Research Paper Topics for College Students

Looking for great research paper ideas starts with identifying first which subjects actually interest you. Start narrowing it down by choosing which ones weigh more than the other until you are left with just one main subject or category. A category can consist of several topics, so you can just do the process all over again until you are left with one specific topic under one specific subject. A controversial topic that affects the general public at the present time sounds like one of the good ideas for a research paper because it makes it more compelling to work on and actually finish.

List of Research Paper Topics for College

1. Business

   1. Cybersecurity

   2. Ethics

   3. Outsourcing

2. Crime and Law

   1. Animal Rights

   2. Campus Violence

   3. Hate Crimes

3. Drugs and Drug Abuse

   1. Doping in Sports

   2. Drunk Driving

   3. Medical Marijuana

4. Education

   1. Distance Education

   2. Hazing

   3. Sex Education

5. Environment

   1. Global Warming

   2. Nuclear Energy

   3. Wildlife Conservation

6. Family

   1. Battered Woman Syndrome

   2. Domestic Abuse

   3. Family Values

7. Health

   1. Alternative Medicine

   2. Dietary Supplements

   3. Medicare Reform

8. Media and Communications

   1. Copyright Law

   2. Reality TV Show

   3. Television Violence

9. Politics

   1. Budget Deficit

   2. International Relations

   3. Taxes

10. Psychology

    1. Child Abuse

    2. Criminal Psychology

    3. Learning Disabilities

11. Religion

    1. Cults

    2. Freedom of Religion

    3. Prayer in Schools

12. Social

    1. Employee Rights

    2. Homelessness

    3. Interracial Marriage

13. Women and Gender

    1. Eating Disorders

    2. Female Genital Mutilation

    3. Prostitution

10 Tips to Make Writing Process Easier

College is a breeding place for research papers so you might as well learn the art of writing it early on to save time and energy, and to write the most compelling paper that will not only merit a good grade but will be valuable to the society.

1. Schedule. Before anything else, write down a timeline of your deliverables to ensure that you finish on or before the deadline. It would be best to set it earlier than the date of submission though to have enough time to make revisions and perfect the research paper.

2. Choosing a topic. There are several research paper topics available to you (check enumeration above), you just have to find something that you are passionate about and interested in, even in business writing. Try listing down your choices and narrowing them down in the process until you find the best one. You can talk to your teacher and classmates as well about your topic so they can give you valuable insights. Formulate your topic in a form of question that needs to be answered or a problem to be solved to make it easier to approach.

3. Finding sources. Look into a variety of sources starting from the library catalog, periodicals, bibliographies, primary and secondary sources, magazins, books, and other documents. Today, internet sources can also add value to your research.

4. Documenting information. Follow a system or systems to help keep you organized such as writing sources when you make bibliography cards, organizinng information according to its importance, and taking notes in general.

5. Outlining. Make an outline and consider which topic to write about, its significance, which materials are relevant and should be included, thesis or purpose statement, and which organizational plan would best support the thesis.

6. Writing the introduction. The introduction should include the appropriate background or contextual material, definition of necessary terms or concepts, explanation of the focus or purpose of the paper, and your plan of organization.

7. Writing the body. Use your outline to guide you in writing your research paper. Write your essay basing on points you want to make and make sure to integrate sources into your discussion. Do not just put together pieces of data and information you have gathered. Make sure you summarize, analyze, explain, and evaluate these to make your research paper unique.

8. Writing the conclusion. Summarize the entire argument especially when the discussion is long and complex. This is also the right time to present the significance of your paper if you did not include it in the introduction. Switch up the tone from detailed to a general level to close the paper or you can urge your readers to make further research on it.

9. Editing and proofreading. No first drafts are ever perfect. Make sure to check its overall organization including logic and coherence; paragraph level concerns including topic sentences, sequence of ideas, and transitions between paragraphs; sentence level concerns including word choices, punctuation, and spelling; and documentation including consistency, citations, endnotes, and footnotes.

10. Formatting. Research papers often come with specific instructions on its submission so make sure you note them all down including the format of the paper, its deadline, and other instructions required by the instructor.

Get Help with Your Writing Projects

Crafting a research paper can be really tedious and time-consuming. This is why, more often than not, students run to online writing services to buy a research paper for college from a professional writer.