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113 Great Research Paper Topics

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

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These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Exploring Community Health Nursing Research Topics: A Comprehensive Guide for Nursing Students

• Carla Johnson
• August 25, 2023
• Essay Topics and Ideas

Community health nursing is a dynamic and vital field within the nursing profession, focused on providing holistic care to populations within a defined community. This specialized branch of nursing goes beyond individual patient care, extending its reach to families, groups, and entire communities. This article will delve into community health nursing, explore its significance, and provide valuable resources for nursing students to engage in research, evidence-based practice (EBP) projects, capstone projects, research paper topics, research questions, and essay ideas.

What You'll Learn

Understanding Community Health Nursing: A Holistic Approach

Community health nursing emphasizes preventive care , health promotion, and disease prevention within a specific community. This holistic approach involves understanding the community’s unique needs, cultures, and challenges to provide targeted interventions that improve health outcomes. As nursing students, you will find this field to be a gateway to understanding the broader healthcare landscape and the interconnectedness of various factors that influence health.

PICOT Questions on Community Health Nursing

• P: Adult population in psychiatric care ; I: Implementation of daily RS questionnaire; C: Units without the daily survey; O: Reduction in utilization of restraint and seclusion; T: 6 months. Can the implementation of a daily RS (Restraint and Seclusion) questionnaire for adults in psychiatric care lead to a significant decrease in the utilization of restraint and seclusion within a period of 6 months?
• P: Pediatric population in school settings; I: Introduction of daily exercise regimen; C: Schools without daily exercise; O: Improvement in BMI and overall fitness; T: 1 academic year. Does introducing a daily exercise regimen in school settings for pediatric populations result in a noticeable improvement in BMI and overall fitness over the course of 1 academic year?
• P: Elderly population in assisted living facilities; I: Implementation of fall prevention program; C: Facilities without fall prevention program; O: Reduction in fall-related injuries; T: 1 year. Is there a significant reduction in fall-related injuries among the elderly residing in assisted living facilities after the implementation of a comprehensive fall prevention program within 1 year?
• P: Low-income pregnant women; I: Provision of prenatal education classes; C: Those without access to prenatal education; O: Increase in prenatal knowledge and healthier pregnancy outcomes; T: Throughout gestation. Can providing prenatal education classes to low-income pregnant women lead to increased prenatal knowledge and improved pregnancy outcomes when compared to those without access to such education?
• P: Diabetic population within the community; I: Establishment of a mobile diabetic clinic; C: No mobile clinic available; O: Enhanced diabetic management and reduced hospitalizations; T: 2 years. Does the establishment of a mobile diabetic clinic within the community lead to better diabetic management and a decrease in hospitalizations over a span of 2 years?
• P: Adolescent population in schools; I: Implementation of comprehensive sexual education; C: Schools with standard sexual education; O: Reduction in teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs); T: 3 years. Over a period of 3 years, does the implementation of comprehensive sexual education in schools result in a significant decrease in the rates of teen pregnancies and STIs among adolescents compared to schools with standard sexual education?
• P: Homeless population; I: Launch of mobile healthcare unit; C: No access to regular healthcare; O: Improvement in overall health status and decrease in emergency room visits; T: 1 year. Can the introduction of a mobile healthcare unit for the homeless population improve their overall health status and a noticeable reduction in emergency room visits within a year?
• P: Rural elderly population; I: Initiation of telehealth services ; C: Lack of telehealth services; O: Enhanced access to healthcare and better management of chronic conditions; T: 18 months. Does the introduction of telehealth services for the rural elderly population lead to increased access to healthcare services and improved management of chronic conditions over the course of 18 months?
• P: New mothers; I: Implementation of postpartum support groups; C: No postpartum support groups available; O: Reduction in postpartum depression rates and improved maternal well-being; T: 1 year. Can the implementation of postpartum support groups for new mothers lead to a significant reduction in postpartum depression rates and an overall improvement in maternal well-being within a year?
• P: LGBTQ+ youth; I: Creating safe spaces in schools; C: Absence of designated safe spaces; O: Decreased mental health challenges and higher academic achievement; T: Ongoing. Does creating safe spaces within schools for LGBTQ+ youth lead to a noticeable decrease in mental health challenges and a rise in academic achievement over an ongoing period?

Evidence-Based Practice Projects Ideas

• Evaluating the effectiveness of community-wide vaccination drives in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Assessing the impact of a smoke-free policy in public spaces on community members’ respiratory health.
• Investigating the outcomes of a nutrition education program in improving dietary habits among low-income families.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of a community-based mental health awareness campaign in reducing stigma and increasing help-seeking behavior.
• Exploring the outcomes of a diabetes management intervention using mobile health apps in urban communities.
• Studying the effects of a community gardening initiative on physical activity levels and nutrition awareness.
• Investigating the utilization and impact of telemedicine services in remote rural areas.
• Assessing the benefits of a community fitness program on cardiovascular health and overall well-being.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of a school-based anti-bullying campaign on students’ mental health.
• Analyzing the outcomes of a community-driven initiative to increase access to clean drinking water in underserved areas.

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

• Developing a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan for a local community.
• Designing and implementing a culturally sensitive prenatal care program for immigrant populations.
• Creating a curriculum for training community health workers in identifying and addressing social determinants of health.
• Establishing a support network for caregivers of elderly individuals living at home.
• Designing a mental health first aid training program for community leaders and volunteers.
• Implementing a community-based program to promote physical activity among children with obesity.
• Creating a resource guide for LGBTQ+ youth to access healthcare services without discrimination.
• Developing a community-wide initiative to combat opioid misuse and overdose.
• Establishing a telehealth platform for remote health consultations in underserved regions.
• Designing a comprehensive sexual education curriculum for high schools to address varying cultural norms.

Nursing Research Paper Topics

• The impact of community health nursing interventions on reducing health disparities .
• Exploring the role of community health nurses in disaster response and recovery.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of school-based health clinics in improving student health outcomes.
• Investigating the barriers and facilitators of healthcare access in underserved rural communities.
• The role of community health nursing in promoting healthy aging and elderly care.
• Addressing mental health stigma through community-based interventions led by nurses.
• Analyzing the outcomes of community health education programs on reducing tobacco use .
• Exploring the relationship between community engagement and positive maternal-child health outcomes.
• The effectiveness of telehealth services in bridging healthcare gaps in remote areas.
• Investigating the impact of community health nursing in preventing and managing chronic diseases.

Community Health Nursing Research Questions

• How does the presence of community health nurses influence health outcomes in underserved urban neighborhoods?
• What are the key components of successful school-based vaccination programs , and how do they impact disease prevention?
• How do cultural competence and sensitivity affect the effectiveness of community health nursing interventions?
• What are the main challenges community health nurses face in addressing social determinants of health ?
• How does community engagement contribute to the sustainability of community health initiatives led by nurses?
• What strategies effectively promote mental health awareness and reduce stigma within communities?
• How do telehealth services improve access to healthcare for individuals in geographically isolated regions?
• What role do community health nurses play in detecting and managing chronic diseases ?
• How do community health interventions impact healthcare utilization patterns and costs?
• What are the outcomes of community health nursing programs focused on improving maternal and child health?

Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

• The Role of Community Health Nursing in Promoting Population Health.
• Addressing Health Disparities: The Impact of Community Health Nursing.
• Community-Based Approaches to Preventing Teenage Pregnancy .
• Telehealth: Bridging Healthcare Gaps in Underserved Communities.
• Cultural Competence in Community Health Nursing: Challenges and Strategies.
• Disaster Preparedness and Response: The Critical Role of Community Health Nurses.
• The Influence of Social Determinants of Health on Community Health Nursing Interventions.
• Community Health Education: Strategies for Promoting Healthy Lifestyles.
• Exploring the Connection Between Mental Health and Community Well-being.
• Innovations in Community Health Nursing: Harnessing Technology for Better Outcomes.

As nursing students, you are poised to become the next generation of community health nurses, armed with the knowledge and skills to impact the health and well-being of diverse populations positively. Community health nursing offers numerous opportunities for research, practice, and advocacy. By delving into PICOT questions, evidence-based practice projects, capstone projects, research paper topics, and research questions, you can deepen your understanding of this vital field and contribute to its growth. Don’t hesitate to seek our writing services if you need assistance with your community health nursing assignments or essays. We understand the demands of nursing education and are here to support you in your academic journey. Your dedication to improving community health is commendable, and together, we can pave the way for healthier, more vibrant communities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Community Health Nursing

• Is community health nursing the same as nursing? Community health nursing is a specialized branch of nursing that focuses on providing holistic care to populations within specific communities. While nursing is a broader field encompassing various specialties, community health nursing is distinct in its emphasis on preventive care and health promotion within communities.
• What are the qualifications of a community health nursing? To practice community health nursing, one typically needs a registered nurse (RN) license. Many community health nurses also hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, and advanced practice may require additional education such as a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a specialization in community health.
• Do community health nurses work in hospitals? While community health nurses primarily work in community settings like public health departments, schools, and clinics, they can also collaborate with hospitals to provide education, preventive care, and continuity of care to patients transitioning from hospital to home.
• Can a community health nurse become a doctor? Community health nurses can certainly pursue further education and career advancement, but the path to becoming a doctor is different. Becoming a doctor requires completing medical school and earning a medical degree (MD) or a doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) degree, whereas community health nursing involves nursing education and training.

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Community-Engaged Research: Common Themes and Needs Identified by Investigators and Research Teams at an Emerging Academic Learning Health System

Megan b. irby.

1 Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@ybrim

Keena R. Moore

2 Program in Community-Engaged Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@eroomrk (K.R.M.); ude.htlaehekaw@lladnari (I.R.)

Lilli Mann-Jackson

3 Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy and Program in Community-Engaged Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@nnaml

DeWanna Hamlin

4 Formerly of the Program in Community-Engaged Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; moc.oohay@nilmahtld

Isaiah Randall

Phillip summers.

5 Department of Radiology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@sremmusp

Joseph A. Skelton

6 Department of Pediatrics and Program in Community-Engaged Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@notleksj

Stephanie S. Daniel

7 Department of Family and Community Medicine and Program in Community-Engaged Research, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA; ude.htlaehekaw@leinads

Scott D. Rhodes

Associated data.

Data are available from the corresponding author.

Community-engaged research (CEnR) has emerged within public health and medicine as an approach to research designed to increase health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community and population health. We sought to understand how CEnR has been conducted and to identify needs to support CEnR within an emerging academic learning health system (aLHS). We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with investigators experienced in CEnR at an emerging aLHS in the southeastern United States. Eighteen investigators (16 faculty and 2 research associates) were identified, provided consent, and completed interviews. Half of participants were women; 61% were full professors of varied academic backgrounds and departments. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using constant comparison, an approach to grounded theory. Twenty themes emerged that were categorized into six domains: Conceptualization and Purpose, Value and Investment, Community-Academic Partnerships, Sustainability, Facilitators, and Challenges. Results also identified eight emerging needs necessary to enhance CEnR within aLHSs. The results provide insights into how CEnR approaches can be harnessed within aLHSs to build and nurture community-academic partnerships, inform research and institutional priorities, and improve community and population health. Findings can be used to guide the incorporation of CEnR within aLHSs.

1. Introduction

1.1. community-engaged research.

Community-engaged research (CEnR) has emerged within public health and medicine as an approach to research designed to increase health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community and population health. CEnR involves the affected community in research, and defines that community as any group of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, health condition, or similar categories of shared identity. Rather than investigators and research teams from universities, government, or other types of research organizations approaching and entering a community with a preconceived notion of a community’s best interests, in projects that apply CEnR approaches, community members and representatives from community organizations collaborate and share research roles with academic investigators and research teams. Community members become not merely “targets” of research but also research partners. CEnR emphasizes relationship-building and trust; open communication; co-learning; reciprocal transfer of expertise; shared power, resources, and decision-making; and mutual ownership of the processes and products of research [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].

Growing evidence suggests that including community members and representatives from community organizations in the design, implementation, and evaluation of research can lead to deeper, more informed, and nuanced understandings of health-related phenomena and identify actions (e.g., interventions, programs, and policy and system changes) that are more relevant, culturally congruent, and likely to be effective, sustained, and scalable, if warranted, to improve community and population health [ 6 , 7 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. However, the conduct of CEnR is shaped by institutional (e.g., allocation of resources and time), community (e.g., local history and receptivity), and personal (e.g., background, experiences, and world views) factors. Thus, there is no standardized way to engage and partner with communities to conduct CEnR, and there is great variability across models of engagement and in the degree to which communities are included in the research process [ 8 , 9 ].

Community engagement often is viewed as a continuum that spans from outreach (less engaged), consultation, involvement, and collaboration, to shared leadership (more engaged) [ 3 , 4 , 7 , 12 , 13 ]. As such, the community engagement literature is extensive and features a wide range of theories, approaches, strategies, and methods, reflecting tremendous diversity in how community engagement is defined, implemented, and evaluated [ 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 , 13 ]. Despite this heterogeneity, CEnR includes several common critical elements. These include: (1) Collaboration with groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, health condition, or other categories of shared identity; (2) Groups of community members, organizational representatives, and academic researchers adhering to common principles and norms to nurture trust and promote authentic partnership; (3) Focus on identifying and addressing the needs and priorities and harnessing the assets that affect health and well-being; and (4) Research as an approach to systematically uncover and understand health-related phenomena and improve community and population health [ 2 , 3 , 7 ].

1.2. Academic Learning Health Systems

Learning health systems (LHSs) are organizations or networks that pursue a cycle of perpetual learning processes embedded in daily practice. These processes inform evidence-based improvements in health care to yield better patient outcomes. This cycle combines quality improvement methods and data analytics from patient care, which are fed back into the LHS to inform institutional policies and structures and improve care delivery [ 14 ]. An academic learning health system (aLHS) prioritizes gathering new, generalizable knowledge to improve community and population health, in addition to promoting continuous improvement and innovation within its own health care delivery system. An aLHS draws on its embedded academic expertise in public health and medical education, health system sciences, translation, and population and community health; shares knowledge and imparts skills necessary to advance the system internally; and disseminates knowledge broadly to contribute to knowledge generation and advance science [ 15 , 16 ].

Although engaging patients to provide perspectives and feedback into various aspects of health systems has long been valued, to date, there has been no exploration of CEnR within aLHSs. This is due in part to the recent emergence of the aLHS as a concept and entity [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Understanding how CEnR has been conducted and identifying needs to support and enhance CEnR within an emerging aLHS could provide insights critical to advance our knowledge of effective CEnR methods and designs and strengthen the conduct of future research designed to increase health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community and population health [ 18 ].

Wake Forest School of Medicine/Wake Forest Baptist Health (WFSM/WFBH), an emerging aLHS, has a long and successful history of CEnR [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. A number of its investigators routinely incorporate community engagement in their research. We sought to explore how CEnR has been harnessed at WFSM/WFBH; how investigators at this emerging aLHS have incorporated principles of community engagement within their research; the degree to which community members and/or representatives from community organizations have been involved in the planning, implementation, evaluation, and/or dissemination phases of research; the nature of CEnR as it is implemented within the context of the local community; and what institutional supports are needed to facilitate and integrate CEnR within an aLHS.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. setting.

WFSM/WFBH is an emerging aLHS serving more than 50 counties in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. It is comprised of WFSM and five hospitals in the Piedmont region of northwest North Carolina. In addition to training medical, physician assistant, and nursing students, WFSM has a broad array of biomedical graduate and postdoctoral training programs. It also has a large Division of Public Health Sciences with Departments in Biostatistics and Data Science, Epidemiology and Prevention, Implementation Science, and Social Sciences and Health Policy. A Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), supports the WFSM/WFBH Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), which includes the Program in Community-Engaged Research (UL1TR001420). The Program aims to improve community and population health through promoting and facilitating community-relevant and engaged research, working in partnership with communities to identify health needs, priorities, and assets and to seek solutions to health challenges together [ 23 ].

2.2. Participants

We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with investigators experienced in community engagement and CEnR. We identified potential interviewees with assistance from the WFSM/WFBH CTSI and Institutional Review Board (IRB). A keyword search was performed within the institutional grants management software (InfoEd) and IRB databases to identify WFSM/WFBH investigators who had submitted research applications related to community engagement or CEnR within the past ten years. Search terms included “community”, “engagement”, “CBPR”, “participatory research”, and “partnership”. Abstracts from identified applications were reviewed to further determine eligibility. Investigators were then contacted by electronic mail and invited to participate in an interview. Interviews with consenting participants were then scheduled at a time and location convenient to the participant. Interviews were conducted by two trained study staff and digitally recorded, with study staff also taking clarifying notes. During interviews, participants were asked for the names of other investigators within the institution who also conducted CEnR to identify additional potential participants. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subsequently verified.

2.3. Individual Semi-Structured Interview Guide

We chose a qualitative research approach to gain a broad spectrum of perspectives about CEnR within the context of an aLHS. This qualitative approach can yield perspectives and insights that are not previously known by researchers and thus would not emerge in a more close-ended quantitative approach [ 24 , 25 ]. A semi-structured interview guide was designed to collect both descriptive demographic data from each participant, including race/ethnicity, age, gender, position, academic degrees, background, current academic department, years at WFSM/WFBH, and CEnR training. The guide also captured socio-contextual and detailed descriptions of perceptions, experiences, and strategies specific to the use of community engagement and CEnR. Areas explored included: how each participant conceptualizes and defines CEnR; their preparation for CEnR, including formal training; perceived benefits of CEnR; challenges associated with CEnR; how communities are engaged in research; what roles community members and representatives from community organizations play in CEnR; how the region (i.e., southern United States) and the institution (i.e., an emerging aLHS) affect CEnR; how sustainability and dissemination of CEnR are incorporated into CEnR; and what CEnR lessons have been learned by each participant. The guide is summarized in Table 1 .

Abbreviated items from the individual semi-structured interview guide.

The semi-structured interview guide was drafted, reviewed, revised, and finalized by community members with experience in community-engaged research and experts in community engagement and aLHSs. All items were open-ended. The guide was pilot tested for comprehension and timing with 3 investigators; slight revisions to wording were made based on the pilot.

2.4. Analysis

Each interview transcript was coded by two analysts. Themes were identified through constant comparison, an approach to developing grounded theory, combining inductive coding with simultaneous comparison [ 25 ]. Using standard procedures [ 25 ], analysts first coded text and convened to compare their codes. They then identified and resolved any discrepancies through discussion. Matrices were used to identify similarities and differences within and across participants. Analysts identified, refined, and interpreted themes iteratively through discussion and by examining codes and rereading the transcripts. Findings and themes were presented to interview participants in a presentation for the WFSM/WFBH CTSI Program in Community-Engaged Research Affinity Group ( n = 27). The Affinity Group is a group of investigators, research team members, and others at WFSM/WFBH who are interested in CEnR. Members of the Community Stakeholder Advisory Committee (CSAC) ( n = 8) of the CTSI’s Program in Community-Engaged Research also attended. CSAC is comprised of representatives from community organizations who provide feedback to the CTSI regarding research infrastructure and policies, and to investigators and research teams regarding WFSM/WFBH research initiatives [ 26 ] Presentation attendees contributed to the refinement of themes and their interpretation through facilitated group discussion.

Human subject approval and oversight for this study were provided by the WFSM/WFBH IRB.

The keyword search in InfoEd and IRB databases yielded the names and research projects of 51 investigators. Sixteen investigators were confirmed as eligible based on a review of project abstracts; 14 of these responded to email invitations and agreed to participate. Four additional participants were referred by initial participants. In all, 18 investigators (16 faculty and 2 senior research associates) provided consent and completed interviews. Interviews averaged 45 min.

The participant sample ( Table 2 ) was 50% female, had a mean age of 55 years, was mostly White, and had varied academic backgrounds. Most participants held doctoral degrees (i.e., PhD, DrPH, EdD, MD, and MD/PhD). On average, participants had worked at WFSM/WFBH for nearly 14 years, and represented six academic departments. Nearly all participants indicated they had never received formal education or training in CEnR, though 100% reported “on-the-job” training and experience. All had been principal investigators on at least one federally funded research project.

Demographics of participants ( N = 18).

* Count and percent or mean and standard deviation.

3.1. Domains and Themes Related to Community Engagement and CEnR

Twenty themes emerged across six domains related to community engagement and CEnR within an aLHS ( Table 3 ): Conceptualization and Purpose, Value and Investment, Community-Academic Partnerships, Sustainability, Facilitators, and Challenges.

Domains and themes related to conducting community-engaged research (CEnR) at an academic learning health system (aLHS).

3.1.1. Conceptualization and Purpose of CEnR

Participants agreed that CEnR is a collaborative approach to research designed to improve health and well-being through participatory and better-informed inquiry, always with an eye on how knowledge generated can be translated and applied within the local affected community. However, participants noted that this local application of knowledge does not preclude its generalizability and transferability to other contexts, thus aligning with the broader research goals of an aLHS. Participants also identified CEnR as an approach relevant within many aspects of an aLHS, including education and training, quality improvement, clinical care, and clinical trials.

Participants highlighted the difficulties in defining “community” and emphasized that communities are heterogeneous, which can be challenging for investigators and research teams who may want “simple answers” (e.g., perspectives and insights) from community partners; as participants reported, working with one community does not yield one voice. CEnR was identified as requiring careful consideration of the various perspectives and insights of all partners. Finally, participants also identified additional goals of CEnR, including strengthening connections within the community, building resilience and capacity, and reducing the effects of marginalization.

3.1.2. Value and Investment in CEnR: Institutional, Professional, and Personal

Participants described CEnR as an under-appreciated and frequently misunderstood approach to research within many institutions, including federal funding agencies such as the NIH, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). A participant reported that this misunderstanding among federal partners persists even when a project is required by the federal partner and funder and initially designed to be conducted using CEnR approaches. A participant provided an example of an intervention study that resulted in null findings; the participant attributed the study’s null findings to funder-required changes to the study design, recruitment and retention strategies, and an intervention that did not align with community partner perspectives and were contrary to project-specific community steering committee guidance.

Participants also noted that their professional and academic investment in CEnR stemmed from their own personal values, including community health, health equity, and social justice. Participants agreed that this commitment was not limited to traditional nine-to-five “work hours,” but that successful community engagement must be woven into daily life and interactions to be successful.

3.1.3. Community-Academic Partnerships

Participants expressed that the type and degree of engagement, and the ease with which partnerships are formed, depend on the extent to which communities feel they have been marginalized and how they perceive research and research institutions. Moreover, partnerships, how they function, and the roles of partnership members in CEnR vary profoundly across investigators and across projects. Participants identified many areas as essential to the development of strong and productive partnerships: fostering trust and mutual respect, balancing expertise across community and aLHS partners, investing time, facilitating open communication, embracing conflict as a strategy for resolution, and overcoming barriers (including addressing community mistrust based on previous community experiences with both research and health care). Participants noted the role of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study [ 27 ], the Guatemalan Syphilis Experiments [ 28 ]), and rampant anti-immigration rhetoric [ 29 ], racism, homophobia, and transphobia in the United States as contributing to community mistrust.

3.1.4. Sustainability of CEnR

Participants described sustaining CEnR as complex, citing both the need and the difficulty of maintaining community-aLHS partnerships beyond the time period of an individual project. They highlighted the difficulty in sustaining partnerships without funding for continued community involvement and effort from academic investigators and research teams. Additionally, participants noted that sustainability is influenced by the strength and quality of engagement throughout a project, and how well community partners were incorporated into the research process—from conception, study design and conduct, data analysis and interpretation, to the dissemination of findings.

3.1.5. Facilitators of CEnR

Participants emphasized the need for institutional support (e.g., funding, protected time, and respect) and research resources (e.g., CTSA and institutional research centers) that prioritize CEnR as integral to the academic mission of an aLHS. Participants also noted the immense value of having an IRB that is willing to learn the nuances of CEnR in order to approve and oversee CEnR.

3.1.6. Challenges of CEnR

Participants described the potential for burn out and strain resulting from the need to incorporate community engagement into daily life and the great time commitment accompanying CEnR. Other challenges identified by participants related to the discordance between community and academic goals within a given research project, and differences in overarching community and academic priorities that challenged collaboration. Participants also described the challenges of history and how an institution’s complicity in oppressive practices of the past influenced the development and maintenance of community research partnerships. For example, some participants cited WFSM/WFBH’s past involvement in the North Carolina Eugenics Program [ 30 ] as reducing community trust and engagement.

3.2. Enhancing Community-Engaged Research within an aLHS

We also identified eight emergent needs that could enhance CEnR within aLHSs ( Table 4 ). First, participants described the need for increased understanding among academic investigators, research teams, and healthcare providers of community contexts and assets, social determinants of health (also known as “social drivers of health”), and historical factors that influence community and population health. Participants reported that this increased understanding may be particularly critical because many investigators, research teams, and providers may be from other regions of the country or other parts of the world. Thus, although well intentioned, they may not sufficiently understand the local community or the contexts of the populations of interest and focus.

Emergent needs to support and enhance community-engaged research (CEnR) within an academic learning health system (aLHS).

Similarly, participants noted a profound need for increased understanding of CEnR within the aLHS and its value as an approach within community and population health, public health, and medicine. Participants expressed frustration that CEnR is often conflated with community outreach; formative or qualitative research; or behavioral and social sciences. Participants emphasized that members of communities have critical perspectives regarding research into locally identified needs and priorities. Such collaborations can harness the assets of both the community and the aLHS.

Third, participants also highlighted the need for training community members, academic investigators, and research teams to increase their understanding of and skills in partnering with communities and conducting CEnR. Participants noted that establishing authentic and productive partnerships to conduct CEnR is difficult, and, despite good intentions, many investigators and research teams at the emerging aLHS do not understand how to work effectively with community members and representatives from community organizations. At the same time, participants shared that community partners may not sufficiently understand the research process, how evidence and knowledge are generated, and the various components of and objectives inherent within an aLHS.

Fourth, participants noted that although the theories and principles underlying CEnR are well documented, effective frameworks and methods aligned with CEnR are needed. They noted the need for methodologic innovations. Participants noted methods such as photovoice [ 31 ], empowerment-based community forums [ 32 ], evidence academies [ 33 ], and citizen science [ 23 ] are well developed, further research approaches to and methods aligned with CEnR are needed.

Participants also noted that policy changes can positively affect health in multiple ways, whether within an aLHS, the local community, or nationally. They identified a need for evidence-based, practical guidance to increase the translation of CEnR findings into policies designed to improve community and population health.

Sixth, participants acknowledged the need for guidance on balancing the perspectives of community and aLHS partners. They reported that it can be difficult for academic investigators and research teams to know how to elicit community partner perspectives, to usefully share their own perspectives (based on theory, their own prior research, and the existing literature), build on and negotiate with community partners, and negotiate and compromise in ways that ensure sound science and maximize the success of a research project. Participants noted that CEnR requires weighing scientific rigor and what is realistic and “doable”; far too often, participants reported, investigators and research teams may choose rigorous research approaches that simply cannot be successfully implemented. Participants asserted not including community perspectives through CEnR could result in study designs that are inauthentic to how communities convene, interact, and take action; enrollment and retention plans that are not acceptable or realistic; and/or measurement that does not make sense to members of the community. In such situations, data collection may be sacrificed, analysis and interpretation of findings may be less accurate, and sustainability and meaningful dissemination of findings may not be possible.

Participants cited a need for a model to incorporate principles of CEnR into research mission, vision, and priorities of an aLHS. They suggested that the linkages between CEnR and aLHS need further exploration and articulation. Finally, participants reported the need for more institutional support for community engagement and CEnR. This support included pilot funding and protected time of investigators and research teams to establish partnerships, develop innovative methods, and explore integration of community perspectives into the priorities and processes of an aLHS.

4. Discussion

Our results provide insights critical to understanding how CEnR approaches function within an emerging aLHS and ways to further build and nurture community-academic partnerships and inform research and institutional priorities to increase health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community and population health. In this study, we identified six primary domains of 20 themes related to the purpose of CEnR, its value within an aLHS, characteristics of effective community-aLHS partnerships, issues related to sustainability of CEnR, facilitators of CEnR within an aLHS, and challenges facing CEnR within an aLHS. Many of these domains have been explored in the broader CEnR literature; however, this is the first exploration of CEnR within an aLHS. We also uncovered eight needs that, if addressed, could support and enhance community engagement and CEnR within an aLHS. Several findings deserve highlighting.

First, participants expressed the need for academic investigators, research teams, and healthcare providers to better understand community contexts, social determinants of health, and historical factors influencing community and population health and participation in research. This view is consistent with previous research suggesting that health disparities will persist without better understanding of health and health-related phenomena within communities and the ongoing reluctance of community members to participate in research [ 11 ].

Participants also described the importance of the aLHS’s reputation in the community as critical to influencing trust and engagement, particularly among historically marginalized populations. Participants specifically noted WFSM/WFBH’s past involvement in the North Carolina Eugenics Program and other discriminatory practices committed against minority and vulnerable populations [ 30 ]; they also noted that many communities across the United States share similar historical narratives. Thus, although much work must done; the inclusion of CEnR within CTSAs and emerging aLHS is a step in the right direction.

Trust is built by and exists among individuals; community members may or may not trust an institution, but the ongoing commitment of investigators and research teams from an aLHS to partner with and listen to community members can overcome mistrust [ 21 ]. Thus, thorough training for academic investigators and research teams is essential. This training should include how to work collaboratively; how to encourage, elicit, and listen to diverse voices; and how to help partners organize for community and population health. While training in designing studies, reducing bias, and increasing validity are critical for investigators and research teams, skills in relationship building and maintenance and in negotiation and compromise are similarly critical [ 2 , 11 , 34 , 35 ]. For example, when investigators and research teams from an aLHS attend community fairs, church gatherings, community forums, or parties and celebrations, these informal settings help build and nurture trust among partners. These opportunities show commitment and allow attendees to further understand one another. Volunteering with a community organization or serving on local health coalitions are other ways to advance trust and develops genuine and mutually respectful relationships between researchers and communities. In addition, this involvement can open other doors by helping to identify others in the community who may be committed to working together [ 21 ].

Nearly all participants in this study highlighted the need for institutions to explicitly show their value of CEnR. This finding aligns with previous work that identified barriers attributable to institutional culture that shape research agendas and support for CEnR, and challenges in gaining support from institution leadership and top decision-makers [ 8 , 11 ]. Overcoming these challenges and cultural aspects specific to aLHSs likely requires leadership to further explore institutional readiness to serve as a partner to communities, the existence and appropriateness of structures to support CEnR scholarship, investigator and study staff training in CEnR, the extent to which aLHS goals align with principles of CEnR, and whether there is sufficient CEnR expertise within the institution to establish a commitment to CEnR [ 11 , 34 , 35 ]. Participants echoed the need for CEnR training opportunities (for investigators, research teams, and community members); education on effective models of engagement across diverse populations; resources to conduct CEnR authentically; and guidance for interpreting findings and disseminating information back to communities.

This study was conducted at a single aLHS; thus, findings may not be applicable to other aLHSs. Regardless, the study’s design and analysis may help other aLHSs and medical centers, as well as those seeking to incorporate CEnR approaches within public health and medicine, to engage and form authentic and long-lasting partnerships with communities. The sample size achieved saturation across interviews and provides valuable information regarding the number of investigators and research teams conducting CEnR. In this study, we did not collect data from community research partners, which was beyond the scope of our work. Future research is warranted to better understand perspectives of community members and community organizations with or without previous experience partnering with investigators and research teams within aLHSs.

5. Conclusions

While some findings from this study reflect the broader CEnR literature, these findings are important for informing CEnR approaches and can be used to guide the incorporation of CEnR within aLHSs. LHSs and aLHSs are becoming more established and numerous, and many institutions could benefit from our findings. In educating the next generation of academic investigators, research teams, and healthcare providers, an aLHS can incorporate CEnR as it strives to understand and increase health equity, reduce health disparities, and improve community and population health.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, S.D.R.; methodology, S.D.R., M.B.I., K.R.M. and P.S.; software, S.D.R.; validation, M.B.I., D.H., I.R. and P.S.; formal analysis, S.D.R. and M.B.I.; investigation, M.B.I., S.D.R. and K.R.M.; resources, S.D.R.; data curation, S.D.R. and M.B.I.; writing—original draft preparation, S.D.R. and M.B.I.; writing—review and editing, S.D.R., M.B.I., K.R.M., L.M.-J., D.H., I.R., P.S., J.A.S. and S.S.D.; supervision, S.D.R.; project administration, K.R.M.; funding acquisition, S.D.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research was funded by National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutions of Health, grant number UL1TR001420.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of Wake Forest School of Medicine (protocol code IRB00049597; date of initial approval: 04/10/2018, renewed annually).

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

120 Community Health Nursing Topics, Ideas plus Research Paper Examples

James colson dnp, rn.

• May 15, 2024
• Nursing Topics and Ideas

Community health nursing is a vital and dynamic field of healthcare that focuses on providing comprehensive nursing care to individuals, families, and communities in diverse settings. This specialty area of nursing emphasizes preventive care, health promotion, and the well-being of the entire community. Community health nurses play a pivotal role in bridging gaps in healthcare access, education, and advocacy, ultimately contributing to the overall health and vitality of society.

In this article, we explore Community Health Nursing Topics, Ideas and give Nursing Research Paper examples on Community Health Nursing. We also cover PICOT questions examples, EBP & capstone project ideas, research questions, and essay topics idea about community health nursing.

Community Health Nursing Topics

Community health nursing is rooted in the principles of public health, aiming to improve the health outcomes of populations by addressing a wide range of health issues. This field involves working closely with individuals and communities to assess their unique healthcare needs and develop strategies to meet those needs effectively. The community health nurse serves as a liaison between healthcare providers, local government agencies, and the community, ensuring that health services are accessible, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based.

Community health nursing practice is guided by a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and social factors influencing health. Nurses in this field work in diverse settings such as schools, public health clinics, home healthcare agencies, and community centers. They provide services that range from health education and preventive care to disease management and crisis intervention.

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PICOT Questions Examples on Community Health Nursing

• In urban communities (P), how does the implementation of community health clinics (I) compared to traditional hospital-based care (C) affect the management of chronic diseases (O) within a five-year period (T)?
• In pregnant teenagers (P), what is the effect of prenatal education programs (I) on reducing preterm births (O) compared to standard prenatal care (C) within a one-year timeframe (T)?
• In low-income neighborhoods (P), how does access to affordable fresh produce (I) compared to limited access (C) affect the prevalence of childhood obesity (O) within two years (T)?
• In elderly individuals living independently (P), what is the impact of regular home visits by community health nurses (I) on reducing hospital readmissions (O) compared to no home visits (C) within a six-month period (T)?
• In schools (P), how does implementing mental health education programs (I) compared to not having such programs (C) affect the mental well-being of students (O) within a school year (T)?
• In homeless populations (P), what is the effectiveness of providing shelter, healthcare, and rehabilitation services (I) on improving overall health outcomes (O) compared to solely providing emergency shelter (C) within a three-year timeframe (T)?
• In rural communities (P), how does telehealth technology (I) compared to traditional in-person healthcare consultations (C) affect access to healthcare services (O) within a one-year period (T)?
• In individuals at risk of substance abuse (P), what is the impact of community-based prevention programs (I) on reducing the initiation of substance use (O) compared to no intervention (C) within a two-year timeframe (T)?
• In immigrant populations (P), how does culturally tailored health education (I) compared to generic health information (C) influence healthcare utilization (O) within a six-month period (T)?
• In schools (P), what is the effect of implementing a comprehensive sexual education curriculum (I) compared to abstinence-only education (C) on reducing teenage pregnancies (O) within a three-year timeframe (T)?

You can also check out Pathophysiology PICOT Questions Examples

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Project Ideas on Community Health Nursing

• Assessing the impact of community health nurse-led vaccination clinics on vaccine coverage in underserved populations.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of home-based diabetes management programs in improving glycemic control among patients.
• Investigating the outcomes of school-based mental health interventions for adolescents.
• Analyzing the influence of community health education programs on smoking cessation rates.
• Developing and implementing a fall prevention program for the elderly in residential care facilities.
• Studying the effectiveness of community health nurse-led weight management programs.
• Assessing the impact of telehealth services on reducing healthcare disparities in rural areas.
• Implementing a community-wide exercise initiative and measuring its effect on physical fitness and overall health.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community health nurse-led prenatal care in reducing preterm births.
• Investigating the effectiveness of community-based substance abuse treatment programs.
• Assessing the impact of nutrition education programs on childhood obesity rates.
• Developing and implementing a culturally sensitive sexual health education program for immigrant populations.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community health nurse-led hypertension management clinics.
• Investigating the effectiveness of community-based mental health crisis intervention teams.
• Assessing the impact of community health nurse-led smoking cessation clinics.
• Developing and implementing a school-based immunization awareness campaign.
• Studying the effectiveness of community health nurse-led medication adherence programs.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community-wide disaster preparedness initiatives.
• Investigating the impact of telehealth mental health services on reducing stigma and improving access to care.
• Assessing the effectiveness of community health nurse-led nutrition and exercise interventions in reducing cardiovascular disease risk.

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas on Community Health Nursing

• Assessing the role of community health nursing in addressing health disparities among minority populations.
• Developing a comprehensive community health assessment and improvement plan for a specific urban neighborhood.
• Evaluating the impact of community health nurse-led interventions on reducing hospital readmissions in elderly populations.
• Investigating the effectiveness of school-based health promotion programs on improving students’ overall health.
• Designing and implementing a community-wide disaster response plan.
• Analyzing the outcomes of community health nurse-led maternal and child health programs.
• Evaluating the impact of telehealth services on increasing access to mental health care in rural areas.
• Assessing the effectiveness of community health nurse-led substance abuse prevention programs.
• Investigating the role of community health nurses in promoting vaccination coverage and herd immunity.
• Developing and implementing a culturally tailored sexual health education program for a specific immigrant community.
• Evaluating the outcomes of community health nurse-led chronic disease management clinics.
• Studying the impact of community-based mental health crisis teams on reducing psychiatric hospital admissions.
• Assessing the effectiveness of community health nurse-led smoking cessation programs in various settings.
• Designing and implementing a school-based mental health promotion program.
• Investigating the outcomes of community health nurse-led weight management interventions.
• Evaluating the impact of community health nursing interventions on improving access to primary care in underserved areas.
• Assessing the role of community health nurses in addressing food insecurity in low-income neighborhoods.
• Investigating the effectiveness of community health nurse-led hypertension control programs.
• Developing and implementing a community-wide physical fitness and wellness initiative.
• Analyzing the outcomes of community health nurse-led health education programs for specific populations.

Nursing Research Paper Topics on Community Health Nursing

• The Impact of Community Health Nursing on Reducing Health Disparities.
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of School-Based Mental Health Interventions.
• Community Health Nursing Approaches to Maternal and Child Health.
• Telehealth Services in Rural Areas: Bridging Healthcare Gaps.
• Community Health Nursing and Substance Abuse Prevention.
• Vaccination Promotion Strategies in Underserved Communities.
• Cultural Competence in Community Health Nursing Practice.
• Disaster Preparedness and Response in Community Health Nursing.
• Home-Based Diabetes Management Programs: A Research Review.
• Community Health Nurse-Led Smoking Cessation Programs: Outcomes and Best Practices.
• The Role of Community Health Nursing in Addressing Childhood Obesity.
• Mental Health Crisis Intervention Teams: Impact and Effectiveness.
• The Influence of Community Health Nursing on Immunization Rates.
• Promoting Medication Adherence in Chronic Disease Management.
• Community Health Nursing and Hypertension Control.
• Telehealth Mental Health Services: Reducing Stigma and Increasing Access.
• Nutrition Education Programs in Community Health Nursing.
• Health Promotion Initiatives in Low-Income Neighborhoods.
• Community Health Nursing and Fall Prevention in the Elderly.
• The Role of Community Health Nurses in Addressing Food Insecurity.

Other readers also checked out Nursing Research Paper Topics on Health Assessment

Nursing Research Questions on Community Health Nursing

• How can community health nursing interventions effectively reduce health disparities among underserved populations?
• What are the key factors influencing the success of school-based mental health interventions in improving student well-being?
• How do community health nursing approaches impact maternal and child health outcomes?
• What are the barriers and facilitators to the adoption of telehealth services in rural areas, and how do they affect healthcare access?
• What strategies are most effective in preventing substance abuse in various community settings?
• How can community health nurses enhance vaccination rates in underserved communities, and what are the associated challenges?
• What are the essential components of culturally competent community health nursing practice?
• How do community health nurses contribute to disaster preparedness and response efforts?
• What are the outcomes of home-based diabetes management programs, and how do they compare to traditional care models?
• What are the best practices for implementing and evaluating community health nurse-led smoking cessation programs?
• What role can community health nursing play in addressing childhood obesity, and what interventions are most effective?
• How do mental health crisis intervention teams impact psychiatric hospital admissions and patient outcomes?
• What strategies can community health nurses employ to promote vaccination and immunization in their communities?
• How can community health nurses improve medication adherence among individuals with chronic diseases?
• What are the most effective approaches to hypertension control in community health nursing practice?
• How do telehealth mental health services reduce stigma and increase access to care in rural areas?
• What are the outcomes of nutrition education programs implemented by community health nurses?
• How can community health nurses promote health and wellness in low-income neighborhoods?
• What interventions are effective in preventing falls among the elderly in residential care facilities?
• What strategies can community health nurses employ to address food insecurity in their communities?

Community Health Nursing Essay Topic Ideas

• The Role of Community Health Nursing in Promoting Health Equity.
• Challenges and Opportunities in School-Based Health Promotion Programs.
• The Impact of Community Health Nursing on Maternal and Child Health Outcomes.
• Telehealth Services: A Game-Changer in Rural Healthcare Access.
• Substance Abuse Prevention Strategies in Community Health Nursing Practice.
• Cultural Competence in Community Health Nursing: A Critical Component.
• Vaccination Promotion: Strategies for Success in Underserved Communities.
• Disaster Preparedness and Response: The Role of Community Health Nurses.
• Home-Based Diabetes Management Programs: Benefits and Challenges.
• Smoking Cessation Programs Led by Community Health Nurses: Success Stories.
• Tackling Childhood Obesity: The Community Health Nursing Approach.
• Mental Health Crisis Intervention Teams: An Essential Service.
• Immunization Rates in the Community: The Impact of Community Health Nurses.
• Medication Adherence in Chronic Disease Management: Challenges and Solutions.
• Hypertension Control in Community Health Nursing: Best Practices.
• Breaking Down Barriers: Telehealth Mental Health Services in Rural Areas.
• Nutrition Education Programs: Empowering Communities Through Knowledge.
• Promoting Healthy Lifestyles in Low-Income Neighborhoods.
• Fall Prevention in the Elderly: A Priority for Community Health Nurses.
• Food Insecurity: Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations.
• Community Health Nursing and the Social Determinants of Health.
• The Importance of Community Health Assessment in Nursing Practice.
• Promoting Mental Health Awareness in Schools: The Role of Community Health Nurses.
• Community Health Nursing Interventions for Homeless Populations.
• The Power of Community Partnerships in Achieving Public Health Goals.
• Addressing Health Disparities Through Community Health Nursing.
• Community Health Nursing in the Digital Age: Harnessing Technology for Better Care.
• Disaster Preparedness in Community Health Nursing: Lessons Learned from Recent Events.
• The Impact of Community Health Nursing on Chronic Disease Management.
• Building Resilient Communities: A Core Goal of Community Health Nursing.

You can also check out Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Essay Topic Ideas

Community Health Nursing Research Paper Examples

• Community Health Nursing
• Concepts In Community And Public Health Nursing
• Community Health And Population Focused Nursing Action Report
• Interventions by a community health nursing faculty while transitioning to effective community health nursing practice
• Community Settings and Community Health Nursing Roles

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Community health nursing is an essential component of the healthcare system that focuses on improving the health and well-being of entire communities. By addressing health disparities, promoting preventive care, and advocating for vulnerable populations, community health nurses play a crucial role in creating healthier and more equitable societies. The PICOT questions, evidence-based practice project ideas, capstone project ideas, research paper topics, and research questions provided here offer a broad array of avenues for nursing professionals and students to explore and contribute to this vital field of nursing.

1. What are the 4 components of the community health nursing process?

Community assessment, program planning, program implementation, and program evaluation.

2. What are the functions of a community health nurse?

The responsibilities of these nurses differ in each career path, but all community health nurses promote healthy living, disease prevention, and necessary medical treatment. Additionally, community health nurses create programs that promote community health and collect data to identify community needs.

3. What are the factors affecting community health?

Natural factors such as air, water, soil pollution, radiation and noise, Social factors such as income, education, political & economic system in the society, social & cultural system and health care services.

4. What are the ethical principles of community health practice?

There are four main principles of ethics: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and non-maleficence

• Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public Health Nursing – E-Book: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2019). Community/Public Health Nursing: Promoting the Health of Populations. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Allender, J. A., Rector, C., & Warner, K. D. (2018). Community Health Nursing: Promoting and Protecting the Public’s Health. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
• Mauer, P. K. (2020). Community Health Nursing: An Alliance for Health. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
• Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2017). Community/Public Health Nursing Practice: Health for Families and Populations. Elsevier Health Sciences.

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• Research article
• Open access
• Published: 30 March 2021

Exploring community engaged research experiences and preferences: a multi-level qualitative investigation

• Hae-Ra Han   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9419-594X 1 , 2 , 3 ,
• Ashley Xu 1 ,
• Kyra J. W. Mendez 1 ,
• Safiyyah Okoye 3 ,
• Joycelyn Cudjoe 4 ,
• Mona Bahouth 1 , 5 ,
• Melanie Reese 2 , 6 ,
• Lee Bone 2 , 3 &
• Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb 1 , 2  

Research Involvement and Engagement volume  7 , Article number:  19 ( 2021 ) Cite this article

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Community engagement may make research more relevant, translatable, and sustainable, hence improving the possibility of reducing health disparities. The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for community engagement adopted by research teams and identify areas for enhancing engagement in future community engaged research.

The Community Engagement Program of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research hosted a forum to engage researchers and community partners in group discussion to reflect on their diverse past and current experiences in planning, implementing, and evaluating community engagement in health research . A total of 50 researchers, research staff, and community partners participated in five concurrent semi-structured group interviews and a whole group wrap-up session. Group interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis.

Four themes with eight subthemes were identified. Main themes included: Community engagement is an ongoing and iterative process; Community partner roles must be well-defined and clearly communicated; Mutual trust and transparency are central to community engagement; and Measuring community outcomes is an evolving area. Relevant subthemes were: engaging community partners in various stages of research; mission-driven vs. “checking the box”; breadth and depth of engagement; roles of community partner; recruitment and selection of community partners; building trust; clear communication for transparency; and conflict in community engaged research.

The findings highlight the benefits and challenges of community engaged research. Enhanced capacity building for community engagement, including training and communication tools for both community and researcher partners, are needed.

Peer Review reports

Plain ENGLISH summary

Involving communities in the research process can make better the way research is planned, carried out, and used. With growing interest and support for community engagement, it is important to understand the views and insights of people who experienced community engaged research. To explore the key lessons learned by community engaged research teams, we held five group interview sessions with 50 research investigators, research staff, and community partners. Our findings showed that community engagement is not static but a dynamic, ongoing process. Community partners felt that involving them earlier and in all aspects of the research process would make for better science. Researchers were often torn between “checking the box” to meet community engagement requirements set by the funder of their research and engaging community partners in various stages of research to advance the scientific mission because of time pressure. There were strong themes around clearly defined community partner roles as well as mutual trust and transparency, as they were considered central to successful engagement of communities in research. Related, participants noted that conflict between the researchers and community partners is a familiar part of the community engaged research process. Two common sources of tension were misaligned research priorities between researchers and community partners and lack of communication about study results. Lastly, there was little agreement between researchers about how to measure community engaged research impact outcomes or which impact outcomes matter the most. Our findings support the need for training and communication tools for both community and researcher partners.

Introduction

Community engagement is defined as the process of meaningfully involving communities affected by a research finding in the research process [ 1 ]. Community engagement in research is recognized as a key process to improve the way the research is prioritized, translated, and used in a real-life setting, and can reduce health disparities [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. Community engagement can occur across all stages of research including identifying study topics, planning and designing the study, strengthening recruitment strategies, collecting and analyzing data, and interpreting and disseminating findings. Several United States federal health agencies including the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute offer funding for community and other stakeholder engaged research, highlighting growing interest and support at the national level [ 6 ].

While evidence regarding the methods of community engagement is increasing, detailed information about the role and scope of community engagement or specific approaches to successful community engagement across the full spectrum of the research cycle is still limited [ 7 ]. Additionally, a systematic review of clinical trials that report patient engagement for the purposes of research revealed that an estimated less than 1% of clinical trials engage patients in the research process and that engagement of minorities occurred in only about a quarter of trials [ 8 ]. Growing interest in the participation and contributions of community involvement make it an opportune time to examine the key success strategies adopted by research teams and other lessons learned, and to consider the implications for future community engaged health research.

One of the goals of the National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program is to promote knowledge translation by engaging patients and communities in the research process. The Community Engagement Program of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research—Hopkins CTSA—hosted a forum to engage researchers and community partners in a dialogue to reflect on their past and current experiences in a variety of aspects of community engaged research . This paper reports the main themes identified from semi-structured group discussions among diverse forum participants in relation to their past and current experiences in planning, implementing, and evaluating community engaged research .

Participants and setting

Group discussions were chosen to identify norms of research teams in their conduct of community engaged research. The forum was publicized to researchers, research staff, and community partners within the greater Maryland-Washington region through email invites using existing lists and word of mouth. In order to ensure diversity in our forum participants, we also sent out personal, verbal, and email invitations to 100 researchers and community partners conducting community engaged research. The forum was also publicized during the public announcement section of meetings hosted by community advisory boards and local agencies. A total of 36 researchers and 14 community members participated in five concurrent group discussion sessions. Researcher participants consisted of research staff (e.g., research program coordinators, research assistants), post-doctoral fellows, and faculty investigators. Community participants included patient consultants and prior study subjects. About 86% of forum participants indicated that they were involved in a community or other stakeholder engaged research project at the time of the forum, and 59% had prior exposure to community engaged research.

A planning committee was formed to develop the goals, agenda and format of the forum. The planning committee included key faculty and staff from the Hopkins CTSA. Also included were members of the Johns Hopkins Community Research Advisory Council—a research review committee consisting of community residents, representatives of local community organizations, and community advocates. The planning committee met over a 3-month time period for a total of 12 meetings and developed forum goals and objectives as well as format, content, and discussion methods. The planning committee set the main goal of the forum to bring together investigators, patients, community members, and other stakeholders to share their experiences working together on research that addresses health and social issues that impact Greater Baltimore, Maryland. The 3-h forum began with opening by Director of Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, followed by the keynote presentation by a director of one of the health disparities research centers at the Johns Hopkins University. Participants were then asked to join one of five breakout groups to discuss the following topics: 1) identification and selection of community partners; 2) community partner roles and responsibilities; 3) approaches to promoting community engagement; 4) process and impact evaluation of engagement; and 5) scope of community engagement (see Table  1 for example questions). The forum planning committee grouped the participants into five breakout discussion groups based on their topical preferences, past experiences, and their expertise that were collected during registration. Following the breakout sessions, forum participants reconvened and representatives from each breakout group briefly summarized their discussion and presented the key themes of their respective breakout group discussion.

Four of the five breakout groups included both researchers and community members. The fifth group included community members only in order to maximize comfort and sharing of relevant experiences by community members. Each breakout group included 7–11 members and had a moderator to facilitate the discussion (except for the community member-only group which had two co-moderators—one community leader and one researcher), a note taker to transcribe key discussion points for the facilitation of post breakout discussion report out, and two recording devices to record discussion content. Moderators were all well-established researchers with prior and/or current community engaged projects. They had experiences in working with community members and had prior experiences in moderating group discussions. The moderators had specific instructions with a semi-structured discussion guide to follow in order to maximize the exchange of information and facilitate productive discussion. The note takers were all doctoral students who had previous experiences in qualitative research. They were all briefed and trained on the forum purpose and methods. The duration of each group discussion was 1 h. Forum participants provided written permission to audio record the discussion and transcribe notes. The Johns Hopkins Institutional Review Board considered this a quality improvement project and waived it from a full review.

Each group discussion was audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by the original note takers. Following transcription, qualitative content analysis was performed by identifying common themes across group discussions. A standard theme-based content analysis approach was used to analyze the discussion results [ 9 ]. Relevant phrases and statements from each group discussion were identified. Phrases and concepts expressed by more than one participant were considered validated and were included in the analysis, with all of the validated phrases and concepts sorted into thematic groups according to similarity. The transcriptions were then read multiple times, key phrases that provided specific information relevant to the research questions were highlighted, and key themes were identified and supported by direct quotes.

We identified four themes and eight subthemes from the forum. Main themes included: Community engagement is an ongoing and iterative process; Community partner roles must be well-defined and clearly communicated; Mutual trust and transparency are central to community engagement; and Measuring community engagement outcomes is an evolving area. Each theme with accompanying subthemes are detailed in the following section.

Community engagement is an ongoing and iterative process

Forum participants indicated that the amount of time community partners were engaged and the process of engaging community partners were different at various stages of research. The perceived importance and desire to be involved in the designing and planning stage was discussed more frequently than the desire to be involved in the other stages. Engaging in early phases of research was important to identify a problem and formulate the appropriate research questions. We identified three subthemes in relation to community engagement process: Engaging community in various stages of research, mission-driven vs. checking the box, and breadth and depth of engagement.

Engaging community partners in various stages of research

“We should be engaged in all stages of the research process” was a universal and oft-repeated sentiment within the Community partner group. Community partners felt researchers should be cognizant that community engagement is an iterative process, and that researchers’ ability to include community members and other stakeholders in all aspects of the research process is the key to success. In particular, community partners expressed that involving them earlier in the research process would make for better science:

“I think the framework is critical. The way that the research question is framed is critical. And I think that the community and the specific community, should be involved in developing the research question. Not too many folks would find fault with efforts to improve that disease or whatever may be, but if it’s not framed so that it applies … ” (Participant 6; Member of community research advisory council)

Researchers discussed actively engaging community partners in research through a series of ongoing, interactive process. Having open community forums (i.e., local forums of residents and community groups to identify issues faced by particular communities and neighborhoods and work together to address those issues) was one method to get community partners on same page, understand the needs of the community, and develop trust and rapport with the community. One researcher noted:

“I will say that the iterative process can actually be big advantage … I think that’s an incentive at least for most of the individuals that I have worked with that they really appreciate how their ideas have taken shape and how their input has been utilized. I think that can make things take a little bit more time but ultimately it is beneficial.” (Participant 1; Research investigator)

Mission-driven versus checking the box

Engaging community partners in all stages of research, however, was challenging at times. Participants discussed the importance of community engagement to advance the scientific mission. Yet, researchers stated that some grant mechanism requirements seem to have a list of community engagement requirements throughout the research study that may not always be productive to the project nor respectful of community partner time. Researchers noted that they do not want to waste community partners’ time unless there is a clear need for their feedback building on their skillset or life experiences. Valuing participant time was highlighted as one of the most difficult but important aspects of conducting research with community partners:

“I think the most challenging part of our current research is for the patients that I pushed so hard to get, for them to care about this really high level, you know, methodologic question … We don’t have monthly meetings … We try to call on them for mission driven things … We are very strategic about what we ask for [community partners] to provide input on … we don’t just waste their time just for the sake of checking a box.” (Participant 3; Research investigator)

Breadth and depth of engagement

Overall, community engagement was centered around identifying a research question or problem. Participants agreed that having communities identify research questions or problems is the most effective and pragmatic way of conducting community-based research. This process would ensure community buy-in when researchers decide to plan future studies in these same communities. One community member remarked on the good back and forth communication between community members and researchers present when she participated in a group of people living with high blood pressure that consulted researchers on relevant research questions:

“So that meant a lot to us for the fact, OK, you’re listening, and you’re actually developing something that’s going to, you know, cause I think what they did was they did something that was a consensus of what all of us had said. So we were really encouraged by it, and so when it comes time to actually do the study we want to be a part of the study, you know. ” (Participant 4; Patient).

Community partner roles must be well-defined and clearly communicated

Researchers expressed the need to consider the role of the community partners before beginning the research process—what is a community partner, the role of community partners, and the best ways to identify and recruit them. There were two subthemes directly addressing these questions: Roles of community partners and recruitment and selection of community partners.

Roles of community partners

Often, a bidirectional relationship with the community helped researchers determine the role of community partners. Participants noted that it is important to distinguish the role of community partners, as they are the liaisons that bring the researchers into the community while also acting as advisors, decision makers, and validators. Some participants called a community partner, the “mayor of the block,” the person that people in the community go to or someone who would be recognized by the community, and could “hold their own” in discussions about the community. This person would assist in translating what is going on in the community and monitor checks and balances.

The researchers in this discussion underscored the importance of clear communication about each community partner’s role to assure use of common language and clarity of roles in order to optimize the partnership and research. A research staff member talked about the importance of clarity in communication about the community partner roles by stating:

“We can be clear … I feel sometimes that there is a sense of, um people because they [community partners] don’t know what’s expected of them, feeling like they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing or that they’re we’re not...so we want to avoid that.” (Participant 9; Research staff).

Recruitment and selection of community partners

Community participants discussed the various ways they first became involved in research and collaborated with research teams. A common theme was engagement in research as a form of advocacy for a medical condition of interest. A community partner, the parent of a child with autism, shared her experience:

“I knew about clinicaltrials.gov , discovered a trial, participated in that trial and then subsequently asked to share my PHI [protected health information] for further research purposes and that was sort of the first time that I felt like I was asked by the research community to share information about my son’s autism and how it affects our family and so forth.” (Participant 11; Parent of a patient).

From the researcher perspective, it was important to first identify the type of community partner that the study requires and then to discuss who is the individual community member. Funding announcements, dissemination and implementation strategies, and knowing the skill sets of the individual community members were useful for selecting community partners. Nevertheless, difficulty identifying the right people to serve as community partners was a common challenge identified by researchers. Participants acknowledged the importance of relying on community resources and various stakeholders to identify and recruit community partners. For example, working with spiritual leaders and health departments, as well as getting to know and building trust with a community helped to identify community partners. To this end, participants noted that it would be ideal to the research team to establish presence and courtship to the community of interest and establish a relationship. Being active, involved, and partnering with community-based organizations would increase exposure and, in turn, enhance community partner engagement.

“ Having a conversation early on about what are your networks and really documenting that and understanding the kinds of networks that everyone brings to the table and how you can connect with those kinds of individuals or groups so that you can have those relationships built in advance so that when you get to the end of the process you can talk about your findings, you are not scrambling. You’ve established that.” (Participant 13; Research staff).

Mutual trust and transparency are central to community engagement

Participants noted that central to conducting community engaged research is the need to develop trust and value the unique contributions of the community partners who are invested in the project. The need to develop trust between researchers and community partners was a universal priority for forum participants. Subthemes to discuss trust to promote community engagement were: building trust, clear communication for transparency, and conflict in community engaged research.

Building trust

Participants stressed the importance of building trust long-term with the community and not coming to the partnership without consideration of community partners’ agendas. Building trust among community members and other stakeholders was also noted as an important aspect of conducting ethical and effective health research:

“That does make a huge difference … when the community sees somebody there, not with their hands out but actually wanting to be there month in and month out so when you do come calling or knocking or you need support, you have the stakeholders that relationship built that you can go to the head, the leadership of the community and they know you and they trust you.” (Participant 8; Member of community advisory council).

Clear communication for transparency

Participants underscored that researchers must make the research process as transparent as possible to community members. This included clear, honest and transparent communication with community members about funding, study findings, study team commitment to the community, duration of the study, and the overall goals of the study. Some community members felt, however, there was a lack of information from researchers to participants regarding results of the study.

“They very often don’t even let you know what, why they collected it, and how it impacted the analysis and then what they’re going to do with it. We never hear that part …” (Participant 5; Patient and member of community research advisory council).

Conflict in community engaged research

Researchers acknowledged that conflict between the researchers and community partners is a familiar part of the community engaged research process. Two sources of tension discussed by community partners were misaligned research priorities between researchers and community partners and lack of communication about study results. Researchers and community partners noted, however, that conflict was not always reported. When it was reported, it was not always clear how to manage conflict:

“I’ve been thinking a lot about [conflict] in many different [ways], but … as with muscles and anything, it is essential for growth and you need pain and destruction to move on. That’s how you know how you exercise well. When your muscles are torn and they need to regrow and repair. Otherwise you haven’t worked out enough... It’s the same for group engagement ... So how to manage [conflict] I don’t know but … that’s key.” (Participant 17; Research investigator).

Measuring community engagement impact outcomes is an evolving area

Researchers discussed a variety of community engagement outcomes they believed should be measured, such as participant attendance at meetings or activities, community partner needs, conflicts and conflict resolution, the amount of money and funding raised by community partners, and community partner self-efficacy. The researchers acknowledged it is easier to measure and evaluate short-term community engaged research outcomes like impact on study design rather than impact on health or impact of community engaged research on a community. However, they noted the lack of a commonly accepted impact measurement framework to guide the measurement of community engaged research for its impact. There was little agreement between researchers about how to measure community engaged research impact outcomes or which impact outcomes matter the most. Community engaged research might lack a commonly accepted impact measurement framework because it is an emerging field or as a result of differing goals of engagement that guide the evaluation of impact outcomes between projects. In the discussion about impact measurement, a researcher stated:

“What if we did this on the principle of justice? How would you measure justice? We get back to what you said about the goals. The goal is to incorporate justice, and that’s really why we are doing it. Can you measure something like that or do you want to be democratic. Or how would you measure whether your process was democratic and just or to some extent inclusiveness? It’s very hard to measure these types of things.” (Participant 20; Research investigator).

Researchers and policy-makers alike increasingly recognize the importance of seeking diverse and inclusive perspectives in translational research. Nonetheless, limited information is available about the role and scope of community engagement or specific approaches to community engagement across the full spectrum of the research cycle [ 7 ]. In particular, this paper offers the diverse perspectives of research investigators, staff, and community partners actively involved in community engaged research. This forum discussion allowed these diverse forum participants an opportunity to share their experiences and perspectives about the benefits and challenges of community engaged research. Our participants noted that community engagement is an ongoing and iterative process to which mutual trust and transparency are central and that the roles of community partners must be well-defined and clearly communicated for the engagement to be successful. These main themes are overall consistent with the key principles of engagement (i.e., reciprocal relationships, partnerships, co-learning, and transparency-honesty-trust) as highlighted in the recent literature [ 7 , 10 , 11 , 12 ].

Whereas all forum participants recognized the benefits of community engaged research, some of the subthemes such as engaging community in various stages of research suggest the need for closer dialogue between researchers and community partners in earlier phases of research. It was interesting to note that researchers felt engagement should happen less, once the research started; it was important for them to not waste community partners’ time by focusing on “mission driven things.” We did not find a similar concern about time burden among community partners. An essential element of community engaged research is the meaningful participation of a broadly representative group of stakeholders whose contributions are sought through all phases of the research, beginning with the planning and research question [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Indeed, the researcher participants in the forum noted that the most effective community engaged research involved community partners to identify a problem and formulate the appropriate research questions. Some of the data driven approaches such as the discrete choice experiment—a quantitative technique to uncover how individuals value selected attributes of a program by asking them to state their choice over different hypothetical alternatives [ 15 ]—may be useful to elicit community preferences as a way of enhancing their engagement in the early phase of research. For example, a recent systematic review [ 16 ] revealed that the discrete choice experiment, when applied to designing and characterizing therapies in the planning phase of research, resulted in increased acceptability and appropriateness.

Engagement in “all stages of the research process” came through as a strong theme within the Community partner group. Community partners in the forum appreciated the “back and forth” interaction between researchers and community members. A mixed methods study [ 17 ] showed that researchers do not routinely give feedback to community partners. Yet, community partners who receive feedback are motivated for further engagement as they feel it supports their learning and development while prompting researchers to reflect on the impact of community partners [ 17 ]. One of the ways in which researchers can provide such feedback would be to bring study findings back to the community—a lacking area in the research process, as noted by the community members. A survey of 109 community partners involved in health research with academic institutions [ 18 ] reported “research results disseminated to the community” as one of the top indicators of successful community engagement. Taken together, these findings suggest the need for culturally relevant and appropriate strategies to promote mutual feedback and better integration of community partners in the research process.

Many of the challenges discussed by the forum participants in the subthemes of mission-driven vs. checking the box, breadth and depth of engagement, and conflict in community engaged research occurred because priorities, motivations, and ways of working differed between researchers and community partners, which caused conflict and power struggles. Some of the practical issues associated with these subthemes (e.g., difficulty recruiting a set of experienced partners well connected to the target community or patient group, long-term commitment needed from partners, and time and cost limits imposed on studies) were recognized in a focus group study [ 19 ] in which problems connecting with the right person at the right time, individual member reluctance, and lack of skills and training were identified as main barriers to stakeholder engagement.

As suggested by our participants, clear and transparent communication is central to resolving potential conflicts in community engaged research. In particular, transparency in communication between community partners and researchers in terms of budget and research administrative processes [ 20 ] has been noted as key factors for improved community engaged research partnerships. Additionally, shared training opportunities for community partners and researchers may be helpful to build community partner skills about research and facilitate engagement on both sides [ 19 ]. The subtheme of recruitment and selection of community partners underscores the importance and need for the development of community capacity to facilitate more meaningful engagement in research. At the policy level, community engaged research needs to build in appropriate time, and funders should acknowledge this need as part of providing an appropriate context and budget for community engagement, to create the conditions where engagement has the potential to have a positive impact.

Forum participants considered a variety of impact assessments for their research and overall reported positive impact of community engagement on research, ensuring its appropriateness and relevance. They noted that it was difficult to have a common impact measure because of differing goals of engagement between projects. Indeed, a recent review of 68 studies addressing measures of community engagement reported that most studies used narrative descriptions of impact data [ 21 ]. Similarly, a mixed-methods study in which documents of 200 primary care research projects were examined and 191 researchers were surveyed noted qualitative reporting of community engaged research impact for study processes (e.g., designing methods or developing participant information) or on individual principal investigators (e.g., developing the grant application, managing the research, conducting the research, or the reputation of the principal investigator’s institution) [ 22 ]. A qualitative investigation [ 23 ] in the United Kingdom also revealed diverse views among stakeholders on what to measure and how to measure their impact. Taken together, the evidence base as to what constitutes adequate impact measures of community engaged research seems evolving. The findings suggest further substantive methodological development in terms of the way in which the impact of community engaged research is measured and reported, a clearer conceptualization of the nature of “impact,” and qualitative and quantitative methods for assessment of impact [ 23 ].

There are a number of study limitations to discuss. First, this was a convenience sample that was created for the purpose of the forum. In particular, we targeted researchers and community members who were already supportive of the idea of community involvement in research. Therefore, generalizability of the findings is limited. Additionally, we did not collect detailed sociodemographic information about the forum participants. The interpretation of the qualitative data might have looked different had we had this information such as age, working status (working/retired), or other relevant characteristics (roles, past experiences, etc.). Finally, it is possible that some of the moderators and notetakers of the concurrent discussion groups may not have been independent of the participants in his/her group and might have influenced the discussion either positively or negatively. We attempted to minimize the potential bias and impact of moderators and notetakers on the nature and direction of the discussion in each group by training them prior to the forum and offering them with an interview guide.

Successful implementation of healthcare interventions relies on community engagement at every stage, ranging from assessing and improving the acceptability of innovations to the sustainability of implemented interventions. In order to optimize the implementation of healthcare interventions, researchers, administrators, and policymakers must weigh the benefits and costs of complex multidimensional arrays of healthcare policies, strategies, and treatments [ 24 ]. This cannot be accomplished without meaningful engagement of key community partners throughout the research process. Challenges identified by the study teams underscore the need for enhanced community engagement training, joint planning of engagement activities, agreeing upon community partner roles and expectations in the early-planning stages of the proposed study, and increased opportunities for community participation in the research process.

Availability of data and materials

The data (anonymized transcripts from the group interviews used for the purpose of this analysis) that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

Clinical and Translational Science Awards

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The study was supported, in part, by grants from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (UL1TR003098 and U54AI108332). Additional funding was received from the National Institute of Nursing Research (P30NR018093) and National Institute on Aging (R01AG062649). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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HRH conceived of the study. All authors contributed to data acquisition. HRH, AX, KJWM, SO, JC, and MB analyzed and interpreted the qualitative data regarding the community engaged research experiences and preferences. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Han, HR., Xu, A., Mendez, K.J.W. et al. Exploring community engaged research experiences and preferences: a multi-level qualitative investigation. Res Involv Engagem 7 , 19 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-021-00261-6

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• Community engaged research
• Qualitative
• Group interviews

Research Involvement and Engagement

ISSN: 2056-7529

• General enquiries: [email protected]

151+ Public Health Research Topics [Updated 2024]

The important area of public health research is essential to forming laws, influencing medical procedures, and eventually enhancing community well-being. As we delve into the vast landscape of public health research topics, it’s essential to understand the profound impact they have on society.

This blog aims to provide a comprehensive guide to selecting and understanding the diverse array of public health research topics.

Overview of Public Health Research Topics

Table of Contents

Public health research encompasses a wide range of subjects, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the field. From epidemiology and health policy to environmental health and infectious diseases, researchers navigate through various dimensions to address complex health challenges.

Each category holds its own significance, contributing to the overall understanding of public health dynamics.

Key Considerations in Selecting Public Health Research Topics

• Current Relevance: Assess the timeliness of potential topics by considering recent health trends, emerging issues, and societal concerns.
• Impact on Public Health: Evaluate the potential impact of the research on improving health outcomes, addressing disparities, or influencing policy and interventions.
• Feasibility and Resources: Gauge the practicality of conducting research on a particular topic, considering available resources, data accessibility, and research infrastructure.
• Ethical Considerations: Scrutinize the ethical implications of the research, ensuring it aligns with ethical standards and guidelines, especially when dealing with vulnerable populations or sensitive topics.

Top 151+ Public Health Research Topics

Epidemiology.

• The Impact of Social Determinants on Disease Outcomes
• Patterns and Trends in Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Investigating Health Disparities among Different Ethnic Groups
• Childhood Obesity and its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Contact Tracing in Disease Control

Health Policy

• Universal Healthcare: Comparative Analysis of Global Models
• The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Access
• Evaluating Mental Health Policies and Their Impact on Communities
• Assessing the Impact of Affordable Care Act on Public Health
• Vaccine Policies and Public Perception: A Comprehensive Study

Environmental Health

• Climate Change and Health: Adapting to the Challenges
• Air Quality and Respiratory Health in Urban Environments
• Waterborne Diseases and Strategies for Safe Water Supply
• Occupational Health Hazards: A Comprehensive Workplace Analysis
• The Impact of Green Spaces on Mental Health in Urban Areas

Infectious Diseases

• Antimicrobial Resistance: Strategies for Mitigation
• Vaccination Strategies and Herd Immunity
• Global Health Security: Preparedness for Pandemics
• The Impact of Vector-Borne Diseases on Public Health
• Emerging Trends in Antibiotic-Resistant Infections

Chronic Diseases

• Lifestyle Interventions for Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases
• Genetic Factors in the Development of Cancer: A Comprehensive Study
• Aging and Health: Addressing the Healthcare Needs of the Elderly
• Diabetes Prevention Programs: Efficacy and Implementation
• Mental Health in Chronic Disease Patients: Bridging the Gap

Maternal and Child Health

• Maternal Mortality: Understanding Causes and Prevention
• The Impact of Breastfeeding on Infant Health and Development
• Childhood Immunization: Barriers and Strategies for Improvement
• Teenage Pregnancy and Its Long-Term Health Consequences
• Mental Health Support for Postpartum Women: Current Gaps and Solutions

Health Behavior and Promotion

• Smoking Cessation Programs: Effectiveness and Challenges
• Physical Activity Promotion in Schools: Strategies for Success
• Nutrition Education and Its Impact on Healthy Eating Habits
• Mental Health Awareness Campaigns: Assessing Public Perceptions
• The Role of Social Media in Health Promotion

Global Health

• Assessing the Impact of International Aid on Global Health
• Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Programs in Developing Countries
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Global Health
• Communicable Disease Control in Refugee Populations
• Global Access to Essential Medicines: Challenges and Solutions

Community Health

• Community-Based Participatory Research: Best Practices and Challenges
• The Impact of Community Health Workers on Health Outcomes
• Health Literacy and its Relationship to Health Disparities
• Assessing the Effectiveness of Mobile Health (mHealth) Interventions
• Community Resilience in the Face of Public Health Crises

Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety

• Hospital-Acquired Infections: Strategies for Prevention
• Patient Safety Culture in Healthcare Organizations
• Quality Improvement Initiatives in Primary Care Settings
• Healthcare Accreditation: Impact on Patient Outcomes
• Implementing Electronic Health Records: Challenges and Benefits

Mental Health

• Stigma Reduction Programs for Mental Health Disorders
• Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care Settings
• The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental Health: Long-Term Implications
• Mental Health in the Workplace: Strategies for Employee Well-being
• Suicide Prevention Programs: Effectiveness and Outreach

Health Disparities

• Racial Disparities in Healthcare: Addressing Systemic Inequities
• LGBTQ+ Health Disparities and Inclusive Healthcare Practices
• Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare Services
• Geographical Disparities in Health: Rural vs. Urban
• The Impact of Gender on Health Outcomes and Access to Care

Public Health Education

• Evaluation of Public Health Education Programs
• Innovative Approaches to Teaching Public Health Concepts
• Online Health Education Platforms: Opportunities and Challenges
• Interdisciplinary Training in Public Health: Bridging Gaps
• Continuing Education for Public Health Professionals: Current Landscape

Digital Health

• The Role of Wearable Devices in Health Monitoring
• Telehealth Adoption: Barriers and Opportunities
• Health Apps for Chronic Disease Management: User Perspectives
• Blockchain Technology in Healthcare: Privacy and Security Implications
• Artificial Intelligence in Disease Diagnosis and Prediction

Health Economics

• Cost-Effectiveness of Preventive Health Interventions
• The Impact of Healthcare Financing Models on Access to Care
• Pharmaceutical Pricing and Access to Essential Medicines
• Economic Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs
• Health Insurance Coverage and Health Outcomes: A Global Perspective

Innovations in Public Health

• 3D Printing in Healthcare: Applications and Future Prospects
• Gene Editing Technologies and their Ethical Implications
• Smart Cities and Public Health: Integrating Technology for Well-being
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Potential for Disease Treatment
• The Role of Drones in Public Health: Surveillance and Intervention

Food Safety and Nutrition

• Foodborne Illness Outbreaks: Investigating Causes and Prevention
• Sustainable Food Systems: Implications for Public Health
• Nutritional Interventions for Malnutrition in Developing Countries
• Food Labeling and Consumer Understanding: A Critical Review
• The Impact of Fast Food Consumption on Public Health

Substance Abuse

• Opioid Epidemic: Strategies for Prevention and Treatment
• Harm Reduction Approaches in Substance Abuse Programs
• Alcohol Consumption Patterns and Public Health Outcomes
• Smoking and Mental Health: Exploring the Connection
• Novel Psychoactive Substances: Emerging Threats and Strategies

Occupational Health

• Workplace Stress and Mental Health: Intervention Strategies
• Occupational Hazards in Healthcare Professions: A Comparative Analysis
• Ergonomics in the Workplace: Improving Worker Health and Productivity
• Night Shift Work and Health Consequences: Addressing Challenges
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations: A Global Overview

Disaster Preparedness and Response

• Pandemic Preparedness and Lessons from COVID-19
• Natural Disasters and Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress
• Emergency Response Systems: Improving Timeliness and Efficiency
• Communicating Health Risks During Emergencies: Public Perception
• Collaborative Approaches to Disaster Response in Global Health

Cancer Research

• Precision Medicine in Cancer Treatment: Current Advancements
• Cancer Screening Programs: Efficacy and Challenges
• Environmental Factors and Cancer Risk: Exploring Connections
• Survivorship Care Plans: Enhancing Quality of Life after Cancer
• Integrative Therapies in Cancer Care: Complementary Approaches

Sexual and Reproductive Health

• Access to Contraception in Developing Countries: Challenges and Solutions
• Comprehensive Sex Education Programs: Impact on Teen Pregnancy
• Reproductive Health Rights: Global Perspectives and Challenges
• Infertility Treatment: Ethical Considerations and Societal Impact
• Maternal and Child Health in Conflict Zones: Addressing Challenges

Cardiovascular Health

• Hypertension Prevention Programs: Strategies and Effectiveness
• Cardiovascular Disease in Women: Gender-Specific Risk Factors
• Innovations in Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs
• Artificial Heart Technology: Advancements and Ethical Implications
• Impact of Air Pollution on Cardiovascular Health: A Global Concern

Social Determinants of Health

• Educational Attainment and Health Outcomes: Exploring Links
• Income Inequality and its Impact on Population Health
• Social Support Networks and Mental Health: A Comprehensive Study
• Neighborhood Environments and Health Disparities
• Employment and Health: The Interplay of Work and Well-being

Genomics and Public Health

• Population Genomics and its Implications for Public Health
• Genetic Counseling and Education: Empowering Individuals and Families
• Ethical Issues in Genetic Research: Privacy and Informed Consent
• Pharmacogenomics: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Individual Genotypes
• Gene-Environment Interactions in Disease Risk: Unraveling Complexities

Public Health Ethics

• Informed Consent in Public Health Research: Current Practices
• Ethical Challenges in Global Health Research: Balancing Priorities
• Confidentiality in Public Health Reporting: Striking the Right Balance
• Research with Vulnerable Populations: Ethical Considerations
• Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in Healthcare

Health Communication

• The Role of Media in Shaping Public Health Perceptions
• Health Literacy Interventions: Improving Understanding of Health Information
• Social Media Campaigns for Public Health Promotion: Best Practices
• Tailoring Health Messages for Diverse Audiences: Cultural Competency
• Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned

Nutrigenomics

• Personalized Nutrition Plans based on Genetic Makeup
• Impact of Nutrigenomics on Chronic Disease Prevention
• Ethical Considerations in Nutrigenomics Research
• Public Perceptions of Nutrigenomic Testing: A Qualitative Study
• Integrating Nutrigenomics into Public Health Policies

Public Health and Artificial Intelligence

• Predictive Analytics in Disease Surveillance: Harnessing AI for Early Detection
• Ethical Considerations in AI-Driven Health Decision Support Systems
• Machine Learning in Epidemiology: Predicting Disease Outbreaks
• Natural Language Processing in Public Health: Text Mining for Insights
• Bias in AI Algorithms: Implications for Health Equity

Health Disparities in Aging

• Geriatric Health Disparities: Bridging the Gap in Elderly Care
• Ageism in Healthcare: Addressing Stereotypes and Discrimination
• Social Isolation and Health Consequences in Aging Populations
• Access to Palliative Care for Older Adults: A Global Perspective
• Alzheimer’s Disease and Ethnic Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment
• Loneliness and Mental Health in the Elderly: Interventions and Support

Research Methodologies in Public Health

Public health research employs various methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. Each method brings its own strengths to the research process, allowing researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues they investigate. 

Community-based participatory research is another valuable approach, emphasizing collaboration with communities to address their specific health concerns.

Challenges and Opportunities in Public Health Research

While public health research is immensely rewarding, it comes with its own set of challenges. Funding constraints, ethical dilemmas, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of technology pose both obstacles and opportunities. 

Researchers must navigate these challenges to ensure their work has a meaningful impact on public health.

In conclusion, public health research topics are diverse and dynamic, reflecting the complex nature of the field. As researchers embark on their journeys, they must carefully consider the relevance, impact, and ethical implications of their chosen topics. 

The collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of public health research positions it as a powerful tool in addressing the health challenges of our time. By exploring the depths of these topics, researchers contribute to the collective effort to build healthier and more equitable communities. 

As we move forward, a continued exploration of relevant public health research topics is essential for shaping the future of healthcare and improving the well-being of populations worldwide.

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• A-Z Publications

Annual Review of Public Health

Volume 19, 1998, review article, review of community-based research: assessing partnership approaches to improve public health.

• Barbara A. Israel 1 , Amy J. Schulz 1 , Edith A. Parker 1 , and Adam B. Becker 1
• View Affiliations Hide Affiliations Affiliations: Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1420 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029; e-mail: [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected] ; [email protected]
• Vol. 19:173-202 (Volume publication date May 1998) https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.173
• © Annual Reviews

Community-based research in public health focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequities through active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. Partners contribute their expertise to enhance understanding of a given phenomenon and to integrate the knowledge gained with action to benefit the community involved. This review provides a synthesis of key principles of community-based research, examines its place within the context of different scientific paradigms, discusses rationales for its use, and explores major challenges and facilitating factors and their implications for conducting effective community-based research aimed at improving the public's health.

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• Article Type: Review Article

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Community Psychology Research

Research within the field of Community Psychology seeks to systematically understand and promote health and empowerment. Research in the field also works to prevent problems in communities, groups, and individuals.

Double-Edged Policy? Consequences of the COVID-19-Related Eviction Moratorium

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How Health Coalitions Can Embrace Indigenous Ways of Knowing

Posted in: Healthcare , Marginalized Groups | Tags: Research Research and evaluation can be pursued collaboratively with greater shared power between community and university partners.

Mental Well-Being in Men of Color

Posted in: Marginalized Groups , Mental Health | Tags: Research Published in: Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice We can use lived experience to generate strategies to enhance the mental health and well-being of men of color.

Asset Mapping: Why to Ask Why

Posted in: Coalition Building | Tags: Research Susan Jakes suggests the “why” we value certain assets in our community might be very different for the community members than for the professionals that come to help.

More than Filling Empty Bellies: How Food Banks are Evolving to Nourish Community Health

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Supporting After-School Staff and Programs

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The Psychological Value of Activism

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Research Topics & Ideas: Education

170+ Research Ideas To Fast-Track Your Dissertation, Thesis Or Research Project

I f you’re just starting out exploring education-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research topic ideation process by providing a hearty list of research topics and ideas , including examples from actual dissertations and theses..

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . To develop a suitable education-related research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan of action to fill that gap.

If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, if you’d like hands-on help, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Overview: Education Research Topics

• How to find a research topic (video)
• List of 50+ education-related research topics/ideas
• List of 120+ level-specific research topics 
• Examples of actual dissertation topics in education
• Tips to fast-track your topic ideation (video)
• Where to get extra help

Education-Related Research Topics & Ideas

Below you’ll find a list of education-related research topics and idea kickstarters. These are fairly broad and flexible to various contexts, so keep in mind that you will need to refine them a little. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

• The impact of school funding on student achievement
• The effects of social and emotional learning on student well-being
• The effects of parental involvement on student behaviour
• The impact of teacher training on student learning
• The impact of classroom design on student learning
• The impact of poverty on education
• The use of student data to inform instruction
• The role of parental involvement in education
• The effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom
• The use of technology in the classroom
• The role of critical thinking in education
• The use of formative and summative assessments in the classroom
• The use of differentiated instruction in the classroom
• The use of gamification in education
• The effects of teacher burnout on student learning
• The impact of school leadership on student achievement
• The effects of teacher diversity on student outcomes
• The role of teacher collaboration in improving student outcomes
• The implementation of blended and online learning
• The effects of teacher accountability on student achievement
• The effects of standardized testing on student learning
• The effects of classroom management on student behaviour
• The effects of school culture on student achievement
• The use of student-centred learning in the classroom
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on student outcomes
• The achievement gap in minority and low-income students
• The use of culturally responsive teaching in the classroom
• The impact of teacher professional development on student learning
• The use of project-based learning in the classroom
• The effects of teacher expectations on student achievement
• The use of adaptive learning technology in the classroom
• The impact of teacher turnover on student learning
• The effects of teacher recruitment and retention on student learning
• The impact of early childhood education on later academic success
• The impact of parental involvement on student engagement
• The use of positive reinforcement in education
• The impact of school climate on student engagement
• The role of STEM education in preparing students for the workforce
• The effects of school choice on student achievement
• The use of technology in the form of online tutoring

Level-Specific Research Topics

Looking for research topics for a specific level of education? We’ve got you covered. Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list.

Research Topics: Pick An Education Level

Primary education.

• Investigating the effects of peer tutoring on academic achievement in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of mindfulness practices in primary school classrooms
• Examining the effects of different teaching strategies on primary school students’ problem-solving skills
• The use of storytelling as a teaching strategy in primary school literacy instruction
• The role of cultural diversity in promoting tolerance and understanding in primary schools
• The impact of character education programs on moral development in primary school students
• Investigating the use of technology in enhancing primary school mathematics education
• The impact of inclusive curriculum on promoting equity and diversity in primary schools
• The impact of outdoor education programs on environmental awareness in primary school students
• The influence of school climate on student motivation and engagement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of early literacy interventions on reading comprehension in primary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student achievement in primary schools
• Exploring the benefits of inclusive education for students with special needs in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of teacher-student feedback on academic motivation in primary schools
• The role of technology in developing digital literacy skills in primary school students
• Effective strategies for fostering a growth mindset in primary school students
• Investigating the role of parental support in reducing academic stress in primary school children
• The role of arts education in fostering creativity and self-expression in primary school students
• Examining the effects of early childhood education programs on primary school readiness
• Examining the effects of homework on primary school students’ academic performance
• The role of formative assessment in improving learning outcomes in primary school classrooms
• The impact of teacher-student relationships on academic outcomes in primary school
• Investigating the effects of classroom environment on student behavior and learning outcomes in primary schools
• Investigating the role of creativity and imagination in primary school curriculum
• The impact of nutrition and healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on primary school students’ well-being and academic performance
• The role of parental involvement in academic achievement of primary school children
• Examining the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior in primary school
• The role of school leadership in creating a positive school climate Exploring the benefits of bilingual education in primary schools
• The effectiveness of project-based learning in developing critical thinking skills in primary school students
• The role of inquiry-based learning in fostering curiosity and critical thinking in primary school students
• The effects of class size on student engagement and achievement in primary schools
• Investigating the effects of recess and physical activity breaks on attention and learning in primary school
• Exploring the benefits of outdoor play in developing gross motor skills in primary school children
• The effects of educational field trips on knowledge retention in primary school students
• Examining the effects of inclusive classroom practices on students’ attitudes towards diversity in primary schools
• The impact of parental involvement in homework on primary school students’ academic achievement
• Investigating the effectiveness of different assessment methods in primary school classrooms
• The influence of physical activity and exercise on cognitive development in primary school children
• Exploring the benefits of cooperative learning in promoting social skills in primary school students

Secondary Education

• Investigating the effects of school discipline policies on student behavior and academic success in secondary education
• The role of social media in enhancing communication and collaboration among secondary school students
• The impact of school leadership on teacher effectiveness and student outcomes in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of technology integration on teaching and learning in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction in promoting critical thinking skills in secondary schools
• The impact of arts education on creativity and self-expression in secondary school students
• The effectiveness of flipped classrooms in promoting student learning in secondary education
• The role of career guidance programs in preparing secondary school students for future employment
• Investigating the effects of student-centered learning approaches on student autonomy and academic success in secondary schools
• The impact of socio-economic factors on educational attainment in secondary education
• Investigating the impact of project-based learning on student engagement and academic achievement in secondary schools
• Investigating the effects of multicultural education on cultural understanding and tolerance in secondary schools
• The influence of standardized testing on teaching practices and student learning in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of classroom management strategies on student behavior and academic engagement in secondary education
• The influence of teacher professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of extracurricular activities in promoting holistic development and well-roundedness in secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models on student engagement and achievement in secondary education
• The role of physical education in promoting physical health and well-being among secondary school students
• Investigating the effects of gender on academic achievement and career aspirations in secondary education
• Exploring the benefits of multicultural literature in promoting cultural awareness and empathy among secondary school students
• The impact of school counseling services on student mental health and well-being in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of vocational education and training in preparing secondary school students for the workforce
• The role of digital literacy in preparing secondary school students for the digital age
• The influence of parental involvement on academic success and well-being of secondary school students
• The impact of social-emotional learning programs on secondary school students’ well-being and academic success
• The role of character education in fostering ethical and responsible behavior in secondary school students
• Examining the effects of digital citizenship education on responsible and ethical technology use among secondary school students
• The impact of parental involvement in school decision-making processes on student outcomes in secondary schools
• The role of educational technology in promoting personalized learning experiences in secondary schools
• The impact of inclusive education on the social and academic outcomes of students with disabilities in secondary schools
• The influence of parental support on academic motivation and achievement in secondary education
• The role of school climate in promoting positive behavior and well-being among secondary school students
• Examining the effects of peer mentoring programs on academic achievement and social-emotional development in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of teacher-student relationships on student motivation and achievement in secondary schools
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning programs in promoting civic engagement among secondary school students
• The impact of educational policies on educational equity and access in secondary education
• Examining the effects of homework on academic achievement and student well-being in secondary education
• Investigating the effects of different assessment methods on student performance in secondary schools
• Examining the effects of single-sex education on academic performance and gender stereotypes in secondary schools
• The role of mentoring programs in supporting the transition from secondary to post-secondary education

Tertiary Education

• The role of student support services in promoting academic success and well-being in higher education
• The impact of internationalization initiatives on students’ intercultural competence and global perspectives in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of active learning classrooms and learning spaces on student engagement and learning outcomes in tertiary education
• Exploring the benefits of service-learning experiences in fostering civic engagement and social responsibility in higher education
• The influence of learning communities and collaborative learning environments on student academic and social integration in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of undergraduate research experiences in fostering critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills
• Investigating the effects of academic advising and mentoring on student retention and degree completion in higher education
• The role of student engagement and involvement in co-curricular activities on holistic student development in higher education
• The impact of multicultural education on fostering cultural competence and diversity appreciation in higher education
• The role of internships and work-integrated learning experiences in enhancing students’ employability and career outcomes
• Examining the effects of assessment and feedback practices on student learning and academic achievement in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty professional development on instructional practices and student outcomes in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty-student relationships on student success and well-being in tertiary education
• The impact of college transition programs on students’ academic and social adjustment to higher education
• The impact of online learning platforms on student learning outcomes in higher education
• The impact of financial aid and scholarships on access and persistence in higher education
• The influence of student leadership and involvement in extracurricular activities on personal development and campus engagement
• Exploring the benefits of competency-based education in developing job-specific skills in tertiary students
• Examining the effects of flipped classroom models on student learning and retention in higher education
• Exploring the benefits of online collaboration and virtual team projects in developing teamwork skills in tertiary students
• Investigating the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives on campus climate and student experiences in tertiary education
• The influence of study abroad programs on intercultural competence and global perspectives of college students
• Investigating the effects of peer mentoring and tutoring programs on student retention and academic performance in tertiary education
• Investigating the effectiveness of active learning strategies in promoting student engagement and achievement in tertiary education
• Investigating the effects of blended learning models and hybrid courses on student learning and satisfaction in higher education
• The role of digital literacy and information literacy skills in supporting student success in the digital age
• Investigating the effects of experiential learning opportunities on career readiness and employability of college students
• The impact of e-portfolios on student reflection, self-assessment, and showcasing of learning in higher education
• The role of technology in enhancing collaborative learning experiences in tertiary classrooms
• The impact of research opportunities on undergraduate student engagement and pursuit of advanced degrees
• Examining the effects of competency-based assessment on measuring student learning and achievement in tertiary education
• Examining the effects of interdisciplinary programs and courses on critical thinking and problem-solving skills in college students
• The role of inclusive education and accessibility in promoting equitable learning experiences for diverse student populations
• The role of career counseling and guidance in supporting students’ career decision-making in tertiary education
• The influence of faculty diversity and representation on student success and inclusive learning environments in higher education

Education-Related Dissertations & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic in education, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses in the education space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of education-related research projects to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• From Rural to Urban: Education Conditions of Migrant Children in China (Wang, 2019)
• Energy Renovation While Learning English: A Guidebook for Elementary ESL Teachers (Yang, 2019)
• A Reanalyses of Intercorrelational Matrices of Visual and Verbal Learners’ Abilities, Cognitive Styles, and Learning Preferences (Fox, 2020)
• A study of the elementary math program utilized by a mid-Missouri school district (Barabas, 2020)
• Instructor formative assessment practices in virtual learning environments : a posthumanist sociomaterial perspective (Burcks, 2019)
• Higher education students services: a qualitative study of two mid-size universities’ direct exchange programs (Kinde, 2020)
• Exploring editorial leadership : a qualitative study of scholastic journalism advisers teaching leadership in Missouri secondary schools (Lewis, 2020)
• Selling the virtual university: a multimodal discourse analysis of marketing for online learning (Ludwig, 2020)
• Advocacy and accountability in school counselling: assessing the use of data as related to professional self-efficacy (Matthews, 2020)
• The use of an application screening assessment as a predictor of teaching retention at a midwestern, K-12, public school district (Scarbrough, 2020)
• Core values driving sustained elite performance cultures (Beiner, 2020)
• Educative features of upper elementary Eureka math curriculum (Dwiggins, 2020)
• How female principals nurture adult learning opportunities in successful high schools with challenging student demographics (Woodward, 2020)
• The disproportionality of Black Males in Special Education: A Case Study Analysis of Educator Perceptions in a Southeastern Urban High School (McCrae, 2021)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic within education, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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71 Comments

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Special education

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Research title related to school of students

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My field is research measurement and evaluation. Need dissertation topics in the field

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You can find our list of nursing-related research topic ideas here: https://gradcoach.com/research-topics-nursing/

Write on action research topic, using guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

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parental involvement and students academic performance

Science education topics?

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How about School management and supervision pls.?

Hi i am an Deputy Principal in a primary school. My wish is to srudy foe Master’s degree in Education.Please advice me on which topic can be relevant for me. Thanks.

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Kindly help me with the research questions on the topic” Effects of workplace conflict on the employees’ job performance”. The effects can be applicable in every institution,enterprise or organisation.

Greetings, I am a student majoring in Sociology and minoring in Public Administration. I’m considering any recommended research topic in the field of Sociology.

I’m a student pursuing Mphil in Basic education and I’m considering any recommended research proposal topic in my field of study

Research Defense for students in senior high

Kindly help me with a research topic in educational psychology. Ph.D level. Thank you.

Project-based learning is a teaching/learning type,if well applied in a classroom setting will yield serious positive impact. What can a teacher do to implement this in a disadvantaged zone like “North West Region of Cameroon ( hinterland) where war has brought about prolonged and untold sufferings on the indegins?

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration

I wish to get help on topics of research on educational administration PhD level

I am also looking for such type of title

I am a student of undergraduate, doing research on how to use guidance and counseling to address unwanted teenage pregnancy in school

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Am an undergraduate student carrying out a research on the impact of nutritional healthy eating programs on academic performance in primary schools

Can i request your suggestion topic for my Thesis about Teachers as an OFW. thanx you

Would like to request for suggestions on a topic in Economics of education,PhD level

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l would like to request suggestions on a topic in managing teaching and learning, PhD level (educational leadership and management)

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I would to inquire on research topics on Educational psychology, Masters degree

I am PhD student, I am searching my Research topic, It should be innovative,my area of interest is online education,use of technology in education

request suggestion on topic in masters in medical education .

Look at British Library as they keep a copy of all PhDs in the UK Core.ac.uk to access Open University and 6 other university e-archives, pdf downloads mostly available, all free.

May I also ask for a topic based on mathematics education for college teaching, please?

Please I am a masters student of the department of Teacher Education, Faculty of Education Please I am in need of proposed project topics to help with my final year thesis

Am a PhD student in Educational Foundations would like a sociological topic. Thank

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Greetings and Regards I am a doctoral student in the field of philosophy of education. I am looking for a new topic for my thesis. Because of my work in the elementary school, I am looking for a topic that is from the field of elementary education and is related to the philosophy of education.

Masters student in the field of curriculum, any ideas of a research topic on low achiever students

In the field of curriculum any ideas of a research topic on deconalization in contextualization of digital teaching and learning through in higher education

Amazing guidelines

I am a graduate with two masters. 1) Master of arts in religious studies and 2) Master in education in foundations of education. I intend to do a Ph.D. on my second master’s, however, I need to bring both masters together through my Ph.D. research. can I do something like, ” The contribution of Philosophy of education for a quality religion education in Kenya”? kindly, assist and be free to suggest a similar topic that will bring together the two masters. thanks in advance

Hi, I am an Early childhood trainer as well as a researcher, I need more support on this topic: The impact of early childhood education on later academic success.

I’m a student in upper level secondary school and I need your support in this research topics: “Impact of incorporating project -based learning in teaching English language skills in secondary schools”.

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that is good idea you are sharing for a lot of researchers. I am one of such an information sucker. I am a chemistry teacher in Ethiopia secondary school. I am MSc degree holder in Analytical chemistry. I need to continue my education by this field. How I can get a full scholar ship?

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My Speech Class

Public Speaking Tips & Speech Topics

717 Good Research Paper Topics

Jim Peterson has over 20 years experience on speech writing. He wrote over 300 free speech topic ideas and how-to guides for any kind of public speaking and speech writing assignments at My Speech Class.

Some examples of common research paper styles include:

• Argumentative Research Papers
• Persuasive Research Papers
• Education Research Papers
• Analytical Research Papers
• Informative Research Papers

Your research essay topic may also need to be related to the specific class you are taking. For example, an economics class may require a business research paper, while a class on human behavior may call for a psychology research paper.

The requirements for your paper will vary depending on whether you are in high school, college, or a postgraduate student. In high school, you may be able to choose an easy topic and cite five or six sources you found on Google or Yahoo!, but college term papers require more in-depth research from reliable sources, such as scholarly books and peer-reviewed journals.

Do you need some help with brainstorming for topics? Some common research paper topics include abortion, birth control, child abuse, gun control, history, climate change, social media, AI, global warming, health, science, and technology. 

But we have many more!

On this page, we have hundreds of good research paper topics across a wide range of subject fields. Each of these topics could be used “as is” to write your paper, or as a starting point to develop your own topic ideas.

Can We Write Your Speech?

Get your audience blown away with help from a professional speechwriter. Free proofreading and copy-editing included.

How to Choose Your Research Paper Topic

The first step to developing an interesting research paper is choosing a good topic. Finding a topic can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to start. Finding the Right Research Paper Topic

If you are in a class that allows you to choose your own term paper topic, there are some important areas to consider before you begin your project:

Your Level of Interest: Research papers are time-consuming; you will be spending countless hours researching the topic and related topics, developing several primary and secondary sources, and putting everything together into a paper that is coherent and accomplishes your objectives. If you do not choose a topic you are passionate about, the process will be far more tedious, and the finished product may suffer as a result.

Your Level of Experience: Being interested in a topic is great, but it is even more helpful if you already know something about it. If you can find a topic that you already have some personal and/or professional experience with, it will vastly reduce the amount of research needed and make the whole process much easier.

Available Information on the Topic: Be sure to choose a topic that is not only interesting but also one that has numerous sources available from which to compile your research. A researchable topic with several potential sources gives you access to the level of information you need to become an authority on the subject.

Your Audience: An interesting topic to you may not necessarily be interesting to your professor or whoever is grading your research paper. Before you begin, consider the level of interest of the person(s) who will be reading it. If you are writing a persuasive or argumentative essay, also consider their point of view on the subject matter.

As you begin researching your topic, you may want to revise your thesis statement based on new information you have learned. This is perfectly fine, just have fun and pursue the truth, wherever it leads. If you find that you are not having fun during the research phase, you may want to reconsider the topic you have chosen.

The process of writing the research paper is going to be very time consuming so it’s important to select a topic that is going to sustain your interest for the duration of the project. It is good to select a topic that is relevant to your life since you are going to spend a long time researching and writing about it. Perhaps you are considering starting your own business or pursuing a career in politics. Look through the suggested research paper topics and find one in a category that you can relate to easily. Finding a topic that you have some personal interest in will help make the arduous task a lot easier, and the project will have better results because of your vested interest.

Our List of Research Topics and Issues

Affirmative action, health, pharmacy, medical treatments, interpersonal communication, marketing and advertising, barack obama, discrimination, bill clinton, hilary clinton, computer crimes and security, cosmetic surgery, controversial, criminal justice, donald trump, easy/simple, environment, family violence, foreign policy, gambling and lotteries, the lgbtq community, generational conflict, gun control, hate crimes, immigration, middle east, maternity/paternity leave, natural disasters, police work, population explosion, pornography, prisons and prisoners, prostitution, ronald reagan, student loan debt, teen issues, women, mothers, what, why, and how, relationships.

We compiled an exhaustive list of topics that would make excellent research papers. The topics are specifically organized to help you find one that will work for your project. Broad topics are headed, and then below them are narrowed topics, all to help you find an area to focus on. The way we have organized the topics for research papers can save you lots of time getting prepared to write your research paper.

We have topics that fit into categories that cover such areas as education, environmental sciences, communication and languages, current events, politics, business, criminal justice, art, psychology, economics to name just a few. Simply get started by choosing the category that interests you and peruse through the topics listed in that category and you’ll be well on your way to constructing an excellent research paper.

Be sure to check other topics ideas: persuasive speech topics , argumentative speech topics , policy speech topics . We also have some sample outlines and essay templates .

• What limits are responsible?
• What limits are realistic?
• How to protect abortion doctors, pregnant women, and the protection of abortion clinics vs. the right to protest
• Partial birth abortion
• Scientific evidence vs. definition of viability
• Stem cell research
• Unborn victims of violence
• Relative equality has been achieved vs. serious inequities continue
• Can racial balance in business, education, and the military be achieved without policies that promote Affirmative Action
• Reverse discrimination
• NOW, National Organization for Women
• No government support vs. fairness to parents who pay twice for education
• Separation of church and state vs. religion’s contribution to the public good
• Placement by age vs. placement by academic ability
• Mainstreaming students with disabilities vs. special classrooms for their special needs
• Required standardized tests for advancement vs. course requirements only
• National standardized tests vs. local control of education
• Discrimination in education
• Multicultural/bilingual education vs. traditional basics
• Teacher competency tests vs. degree requirements only
• Teacher’s needs/demands vs. teaching as a service profession
• Policing schools
• School’s responsibility vs. parental responsibility for school violence
• Drug and alcohol abuse, pregnancy, suicide
• Zero tolerance toward violence vs. toughness with flexibility
• Permit corporal punishment
• Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment?
• Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?
• In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get “As”. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many “As” for Americans?
• Education and funding
• Grade inflation
• No Child Left Behind Act: Is it working?
• Home schooling
• Standardized tests
• Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet?
• Should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the internet?
• How has the music industry been affected by the internet and digital downloading?
• How does a search engine work?
• What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body?
• What are the benefits and hazards of medical marijuana?
• How does tobacco use affect the human body?
• Do the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks?
• What are some common sleep disorders and how are they treated?
• What are the risks of artificial tanning or prolonged exposure to the sun?
• Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums?
• Low carbohydrate vs. low fat diets
• Benefits of weight training vs. aerobics
• How much weekly exercise is needed to achieve lasting health benefits
• Health websites give too much information
• Psychological disorders, such as cutting and self-harm, eating disorders, Autism, Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, Asperger Syndrome
• Are we taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame?
• Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?
• Steroids, Antibiotics, Sprays; Are food manufacturers killing us?
• Alternative medicine
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Causes of eating disorders, society’s portrayal of women
• Eating disorders statistics
• Down’s syndrome
• Birth control
• Dietary supplements
• Exercise and fitness
• Heart disease
• In vitro fertilization
• Attention deficit disorder
• Investigate the history and authenticity of ADHD and ADD.
• Organic foods
• Prescription drugs
• Vegetarianism
• Learning disabilities
• Schizophrenia
• Coma recovery: techniques, successes, new strategies.
• What are the primary types of cancer, and in what ways are they related?
• Investigate the success ratio of holistic and non-medical cancer treatments.
• Is Alzheimer’s inevitable? Examine theories regarding its prevention.
• What forms of physical degeneracy are seen as linked to aging?
• Investigate the connections between emotional stability and physical well-being, and provide evidence as to how the two may be related.
• Investigate differences in rates of injury recovery and overcoming illness based on cultural parameters.
• Examine the modern history of viral epidemics, researching what is known about the emergence of deadly viruses.
• Examine how congenital heart disease may be treated, and how it differs from other forms of heart disease.
• Is occasional depression a natural state to an extent, and is society too eager to treat this as a disorder?
• Investigate Sociopathy, determine biological and psychological roots, typical patterns, and potentials of treatment.
• How are compulsive behaviors determined as such? Explore examples of anal retention and expulsion, OCD, etc., as offering accepted criteria.
• Research and analyze the nature of codependency as both a normal state of relations and as an unhealthy extreme.
• Investigate the history and practice of electroshock, analyzing how and why this extreme treatment came to be widely used.
• Hoarding: symptoms and treatments, causes, types of hoarding
• Limits on extraordinary, costly treatments vs. doing everything possible
• Nutritional/alternative therapy vs. mainstream medical treatment insurance coverage for alternative treatment?
• Government grants for alternative treatment research?
• Health superiority of alternative treatments?
• Assisted suicide vs. preservation of life
• Governmental insurance requirements
• Should there be a national database to track controlled substances (i.e., OXYCODONE) or should it be a state issue?
• Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?
• Decline of communication due to technology
• Online social networks and their influence
• Impact of texting and cell phones
• How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, and social circles)?
• Limitations of the media
• Marketing to children
• Sexual innuendos in marketing
• Global marketing trends
• Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance – alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc…?
• Children’s programming and advertising
• Most controversial political ads
• Media response and public outcry to political ads
• Campaign funds and their relation to political advertising
• Domestic policy
• Separation of church and state
• Judge nominations and make up of supreme court
• Congressional opposition to presidential nominees/filibusters
• Affirmative action
• Erosion of civil liberties vs. protection against terrorism
• Patriot Act One and Two
• Most developed nations have universal health coverage. Why doesn’t the U.S., the wealthiest nation, have it?
• Tax cut as economic stimulation
• Needs of the states vs. needs of the individuals
• Budget deficits and deficit spending
• Rich vs. poor
• Protection of victims vs. freedom of speech/rights of the accused
• How to improve race relations
• Women still earn only 75 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why.
• Discrimination in the workplace: analyzing issues for today’s corporations.
• Gender discrimination
• Interracial marriage
• Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias?
• Pros and cons of school uniforms.
• Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?
• Charter schools
• Prayer in schools
• Rights of the individual vs. community safety (or campus safety)
• Funding for research
• U.S. obligation to third world countries
• Manufacturing of generic drugs vs. U.S. pharmaceutical companies
• How contagious diseases “jump” from animal hosts to human
• What treatments are available to people infected with HIV and are they effective?
• Right to privacy of a child with AIDS vs. safety of other children
• Limits for campus safety vs. personal freedom
• Implications on violence and crime
• Issues with binge drinking
• Should the U.S. lower the drinking age to 18?
• Leniency because of condition vs. community safety
• Revoking drivers license vs. being able to attend classes and work
• Age discrimination of violators
• Animal rights vs. medical research
• Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment?
• Humane treatment of animals vs. factory farms
• Animal welfare in slaughter houses
• Animal protection vs. business, employment interests
• School prestige vs. academic standards
• Should shoe companies be able to give away free shoes and equipment to high school athletes?
• Should college athletes be paid?
• Doping in sports
• What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports?
• Steroids: Should they be legalized?
• Title IX: Has it helped women’s sports? Has it harmed men’s sports?
• Social effects of team sports
• Needed in public school library/curriculum?
• Needed in entertainment industry?
• Needed on the Internet?
• Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools?
• Parental filters on the Internet. Does censorship actually increase curiosity and use of pornography?
• How is internet censorship used in China and around the world?
• How has United States censorship changed over the decades?
• Democratic kingmaker, influence on political succession
• Impact of global initiative
• Influence on fundraising
• Influence as Secretary of State
• Foreign policies
• Influence on women
• ACT or SAT score requirements
• Promotional techniques, such as 1st time scholarships
• 4 year vs. 2 year colleges
• College admission policies
• College tuition planning
• Distance education
• Diploma mills
• Online porn vs. freedom of speech
• Stalking, invasion of privacy vs. reasonable access
• Hacking crimes–workable solutions?
• What are the latest ways to steal identity and money?
• From where does spam email come and can we stop it?
• How do computer viruses spread and in what ways do they affect computers?
• Cyber security
• Securing Internet commerce: is it possible in today’s arms’ race of hackers and evolving technology?
• Is downloading of media (music, videos, software) infringing on the rights of media producers and causing economic hardships on media creators?
• Should media producers prosecute students and individuals that they suspect of downloading copyrighted materials?
• Programs such as SPOTIFY and PANDORA
• Copyright Law
• Age limitations on surgery
• Addiction to surgery
• Demand for beauty by society
• The dangers of breast implants for teenagers
• The cost of cosmetic surgery
• Plastic surgery
• Weight loss surgery
• Are surgeons “scissor happy,” and are surgeries widely unnecessarily
• Negative texting, instant messaging, email
• Is cyber-bullying as bad as face-to-face?
• Kinds of punishment for cyber-bullying
• Media response
• Should the state or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying?
• Is homosexuality a choice, or are people born gay?
• Evolution vs. Creationism.
• Should “under God” remain in the Pledge of Allegiance?
• Is healthcare a right or a privilege?
• Fossil fuels vs. alternative energy.
• Transgender bathroom policies.
• Capitalism vs. socialism.
• Should parents be allowed to spank their children?
• Should sanctuary cities lose their federal funding?
• The pros and cons of gun control.
• Should the U.S. continue drone strikes in foreign countries?
• Was the U.S. justified in going to war with Iraq?
• How to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• The pros and cons of animal testing.
• Do pro athletes have the right to sit during the national anthem?
• Incarceration rates in the U.S.
• Technology and the criminal justice system.
• Police brutality and minorities.
• Should the police wear body cameras?
• In what circumstances should the death penalty be allowed?
• Should we have stiffer penalties for drunk driving?
• Should those who text while driving be put in jail?
• White-collar crime and punishment.
• Criminalizing protests and activism.
• The rise of wrongful convictions.
• Mutual consent vs. exploitation
• Campuses with “no touch” policy
• Drugs associated to Date Rape
• Violence and Rape
• Government support vs. parental financing
• Benefits vs. harmful effects
• Trump’s unconventional presidential campaign.
• The psychology of Donald Trump.
• Who is behind Trump’s political rise?
• Donald Trump and evangelical voters.
• Donald Trump the businessman.
• Trump’s war on the press (aka “fake news”).
• The Trump Organization and conflicts of interest.
• The border wall and illegal immigration policy.
• Global warming and climate change policy.
• Trump-Russia collusion.
• The rapid rise of “The Resistance.”
• Trump’s legislative agenda; e.g., health care, tax policy, deregulation, etc.
• Trump’s “America First” trade and foreign policy.
• The case for (or against) the Trump presidency.
• Punishment vs. treatment
• Family reactions
• Social acceptance
• Community safety vs. legalization
• United States military involvement in Colombian drug trade?
• Drug legalization
• Abstinence Program: Do they work?
• Should the federal government legalize the use of marijuana?
• What is the true key to happiness?
• What is the cause of America’s obesity crisis?
• Why sleep is necessary.
• Are plastic bottles really bad for you?
• How to encourage people to recycle more.
• How 3D printers benefit everyone.
• How do GPS systems on smartphones work?
• How have oil spills impacted the environment?
• Verbal vs. nonverbal communication.
• The accuracy of lie detector tests.
• How Bill Gates and Steve Jobs changed the world.
• The pros and cons of hitchhiking.
• The PC vs. the Mac.
• What causes tornadoes?
• Pollution, air, and water
• Endangered species
• What are the risks of climate change and global warming?
• Rain forests
• Alternative energy
• Alternative fuel/hybrid vehicles
• Conservation
• Deforestation
• Greenhouse effect
• Marine pollution
• How have oil spills affected the planet and what steps are being taken to prevent them?
• Sustainability of buildings
• Recycling programs
• Cost of “green” programs
• Wind turbines
• Landfill issues
• Renewable fuels
• Radioactive waste disposal
• Soil pollution
• Wildlife conservation: what efforts are being taken to protect endangered wildlife?
• Excessive burden on industries?
• Drilling for oil in Alaska’s ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge)
• Gasoline consumption vs. SUV’s popularity
• Wildlife protection vs. rights of developers
• Clean air and water standards–weakened vs. strengthened
• What are the dangers of scuba diving and underwater exploration?
• Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels?
• Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated?
• How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it?
• Protecting victims vs. rights of the accused
• Women who kill abusive husbands vs. punishment for murder
• Marital rape?
• How to protect children vs. respect for parental rights
• Children who kill abusive parents
• Child abuse–workable solutions?
• Child abuse
• Domestic abuse
• Organic farming vs. mainline use of chemical sprays
• How to best protect the environment; conservation
• Family vs. corporate farms
• Food production costs
• Interventionism?
• Third world debt and World Bank/International Monetary Fund
• Military support vs. economic development of third world countries
• Human rights violations
• European Union in competition with the U.S.
• Unilateralism
• Relevance of the United Nations
• Neocon role in foreign policy
• Christian right influence on foreign policy
• Pentagon vs. State Department
• Nation building as a policy
• Arms control
• Obama’s National Strategy for Counterterrorism
• Control of al Qaeda
• Drawdown of U.S. Armed Forces in the Middle East
• Cats vs. dogs: which makes the better pet?
• My pet can live forever: why I love animal clones.
• According to my social media profile, my life is perfect.
• Football vs. baseball: which sport is America’s favorite pastime?
• Starbucks vs. Caribou: whose coffee is better?
• What does your dog really think of you?
• Why millennials deserve lower pay.
• What makes people end up with so many mismatched socks?
• How to become a research paper master.
• How reading Tuesdays with Morrie can make you wiser.
• Easy way to earn revenues vs. social damage
• Individual freedom vs. social damage
• Do lotteries actually benefit education or is it a scam?
• Can gamblers ever acquire a statistical advantage over the house in casino games?
• Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry?
• Adoption rights?
• Need special rights for protection?
• College campus response
• Gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender
• Gay parenting
• Elderly to share in the tax burden vs. government support of elderly
• Future of social security
• Job discrimination
• Child rearing
• Employment issues
• Generational differences
• Community and police safety vs. unrestricted right to bear arms
• NRA (National Rifle Association)
• 2nd Amendment
• Do states that allow citizens to carry guns have higher or lower crime rates?
• Community safety vs. freedom of Speech
• Punishment inequities
• Persecution of alternative lifestyles
• Church Arson: Hate crime?
• Prevention of hazing
• Greek organizations and rituals of hazing
• Statistics of death or injury due to Hazing
• High Schools and Hazing
• What happened during the Salem witch trials?
• How did trains and railroads change life in America?
• What may have occurred during the Roswell UFO incident of 1947?
• What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece?
• How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt? What did she accomplish during her reign?
• What are the origins of the conflict in Darfur?
• What was the women’s suffrage movement and how did it change America?
• How was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln plotted and executed?
• How did Cold War tension affect the US and the world?
• What happened to the lost settlers at Roanoke?
• How did Julius Caesar affect Rome?
• How did the Freedom Riders change society?
• What was the code of the Bushido and how did it affect samurai warriors?
• How did Joan of Arc change history?
• What dangers and hardships did Lewis and Clark face when exploring the Midwest?
• How are the Great Depression and the Great Recession similar and different?
• What was the Manhattan Project and what impact did it have on the world?
• Why did Marin Luther protest against the Catholic Church?
• How did the Roman Empire fall?
• How did the black plague affect Europe?
• How did Genghis Khan conquer Persia?
• How did journalists influence US war efforts in Vietnam?
• Who is Vlad the Impaler and what is his connection to Count Dracula?
• Who was a greater inventor, Leonardo di Vinci or Thomas Edison?
• What was the role of African Americans during the Revolutionary War?
• What was Britain’s view of India during British rule?
• What were the factors in the China-Tibet conflict?
• Research and analyze the emergence of the Catholic Church as a political force following the collapse of the Roman Empire.
• Investigate Dr. Eileen Powers’ claim that the Roman Empire was lost primarily due to an inability to perceive itself as subject to the change inevitable to all governments, or her “force of nature” theory.
• Explore and discuss the actual cooperation occurring through the centuries of Barbarian conquest of Rome.
• Examine the differences and similarities between Western and Eastern concepts and practices of kingship.
• Investigate and explain the trajectory of ALEXANDER THE GREAT’s empire, with minimal emphasis on personal leadership.
• To what extent did commerce first link Eastern and Western cultures, and how did this influence early international relations?
• Research and analyze how Japan moved from a feudalistic to a modern state, and how geographic isolation played a role in the process.
• Analyze the process and effects of Romanization on the Celtic people of ancient England: benefits, conflicts, influences.
• Overview of British dominance of Ireland, Wales, and Scotland! How was this justified in each case, and what motivated the attempts over centuries of rebellion and failure?
• Investigate the known consequences of Guttenberg’s printing press within the first 30 years of its invention, and only in regard to the interaction between European nations.
• Identify and analyze the point at which the Reformation became fused with European politics and nationalist agendas.
• To what extent did Henry VIII promote the Reformation, despite his vigorous persecution of heretics in England?
• Trace and discuss the uses of papal power as a military and political device in the 14th and 15th centuries.
• Research the city/state of Florence from the 13th to the 16th centuries, discussing how and why it evolved as so fiercely republican.
• Compare and contrast the Russian Czarism of Peter, Elizabeth, and Catherine with the monarchies of England and France in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• Investigate the enormous significance of Catholic Orthodoxy as the dominant faith in Russia, and its meaning and influence in an empire populated by a minimal aristocracy and predominant serfdom.
• To what extent did Philip II’s religious convictions shape European policy and conflict in the 16th century?
• Trace the path leading to the convocation of the Estates in France in the late 18th century, leading to the Revolution. Assess political and social errors responsible.
• What eventually ended serfdom in Russia, and why were numerous attempts to end it by the Czars in power consistently unsuccessful?
• Research and report on how England was transformed in the 19th century by the industrial revolution and the advent of the railroad.
• Compare and contrast the consequences of the industrial revolutions in England and America in terms of urbanization.
• What were the circumstances leading to World War I, and how might the war have been averted?
• Assess the Cold War of the 20th century in an historical context: can any parallels be made between this conflict and other ongoing tensions between major powers in earlier centuries?
• Analyze Roosevelt’s decisions in implementing the New Deal, beginning with the closing of the banks. Suggest alternative strategies, or reinforce the rationale of the actions.
• What architectural marvels were found in Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire?
• What was the cultural significance of the first moon landing?
• Food programs
• Welfare reform
• Governmental supplementation
• Homeless: urban restrictions vs. needs of the destitute
• Workable solutions?
• Realistic limits vs. openness toward people in need
• English as official language vs. respect for diversity
• Should illegal immigrants be made legal citizens?
• Access to public school and public programs for Illegal Aliens
• Policing borders–workable solutions?
• Employment and/or taxation for Illegal Aliens
• International trade
• Democratization
• “Shock and awe”
• U.S. occupation vs. liberation
• Iraqi run vs. U.S. puppet state
• Oil and Gas prices-Control of resources
• Effective self-government
• War on Terrorism
• Is America winning or losing the War? What is the measurement of success? Have the benefits outweighed the costs?
• Parental leave for both parents
• FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)
• Bonding time
• Preemptive strike policy
• Precision weapons
• Intelligence reliability
• Afghanistan – a success or stalemate
• Should the U.S. have mandatory military conscriptions? For whom?
• Governmental support
• Preparedness
• School emergency plans
• Community warning systems
• Damage costs
• U.S. presidential elections should be decided by the popular vote, rather than the Electoral College.
• The minimum wage should be increased to provide a “livable” wage for working families.
• There should be stiffer penalties for those who commit animal cruelty.
• School vouchers increase competition and create better quality schools.
• The corporate tax rate should be lowered to create more jobs.
• Social Security should be privatized.
• Human torture should be banned in all circumstances.
• Affirmative action is still needed to ensure racial and gender equality.
• The U.S. dollar should go back on the gold standard.
• Euthanasia and assisted suicide should be outlawed.
• Police brutality vs. dangers that police face
• Racially motivated brutality?
• Politician’s right to privacy vs. the public’s right to know
• Amount of money going into presidential campaigns
• Views on abortion, gay marriage, and other controversial topics
• Political debates throughout history
• Third-party candidates at presidential debates
• Rights of religious citizens vs. freedom from imposition (e.g. prayer in schools)
• Religious motivation for political involvement vs. cultural pluralism
• Christian Right’s influence on foreign policy
• How serious? Causes? Workable solutions?
• Funding abortion as a form of birth control in third world countries?
• What would happen globally if the demand for natural resources is greater than the supply?
• Limitation of social deterioration vs. freedom of speech
• Definition of Pornography
• Child Pornography
• Building prisons vs. alternative sentencing
• Adjusted sentencing for lesser crimes
• Community service
• Diversion Programs for inmates
• How does the prison population in America compare to other nations?
• Prostitution laws in the US and abroad
• Benefits and drawbacks to legalizing prostitution
• Psychological effect on prostitutes and former prostitutes
• Sex slavery, buying and selling
• Should the government be allowed to wire tap without permission?
• What limitations, if any, should be applied to the paparazzi?
• What medical information should be confidential? Who, if anybody, should have access to medical records?
• Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life?
• Privacy rights
• Do harsher punishments mean fewer convictions?
• Date rape: consent vs. exploitation
• Drugs-Rohypnol, GHB, KETAMINE
• Legalization of Date Rape Drugs
• Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having consensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys?
• Acquaintance rape
• Is there one true religion?
• Freedom of religion
• Offer distinct reasons why the Bible should be studied as literature, removed from religious significance.
• From Hollywood to the White House: the political rise of Ronald Reagan.
• The Great Communicator: how Reagan captured the hearts of Americans.
• 1981 assassination attempt: bullet wound leaves Reagan inches away from death.
• Reagan appoints the first female Supreme Court justice.
• The PATCO breakup and decline of the labor unions.
• Tax cuts and “Reaganomics.”
• The “Iran-Contra” scandal.
• Reagan, Gorbachev, and the end of the Cold War.
• The final act: Reagan’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis and long goodbye.
• How has airport security intensified since September 11th, 2001?
• Identity theft
• Homeland Security: Are we safer since the creation of this department?
• Should the government use invasive pat-downs and body scans to ensure passenger safety or are there better methods?
• Is arming Pilots a good idea?
• What responsibilities do secret service agents have?
• Student loan scams
• How to avoid student loan debt
• Managing student loan debt
• Driverless cars and the future of transportation.
• Breaking the glass ceiling: the impact of the women’s rights movement.
• How seniors contribute to societal well-being.
• How disabled individuals are viewed by society.
• The modern-day civil rights movement.
• Has technology made us more detached from society?
• The role of religion in society.
• In today’s society, are we better off or worse off than previous generations?
• Popular music and its impact on the culture.
• Class and geographical segregation.
• The differences between life in the city, suburbs, and/or rural areas.
• Should parents be able to create designer babies?
• Should microchips be implanted inside humans for better tracking and security?
• Will smart watches eventually replace cell phones?
• The pros and cons of being a global citizen.
• Progressive vs. flat tax
• Excessive taxes vs. worthwhile programs
• Is text messaging contributing to teen illiteracy?
• How eating disorders impact teens.
• Tablets vs. textbooks.
• Do standardized tests improve teen education?
• Are violent video games contributing to juvenile delinquency?
• Is English literature relevant for today’s teens?
• Should the HPV vaccine be required for teen girls?
• Do teachers inflate grades so students can pass?
• Should advertisers be allowed to target teens?
• How to encourage teens to stop smoking.
• The causes and effects of teen alcohol and drug abuse.
• How to prevent teen pregnancy.
• Osama Bin Laden
• World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings
• September 11, 2001
• War on terrorism
• Afghanistan
• Bioterrorism
• Al Qaida: Has U.S. policy actually spread terrorism rather than contained it? Will it get better or worse? Why and how?
• Can terrorism ever be justified?
• What kind of person becomes a suicide bomber?
• What were the circumstances surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden?
• Has the Patriot Act prevented or stopped terrorist acts in America?
• How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?
• Cell Phones: How have they changed us socially?
• Does the Information Age mean we are losing important historical information?
• Where did hip-hop music originate?
• A day in the life of a Buddhist monk.
• How does the brain store and retrieve memories?
• What life is like inside an ant colony.
• The case for and against the existence of UFOs.
• Can virtual reality adequately substitute for actual reality?
• Are dreams hidden messages or just hot air?
• Why do people collect the most ridiculous things?
• When is it time to get out of an abusive relationship?
• The art of pretending to care.
• Public attitudes toward veterans
• Health issues caused by service time
• Organizations for veterans
• Governmental support for veterans
• What programs are available to help war veterans get back into society?
• Iraq War Vets: Are they being cheated on medical benefits?
• Is there a glass ceiling?
• Obstacles to women running for political office?
• Should women be priests, pastors, ministers, and rabbis?
• What differences, if any, are there in children who are raised by stay-at-home moms and working moms? Does society today still discriminate against working mothers who wish to have flexible work schedules?
• Should stay-at-home moms get a salary from the government?
• Why do we sleep?
• How do GPS systems work?
• Who was the first person to reach the North Pole?
• Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz?
• What was life like for a gladiator?
• Are there any effective means of repelling insects?
• How is bulletproof clothing made?
• How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years?
• What is life like inside of a beehive?
• Where did hip hop originate and who were its founders?
• What makes the platypus a unique and interesting mammal?
• What is daily life like for a Buddhist monk?
• How did gunpowder change warfare?
• How were cats and dogs domesticated and for what purposes?
• What do historians know about ninjas?
• Are humans still evolving?
• What is the curse of the pharaohs?
• Why was Socrates executed?
• How did ancient sailors navigate the globe?
• How are black holes formed?
• How do submarines work?
• Do lie detector tests accurately determine truthful statements?
• How does a hybrid car save energy?
• What ingredients can be found in a hotdog?
• How does a shark hunt?
• How does the human brain store and retrieve memories?
• How does stealth technology shield aircraft from radar?
• What causes tornados?
• How does night vision work?
• What causes desert mirages, and how do they affect wanderers?
• What are sinkholes, and how are they formed?
• What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs?
• Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce?
• Divorce rates
• Family relationships
• Family values
• Race relations
• Marriage and Divorce
• A view of home life and its effect on child development
• How 4 generations in the workplace can work together.
• Building positive employee relationships
• Modern work environments
• Business leadership
• Workforce regulations
• Small business and taxation
• Corporate law
• Issues in modern Human Resources: Are today’s corporations patronizing employees or being more responsible for them?
• Cultural conflict in globalization: Strategies for successfully establishing a presence in a foreign culture
• Corporate abuse: How can executives so successfully manipulate corporations criminally?
• Identifying stakeholders in non-public companies: is the corporate responsibility the same as for public offerings?
• Devise a new model of leadership for business today, incorporating elements of existing leadership models and theories.
• Examine the actual impact of social media as a business promotion instrument.
• Devise a scenario in which traditionally unethical business practices may be justified.
• Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources?
• Do the media (both print and broadcast) report fairly? Do they ever cross the line between reporting the news and creating the news?
• Does news coverage favor whites?
• What steps are involved in creating a movie or television show?
• How have the film and music industries dealt with piracy?
• Media conglomerates/ownership
• Minorities in mass media
• Portrayal of women
• Reality television
• Television violence
• Media portrayals
• Sensationalized media
• Examine the issues of responsibility in pharmaceutical companies’ promotion of drugs in the media.
• Forensic science technology
• What are the current capabilities and future goals of genetic engineers?
• What obstacles faced scientists in breaking the sound barrier?
• What is alchemy and how has it been attempted?
• What technologies are available to home owners to help them conserve energy?
• Nuclear energy
• Clean energy resources
• Wind energy: Is wind energy really that inexpensive? Is it effective? Is it practical?
• What are the dangers and hazards of using nuclear power?
• Investigate Freud’s contributions to psychology as they exist today: what value remains?
• Are there gender foundations to psychology and behavior that are removed from cultural considerations? To what extent does gender actually dictate thought process?
• To what extent is sexual orientation dictated by culture, and is there an orientation not subject to social and cultural influences?
• Investigate the psychological process in group dynamics with regard to the emergence of leaders and the compliance of others.
• Compare and contrast Jung, Freud, and Adler: explore distinctions and commonalities.
• What is “normal,” and to what extent is psychology reliant on culture to define this?
• Research and assess the effectiveness of radical psychotherapies and unconventional treatments.
• Research the concept of human will as both a component of individual psychology and a process or element removed from it.
• To what extent is self-image influenced by culture in regard to eating disorders? Are external factors entirely to blame?
• How do centuries-old beliefs of madness and dementia relate to modern conceptions of mental illness?
• Is psychology itself inevitably a non-science in that virtually any theory may be substantiated, or is there a foundation of science to the subject to which all theorists must conform?
• Examine Euripides and gender psychology: what do the Trojan Women and Medea reveal?
• Using three characters, explore Chaucer’s insight into human behavior in The Canterbury Tales.
• Identify the true relationship between Dante and Virgil in The Divine Comedy, emphasizing Dante’s reliance on the poet.
• Research and discuss the English fascination for euphemism and ornate narratives in the 16th century, beginning with John Lyly.
• Examine any existing controversies regarding Shakespearean authorship, citing arguments on both sides.
• Analyze similarities and differences between Marlowe and Shakespeare in regard to Tamburlaine and Titus Andronicus.
• Defend or support Bloom’s assertion of Shakespeare as the “inventor of the human being.”
• To what degree are Shakespeare’s plays influenced by, or reflective, of the Elizabethan era? Identify specific cultural and national events linked to at least 3 plays.
• Analyze the unusual construction of A Winter’s Tale in regard to transition from comedy to drama. Is this valid? Does the transition benefit or harm the play?
• Support the belief that Shakespeare is representing himself as Prospero through evidence, or similarly refute the belief.
• Why was extreme violence so popular in English Reformation drama? Cite Marlowe, Kyd, Webster, and Shakespeare.
• Analyze the metaphysical in Donne’s poetry: is it spiritual, existential, or both?
• What is Shelley seeking to say in Frankenstein? Support your answer with passages from the novel.
• Compare and contrast Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina with Flaubert’s Madame Bovary, noting the characters of the heroines.
• It is argued that Dickens failed when he turned to serious, romantic narrative in his novels. Using Copperfield, Great Expectations, and Dombey and Son, defend or refute this claim.
• Assess Dickens’ stance as a moralist in Bleak House and Hard Times: to what extent does he seek reform, and to what does he comment on the human condition?
• Was the Harry Potter phenomenon warranted by quality of storytelling or more a matter of public receptivity at the time combined with media exposure?

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20 thoughts on “717 Good Research Paper Topics”

How has music evolved? How has music effected history? Music of the past vs music of the present. How has the music industry effected the music’s quality?

Do you think abortion is legal? Why they do abortion?

Why are people instinctively afraid of animals that are not mammals?

Should abortion be legalized? Should domestic abuse and child abuse victims be granted clemency for killing their abuser?

Jewish holocaust and its contribution to European History, specifically Germany

What is the most popular college in the United States?

The Black Knight: Space Waste or Alien Satellite? The Moon Landing: Real or Hollywood Hoax? Have We Become Too Politically Correct? Paranormal Research: Real? Fake? Should it be offered in college? Who really was Jack the Ripper? Can a zombie apocalypse truly occur? Who is the best or worst president of the USA? The Men in Black: real or hoax?

Why Marching Band is a sport.

Marching band is not a sport

how did aids start?

Topic : Alternative medicine Research question : Does the alternative medicine is safe and standardized Hypothesis : analyse the quality controle of alternative medicine formulations

Does our nostalgic music/childhood songs affect our present lifestyle, and in what ways?

reverse discriminations is still discrimination so there’s no such thing as that. like reverse racism isn’t a thing because that is still racism

Men on birth control and not women.

You forget the topic Islamophobia 😉

You should add a music section. Is Muzio Clementi overshadowed by Mozart? The Toccata and Fugue in D- really wasn’t written by Bach The use of the “Dies Irae” in cinema Why is modern music so repetitive and simple compared to classical music?

I want to do a research project on Education

I want to research but not get a perfect topic help me give me a best topic about current affairs

Topic: History. Are the Crusades oversimplified? where they justified? If so, how? Topic: Current affairs. Is the term “conspiracy theory” used to discredit any non-mainstream, controversial opinions. Topic: Gun control. Does limiting magazine capacity for firearms have any effect on gun crime? Are high-capacity magazines ever necessary for self-defense? Topic: Economics. Are minimum wage laws necessary to guarantee “decent”, or do the laws of supply and demand automatically ensure that?

Are women funny?

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Top 300+ Ideas For Research Paper Topics in 2024

Updated 28 Aug 2024

Some say the most difficult part of writing a text – is to start. But topic selection even precedes this starting point. This activity takes off a lot of time, and sometimes, imagination just doesn’t work in your favor. That’s where our list of best research paper topics will be useful.

Our  research paper writing service collected the most unhacked and powerful ideas to turn the average piece of writing into a research paper. Discover  what is a research paper and how to choose suitable and interesting research topics with our help. 

Writing a research topic on your own requires either producing one from scratch (based on your interests and goals and, potentially, on some brainstorming) or getting inspiration from a number of sources, like preassembled topic lists, course material, teachers, real-life, news headlines, published research in the respective field, etc.

What are the 3 Types of Research Questions?

Before formulating your research questions ideas, note that there are 3 important types of research questions:

Descriptive – these employ careful and comprehensive observation of a phenomenon/ event, subject, trait, etc. in order to characterize it in detail and to reveal important/ interesting/ undescribed aspects or patterns potentially.

Causal – these investigate whether altering some variables leads to changes in other variables, suggesting a causal relationship.

Comparative – these look into similarities and differences between two or more entities.

What is a Good Research Paper Topic?

Good research paper topics are characterized by several features that make them suitable for engaging and successful research papers. Features that tend to characterize good research questions are as follows:

specific and concrete – investigation goals and (expected results) have to be clear and focused

original – investigating aspects/ entities/ relationships that have not been researched before

highly important /impactful for the community/ society/ a professional field.

highly relevant for potential readers/ reviewers

trending – emerging disciplines/ topics spark more interest due to their novelty and yet unexplored potential

Choosing an appropriate topic influences various components of the research process, including the research question and methodology, ultimately affecting the quality and relevance of the findings.

College Research Paper Topics

• The bias in the selection of the college internships and scholarships
• The problems of reverse discrimination in post-college employment
• Should multicultural education concepts be implemented at a greater depth?
• The drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses
• Does social media help students to find appropriate information and learn?
• The psychological disorders and the support groups in modern colleges
• Should people with ADHD and Autism be separated from the other students?
• The art of college political campaigns
• Pros and cons of religious colleges
• Should college athletes be paid and provided with additional advantages?
• The Influence of Social Media on College Students' Academic Performance and Well-being
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms in Higher Education
• The Role of College Education in Fostering Entrepreneurial Skills
• The Impact of Student Loan Debt on Career Choices Among Graduates
• Analyzing the Shift in College Admissions Criteria in the Post-COVID Era

Health Research Paper Topics

• The challenges of deafness and communication difficulties among special needs students
• The concept of global health security
• The ways to decrease household air pollution
• How the information about infectious diseases is distributed online
• Should people be allowed to know more about climate change issues?
• The privacy factor and the personal health issues
• The role of fitness ads in exercising practices
• The healthy food standards are not always unbiased
• The role of social media in the medical care system
• The psychological aspect in the perception of allergies
• The Long-term Effects of COVID-19 on Respiratory Health
• Mental Health Outcomes of Prolonged Social Media Use Among Adolescents
• The Efficacy of Plant-based Diets in Preventing Chronic Diseases
• The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Accessibility to Healthcare
• Analyzing the Impact of Sleep Quality on Daily Cognitive Functioning

Research Paper Topics on Medicine

• Is life-sustaining therapy needed when it’s futile?
• The role of placebo treatment
• How to avoid animal testing?
• Pros and contras of medical marijuana
• Is being a vegetarian useful for child’s health?
• How obesity affects our health?
• Vaccines for kids: their usefulness or damage
• Should prescription drugs be advertised directly to consumers?
• Do doctors turn their patients into drug addicts?
• Advancements in Gene Editing: Ethical Implications and Future Prospects
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine
• Personalized Medicine: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Genetic Profiles
• The Impact of Microbiome Diversity on Human Health
• Stem Cell Therapy: Current Applications and Ethical Considerations
• The Challenges and Successes of Vaccine Development in the 21st Century

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Education Research Paper Topics

• How can standardized tests improve education?
• Does college graduates make more money?
• Should education be cheaper?
• How will modern technologies change the way of teaching in the future?
• The creation of particular learning methods for blind children
• Social networking and school
• Metal detectors at schools
• The effects of contemporary teaching methods
• The role of technology in lesson planning
• How to manage bullies and take actions against bullying at education institutions?
• The Effects of Bilingual Education on Cognitive Development in Children
• Evaluating the Long-term Impact of Early Childhood Education Programs
• The Role of Technology in Enhancing Special Education
• Standardized Testing: Measuring Intelligence or Memorization?
• The Influence of Teacher-Student Relationships on Academic Achievement

Read also: 150+ Best Sociology Research Topics

Environmental Research Paper Topics

• How to reduce global warming?
• How to stop wasting paper and save trees?
• Can overpopulation be managed?
• Should more films about environmental issues be produced?
• Human impacts on forests
• Underground effects of earthquakes
• How to elaborate the optimal adaptation of buildings threatened by hurricanes?
• Is it possible to predict hurricane impacts?
• Is nuclear power safe for humans?
• How dangerous is GMO food?
• Assessing the Impact of Urban Sprawl on Local Ecosystems
• The Effectiveness of Plastic Ban Policies on Ocean Health
• Carbon Capture Technology: Viability and Potential in Mitigating Climate Change
• The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation
• Analyzing the Environmental Consequences of Fast Fashion

Research Topics on Entertainment and Sport

• Are social networks good for our society?
• Do violent video games make kids angry and cruel?
• Is it necessary to forbid using animals for entertainment?
• Do beauty contests set the non-achievable beauty standards?
• Are newspapers going to be replaced by online sources of information?
• How gaming consoles influence the youth?
• Should women be allowed to compete against men?
• What television programs should be banned?
• How tv shows impose fake moral standards?
• Can the use of social media, such as Facebook, lower teens’ self-esteem?
• The Psychological Impact of Competitive Sports on Young Athletes
• The Influence of Celebrity Endorsements on Consumer Behavior
• E-Sports: The Rise of Competitive Gaming and Its Recognition as a Legitimate Sport
• The Role of Sports in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding
• The Economic Impact of Major Sporting Events on Host Cities

Research Paper Topics on Media and Communication

• Should the media programming of ads aimed at children be made illegal?
• The role of mediation in the media
• Should bloggers be considered as journalists?
• The ethical side of modern news reports
• The freedom of speech online
• The copyright law restrictions and the vague concepts
• The importance of psychology and communicative skills in journalism
• The role of gender in interpersonal communication
• The modern standards of nonverbal communication
• The negative influence of Instagram and body image distortion
• The Evolution of News Consumption: Impact of Social Media on Traditional Media
• The Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion During Political Campaigns
• The Ethics of Surveillance and Privacy in Digital Communication
• The Effects of Smartphone Usage on Face-to-Face Communication Skills
• Virtual Reality: The Future of Immersive Journalism

Research Paper Topics on Politics

• Should the drinking age be lowered?
• Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?
• More gun control laws should be enacted
• How can the international community prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons?
• How can ethnic killings be stopped?
• Current prospect for peace between Israel and the Palestinians
• What world would be like without wars?
• How to avoid workforce reduction?
• Should the death penalty be allowed?
• Is socialism possible?
• The Influence of Social Media on Political Mobilization and Public Protests
• Campaign Finance Reform: The Effects on Political Representation and Elections
• The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Shaping Global Policy
• The Impact of Populism on Traditional Political Party Systems
• Cybersecurity in Elections: Protecting the Integrity of Democracy

Psychology Research Paper Topics

• Is autism a disease or a development idiosyncrasy?
• How to forecast and shape behavioral patterns?
• How to manage child violence?
• How to deal with a mental breakdown?
• The impact of classical music on the work of the brain
• How insomnia affects our health?
• How bad dreams influence our mood?
• Is stress really harmful?
• How depression impacts the immune system?
• Intellectually gifted people: how is it possible?
• The Psychological Effects of Social Isolation in the Digital Age
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Mindfulness: Comparative Outcomes in Treating Anxiety
• The Role of Resilience in Recovery from Trauma
• The Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Personality Development
• Neuroplasticity: How Learning and Experience Shape Brain Function

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Science & Technology Research Paper Ideas

• How is light being used to treat cancer and other diseases?
• What is the current evidence that Mars has had water and maybe life?
• Can nanomedicine potentially extend the human lifespan?
• What is the future of computing and artificial intelligence?
• The role cryogenics may play in future
• Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
• Is it beneficial for wild animals to have interactions with people?
• What evidence do we have that CMB is the result of the big bang?
• How will self-driving cars change the way people live?
• Can using system like bitcoin help protect identity theft?
• The Potential of CRISPR and Gene Therapy in Curing Genetic Diseases
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: The Next Frontier for Drug Delivery Systems
• The Role of Quantum Computing in the Future of Cybersecurity
• The Ethical Implications of Humanoid Robots in Society
• Renewable Energy Technologies: Assessing the Efficiency and Sustainability of Solar Power Solutions

Research Topics Ideas on Culture

• A new comprehension of past events
• The origin of racial discrimination
• The roots of antisemitism
• The impact of advertisements and commercials on modern art
• The most remarkable cultural achievements of the 20th century and their influence on our society
• Cultural revolutions throughout history
• How pop culture trends influence youth?
• Should pregnant celebrities be exposed on magazine’s covers?
• Why was Greek cultural influence so important for the ancient Mediterranean world?
• Why was the Victorian period a time of cultural change?
• Cultural Impact on Climate Change Response: A Comparative Study
• The Preservation of Folklore and Oral Traditions in the Digital Age
• Cross-Cultural Communication: Overcoming Language and Ethical Barriers
• The Influence of Globalization on Indigenous Cultures
• Cultural Diplomacy and Its Role in International Relations

Research Paper Topics on Math

• The influence of algorithms
• Is it possible to build a winning monopoly strategy?
• Why is 'x' the unknown?
• How math changed the world?
• What's the solution to the McDonald's math problem?
• How do math geniuses understand extremely hard math concepts so quickly?
• Should high school math contests be banned?
• What is the relationship between music and math?
• Are math formulas ever used in real life?
• What are some of the most confusing math problems ever?
• The Role of Mathematics in Cryptography and Cybersecurity
• Mathematical Models in Predicting Pandemic Outcomes: A Case Study of COVID-19
• The Application of Game Theory in Economic and Social Decision Making
• Chaos Theory and Its Implications in Weather Forecasting and Climate Science
• The Impact of Big Data on the Evolution of Statistical Methods and Theories

Research Paper Topics on Business

• How do dirty business tactics work?
• Can business be started without money?
• Notorious business leaders
• Entrepreneurship and family business
• Ethical decision making in everyday work situations
• What are the most effective strategies for promoting a small business?
• Is it worth it to expand the business into a new region or country?
• How to build a successful startup
• The role of international business and sustainable development
• The impact of climate change on international business strategies
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Measuring the Impact on Business Performance
• The Gig Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for the Modern Workforce
• Innovative Business Models in the Age of Sustainable Development
• The Influence of Organizational Culture on Employee Productivity and Satisfaction
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies

Research Paper Topics For Middle School

• Is going vegan the healthiest choice for you?
• Is the greenhouse effect artificial or natural?
• The causes, effects, and consequences of earthquakes
• How much computer games can one play without getting addicted
• Princess Diana and her dynasty
• Why is competition so critical for humans?
• How did poetry evolve?
• Methods used by ancient sailors to navigate the globe
• Gender roles in children’s books and cartoons
• Who is the greatest general who has lived on the planet?
• The Science Behind Video Games: How Gaming Affects Reflexes and Learning
• The History and Cultural Significance of a Popular Holiday
• The Impact of Recycling Programs in Schools
• Animal Habitats: How Urban Development Affects Local Wildlife
• The Role of Social Media in Modern Communication Among Teens

High School Research Paper Ideas

• The ways to address drug addiction cases in high school
• The physical vs digital communications
• The body image and the K-Pop culture
• The importance of school volunteering and social work
• The changes to the academic process due to Covid-19
• The legacy of the Trail of Tears
• The role of motivation in becoming a better student
• The role of books in print and the libraries
• The ways to improve school safety
• The role of parental involvement in school work
• Exploring the Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Self-Esteem
• The Physics of Sports: Analyzing the Science Behind Athletic Performance
• Climate Change and Its Effects on Local Ecosystems
• The Evolution of Language in the Digital Age
• The Rise of Cryptocurrency: Economic Education and the Future of Money

History Research Paper Topics

• What were the impacts of World War II on the rights of women?
• What factors initiated the WWII
• Is liberalism the most optimal solution?
• What were the consequences of women suffrage movements
• What was the impact of Martin Luther King’s protest against the Catholic church
• What is the most effective military strategy of all time
• How has Asian art influenced contemporary art
• How have different monetary systems affected the development of humanity
• What is the correlation between the Roman and Greek culture?
• Aztec empire and its architecture
• The Role of Women in World War II and Its Impact on Gender Roles
• The Influence of the Silk Road on the Cultural Exchange between East and West
• The Effects of the Cold War on Space Exploration Competition
• The Historical Accuracy of Popular Historical Films: A Case Study
• The Impact of the Printing Press on the Renaissance and European Society

Art Research Paper Ideas

• The reasons why digital museums must be present and made available
• The peculiarities of the Flemish artists
• Should Japanese anime be considered as a separate art form?
• The role of Photoshop and similar digital solutions in the perception of modern art
• The history of photography and the artistic expression forms
• The challenges of the modern artists during social distancing times
• The Middle Eastern perception of color and the light
• Ancient Rome's role in the creation of the sculptures
• Should the artists be allowed to represent their works in public parks?
• The importance of art education in middle schools
• The Evolution of Street Art and Its Acceptance into Mainstream Art Culture
• The Influence of Digital Media on Traditional Painting Techniques
• The Role of Patronage in the Development of Renaissance Art
• The Psychological Impact of Color in Abstract Art
• Cultural Representation and Diversity in Modern Art Museums

Literature Research Paper Topics

• The American dream literature
• How does harry potter reflects the ideal of the time
• Can you show a new aspect of prose based on the independent investigation
• The prose of women suffrage movements
• The dawn of literature on modern society
• Why do authors use metaphors and similes
• Evaluate and discuss the allegory of 2 random novels
• What factors are helpful in allowing you to identify the genre of a novel you are reading
• Is fanfiction considered an independent literature
• Romance and sex in Renaissance
• Fiction as an instrument of propaganda
• The Representation of Gender Roles in Victorian Literature
• Postcolonial Voices: How Literature Has Shaped National Identity
• The Journey Motif in Classic American Road Novels
• Dystopian Visions: What Modern Dystopian Literature Tells Us About Today's Society

Law Research Paper Topics

• How is the Islamic law perceived around the globe
• Is ECOLEX a pathway to environmental law
• Why is it critical to learn the GATT documents?
• What does the European patent office do?
• Mass communication law
• Impact of women’s authority in different countries on the planet
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the international criminal law court tools
• Detailed analysis and report of the comparative criminal procedure
• Exciting outtakes from the inter-American human rights library
• Does the US copyright office really help writers defend their businesses?
• The Impact of International Law on Human Rights Practices in Developing Countries
• Cyber Law: The Challenges of Regulating Online Behavior and Privacy
• Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Age: Balancing Innovation and Protection
• The Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in Juvenile Justice Systems
• Comparative Analysis of Gun Control Legislation and Its Impact on Violent Crime Rates

Religion Research Paper Topics

• The Role of Religion in Modern Secular Societies
• Interfaith Dialogue: Benefits and Challenges in a Pluralistic Society
• The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Ethical Decision-Making in Business
• Religion and Politics: An Analysis of Their Intersections in Contemporary World Affairs
• The Impact of Religious Education on Tolerance and Cultural Understanding
• The Evolution of Religious Practices and Their Adaptation in the Digital Age
• The Psychological Effects of Religious Rituals and Traditions
• Comparative Study of Creation Myths Across Different Cultures
• The Role of Women in Organized Religions: A Historical Perspective
• Secularization: The Decline of Religious Influence in Western Societies
• Religious Extremism: Understanding the Causes and Seeking Solutions
• The Impact of Pilgrimage on Religious and Spiritual Life
• Religious Symbols in Public Spaces: Freedom of Expression or a Call for Regulation?
• The Relationship Between Religion and Morality in Contemporary Ethical Debates
• The Effects of Globalization on Indigenous Religions and Spiritual Practices

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

• Should education be made free for everyone?
• The influencers and bloggers cannot be considered as a job
• The role of military service is the way towards maturity
• Should Internet access be limited during college lectures?
• The death penalty service is not an ethical solution
• Fashion industry creates a bad influence on young people
• The Fairplay concept should be rewarded financially
• Should tobacco be made illegal indoors?
• Religious differences often become the cause of wars
• The majority of mobile applications represent the invasion of privacy
• Universal Basic Income: Economic Savior or Road to Dependency?
• Mandatory Vaccinations: Public Health Requirement or Personal Choice Infringement?
• The Death Penalty: A Necessary Deterrent or a Violation of Human Rights?
• Climate Change Policies: Economic Hindrance or Long-term Investment?
• Animal Testing in Medical Research: Ethical Consideration or Scientific Necessity?

These are the 200+ topics on various subjects, which you might find useful when creating your own. In case you need help aside from creating topics, you can also order the original research on Politics, Media & Communication, to do my Math homework , Law, and even Nursing papers for sale on nursing essay writing service Edubirdie.

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How to Choose a Good Research Paper Topic?

While it may seem challenging to come up with a good research paper topic as you try your best to narrow things down, the trick is to choose something that influences you because you know it well and can support your arguments with relevant evidence. When you write a research paper, the subject should be well-structured and relevant to your thesis statement. Always take time to research the list of sources to compose your topic sentences as well to make them relate to your thesis part. It’s always best to check a good research paper introduction example before you start working on the paper and choosing your topic, or contact our essay writing service for help. Conducting preliminary research is essential at this stage to gauge the availability of information and the feasibility of potential topics. Here are the steps to consider:

Start With Observing Your Interests.

If you are confused with a variety of interesting topics for writing a creative essay, it’s better to decide what interests you the most. Don’t stick to easy research paper topics just to complete the task fast. If you are allowed to freely choose what to write an essay about, use the opportunity to create something unique. Write down the list of your interests and break down every idea into small certain topics. When you have a list in front of your eyes, it will be easier to make up your mind and start considering a particular issue.

Then you should examine what aspect of the topic is preferable for you to outline in your research paper. A list will save you here again. Use pros/cons template to include all the arguments and objections to the issues.

Come Up With an Argumentative Research Question.

The most challenging part of choosing a competitive research paper topic is finding an aspect that poses some importance for your course and the subject per se. While it may seem that it is sufficient to make a general statement, your argumentation should include a clear research question. Consider asking yourself why you have chosen a particular topic and how your research will make it clearer or provide innovative solutions.

Study Available Research Topic Ideas.

Since we have already mentioned the dangers of choosing something too broad, it is vital to narrow things down and brainstorm the list of possible research paper ideas that deal with the same subject. In other words, you can write down at least five different subjects and see whether you can find sufficient information to support them with the sources or statistical data. Remember the importance of your topic’s wording!

Compose Strong Thesis Statement.

It must be done at the same time as you choose your research paper topic because these two concepts must be interconnected. Engaging with the writing process, including refining the topic, conducting thorough research, and developing a strong thesis statement, directly influences the overall effectiveness and enjoyment of crafting academic work. Make sure that you have the list of sources prepared in advance to incorporate relevant information in your body paragraphs. As always, they must be the supporting evidence for your thesis statement’s idea and the research purpose.

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Written by David Kidwell

David is one of those experienced content creators from the United Kingdom who has a high interest in social issues, culture, and entrepreneurship. He always says that reading, blogging, and staying aware of what happens in the world is what makes a person responsible. He likes to learn and share what he knows by making things inspiring and creative enough even for those students who dislike reading.

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Topics for Research Papers: Diverse Research Ideas Across Disciplines

Table of contents

• 1 Why Is the Choice of Subject in Research Papers So Important? 
• 2 How to Choose a Research Paper Topic?
• 3 Business Research Paper Topics
• 4 Media and Communications Research Paper Topics
• 5 Psychology Research Paper Topics
• 6 Argumentative Research Paper Topics
• 7 Controversial Topics for Research Paper
• 8 Easy Research Paper Topics
• 9 Research Topic in Natural Sciences
• 10 Sociology Research Paper Topics
• 11 Family Research Paper Topics
• 12 Discrimination Research Paper Topics
• 13 Law Research Paper Topics
• 14 Environmental Research Paper Topics
• 15 Education Research Paper Topics
• 16 Science and Technology Research Paper Topics
• 17 College Research Paper Topics
• 18 Health Research Paper Topics
• 19 Politics Research Paper Topics
• 20 History Research Paper Topics
• 21 Music Research Paper Topics
• 22.1 After Choosing the Research Topic
• 22.2 Closing Thoughts

When students approach the final stage of their academic journey, they immediately begin to think about the need to develop their research project to add to their college curriculum. To do this, students start searching for the best research paper topics. From then on, many insecurities and doubts will haunt the minds of these college education students who will have a big job ahead of them with the best research paper topic.

To help students during this challenging phase of their education, we can help them explore various interesting research paper topics, figure out which one aligns with their interests, and start working on it well ahead of the deadline.                    

Why Is the Choice of Subject in Research Papers So Important?  

The final project of a student who is in college is a research paper. However, the student needs to start working on it before the end of their program. It is known that the sooner you begin this process, the more time and tranquility you will find to develop it. Therefore, a research paper will review what experts on a given subject have published in the literature, making the student choose and defend a point of view concerning a thesis statement. Writing one successfully requires surveys and data to back your idea or topic and choose a good research paper topic.

How to Choose a Research Paper Topic?

Choosing a research paper topic is a crucial step in the research process . It’s important to select a topic that interests you, aligns with your academic goals, and is feasible to research. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to pick a good research paper topic :

• Pick a subject that you’re passionate about! If you’re passionate about your subject, the research process will be more relevant, and you will have more research topic ideas.
• Concentrate on a doable topic.
• You will only be able to focus if your topic is narrow enough.
• Examine the subject selection instructions provided in your assignment—request advice from your lecturer or TA.
• Always refer to important materials and notes about classes so that you are up to date on the topic.
• Brainstorm research topics with a friend. They will be able to help you write your emphasis and raise concerns that will not be present at the time of your presentation.
• Consider the following questions for your research topic ideas: who, what, when, where, and why:

WHY did you choose this particular topic? What piques your curiosity about it?

WHO are the sources of information, and who is impacted?

WHAT are the most important questions about this subject?

WHERE does your topic matter most: locally, nationally, or internationally?

WHEN did your topic become important? Is this a current issue or one from the past?

Business Research Paper Topics

A study of the business is current and significant. It allows data and information to be collected about commercial relationships worldwide. In this way, students can delve deeper into an important economics and professional development topic, finding solutions and discussing results. Sometimes, one can get research paper writing to assist in situations where it is inconvenient. Some examples of these business research paper topics include:

• The influence of employee benefits on representative efficiency.
• The difficulties of managing workgroup conflict.
• Start-ups: Examining the challenges that arise during the early stages of a business.
• How to work with open and closed systems in business.
• Workgroups’ ability to evolve to meet the needs of the future.
• Inter-authoritative networks and leadership strategies.
• Product and service improvements made in significant cooperation.
• How to manage an organization’s emergencies.
• The effect of full quality management practices on client retention and satisfaction.
• Effective time management as a tool for authoritative endurance.

Media and Communications Research Paper Topics

The research work developed in the area of the media manages to provide students with information about mass communication and its importance. With the advent of the internet and all its nuances, it is increasingly important to develop studies and research to understand the effects of media and communication in the social context. Some communication research topics can explore include:

• The influence of the media on real-life relationships.
• The role of the media in the expression of social issues.
• Consequences of mass media on society’s ethical well-being.
• The advantages of using the media to anticipate a crisis.
• How the media infringes on citizens’ rights.
• What role does the media play in spreading awareness?
• The significance of trustworthy ads.
• The impact of the media on a country’s political elite.
• Is the media good or harmful to the economy?
• What role does the media play in technological advancement?

Psychology Research Paper Topics

Many subjects can be approached within the theme of psychology. It is an area of science that allows us to carry out different studies with various themes and views. However, the student must be able to choose an important topic for the psychology and academic context. Your teacher’s attention is drawn to an engaging and novel topic. Here are some ideas for you:

• What impact do violent video games have on children’s brain development?
• Do violent cartoons impact our children’s behavior and mental health?
• What impact does divorce have on a child’s emotional blooming?
• An introverted child’s social anxiety and sadness.
• How does bullying affect high school or college students’ social interactions?
• When a person is in love, how does the brain work?
• Differences in the way a man’s and a woman’s brains work
• Is there a link between PTSD and Alzheimer’s disease?
• Sleep paralysis causes and effects
• What is the best way to deal with multiple personality disorders?

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

The student must choose an argumentative research paper topic because you will have to defend a thesis during the work. By opting for a good research paper topic of your interest, you will base yourself on various materials already published on the subject to develop your thoughts and arguments to defend your initial idea chosen as the main subject of your work.

• The role of government in addressing income inequality.
• The pros and cons of school uniform policies.
• Analyzing the effects of violent video games on behavior.
• The effectiveness of abstinence-only sex education programs.
• The impact of fast food advertising on childhood obesity.
• The role of government in regulating online privacy.
• The pros and cons of school voucher programs.
• Examining the impact of standardized testing on education.
• The ethics of capital punishment for juveniles.
• The ethics of human organ trafficking.

Controversial Topics for Research Paper

• High times or high risks? The legalization of recreational marijuana use.
• Locked and loaded: The endless debate on gun control policies.
• To kill or not to kill: The ongoing debate on capital punishment.
• Drones in the crosshairs: Balancing security and privacy.
• The ethics of human cloning and genetic engineering.
• Vaccination controversies: Mandates, exemptions, and public health.
• Affirmative action under scrutiny: Equity in college admissions.
• The ethics of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
• Balancing surveillance and civil liberties.
• Nuclear power and weapons: Weighing the benefits and risks.
• Solitary confinement: Cruel punishment or necessary measure?
• Rise of the machines: Artificial intelligence, employment, and ethics.
• Animals in entertainment: Whose amusement at what cost?
• Privacy vs. security: Government surveillance and individual rights.
• Playing God: The ethics of human gene editing and designer babies.
• Statues and symbols: The controversy surrounding Confederate memorials.
• Fracking unveiled: The controversy surrounding hydraulic fracturing.

Easy Research Paper Topics

• The effects of fast food consumption on health.
• The benefits of reading for personal development.
• Strategies for stress reduction in everyday life.
• The role of family in child development.
• The history of famous inventions.
• Strategies for effective communication in relationships.
• The history and impact of social movements.
• The influence of advertising on consumer choices.
• Strategies for healthy eating on a budget.
• The importance of setting goals in life.

Research Topic in Natural Sciences

• The impact of ocean acidification on marine life
• Exploring the genetic diversity of soil microbes and their influence on crop health.
• Studying the impacts of emerging contaminants on freshwater ecosystems.
• Understanding the dynamics of emerging zoonotic diseases in wildlife populations.
• The use of CRISPR in gene editing.
• The use of drones in disaster response.
• The effects of light pollution on nocturnal insect communities in urban areas.
• Natural toxins in plants: mechanisms, benefits, and risks in agriculture.
• Climate change and its effects on algal blooms and water quality in 2023.
• The ecological significance of wetland restoration efforts in 2023.

Sociology Research Paper Topics

The sociology discipline is responsible for studying human behavior within society. These studies will address how people behave in social relationships and groups and how cultures and customs emerge. The possibilities for research are endless regarding sociology’s enormous reach and continually changing societal trends. Choose the best easy sociology research topics for yourself. Some topic ideas are:

• Is emotional intelligence as crucial as everyone claims?
• Is there a misconception that males are better professionals than women?
• Is homeschooling a hindrance to children’s socialization?
• Abuse marriages have both causes and effects.
• We spend too much time on our phones.
• The ethics of animal experimentation.
• Is recycling beneficial to the environment?
• In the United States, is there a stereotype about Mexicans?
• Racial preconceptions ruin people.
• The need for sex education.

Family Research Paper Topics

It’s not always easy to research family issues. This is mainly because some students may be coming from pleased families. Thus, many concepts might be difficult to comprehend. However, this field of study has the potential to significantly improve the psychological climate in many households throughout the world. Some topics one can research include:

• In the family, there has been sexual abuse. The escape plan and organizations that can assist.
• Resolving religious issues in families.
• Is it possible to rescue oneself from substance abuse in a family if others engage?
• Saving family connections while not inheriting the family business.
• Balancing between family support and allowing young adults to experience living on their own in the transition to adulthood.
• A relationship that is toxic and abusive. Breaking up with a toxic spouse has psychological ramifications.
• Children and adults go through phases of grieving after losing a family member. How can we cope as a group?
• What issues might parents confront when fostering a child?
• When does teen misbehavior become more than a normal desire for independence?
• A generational divide exists. The moral and cultural differences. Is this typical?

Discrimination Research Paper Topics

It is undeniable the massive impact that discrimination has in the society of the past and also of the present. Therefore, articles on discrimination and race relations must be the subject of academic research. Research papers on it can probe and proffer solutions through data found. Much research in this area can be developed, addressing relations of age, religion, race, sexual orientation, and any existing social conflict. Some topics to explore are:

• Colorism as a kind of discrimination.
• Discrimination Against Muslims in the Workplace.
• Discrimination Against Asian Americans in Colleges.
• Discrimination in the Workplace.
• Discrimination against people of color as a result of racial profiling.
• Discrimination Against Muslims in the Workplace is an issue that has to be addressed.
• Discrimination in the Workplace: How to Manage in an Inclusive Environment.
• Discrimination, social exclusion, and violence against LGBT people are issues that the LGBT community faces.
• Discrimination and Equality Struggle.
• Discrimination based on age in the workplace.

Law Research Paper Topics

Another fundamental form of research is legal research. It is a significant topic and one that allows us to have different approaches and points of view. Each country and each historical time will give us an even greater immersion in laws and legal conduct.

The law can be divided into 21 major areas. Just choose one of them to be the topic of your law research . Some areas of law are constitutional law, environmental law, and criminal law, among others. Some good topics include:

• What are the benefits of business rules for institutions and organizations?
• What is business law’s actual nature?
• What do we know about the classification of business rules and the legal regulation of non-consensual adoption in the United States?
• How does the law handle marriage and divorce for mentally ill people?
• The cultural influence of transgender marriage and its legal status in different countries.
• The environment and private property.
• Equal protection under the law and the principle of equality.
• The financial pyramid’s legal aspects.
• Environment-related crimes.
• Exchange Commission and Securities.

Environmental Research Paper Topics

To improve our relationship with nature and preserve it, it is necessary to carry out a lot of debate and research in this area. In this way, we will learn about the importance of ecology and the environment in the lives of all living beings. Developing work on this subject means containing the adverse effects of globalization, industrialization, and the use of nature. This way, we can save ecosystems, avoiding irreparable losses to our planet. Some environment research paper topics  are:

• Analysis and proposed remedies for lung cancer and radon.
• The negative impact of acid rain on aquatic life and natural resources.
• What can we do to protect wildlife from being killed by acid rain?
• What role did prehistoric creatures have in today’s ecosystems?
• The repercussion of air pollution and global warming on human health.
• Can recycling assist people worldwide in improving their health?
• What can be done to protect coral reefs from being destroyed?
• How much are garbage and pesticides to blame for our soil contamination?
• How big is the problem of ocean acidification?
• Permafrost melting and its impact on climate change.

Education Research Paper Topics

It is known that improving the educational system worldwide is imperative, better serving students and society. However, how can we do this? This type of research aims to make education more efficient and accessible for everyone. Some topics to consider are:

• Will one of the aims of modern education be the growth of emotional intelligence?
• Discrimination in education and its impact on students’ futures.
• Mentally ill persons need to be educated and socialized. There are some similarities and some variances.
• Education and censorship. Do we want to protect the pupils, or do we want to help them learn what they need to know?
• How do students in inclusive classrooms perform compared to students in non-inclusive classes?
• Is it still necessary to have grades in today’s education?
• Education and incentive: how to pique the interest of students.
• In what ways may modern education be compared to traditional schooling?
• Bullying and a negative psychological climate in the classroom. Its influence on educational quality.
• The importance of discipline in education and how it affects the learning process.

Science and Technology Research Paper Topics

We can see many positive technical advances in the world these days. However, some have negative consequences. Students must prioritize topics that influence many people’s lives and help develop technological research. At the same time, look at the advantages and preservation of technology in today’s world. Some technology topics include:

• What effect does alcohol intake have on athletes who are training?
• What influence does ADCC activity research have on HIV treatment?
• What function does CDfT-Cell Subsets play in HIV patient progression?
• What is the most significant technical breakthrough of the twentieth century?
• Is it possible for tech to ever replace human intelligence?
• What impact does tech play in genetic engineering’s advancement?
• Can microbial factories help solve the raw metals shortage?
• Is the paleo diet representative of ancient life? Is it the best diet for people?
• Is Europe’s objection to genetically modified crops motivated by science or economic considerations?
• Could molecular biology study into uncommon genetic abnormalities possibly lead to new insights into cancer and other diseases?

College Research Paper Topics

Developing research about the dilemmas faced daily by many students within the university environment is also extremely important. In this way, it becomes possible to analyze more objectively all social relations within the college, the influence of social media, the academic development of students, and especially the results that will be reaped in their profession in the future. The education system is an extensive topic with possibilities to develop easy research paper topics. In addition, it is an environment you are probably already familiar with, thus facilitating the data and information collection process. Some topics about it:

• The importance of higher education in a professional career for middle ages people.
• What are the main reasons that lead students to drop out of college?
• Why should people study foreign languages in college?
• The influence of the digital world on the university world.
• College and the financial hardship faced by many students.
• Doubts about choosing the right college.
• How to enter the job market after completing college.
• What are the main differences between public and private colleges?
• The effects of cyberbullying in the university context.
• What is the ideal human behaviour in the university environment?

Health Research Paper Topics

Academic work must be developed in Health subjects, seeking to understand better the dynamics of health in different world countries and how this influences people’s lives to have physical well-being. We have recently seen the impact of the Covid-19 virus pandemic on our planet. We have seen the collapse of many health systems in many countries’ human relationships. In addition, we also saw despair and suffering in many families with mental health problems. Therefore, we see how necessary it is to develop research projects that help consolidate better care for the population, promoting health and preventing the emergence of new diseases, especially in third-world countries. Some health research paper topics are:

• Support for family members who have lost loved ones to COVID-19.
• Adolescent violence as a public health problem.
• Assistance for people with disabilities living in rural areas.
• Adolescent mental health in public health.
• The evolution of the human body over the years.
• Health problems caused by the use of pesticides.
• How does social media addiction influence people’s health?
• Obesity as a public health problem.
• Health education in schools and through social media.
• How does water quality interfere with public health?

Politics Research Paper Topics

Another research paper topic is politics. Politics is a topic that directly or indirectly involves the lives of all world inhabitants. Through it, we seek our rights, have the strength to fight for our ideologies, and become citizens. Here are some politics research paper topics :

• Policies to face global warming.
• The presence of politics within the education system.
• The influences of the cultural industry in the constitution of public policies.
• Political relations during World War I and World War II.
• The importance of feminism in the political achievement of women’s right to vote.
• Best professional writers on political topics.
• Public policy related to an all-female working environment.
• The importance of public policies that make people aware of drug use.
• The emergence of extremist political ideologies in the 21st century.
• The importance of democracy in politics.

History Research Paper Topics

History is essential for humanity to understand the facts that occurred and their relationship with time. From history, we can develop several exciting research topics as it can investigate what men did, thought, felt, and set in all social dynamics thousands of years ago. Historical knowledge is capable of helping to understand human beings, their attitudes, and their evolution. Some history research paper topics are:

• The historical development of the electoral college.
• Major terrorist attacks throughout history.
• The historical and social importance of gender psychology.
• The changes that came with the end of the Soviet Union.
• The progression of the minimum wage over the years.
• The worldwide impacts of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
• The emergence of offshore bank accounts work and their social impact.
• The Mayan Civilization and Its Cultural Legacy.
• The history of dictatorships in South America and funding from the United States.
• The democratization of access to course material at History College.

Music Research Paper Topics

Music has been present in humanity since the most remote times. Through music, people can express themselves, have fun, relax, and express their opinions. As it is a vast topic, it is possible to do extensive research. Music also allows you to find funny research paper topics to develop. We selected a few good research paper topics here:

• The evolution of the music industry globally.
• The influence of music in the treatment of depression.
• The importance of still producing and listening to traditional music.
• The presence of music in film.
• The main legacies of classical music.
• Songs about self-esteem that encourage obese people.
• School development through music.
• The aid of artificial intelligence in the creation of new songs.
• The effects of music on brain development.
• Songs that address controversial topics and their importance.

Literature Research Paper Topics

Literature is everything that involves the art of the word. We consider literature an instrument capable of making us communicate and interact socially. With literature, we can transmit knowledge, emotions, and stories, and that’s why literature has many good research topics. Literature can provide us with the most interesting research topics. Here are some research paper ideas.

• Literature as a tool of corporate social responsibility.
• The first forms of literature found.
• The use of social media as a way to propagate literature.
• A sensitive approach to child abuse in the literature.
• Are people switching from literature to social media?
• The change of literature after the Industrial Revolution.
• Literature as a way to protect children online.
• The development of scientific literature for standardized tests in science.
• Literature review on computer science.
• The importance of developing a thesis statement in literature.

After Choosing the Research Topic

Well, after finding great research paper topics, you will decide which one you like the most and which you are more comfortable writing about. So, once you’ve decided which college research paper topics to cover in your thesis, it’s time to start writing. It is important, right at the beginning, to define your main research question to start researching websites, books, articles, etc. A tip is always to opt for a broader research question, so your first research will have a greater amount of material on your research topics, which will make it easier when choosing an approach and focusing on the main subject of your thesis. Before starting the process of submitting research papers, it is important that an advisor can read and review your text on the chosen research topics.

Closing Thoughts

When you have to choose your research paper topic, there are tons of ideas you can use to embark on your research journey. It is very important that you first carry out thorough research about a good research paper topic so that you can start writing your thesis statement. You can read materials online to know if the topic you want to write on is relevant and has enough data. I hope you can take advantage of all our tips to develop your research papers. The most important thing to consider is that you need to like the topic you choose for a good research paper because it’ll help make writing fun.

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Research Paper Topics

Choose your Topic Smart

What starts well, ends well, so you need to be really careful with research paper topics. The topic of a research paper defines the whole piece of writing. How often have you chosen the book by its title? First impression is often influential, so make sure your topic will attract the reader instantly. By choosing your topic smart, the half of your job is done. That is why we have singled out several secrets on how to pick the best topic for you. Also see the list of 1000 thesis topics .

Browse Research Paper Topics by Category:

• Anthropology
• Argumentative
• Communication
• Criminal Justice
• Environmental
• Political Science

What is the Key to a Perfect Topic for a Research Paper?

The key to a perfect topic includes three main secrets: interest, precision, and innovation.

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It is impossible to do something great if you have no interest in what you are doing. For this reason, make sure you choose the topic that drives you. If you are bored by what you investigate, do not expect that your paper will be exciting. Right now, spend some minutes or even hours thinking about what interests you. Jot down all your preferences in life, science, politics, social issues etc. It will help you get the idea what you can write about.

After realizing what drives you, narrow this general idea to a more specific one. A research paper is not about beating around the bush. You will need clear facts and data. You will have to provide evidence to your ideas. You will need to be precise, specific and convincing.

Finally, the idea of any research is that it should be surprising and distinctive. Think what makes your perspective and approach special. What is the novelty of your research?

Use Technology

If you are still stuck, use technology. Today we have an opportunity to make our lives easier with a bit of technology used. You can find paper topic generators online. This software will examine the category you want to investigate and the keywords from your research. Within several seconds, this program generates paper topics, so you can try it yourself. It can help you get started with your assignment.

100% Effective Advice

We will now give you advice that is 100% effective when picking the topic. Firstly, forget about what others may think about your topic. This is your topic and this is your perception of the world. Stay personal and let your personal style get you the top grades. Secondly, never decide on the topic before analyzing the background for your research. By this we mean, investigate the topic before you start the research proper. It happens quite often that students choose the topic and later they realize there is no data or information to use. That is why conduct some research beforehand. Thirdly, read other researchers’ papers on the topic you want to write about. It will help you get the idea of the investigation. Moreover, it will help you understand whether you truly want to write a paper on this topic. Finally, when you have picked the topic, started your research, make sure you dedicate your time and energy. If you want to get high results, you need to study every little details of your research.

Examine Different Ideas

People often come up with genius ideas after analyzing thousands of other people’s ideas. This is how our brain works. That is why you can analyze other people’s ideas for research paper topics and think up your own. If you have never written any paper of that kind, it will help you understand the gist of this assignment, the style and the requirements. By comparing different topics, you can motivate yourself and get inspired with these ideas. Luckily, you have come to the right place. Here is our list of top 100 research paper topics.

Top 10 Argumentative Research Paper Topics:

Argumentative research papers examine some controversial issues. Your task is to provide your point of view, your argument, and support your idea with the evidence. This academic assignment requires appropriate structuring and formatting.

• Does a College Education Pay?
• Dual Career Families and Working Mothers
• Electronic Copyright and Piracy
• Drinking on Campus
• Education for Homeless Children
• Glass ceiling
• Honor System at Colleges
• Sex and Violence on TV
• Word Population and Hunger
• World Trade and Globalization

Top 10 Economics Research Paper Topics:

If you are studying economics, you can find various topics at our site. Check out topics of micro- and macroeconomics. See ideas for urgent economic problems, economic models and strategies. Get inspired and come up with your perfect topic.

• Beyond Make-or-Buy: Advances in Transaction Cost Economics
• Economic Aspects of Cultural Heritage
• Economics of Energy Markets
• Globalization and Inequality
• International Trade and Trade Restrictions
• Aggregate Expenditures Model and Equilibrium Output
• Taxes Versus Standards
• Predatory Pricing and Strategic Entry Barriers
• Marxian and Institutional Industrial Relations in the United States
• Twentieth-Century Economic Methodology

Top 10 Education Research Paper Topics:

Education has so many questions, and yet few answers. The list of education topic is endless. We have chosen the top 10 topics on the urgent issues in education. You can find ideas related to different approaches, methodology, classroom management, etc.

• Teachers Thinking About Their Practice
• Cognitive Approaches to Motivation in Education
• Responsive Classroom Management
• Ten Steps to Complex Learning
• Economics and School-to-Work
• Reading and Literacy in Adolescence
• Diversifying the Teaching Force
• Teacher-Student Relationships
• Preparing for College and Graduate School
• Role of Professional Learning

Top 10 History Research Paper Topics:

Choose your topic regarding cultural, economic, environmental, military, political or social history. See what other researchers investigated, compare their ideas and pick the topic that interests you.

• European Expansion
• Orientalism
• Current trends in Historiography
• Green Revolution
• Religion and War
• Women’s Emancipation Movements
• History of Civilization

Top 10 Psychology Research Paper Topics:

The list of psychology categories and topics is enormous. We have singled out the most popular topics on psychology in 2019. It is mostly topics on modern psychology. Choose the topic the appeals to you the most or ask our professionals to help you come up with some original idea.

• Imaging Techniques for the Localization of Brain Function
• Memory and Eyewitness Testimony
• Traditional Neuroscience Research Methods
• Meditation and the Relaxation Response
• Assessment of Mental Health in Older Adults
• Cross-Cultural Psychology and Research
• Industrial and Organizational Psychology
• Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• Prejudice and Stereotyping
• Nature Versus Nurture

Top 10 Biology Research Paper Topics:

Here you can find topics related to the science of all forms of life. Examine the topics from different fields in biology and choose the best one for you.

• Biological Warfare
• Clone and Cloning
• Genetic Disorders
• Genetic Engineering
• Kangaroos and Wallabies
• Mendelian Laws of Inheritance
• Molecular Biology
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Top 10 Chemistry Research Paper Topics:

The best way to understand chemistry is to write a paper on chemistry topic. Below you can see the topics from different fields of chemistry: organic, inorganic, physical, analytical and others.

• Acids and Bases
• Alkaline Earth Metals
• Dyes and Pigments
• Chemical Warfare
• Industrial Minerals
• Photochemistry
• Soaps and Detergents
• Transition Elements

Top 10 Physics Research Paper Topics:

Check out the topics on classical and modern physics. Find ideas for writing about interrelationships of physics to other sciences.

• Aerodynamics
• Atomic Theory
• Celestial Mechanics
• Fluid Dynamics
• Magnetic recording
• Microwave Communication
• Quantum mechanics
• Subatomic particles

Top 10 Sociology Research Paper Topics:

Find ideas related to different sociological theories, research and methodologies.

• Feminist Methodologies and Epistemology
• Quality-of-Life Research
• Sociology of Men and Masculinity
• Sociology of Leisure and Recreation
• Environmental Sociology
• Teaching and Learning in Sociology
• The History of Sociology: The North American Perspective
• The Sociology of Voluntary Associations
• Marriage and Divorce in the United States
• Urban Sociology in the 21 st Century

Top 10 Technology Research Paper Topics:

See topics related to the cutting-edge technology or dive into history of electronics, or even early advances in agriculture.

• Food Preservation: Freeze Drying, Irradiation, and Vacuum Packing
• Tissue Culturing
• Digital Telephony
• Computer-Aided Control Technology
• Minerals Prospecting
• Prefabricated Buildings
• Timber Engineering
• Quantum Electronic Devices
• Thermal Water Moderated Nuclear Reactors
• Long Range Radars and Early Warning Systems

What Makes a Good Topic for a Research Paper?

A good research paper topic is the one that is successful and manageable in your particular case. A successful research paper poses an interesting question you can actually answer. Just as important, it poses a question you can answer within the time available. The question should be one that interests you and deserves exploration. It might be an empirical question or a theoretical puzzle. In some fields, it might be a practical problem or policy issue. Whatever the question is, you need to mark off its boundaries clearly and intelligently so you can complete the research paper and not get lost in the woods. That means your topic should be manageable as well as interesting and important.

A topic is  manageable  if you can:

• Master the relevant literature
• Collect and analyze the necessary data
• Answer the key questions you have posed
• Do it all within the time available, with the skills you have

A topic is  important  if it:

• Touches directly on major theoretical issues and debates, or
• Addresses substantive topics of great interest in your field

Ideally, your topic can do both, engaging theoretical and substantive issues. In elementary education, for example, parents, teachers, scholars, and public officials all debate the effectiveness of charter schools, the impact of vouchers, and the value of different reading programs. A research paper on any of these would resonate within the university and well beyond it. Still, as you approach such topics, you need to limit the scope of your investigation so you can finish your research and writing on time. After all, to be a good research paper, it first has to be a completed one. A successful research paper poses an interesting question you can actually answer within the time available for the project. Some problems are simply too grand, too sweeping to master within the time limits. Some are too minor to interest you or anybody else.

The solution, however, is not to find a lukewarm bowl of porridge, a bland compromise. Nor is it to abandon your interest in larger, more profound issues such as the relationship between school organization and educational achievement or between immigration and poverty. Rather, the solution is to select a well-defined topic that is closely linked to some larger issue and then explore that link. Your research paper will succeed if you nail a well-defined topic. It will rise to excellence if you probe that topic deeply and show how it illuminates wider issues.The best theses deal with important issues, framed in manageable ways. The goal is to select a well-defined topic that is closely linked to some larger issue and can illuminate it.

You can begin your project with either a large issue or a narrowly defined topic, depending on your interests and the ideas you have generated. Whichever way you start, the goals are the same: to connect the two in meaningful ways and to explore your specific topic in depth.

Of course, the choice of a particular research paper topic depends on the course you’re taking. Our site can offer you the following research paper topics and example research papers:

Moving from a Research Paper Idea to a Research Paper Topic

Let’s begin as most students actually do, by going from a “big issue” to a more manageable research paper topic. Suppose you start with a big question such as, “Why has the United States fought so many wars since 1945?” That’s certainly a big, important question. Unfortunately, it’s too complex and sprawling to cover well in a research paper. Working with your professor or instructor, you could zero in on a related but feasible research topic, such as “Why did the Johnson administration choose to escalate the U.S. war in Vietnam?” By choosing this topic, your research paper can focus on a specific war and, within that, on a few crucial years in the mid-1960s.

You can draw on major works covering all aspects of the Vietnam War and the Johnson administration’s decision making. You have access to policy memos that were once stamped top secret. These primary documents have now been declassified, published by the State Department, and made available to research libraries. Many are readily available on the Web. You can also take advantage of top-quality secondary sources (that is, books and articles based on primary documents, interviews, and other research data).

Drawing on these primary and secondary sources, you can uncover and critique the reasons behind U.S. military escalation. As you answer this well-defined question about Vietnam, you can (and you should) return to the larger themes that interest you, namely, “What does the escalation in Southeast Asia tell us about the global projection of U.S. military power since 1945?” As one of America’s largest military engagements since World War II, the war in Vietnam should tell us a great deal about the more general question.

The goal here is to pick a good case to study, one that is compelling in its own right and speaks to the larger issue. It need not be a typical example, but it does need to illuminate the larger question. Some cases are better than others precisely because they illuminate larger issues. That’s why choosing the best cases makes such a difference in your research paper.

Since you are interested in why the United States has fought so often since 1945, you probably shouldn’t focus on U.S. invasions of Grenada, Haiti, or Panama in the past two decades. Why? Because the United States has launched numerous military actions against small, weak states in the Caribbean for more than a century. That is important in its own right, but it doesn’t say much about what has changed so dramatically since 1945. The real change since 1945 is the projection of U.S. power far beyond the Western Hemisphere, to Europe and Asia. You cannot explain this change—or any change, for that matter—by looking at something that remains constant.

In this case, to analyze the larger pattern of U.S. war fighting and the shift it represents, you need to pick examples of distant conflicts, such as Korea, Vietnam, Kosovo, Afghanistan, or Iraq. That’s the noteworthy change since 1945: U.S. military intervention outside the Western Hemisphere. The United States has fought frequently in such areas since World War II but rarely before then. Alternatively, you could use statistics covering many cases of U.S. intervention around the world, perhaps supplemented with some telling cases studies.

Students in the humanities want to explore their own big ideas, and they, too, need to focus their research. In English literature, their big issue might be “masculinity” or, to narrow the range a bit, “masculinity in Jewish American literature.” Important as these issues are, they are too vast for anyone to read all the major novels plus all the relevant criticism and then frame a comprehensive research paper.

If you don’t narrow these sprawling topics and focus your work, you can only skim the surface. Skimming the surface is not what you want to do in a research paper. You want to understand your subject in depth and convey that understanding to your readers.

That does not mean you have to abandon your interest in major themes. It means you have to restrict their scope in sensible ways. To do that, you need to think about which aspects of masculinity really interest you and then find works that deal with them.

You may realize your central concern is how masculinity is defined in response to strong women. That focus would still leave you considerable flexibility, depending on your academic background and what you love to read. That might be anything from a reconsideration of Macbeth to an analysis of early twentieth-century American novels, where men must cope with women in assertive new roles. Perhaps you are interested in another aspect of masculinity: the different ways it is defined within the same culture at the same moment. That would lead you to novelists who explore these differences in their characters, perhaps contrasting men who come from different backgrounds, work in different jobs, or simply differ emotionally. Again, you would have considerable flexibility in choosing specific writers.

Connecting a Specific Research Paper Topic to a Bigger Idea

Not all students begin their research paper concerned with big issues such as masculinity or American wars over the past half century. Some start with very specific topics in mind. One example might be the decision to create NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement encompassing Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Perhaps you are interested in NAFTA because you discussed it in a course, heard about it in a political campaign, or saw its effects firsthand on local workers, companies, and consumers. It intrigues you, and you would like to study it in a research paper. The challenge is to go from this clear-cut subject to a larger theme that will frame your paper.

Why do you even need to figure out a larger theme? Because NAFTA bears on several major topics, and you cannot explore all of them. Your challenge—and your opportunity—is to figure out which one captures your imagination.

One way to think about that is to finish this sentence: “For me, NAFTA is a case of ___________.” If you are mainly interested in negotiations between big and small countries, then your answer is, “For me, NAFTA is a case of a large country like the United States bargaining with a smaller neighbor.” Your answer would be different if you are mainly interested in decision making within the United States, Mexico, or Canada. In that case, you might say, “NAFTA seems to be a case where a strong U.S. president pushed a trade policy through Congress.” Perhaps you are more concerned with the role played by business lobbies. “For me, NAFTA is a case of undue corporate influence over foreign economic policy.” Or you could be interested in the role of trade unions, environmental groups, or public opinion.

The NAFTA decision is related to all these big issues and more. You cannot cover them all. There is not enough time, and even if there were, the resulting paper would be too diffuse, too scattershot. To make an impact, throw a rock, not a handful of pebbles.

Choosing one of these large issues will shape your research paper on NAFTA. If you are interested in U.S. decision making, for example, you might study the lobbying process or perhaps the differences between Democrats and Republicans. If you are interested in diplomacy, you would focus on negotiations between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Either would make an interesting research paper, but they are different topics.

Although the subject matter and analysis are decidedly different in the humanities, many of the same considerations still apply to topic selection. In English or comparative literature, for example, you may be attracted to a very specific topic such as several poems by William Wordsworth. You are not trying, as a social scientist would, to test some generalizations that apply across time or space. Rather, you want to analyze these specific poems, uncover their multiple meanings, trace their allusions, and understand their form and beauty.

As part of the research paper, however, you may wish to say something bigger, something that goes beyond these particular poems. That might be about Wordsworth’s larger body of work. Are these poems representative or unusual? Do they break with his previous work or anticipate work yet to come? You may wish to comment on Wordsworth’s close ties to his fellow “Lake Poets,” Coleridge and Southey, underscoring some similarities in their work. Do they use language in shared ways? Do they use similar metaphors or explore similar themes? You may even wish to show how these particular poems are properly understood as part of the wider Romantic movement in literature and the arts. Any of these would connect the specific poems to larger themes.

How to Refine Your Research Paper Topic

One of your professor’s or instructor’s most valuable contributions to the success of your research paper is to help you refine your topic. She can help you select the best cases for detailed study or the best data and statistical techniques. S/he can help you find cases that shed light on larger questions, have good data available, and are discussed in a rich secondary literature. She may know valuable troves of documents to explore. That’s why it is so important to bring these issues up in early meetings. These discussions with your instructor are crucial in moving from a big but ill-defined idea to a smart, feasible topic.Some colleges supplement this advising process by offering special workshops and tutorial support for students. These are great resources, and you should take full advantage of them. They can improve your project in at least two ways.

First, tutors and workshop leaders are usually quite adept at helping you focus and shape your topic. That’s what they do best. Even if they are relatively new teachers, they have been writing research papers themselves for many years. They know how to do it well and how to avoid common mistakes. To craft their own papers, they have learned how to narrow their topics, gather data, interpret sources, and evaluate conjectures. They know how to use appropriate methods and how to mine the academic literature. In all these ways, they can assist you with their own hard-won experience. To avoid any confusion, just make sure your instructor knows what advice you are getting from workshop leaders and tutors. You want everyone to be pulling in the same direction.

Second, you will benefit enormously from batting around your research paper in workshops. The more you speak about your subject, the better you will understand it yourself. The better you understand it, the clearer your research and writing will be. You will learn about your project as you present your ideas; you will learn more as you listen to others discuss your work; and you will learn still more as you respond to their suggestions. Although you should do that in sessions with your instructor, you will also profit from doing it in workshops and tutorial sessions.

Secrets to Keep in Mind when Writing a Research Paper

As a bonus, we have prepared several secrets for you to make your paper perfect. Firstly, always write your paper from scratch. Do not copy the already existing materials, as it can lead to unsatisfactory mark or even expulsion. Secondly, start your research early; do not put off investigating the topic. The earlier you start, the easier it will be to meet the deadline. Thirdly, plan your work and create an outline for your task. A planned work will help you be systematic. Plus, it will help you avoid writer’s block, as you always have an outline to follow. Another secret is following all the requirements. A research paper is an academic assignment, so all these structural and formatting standards are important. Finally, make sure you proofread and edit your task. Check your paper for grammar and spelling mistakes, examine your choice of vocabulary. If it seems too much, you can always ask our professional editors and they will check the paper for you. A mistakes-free paper is essential to get high results.

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