Selecting a Topic
Brainstorming
Coming up with a topic for a paper or a speech can be daunting; however for most college courses, you do not need to tackle a completely new idea. Many professors will, instead, want a topic that deals with a review of a problem and your interpretation of the information that you find. This may be anything from a current topic to a specific area of a discipline, depending on the course that you are taking.
The following are helpful sites and resources to investigate while brainstorming topic ideas:
- CQ Researcher
- Facts.com
- AP Photo Archive
- CNN.com
- NewsBank Special Reports
- Encyclopedias
- Librarians' Internet Index
- SpeakOut.com
Remember, your research-based paper or speech will be a lot more fun and motivating if you are interested in the topic.