In your research paper, you will identify a specific problem that you have a personal interest in, provide 2-3 solutions that other people have suggested, and support one of the solutions as the best.

You can select any problem that interests you, but here are some (strong) suggestions:

avoid very common topics like the ones you’ll find on research paper web sites

pick a topic that you have had personal experience with

pick a topic that doesn’t have an “easy” answer

make your topic very specific; for example, instead of writing about the national economy, write about the budget management at your work place; instead of writing about cancer, write about surgical options for breast cancer; instead of writing about global warming, write about the automobile emissions in your county

make your topic local–something that is relevant in your family, work place, or community

Your research paper will be at least 1500 words long, so you want to make sure that you settle on a topic that you know you will be able to find information about and are interested in.

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You can write about stomach cancer, because my grandfather, grandmother, and my uncle died from the same thing in Egypt. But you can write about anything I don’t care, I just want to pass this essay.