Topic Selection

Finding a Topic

Picking the right topic for an essay can save any writer time and can help set up the essay for potential success before beginning. A vague, overly broad topic will do the opposite and can lead to a frustrating writing experience. A few tips for choosing topics are:

• Avoid topics you've already made up your mind about. It's hard to be openminded and to approach a topic from a "just the facts" mindset if you've already picked a side.

• Pick a topic that interests you. While you want to avoid already having an opinion, you still want to be interested in the topic. If you're bored, your writing will be boring.

• Narrow it down. Many topics are too large to adequately cover in one essay. Avoid something broad like "childhood education". Instead, try asking questions that you can then answer, like "how successful is Head Start for non-English speaking children in hitting English-language milestones?"

• Research it. You want a current, well-researched topic with plenty of sources available for you to incorporate in your paper. If you will cite research in your essay, do some of this research before committing to the topic to save yourself time.

• Make sure the topic fits the guidelines for the essay. When in doubt, discuss the topic with the instructor first. Even if your paper is interesting and well written, if it doesn’t fit the instructor's guidelines, the end result will not be successful.