Choosing a Topic - EGL 100 - English Composition

Tips for Picking a Topic

Pick something you're interested in, curiosity is a great motivator.
- What are your personal interests?
- What are your academic interests?
Pick something current, it has to be new!
- What's in the news?
- What's in your social media feed?
- What are people talking about?
Pick something controversial.
- Something divisive, something people have strong opinions about.
Start broad and brainstorm to narrow it down.

Finding a Topic

Sometimes finding a topic can be the most difficult part of starting your research. You want to choose a topic that you are genuinely interested in and excited to learn more about. This section of resources is a great place to start! Begin by browsing broad topics, then narrowing it down by sub-topics, looking at pro/con arguments and then finally checking out what's in the news.

Start Exploring

These databases are a great place to start browsing possible research topics. They offer controversial topics, pro/con perspectives, and lots of searching and browsing options.

ProCon
Read pro and con arguments for and against controversial topics (free access)
Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and nonadvocacy organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and other data-driven social science research. Topics covered include: U.S. politics and policy; journalism and media; internet, science and technology; religion and public life; Hispanic trends; global attitudes and trends; and U.S. social and demographic trends.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Expert summaries of current issues: scientific, political, and more (Library Subscription)

Current Events and News

Exploring what's going on in the world is another great place to search for research topics. The following resources offer news at the local, national, and international level.

Science News
Explore news from all fields of science, written for non-scientists (free access)

New York Times This link opens in a new window
Full access to NYTimes.com and NYTimes mobile apps, including breaking news articles, blogs, videos and interactive features.To register, go to www.nytimes.com/passes & log in with your Cal Maritime email (@csum.edu). Renew once per year by logging in at www.nytimes.com/passes
Ethnic News Watch This link opens in a new window
An interdisciplinary, bilingual (English and Spanish) database of newspapers, magazines and journals from ethnic, minority and native presses.
NewsBank This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive news collection useful for exploring issues and events at the local, regional, national and international level. Source types include print and online-only newspapers, blogs, newswires, magazines, broadcast transcripts and videos.