How To Choose Research Topics

Focusing On The Subject of a Research Paper

Apr 29, 2008 Karrie Emms

There are many steps to writing research papers. The most important step involves choosing and narrowing down the subject. What are some effective ways to do this?

Homeschooling parents teaching their students how to write a research paper should first focus on how to chose an appropriate topic. Choosing a viable topic that not only fits within the guidelines for the paper, but is also of interest to the student, can also be the most difficult step.

There are some easy to follow guidelines homeschooling parents can offer their student to help them choose an appropriate topic.

Help Homeschoolers Choose a Topic

Homeschooling parents should allow their children to choose topics that will be of interest to them. If a topic holds a child’s interest and is fun for him, he will most likely enjoy working on the report. If working on a report doesn’t seem like a chore, students will also be more creative when writing and presenting it.

It is important to remember that choosing a topic is a difficult task and students must be given ample time to read, research and think about what they would like to write their paper on. Some questions students should consider when choosing the topic of a research paper are:

• Is there a particular subject they are interested in?
• When considering a subject, what interests them most about it?
• Is there anything they are curious about when it comes to that subject?
• Is there any aspect of the topic they find confusing or do not fully understand?

Brainstorming After Choosing A Topic

After a student has chosen the topic for a research paper, he or she will likely need to narrow the topic choice down to a manageable one. It may be necessary for homeschooling parents to offer advice or help with this.

It is important to avoid broad topics by using techniques such as brainstorming. For example, if a student has chosen to write a research paper on trees for his science class, have him write everything he can think of about trees. Using a timer, limit the writing time to five minutes and don’t let him stop to change anything he has written.

At the end of the time limit, have him look over the paper and see if there are any ideas that can be developed further. It may be helpful to have the student repeat this exercise several times and to make it a regular part of the curriculum. If the curriculum being used includes writing research papers, it may be a good idea to introduce this concept prior to assigning an actual paper.

If students use brainstorming as a technique, it may help limit the stress associated with writing research papers. In the end it will give students confidence when the time comes to choose a topic for their first research paper.

For more information on this topic read these other Suite 101 articles Editing & Revision Essay Checklist and How to Write a Research Paper.

The copyright of the article How To Choose Research Topics in Homeschooling is owned by Karrie Emms. Permission to republish How To Choose Research Topics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.