1. Choose a subject of interest to you.

2. Narrow your subject by focusing on a smaller piece of the larger subject. Your focus can be a cause, effect, mystery, case study, controversy or issue. This focus will be your paper topic.
   For Example:

   Subject	Topic
   Energy	Solar Energy
   Sports	Sport Salaries
   Work	Job Satisfaction

    
3. Do some preliminary research, such as reading an encyclopedia article and a few magazine articles. This will increase your knowledge of your topic, help you decide if you need to focus or narrow the topic more and give you an idea of resources available at the library for your research.

4. Your paper should have a goal (thesis). As you do preliminary research, write down questions about your topic. Choose one as a major question or goal of your paper and concentrate on research for that goal.

   For Example:

   Topic: Solar Energy

   Questions: Is solar energy the best energy source?
                         Is solar energy practical  in the northern climates?

   Goal (thesis): The use of solar energy can be effective when used along
                              with another energy source, such as natural gas or oil.

Doing Research

After choosing your topic:

1. Collect facts from a VARIETY of sources: books, magazines, journals or websites (IF allowed).
2. Record quotes and ideas with their source information to build your bibliography.
3. Organize your notes and make an outline.
4. Write your paper, allowing time to do at least one draft and revision.
5. Double check facts, quotes, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

   Any questions? Ask the Librarian at the Information Desk for help.

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Some Possible Topics

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Online in America	Infant euthanasia
Internet	Lawyer ethics
Professionals in the Olympics	Family violence
America’s economic values	American foreign policy
America’s religious values	Serial killers
Salary equity	Opinion polls
Securities fraud and RICO	Abortion policy
Nurse shortage	Too many doctors?
Joint custody	Genetic fingerprinting
Recycling	American foreign presence
Foreign aid	Civil defense
Peace movements	Can war be eliminated?
Miscarriage of justice	Carpal tunnel syndrome
Cultural awareness in school	Rise of new religious groups
Why America doesn’t vote	Election finances
Japan-US relations	Race relations
International relief agencies	Sleep research
Sexual revolution	Artificial organs
Puerto Rico	Human rights policy
Hate crimes	Toy safety
Air safety	Multiple sclerosis
Deep-sea mining	Quebec separatism
Radial keratotomy	Videogames
Electronic banking	Affordable housing
Combating science fraud	Terrorism
Women and AIDS	Common cold research
Pregnant women’s rights	Affirmative action
Civil liberties	Right to privacy
Free trade	American liberalism
Children and divorce	Elections and the media
College sports under fire	Sterilization of the poor
Sterilization of the mentally ill	Future of public television
Should US reinstate the draft?	Artists’ rights and copyrights
Privatization in the third world	Government response to AIDS
AIDS vaccine	Prescription costs
Malpractice insurance crunch	Liability insurance squeeze
America’s concentration camps	Foreign investments in America
International monetary fund	Revival of religion in America
Sudden infant death syndrome	National Security Council
Government role in business	Preschool: too much too soon?

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Left brain/right brain	Mainstreaming
Home health care	Sugar substitutes
Astrology	Extrasensory perception
Transsexualism	Use of credit cards
Consumer credit	Shakers in America
Unmarried couples	Foster children
Psychology of gambling	Venereal disease
Children and television	Tranquilizers
Compulsory retirement	Food allergies
Psychosomatic illness	Immigrants in America
Migrant workers	Illegal immigrants
Teenagers as consumers	Anti-Semitism in America
Cosmetic surgery	Culture of youth
Female body image	Lasers in photography
Life after death	Death and dying
Oil spills	Over-the-counter drugs
Fraud in charities	Charity squeeze
Child sexual abuse	Child pornography
Filters in libraries	Native Americans
Erie Canal	Global stock market
Downtown suburbia	Youth suicide
Jury system	Think tanks
Cable television	Franchises
Holography	Legal services
Organ transplants	Alternative medicine
Trade unions	Biological warfare
Chemical weapons	Global nuclear situation
Hunting ethics	Violence in schools
Universal Product Code	Occupational diseases
Drug testing	Whistle blowing
Holistic lifestyle	America’s social values
Patriotism	Animal experimentation
Social Security	Toxic wastes
Changes in women’s roles	Changes in men’s roles
Media bias	Media and society
Poverty in America	Television evangelism
Religious discrimination	Gene therapy
Sexual values	Social justice
Teenage pregnancy	Pregnancy in older women
Infertility	Reproductive technology

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International drug cartels	Women in business
Women in military	Women in combat
TV & the courtroom	Soccer in America
Work, family & stress care	Living in fear
Video vigilantes	Stonehenge
Jazz	Space cooperation
Illiteracy in America	Cults in America
Acupuncture	Workplace privacy
Lawyers in America	C.I.S.
Business ethics	Cholesterol
Wife abuse	Child abuse
Teenagers on death row	Juvenile delinquency
Superconductors	Polychlorinated
Biphenyls	Lyme disease
Agent Orange	Gangs
Wiretapping	Laughter
Busing	Hypnosis
Hydroponics	Hypertension
Vitamins	Computer crime
Organized crime	World debt crisis
Alzheimer’s Disease	Prescription drug abuse
Tourism’s economic impact	Bilingual education
Medical ethics	Single-parent families
State financing	Physical fitness boom
Rain forests	Rural health care
Staying healthy	Industry heartland
Profit hospitals	Mentally ill
Schizophrenia	Depression
Mental health insurance parity	Contraceptives
Saudi Arabia	Strategic arms debate
US auto industry	Information boom
Genetic breakthroughs	Cloning
Elder care	Day care
Timber industry	Great Lakes states
Earthquakes	Spies
Transplants	NATO
Adoption issues	Volcanoes
Censorship/First Amendment	Railroads
Fast food industry	Obesity crisis
Feeding a growing world	Palestine

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L. Annesi, 3/2003, http://www.monroecc.edu/go/library