ways to decrease the levels of human trafficking in the countries of the Third World
6. 6. Is it ethical do donate organs in exchange for money?
7. 7. The role of affirmative action in workplaces
8. 8. Animal testing: for and against
9. 9. Should an embryo be treated as a human being?
10. 10. Racial discrimination in the USA today

Scientific and Tech Research Paper Topics

Science and technologies are very popular among students. You may choose one of the trendy topics below.

1. 1. Energy for replacing fossil fuels: is it possible?
2. 2. The role of light in cancer treatment
3. 3. Is CMB the outcome of the Big Bang?
4. 4. The importance of cryogenics and their possible impact in the future
5. 5. The impact of self-driving vehicles on human lives
6. 6. Did Mars have water and smart life in the past?
7. 7. Artificial intelligence: its further development
8. 8. Can robots be a threat to humans in the future?
9. 9. Is it possible to prolong our lives with the help of nanomedicine
10. 10. Bitcoins and their role in protecting identity theft

Government and Political Science Themes

Politics have a great impact on almost every aspect of modern life. That is why it is critical to keep in touch with what is going on in the government.

1. 1. The most effective jail reforms in the United States
2. 2. Recreational marijuana: pros and cons of legalizing it in the US
3. 3. How to prevent juvenile crimes: the most effective methods
4. 4. New methods to make airports and planes safer places
5. 5. The correlation between domestic jobs and local tariffs
6. 6. Compare and contrast the immigration policies of several EU countries
7. 7. Should governments invest more money in charity?
8. 8. Can political authorities star in movies?
9. 9. Do governments have a right to censor particular data on the web?
10. 10. Comparing and contrasting the most distinguished presidents of the United States

Mathematics Research Paper Ideas

Math and its related branches are the top hated subject by many students. However, if you manage to create a powerful research paper on one of these disciplines, you will obtain a high grade and appreciation of your teacher.

1. 1. Changes in the world caused by mathematics
2. 2. The impact of algorithms
3. 3. Correlation between music and mathematics
4. 4. Why “X” is always the unknown
5. 5. How to come up with the best strategy for winning in a monopoly
6. 6. Famous McDonald’s math problem
7. 7. Mathematics formulas application in real life
8. 8. The most complicated problems in mathematics
9. 9. Reasons to ban high school mathematical competitions
10. 10. How to understand very difficult math concepts

Historical Research Paper Topics

It is critical to study the history of humanity to increase personal literacy rate. You may choose the history of the world or your own region.

1. 1. Causes of World War II
2. 2. Liberalism versus radicalism
3. 3. The architecture and culture of the Aztec empire
4. 4. The impact of WWII on the rights of the female population
5. 5. Comparing and contrasting Roman and Greek culture
6. 6. The influence of Asian art on the world’s culture
7. 7. The outcomes of Martin Luther King’s protest against the Catholic church
8. 8. Women Suffrage movements and their results
9. 9. The impact of various monetary systems on the history of humanity
10. 10. Different military strategies: which one was the most effective?

Ideas for Law Research Projects

The knowledge of laws and regulations is crucial for many jobs today. The most popular branch of this discipline now is business law, so your work may relate to this field.

1. 1. Laws in mass communication
2. 2. ECOLEX as an approach to environmental law
3. 3. The duties of the United States copyright office
4. 4. How should entrepreneurs protect their businesses
5. 5. The responsibilities of the EU patent office
6. 6. The universal perception of Islamic law
7. 7. Analysis of sources from the inter-American human rights library
8. 8. The importance of the GATT documents
9. 9. Evaluation of the comparative criminal process
10. 10. Role of women’s authority in various regions of the world

Educational Research Essay Ideas

How well do you know the educational reforms and changes to the system? While working on a research paper on one of the following topics, you may learn many useful tips that will help with your study process.

1. 1. Education should be available for everyone
2. 2. The role of social networking in colleges
3. 3. Metal detectors at educational establishments
4. 4. Individual learning techniques for blind kids
5. 5. How to improve education with the help of standardized tests
6. 6. Do Ph.D. and MA holders make more money than others?
7. 7. The impact of tech innovations on school lesson planning
8. 8. How to cope with high school bullying and protect children
9. 9. The impact on tech innovations on teaching methodology
10. 10. The most effective methods of teaching tested by time

Religious Research Paper Topics

Religion and anthropology are popular disciplines among college students. However, watch out – many of the related topics and questions may be too sensitive.

1. 1. Creationism: Definition and meaning
2. 2. Patrol and religious consultation
3. 3. The correlation between Christianity and economics
4. 4. Female population and religion
5. 5. How the Bible depicts bisexuality
6. 6. Teenager’s perception of religion
7. 7. Intelligent design
8. 8. The impact of modernism on religion
9. 9. Church & social action

Healthcare and Medical Ideas for Research Papers

Health is the most valuable thing that we have in our lives, but many people forget about it. Try to remind them by composing an interesting paper on one of the offered ideas.

1. 1. How placebo treatment works
2. 2. Are the existing vaccines for children effective enough?
3. 3. The effectiveness of life-sustaining therapy
4. 4. Causes and effects of drug addiction
5. 5. For whom is cow milk useful?
6. 6. The impact of obesity on human health
7. 7. Ways to avoid animal testing
8. 8. What makes people want to become vegetarians?
9. 9. Advantages and disadvantages of medical marijuana
10. 10. How to advertise prescription drugs to the audience

Now, you know how to pick the right topics for your research project. You should take all the advantages that modern students have thanks to the Internet. You should not be in a hurry when selecting an idea to discuss or question to answer. After all, this decision will have a strong impact on your final grade per work. For more ideas, you can keep on surfing the web or exploring the papers in your library. Never underestimate the role of a good topic for your assignment!