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320 Good Research Paper Topics for Any Given Subject

research paper topics

A research paper is an informative account of a study you have conducted. Depending on the subject area, this study may take the form of an experiment, survey, or analysis. It doesn't mean that you must come to a groundbreaking discovery at the end of this journey, but you must embark on it with the goal of finding out something new. That is why every research paper starts with the question. How things are? Why are they as they are? Can we change them? And so on.

Below you will find examples of such questions to start your research. Feel free to use them as is or modify them to fit your interests and assignment guidelines from your instructor.

How to Find Fitting Topics for a Research Paper

Before you start browsing through our suggestions, here are a few words of advice on how to select topics:

  1. The primary guideline for choosing interesting research paper topics is following your intellectual interest. The best research paper topics come from the place truth: genuine curiosity, sincere concern, or earnest fascination.
  2. Of course, it also must be relevant to the class you are taking and the material it examines. If you think your topic might be adjacent, but the material wasn't covered in the curriculum, consult your instructor.
  3. The third main consideration is the scope. Depending on your paper's length and time you are allowed to do the research, modify the scope to fit these limits. You can hardly cover all gender stereotypes that ever existed in all human history across all cultures. Choose a timeframe and specific material, for example, "Gender stereotypes in 90s popular American sitcoms."

We have grouped the topics by subject areas to help you with the first and second steps. However, the scope of the suggestions skews on the larger side. If necessary, narrow it down to fit your assignment specifications. We offer you a direction in which you can work just to prompt your imagination. If you still hesitate, request our writing assistance. We will help you brainstorm topics that fit your interests and class curriculum!

Easy Research Paper Topics

Let's start with the easy ones. To complete a paper on one of these topics, you won't have to design research and select any particular survey methods. Just go to your school library or online and find plenty of information to serve as materials for your analysis.

  1. Edison: a great inventor or a marketing genius?
  2. Benefits and downsides of pass/fail system in college
  3. Should beauty pageants become more inclusive, be dropped as outdated, or continue as is?
  4. Negative effects of overtourism
  5. Bias against female politicians in media
  6. Benefits of music therapy
  7. Does access to contraception lead to more promiscuous behavior?
  8. Stages of hurricane formation
  9. African-American contribution to American music
  10. The use of onomatopoeia in English slang
  11. Food staples of your neighborhood and cultural diversity
  12. Boomers vs. Zoomers: cohort prejudice in Twitter wars
  13. Mental health in American culture (tropes, misconceptions, stigma)
  14. Misogynistic stereotypes in anti-suffrage art
  15. The links between character traits and preferences in music
  16. Do homeschooled students perform equally to traditional students when in college?
  17. Effectiveness of gamification techniques for learning
  18. Factors contributing to the economic power of China
  19. Short-term and long-term effects of stress on human wellbeing
  20. Climate change effects on wildlife

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Funny Research Paper Topics

Maybe you're familiar with the technique of research, but conventional topics bore you to tears. In that case, pick one of these to have fun with your study and break the monotony of college assignments. Note that they still have practical applications and help us understand the subject better.

  1. The concept of boredom through the ages
  2. How mathematic functions can describe flea's jumps
  3. Gender differences in scented products preferences
  4. Types of "funny" and common scenarios in viral pet videos
  5. Factors contributing to TikTok challenges gaining traction
  6. Most popular horror tropes in Halloween pranks
  7. Origins and history of banana peel slip in comedy
  8. Dogs as character doubles in romantic comedy and family movies
  9. Fail video genre as a successor of physical comedy
  10. The evolutionary role of tickles in humans and animals
  11. Evolutionary functions of "fun" and its varieties
  12. Sense of humor in birds of Corvidae family
  13. Stereotypes in cat food commercials
  14. Do pets have aesthetic taste in art?
  15. Ways to cure hiccups and their efficiency
  16. Popular interior design pallets and their influence on dwellers' mood
  17. Personality traits and physical appearance: how much do dog owners and their pets share?
  18. Vocalizations pets use for communication with their owners
  19. Catnip effects on cats and its possible evolutionary benefits
  20. Age and predilection for cringe comedy

High School Research Paper Topics

If by "easy," you meant "not university-level hard," we hear you. Here is our selection of original topics for high school. Challenging enough to pique your interest but accessible.

  1. Contemporary reworkings of "Beowulf"
  2. Gothic literature and its influence on modern culture
  3. Propose your classification for constructed languages
  4. Reconstructing everyday life of your neighborhood from century-old newspapers
  5. How social media influence our communication habits
  6. Diana Wynne Jones' use of computer game references for irony and humor
  7. Sexism in MMORPGs
  8. Role of peer pressure and stress in substance abuse
  9. Academic achievement differences between right-handed and left-handed students
  10. Gender differences in career aspirations (study of classmates and other peers)

Arts and Humanities

  1. Contemporary reworkings of "Beowulf"
  2. Gothic literature and its influence on modern culture
  3. Propose your classification for constructed languages
  4. Reconstructing everyday life of your neighborhood from century-old newspapers
  5. How social media influence our communication habits
  6. Diana Wynne Jones' use of computer game references for irony and humor
  7. Sexism in MMORPGs
  8. Role of peer pressure and stress in substance abuse
  9. Academic achievement differences between right-handed and left-handed students
  10. Gender differences in career aspirations (study of classmates and other peers)

Math, Physics, Bio, Chem, and stuff

  1. Biodiversity in your region
  2. The problem of feral animals in your area
  3. Mirror-test and self-awareness in animals
  4. Zero, its history, and significance
  5. Create a randomized algorithm and suggest its practical application
  6. Mathematical reasons for the cultural ubiquity of the 7-day week
  7. Testing and comparing the efficiency of household water filters
  8. Largest CO2 producers in your area
  9. The efficiency of the rain drainage system in your neighborhood
  10. Sustainable power sources and their combination most efficient for your area

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

Sometimes you do your research to find evidence for an argument. Argumentative papers can contain original research. If you like nothing more than changing the mind of your opponents with hard facts you've unearthed yourself, go for one of these.

  1. Was Dunkirk a success or failure?
  2. Why did the operation Market Garden fail?
  3. Same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states, but is it equally accessible and safe in every one of them?
  4. Do standardized tests predict student success accurately?
  5. Does technological advancement increase or decrease global poverty?
  6. Should governments have a monopoly on space exploration, or is it better to be left to the private sector?
  7. Should the government subsidize local sustainable initiatives?
  8. Should biological sex take prevalence over gender identity in sports?
  9. Should the United States decriminalize possession of illegal drugs in small quantities?
  10. Are petting zoos ethical? Do they need more regulation?
  11. Is culling pest animals and invasive species effective? Is it ethical?
  12. Is terraforming deserts to stop climate change possible?
  13. Werther-effect: should suicide be addressed in media?
  14. Should authors of fad diets be held responsible for the casualties?
  15. Are shows intended for young children good for their cognitive development?
  16. Is Greek life on campus elitist? If so, how can it be reformed?
  17. Whom would you nominate to be featured on the next dollar banknote?
  18. Who do you consider the most effective president in US history? Why?
  19. Do the benefits of home birth outweigh the potential risks?
  20. Should the government control reproduction and family size?

Persuasive Research Paper Topics

Although persuasive papers use pathos and can appeal to your audience's feelings, they still must be grounded in evidence. If you want to prove something you care about with facts and figures, these topics will be to your liking.

  1. Can the "death of the author" theory be applied to active lore creators like Joan Rowling?
  2. Should FDA ban sweet-tasting flavors in tobacco products?
  3. Does cohabitation of unmarried couples hurt the economy?
  4. Is surveillance unavoidable to prevent terrorist attacks?
  5. Should sex education be compulsory in every school?
  6. Should the death penalty be abolished in all states?
  7. Should all student loans be erased, and how will this influence the economy?
  8. Should tipping be a thing of the past, and service workers have better wages and benefits instead?
  9. Should we still teach contemporary students handwriting?
  10. Should dangerous sports be banned?
  11. Should we learn foreign languages when translation technology is so accessible?
  12. Should we still go to school when distance learning is now a new normal?
  13. What is an appropriate age limit for joining social media?
  14. Should euthanasia be legal in the USA?
  15. Should owning pets be licensed in all states?
  16. Should the cloning of humans be allowed?
  17. Should church and state be separate?
  18. Can it be morally right to break the law?
  19. Should skills like swimming and cycling be a compulsory part of the school curriculum?
  20. Should lotteries be banned?

Controversial Research Paper Topics

If you are not afraid to address the hot-button issue in your research and clear the picture for a more leveled conversation, why not choose one of these?

  1. Representations of LGBTQ People in comics and graphic novels
  2. Are privately run prisons a form of slavery?
  3. 9/11 in media: stages of coping with trauma as a nation
  4. Struggle for identity in interracial adoptees
  5. Frontiers of bioethics amidst COVID-19 pandemic
  6. Bioethical dilemmas of abortion and embryo studies
  7. Ethical concerns around savior siblings
  8. Sexual orientation in transgender people
  9. Beliefs behind FGM and its modern apologists
  10. The line between calling out and bullying in Twitter's cancel culture
  11. "Promising young man" bias in the justice system
  12. Maternal mortality and race in the USA
  13. Cultural appropriation and diversity in YA fiction
  14. Racial coding in Sci-Fi worldbuilding
  15. Assimilation as a prerequisite for naturalization in the USA
  16. Normalization, appreciation, and appropriation in the beauty industry
  17. Racial ambiguity as a marketing strategy
  18. Tokenism in contemporary media
  19. Legacy of settler colonialism mindset in public life
  20. Conspiracy thinking in the USA and its influence on politics

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College Research Paper Topics on Literature

Researchers with a literary inclination will find these topics stimulating and rewarding. We have included all literature written in the English language under "English," so feel free to use American, Canadian, Australian, or any other Anglophone material for that.

English literature

  1. A portrait of an archetypal medieval leader in Beowulf
  2. Preoccupation with beauty and ideal as a source of comedy in Shakespeare's works
  3. Andrew Marvell and visual culture
  4. Romantic poets as prototypical celebrity figures
  5. The influence of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" on contemporary fiction
  6. Biographical culture and its influence on 19th-century literature
  7. The impact of folklore on American literature
  8. Anglophone Caribbean literature
  9. Comparison of pre-war and post-war detective fiction
  10. LGBTQ writers in mid-century America

World literature

  1. Symbolism in fables and parables
  2. Folkloric influence in Ferdowsi's "Shahnameh"
  3. Courtly love in Middle Ages literature and its influence on modern romance
  4. Political power and chastity in Renaissance literature
  5. Exploration of sexuality in European literature through the ages
  6. Depiction of nature in traditional Japanese literature
  7. Romanticism and realism in Leo Tolstoy's "War and Peace"
  8. Representation of World War 2 in the post-war fiction
  9. Father figures in Arabic literature
  10. Diversity and tradition in contemporary Indian literature

History Research Paper Topics

Although we have touched on historical topics in the high-school section, these will be more suited for college students, giving them enough challenge for satisfying research work.

United States History Research Paper Topics

  1. John Cabot and the discovery of New England
  2. Iron Act and its inciting power at the beginning of American revolution
  3. Germans in the American Revolution
  4. Ethnic and religious composition of the First 13 colonies before 1775 and its role in the War for Independence
  5. US diplomacy and foreign policy: the beginning of the 20th c. vs. the beginning of the 21st c.
  6. US imperialism in Latin America
  7. American volunteers in the Spanish civil war
  8. Morale in the US 1st Infantry Division on the verge of Normandy Landings (based on veteran stories)
  9. Reasons for US involvement in World War 1 vs. World War 2
  10. Origins and the rise of the Lost Cause ideology

World History Research Paper Topics

  1. The fall of Aegean civilization: theories and evidence
  2. War and peace in Ancient Rome
  3. The reign of Charlemagne and its influence on Medieval Europe
  4. The combination of circumstances leading to the Age of Discovery
  5. Science and the Enlightenment
  6. Role of women and children in the industrial revolution
  7. Historical circumstances that led to British exploration in West Africa in the 1830s
  8. Roman Catholic church and its influence on the foreign policy of the Latin-American states
  9. The end of the Warlord Era in China
  10. World War I as a catalyst for World War 2

Art Research Paper Topics

Despite widespread misconceptions, art is not about "what you see" and "all about interpretation." More than anything, it is about placing an artifact into context – historical, social, political, and cultural – to illicit its intended message. Care to perform such a reconstruction? These topics will give you a direction.

Art History

  1. Figurative and abstract cave paintings
  2. Possible meaning of Paleolithic Venus figurines
  3. Everyday life in the pottery of ancient Greece
  4. The stylistic circle of Roman portrait sculpture
  5. Green Man in Gothic architecture
  6. Screens and fans as art objects and their place in the culture of Japan
  7. Artemisia vs. Caravaggio: how both painters depict violence and empowerment
  8. English madrigal as the pop music of the era
  9. Death in art and design of the Victorian era
  10. The Salon des Refusés and the shift it made in the public perception of the art

Modern Art and Media

  1. Ritualistic nature of performance art and its significance in the secular society
  2. Bauhaus movement and its influence on modern graphic design
  3. Urban legends and superstitions born around statues
  4. Non-diegetic elements as a tool to create irony in the film
  5. How photography liberated fine art and then became an art in itself
  6. Hyperrealism of Sci-Fi
  7. Suspension of disbelief in reality TV
  8. The influence of social-media formats on art exhibitions
  9. Video art installations and their power to engage
  10. Unreliable narrator and the subversion of romantic tropes in "How I Met Your Mother" series

Sociological Research Paper Topics

The object of research in sociology is all kinds of relationships we form with other people – family, community, class, nation, etc. Data obtained from the sociological analysis can inform educators, policymakers, businesses, and non-profit organizations. Sociology has many branches; that is why we present our topics grouped accordingly.

Historical Sociology research topics

  1. Caste tradition in India and caste bias in Americans of Indian descent
  2. Identity building in post-colonial societies
  3. Origins and history of the parochial system
  4. History of US immigration policy
  5. Cities and social structures of North-American natives

Anthropology

  1. Representation of transgender identity in traditional cultures
  2. Fandoms and participation as contemporary subcultures
  3. Rituals of a modern American family in celebrating milestones
  4. Aging in developing vs. developed countries: practices, taboos, cultural perception
  5. The history of the living room and its role in the modern house

Demography

  1. Public trust and its influence on individual's wellbeing
  2. Role of gender attitudes in cognitive skills
  3. Fluctuations of earning equality following parenthood
  4. Impact of Covid-19 quarantine measures on domestic violence rates
  5. Disability and employment opportunities in immigrants

Political Sociology

  1. The history of American protests from the Boston Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street
  2. Shifting definitions of BVE terms in political discourse
  3. Code-switching in the Hispanic community
  4. The commodification of otherness as a form of repression
  5. Government of first American colonies: from first settlers to 1776

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Psychology Research Paper Topics

Some argue that the human psyche is the key to understanding everything around us – our history, culture, how we perceive and gain new knowledge about this world as scientists, and how we interact in political or economic structures. If you agree with this view, these topics must interest you.

Social Psychology

  1. "Uncanny valley" phenomenon and racism
  2. Bystander effect and its correlation with the population size
  3. Christmas truce of 1914, and other prosocial-behavior phenomena during wartime
  4. Detection of impending aggressive outbursts
  5. Theories explaining collective behavior

Developmental Psychology

  1. Influence of packaging on food choices in children
  2. Language acquisition process in bilingual and multilingual families
  3. Reward vs. social reinforcement in school
  4. Influence of mental games on cognitive skills in an older population
  5. Internalized vs. externalized blame and correlation with age

Evolutionary Psychology

  1. The concepts of "cool" and "uncool" as a means of adolescent to distance from parents
  2. How ancestral fears are exploited in horror movies
  3. "Us" vs. "Them" as an ultimate lever of political influence
  4. Fear of expulsion as a means of control over individual
  5. Memes, gossip, and small talk as surrogates of grooming

Clinical Psychology

  1. Effects of violence in media on children's behavior
  2. Causes and risk factors of depression
  3. Emotional neglect and its effects on child development and adulthood
  4. Causes and risk factors for body dysmorphic disorder
  5. Advantage and disadvantages of online therapy

Research Paper Topics: Education

Understanding how learning and teaching works helps students perform better academically and be more mindful about their time in college. Even if you don't plan on education as your career path, you might want to explore these topics.

Pedagogy

  1. Perspectives and limitations of Montessori method
  2. Internal vs. external motivation in emergent literacy
  3. Bullying prevention methods and their efficiency
  4. Developmental risks of normal adolescence
  5. Grade inflation, student self-worth, and college anxieties

Andragogy

  1. The use of media in adult literacy programs
  2. Tackling ethical issues in citizenship classes
  3. Motivation in career transition education
  4. Testing and evaluation in adult students
  5. ESL for adults in mixed-background classes

Special education

  1. Benefits and limitations of inclusive education
  2. Ways to manage ADHD in the school setting
  3. Overidentification and normalization
  4. Residential care education
  5. Challenges of teaching non-verbal ASD students

Alternative education

  1. Secular reasons families opt to homeschool
  2. Benefits and drawbacks of same-sex classrooms
  3. Limitations of project-based learning
  4. Environmental education
  5. Naturalist teaching

Medicine and Health Research Paper Topics

Health care is a vast discipline with many sub-disciplines, so we have barely scratched the surface with these suggestions. However, that should be enough to kick-start your inquisitiveness.

Emergency medicine research topics

  1. Risk and responsibility in surgery
  2. Overcrowding of emergency department: management and harm mitigation
  3. New techniques of assessing patients with chest pain
  4. Ways to improve ED staff resilience and satisfaction
  5. Modeling trajectories and treatments for traumatic brain injury

Family medicine research topics

  1. Origins of metabolic diseases
  2. Family wellness diagnosis
  3. Autoimmune disease diagnosis in pediatrics
  4. Gender differences in cardiovascular disease and comorbid depression
  5. Chronic pain management in adults

Pharmacy research topics

  1. Information security in pharmacies
  2. Forensic drug testing methods and their efficacy
  3. Innovative drug delivery systems
  4. Ethical dilemmas of cancer drug studies
  5. Mechanisms of carcinogenesis

History of medicine research topics

  1. Surgery in Ancient Egypt
  2. Ancient Greek vs. Ancient Roman medicine
  3. Midwifery in the Holy Roman Empire
  4. Medicine in Colonial America
  5. Medical women in the 19th and early 20th century

Nursing Research Paper Topics

Nursing is a unique discipline bridging the gap between science and humanities. It sees human health as the wellbeing of all – mind, body, and spirit. If you share this holistic outlook, you will like working on one of these topics.

Geriatric and Palliative Care

  1. Palliative care nursing theories
  2. Managing stress and anger in communications with patients
  3. Daily yoga as part of osteoporosis treatment program
  4. Health therapy for Parkinson disease
  5. Fall prevention in elderly patients
  6. Minimizing psychological distress in terminal cancer patients
  7. Spirituality for palliative care patients
  8. Caring for dementia patients community programs
  9. Government regulation of hospice care
  10. Planning the end of life: how to work with patients and their families

Rehabilitation and Treatment

  1. Self-medication prevention programs
  2. Rehabilitation and treatment of inmates
  3. The effectiveness of existing drug abuse treatment strategies
  4. Aquatic therapy for spinal cord injuries
  5. Animal-assisted therapy for autistic patients
  6. Sexual rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injury
  7. Aromatherapy in nursing and mental health care
  8. The effectiveness of bedsores prevention in coma patients
  9. Caregiving training for family members
  10. Mental health services for victims of disasters and traumatic events

Economic Research Paper Topics

From personal finances to global markets, the economy permeates every facet of our lives. It definitely pays to be well-informed in this subject, so we invite you to explore one of these topics even if the economy is not your major.

Macroeconomics Research Paper Topics

  1. New Classical vs. New Keynesian views of economic fluctuations
  2. Investment opportunities and risks of a globalized market
  3. Critical areas of global banking security and ways to enhance them
  4. Limitations of the AD-AS model
  5. Possible scenarios of the next financial crisis
  6. Global pandemic and its influence on government debt
  7. Real business cycles: the role of technological vs. non-technological shocks
  8. Inflation, unemployment, and Phillips curve
  9. History of Federal Reserve system
  10. Sustainable power sources and their implications for the global economy

Microeconomics Research Paper Topics

  1. IP in the digital economy: a roadmap
  2. Risks of offshore accounting and taxation
  3. Ecotaxes as incentives for collective action
  4. European practices regulating common-pool resources
  5. A case against utility maximization
  6. Morality and fulfillment as attributes of homo economicus
  7. Sources of irrational investment behavior
  8. Problems with the classical theory of labor markets
  9. Home and host country effects of FDI
  10. Ways of improving socioeconomic mobility in children and youth

Technology Research Paper Topics

These topics explore the influence of technology on society and the everyday life of individuals. Let's examine how we can enhance our experiences and reduce the possible harmful consequences of relying on technology too much.

  1. Airbnb and its impact on local businesses and community
  2. Ethical issues of face recognition technology proliferation
  3. The role of social media recommendation algorithms in the spread of conspiracy theories
  4. What can be done to solve the problem of space junk?
  5. Viable project to capture carbon dioxide
  6. Perspectives of Biocomputing
  7. How efficient are EVs for reducing ecological damage without sustainable power sources?
  8. Neural network writer: a linguistic manifestation of the uncanny valley
  9. Factors contributing to the rise of podcast popularity
  10. Future of X-rays and competing technologies
  11. Alternative data storage technologies and their advantages
  12. Content management system for open-source libraries
  13. VR and AR use in art
  14. The effects of instant data access on long-term memory and cognitive skills
  15. Technology-powered unconventional warfare and mass surveillance
  16. Effects of digital interactivity on developing brain (possible link between screen time and ADHD)
  17. Public safety concerns around ride-sharing apps
  18. The link between stress and depression in teenagers and use of social media
  19. Technology in bridging the gap for students with disabilities
  20. Technology, scientific research, and social responsibility

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