Research & Instruction Librarian
Andrew Marshall
he, him, his
Contact:
J. Clarence Kelly Library
Penn State Greater Allegheny
Penn State Greater Allegheny
412-675-9119
Subjects: Campus: Greater Allegheny
Choosing a Research Topic
Pick a topic that interests you, but make sure it's workable too. You want something that is broad and current enough that other writers and scholars are talking about it, yet focused enough that you can cover the topic thoroughly within the limits of the assignment.
- Choose a topicA great tutorial that walks you through the whole process.
- How to narrow your topicA brief video tutorial on shaping a research question based on preliminary research and the parameters of the assignment.
Topic Shopping
Having trouble thinking of a topic that interests you? These resources will help.
- Opposing Viewpoints This link opens in a new windowClick on "browse issues" for hundreds of topic ideas. Also provides persuasive essays, news articles, and other resources for each topic.
- Global Issues This link opens in a new windowSimilar to Opposing Viewpoints, but looks at social issues outside of the U.S.
- Research Topics | Pew Research CenterProvides survey results and research reports on a long list of current and interesting topics.
- ProCon.orgA website funded by Brittanica with the mission, “To promote civility, critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship by presenting the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.”
- AllSidesDisplays news coverage from "left", "right", and "center" sources. Use with caution as the categories are generated by users and reflect public perceptions of each news source rather than any actual bias in the individual articles displayed.