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• August 5, 2020
• By Homework Help Global

250 Research Topics For College Students That Will Get Your Brainstorming Juices Flowing

Looking for a big list of research topics for college students? You’ve come to the right place.

With a world of options at your fingertips thanks to the internet, it’s easy to fall victim to “overwhelmed with options” syndrome. It’s exhausting to try to narrow down something to write about, especially when your professor gives you a lot of creative freedom to choose your own topic.

Instead of staring at your course syllabus hoping an idea will jump out at you, let us help you make a decision that will save you a lot of time and effort. Keep reading to take a look at our master list of 250 research topics for college students to get some serious inspiration, no matter what subject or field you’re studying. Whether you need to write a research paper , put together a speech, create a presentation, write an essay, or develop a report, we have topics here that can help you narrow down a good opinion, idea, or argument.

Research is Always Important

Knowing how to do proper research is an important skill to have in both your academic and professional careers. No matter what you do, at some point in your life you’ll need to be able to take a topic, analyze the information, and put together a conclusion about it.

During your academic career in college or university, you will need to be able to do research whenever you need to do any written assignments. Quality research and credible references are always the backbone of any academic writing project.

Once you graduate, the work won’t always be over. There are many different reasons you may need to do some research in your professional career. If you’re going to start a business, you’re going to need to know how to do research and analysis . Likewise, if you want to work in marketing and advertising, digital media, journalism, the sciences, health care, or another professional industry like the legal field or social work, you’re going to be doing a lot of research in the future. In fact, there aren’t many job industries that won’t require some type of research at some point in time.

The bottom line is that research is always going to be important, and knowing how to find good research material, narrow down a good research topic, and analyze the data are always going to be important skills you need to have.

Choosing the Right Subject For Your Assignment

Finding good research topics for college students comes down to a few different factors. You want to make sure that the subject you choose checks off the right boxes. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck doing a lot more work than you planned, and no one wants to be doing that.

● Interest level: First and foremost, your topic should be something you are actually interested in. It’s really hard to motivate yourself to research and write something if you don’t care about it in the first place. Additionally, how are you going to get your audience interested in something if you don’t care about it?

● Background knowledge: What do you already know about your topic? Even if you just have a small idea or opinion about something, that little bit of background information will help you as a foundation for the research process.

● Audience: You have to keep in mind the audience you’re going to be writing or speaking to. Is this something that’s going to be interesting to them? When you’re doing research for a specific class, make sure that the topic is covered in that class. Otherwise, no one is going to care what you have to say.

● Available information: Make sure there’s enough research material out there for the subject or topic you choose. The last thing you want to do is spend hours sifting through sources just to find that you don’t have enough information to actually do your assignment.

250 Powerful Research Topics For College Students

Ready to figure out what research topics you’re going to try out? Check out our massive list below. Each of these research topics will be a great starting point for brainstorming, breaking down arguments, and making connections to other concepts.

For specific paper topics, check out our other master lists of 200 informative speech topics or 100 argumentative essay topics . Our team of experts has put together some amazing references for you so you can always find something that works for your assignment.

Once you’ve figured out which topic you’d like to use, keep reading to learn how to find good research and sources, start putting together an idea or opinion, and start working on your project.

Ancient History Topics (Pre-History to 476 A.D.)

1. Ancient Greek society 2. Mesopotamia and the origins of human civilization 3. Ancient Egyptian society 4. Cave drawings and the first methods of communication 5. Central Asian societies in the ancient world 6. Burial practices in ancient cultures 7. The Gupta Empire 8. The Maya civilization 9. Prehistoric North America (Native American and Indigenous peoples) 10. The Silk Road and the origins of trade 11. The Iron Age 12. The Bronze Age 13. The Out of Africa theory 14. Dinosaurs 15. Celtic history and origins of the celts 16. The Chinese Book of Han 17. Ancient Japanese cultures and societies 18. The ancient Persian Empire 19. The Trojan War 20. Ancient mythology

Post-Classical And Medieval History (477 to 1499)

21. The Aztec Empire 22. The fall of the Western Roman Empire 23. The Holy Roman Empire 24. Medieval castles and their monarchies 25. Technological advancements in the Middle Ages 26. Islamic rule in India and Africa 27. Timur’s invasion in India 28. The rise of the Ottoman Empire 29. The gold trade of Africa 30. The Byzantine Empire 31. The rise of the Catholic Church 32. Medieval leaders, knights, and warriors (William Wallace, William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, King Arthur, Joan of Arc, etc.) 33. The Black Death in Europe 34. The fall of Constantinople 35. Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire 36. The Crusades 37. Medieval writers, thinkers, and creators (Dante Alighieri, Petrarch, Homer, Marie de France, Margery Kempe, Johann Gutenberg, etc.) 38. The Hundred Years’ War 39. Gothic architecture 40. Medieval medicine and healing practices

Early Modern and Modern History Topics (1500-Present)

41. Conquest of the Americas 42. Martin Luther and the 99 Theses 43. The Scientific Revolution 44. The Salem Witch Trials 45. The Age of Discovery 46. Early modern writers, thinkers, and inventors (Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Galileo Galilei, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, etc.) 47. Renaissance art and discovery 48. The French Revolution 49. The British monarchy 50. The American Revolution 51. The Age of Enlightenment 52. The Irish War of Independence 53. The Victorian Era 54. The Atlantic Slave Trade 55. Military generals in the American Civil War 56. World War II 57. The Civil Rights Movement 58. The Vietnam War 59. Operation Desert Storm 60. 9/11 and global terrorism

English and Literature Research Topics For College Students

61. Symbolism in literature 62. Classic literary authors (Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc.) 63. Mythology as/in literature 64. Romance and sexuality in literature 65. Dramatic irony in literature 66. Literature as propaganda 67. LGBTQ2+ Literature 68. The hero’s journey in fiction 69. Character archetypes 70. Old English language and literature 71. Genres of fiction (fantasy, horror, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, etc.) 72. Utopian and dystopian depictions in literature 73. Good vs. evil in literature 74. Native American literature and storytelling 75. Religious literature 76. Feminist and women’s literature 77. Children’s literature 78. Black literature and literary voices 79. Literary devices and analysis 80. Literary criticism

Music, Film, and Pop Culture Topics

81. Movie adaptations of books 82. Symbolism in film 83. Prolific directors and their work (Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, James Cameron, etc.) 84. Violence in film and television 85. Stereotypes in popular culture 86. Music genres and their associated sub-cultures 87. The role of music and song in activist movements 88. Jazz in New Orleans 89. Cinema scores and compositions 90. Classical Hollywood cinema 91. Soap opera dynasties 92. Spaghetti Western films 93. Streaming services and the music industry 94. Portrayals of superheroes in movies and television shows 95. “Fandom” culture 96. Gender equality in Hollywood 97. Legendary actors, bands, and musicians 98. Paparazzi and celebrity worship 99. Reality television shows 100. Satire in film and television

Current Affairs and Human Rights Topics

101. Immigration policies, practices, or laws 102. Women’s rights 103. Activist movements such as Black Lives Matter, Everytown For Gun Safety, Time’s Up, or the School Strike For Climate 104. Animal rights or animal cruelty 105. The United Nations 106. Gun safety and control policies 107. Climate change 108. Rural and urban poverty 109. Homelessness 110. Global or national terrorism 111. Modern warfare practices 112. Multiculturalism and nationalism 113. The crisis in Syria 114. Global peacekeeping 115. China’s One Belt One Road project 116. Urban slums in third world countries and developing nations 117. Capital punishment 118. Domestic violence 119. Disability and human rights 120. Internal displacement of Indigenous populations

Research Topics For College Students Studying The Sciences

121. Natural disasters 122. Climate change 123. Future predictions based on patterns and data 124. Animal populations 125. GMOs 126. Organic farming 127. Darwinism 128. Space exploration 129. Ecological conservation 130. Amino acids 131. Molecular biology 132. Genetic engineering 133. Cloning 134. Stem cell research 135. Dark matter 136. Hormone regulation 137. Plant life 138. Black holes in space 139. The Higgs boson 140. Cloud formation and weather patterns

Medicine, Nursing, and Health-Related Subjects

141. Vaccines 142. Homeopathic medicine and natural medicine 143. Health care reform 144. Diseases 145. Caring for the elderly 146. Failure-to-thrive infants 147. Cardiovascular care 148. Child care 149. Hormone replacement therapy 150. Neonatal nutrition and care 151. Sun safety and awareness 152. Women’s health care issues 153. Men’s health care issues 154. Transgender health care issues 155. Reconstructive surgery 156. Plastic surgery 157. Exercise and physical health 158. Nutrition and food 159. Catastrophic injuries 160. Acupuncture

Sociology and Psychology Research Topics

161. Cults 162. Class conflict and inequality 163. Phobias 164. Abnormal psychology 165. Autism and diagnosis 166. ADD and ADHD 167. Other mental illnesses (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, psychosis, OCD, PTSD) 168. Cultural connections with food 169. Family relationships 170. Addiction and substance abuse 171. Divorce 172. The nuclear family 173. Gender roles and equality 174. Youth culture 175. Social media and modern networking 176. Freud’s theories 177. Fad dieting 178. Eating disorders 179. Nonverbal communication 180. Social cognition

Law and Politics Research Topics

181. Voting and election reform 182. Administrative law 183. Personal injury law 184. Business and Corporate law 185. Aboriginal self-governance 186. Law reform 187. Landlord and tenant issues 188. Self-representation in court 189. Youth justice 190. Legal aid 191. Refugees and asylum seekers 192. Landmark court decisions (Roe v. Wade, R v. Brown, Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, etc.) 193. Censorship laws 194. Privacy laws 195. Discrimination and hate crimes 196. The Supreme Court 197. Family law 198. Criminal law 199. Citizenship and immigration 200. The United States electoral college

Education-Based Research Topics For College Students

201. Boarding schools 202. Sexual education 203. Education access 204. Digital literacy in the classroom 205. Standardized testing 206. STEM education 207. Plagiarism 208. College athletes 209. Free tuition 210. Home schooling 211. Religious-based education 212. Charter schools 213. Accessible education for disabilities 214. Sororities and fraternities in the United States 215. Teachers’ unions 216. The No Child Left Behind Act 217. Early childhood education 218. Native American education 219. International students and studying abroad 220. Student mental health

Technology, Media, and Computer-Related Topics

221. Bitcoin and online currency 222. Artificial intelligence 223. Technological developments 224. Social media 225. Smartphones 226. Cyberbullying 227. The Dark Web 228. Internet crimes 229. Self-driving cars 230. Internet privacy 231. Internet ownership 232. Technology and intimacy 233. Online scams 234. Ecommerce business 235. Website development 236. Graphic design 237. Drone technology 238. Information storage 239. Cloud-based computing 240. Servers and hosting networks

Marketing and Advertising Research Topics

241. Digital marketing 242. Behavioural targeting 243. Super Bowl commercials 244. Marketing and sales funnels 245. The buyer’s journey 246. Content marketing 247. Search engine optimization (SEO) 248. Gender stereotypes in advertising 249. Children’s advertising 250. Business fraud

How to Break Down Your Research Topic

Once you’ve chosen a broad topic from the list of research topics for college students, you still have a bit of work to do. Now, it’s time to form an argument and zero in on a specific subject or sub-topic you’d like to work with.

Examine the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, and why):

● Who is/was involved? Background information will always give you some insights, such as the cause of an event or the purpose of a subject, and who it will primarily affect.

● What is the message? What happened? An overlying message, lesson, or value is almost always present regardless of what subject you’re studying. For literature topics, this might mean the messages that are conveyed within the text, or the overlying theme you’d like to explore. With history topics, this can refer to the events that took place, and what happened during this time.

● Where did this story, event, or topic take place, or where does it have an impact? For example, when using science-related topics such as natural disasters, this could mean the geographical areas where the disasters occur. If you’re talking about politics, you would want to focus on the areas where certain laws or policies have an impact.

● When did, does, or will this event take place? History topics will usually be about when an event took place, but if you’re working on a topic about literature, for example, you could talk about when the text was created. Background and context is always important for most subjects, and usually provides insight into the deeper meaning or significance of something.

● Why is this significant? In other words, why are we still talking about this particular topic? Is there something we should know about for the future? For example, if you’re focusing on climate change, your audience would need to know why this is significant so they can help to take action for the future.

Think about the broader connections of a subject and how it relates to the world. Are there lessons we can learn from these topics? What do they mean for society? What specifically interests you about these topics that you can break down into more specific subject areas?

How to Find Quality Research Material

When it comes to utilizing good research topics for college students, university students, or even working professionals, everything is going to come down to being able to source good research material. With research, everything is about quality.

Here are some places you can look to find credible, reliable, and peer-reviewed sources:

● Your school library or its website

● Free databases such as PubMed , EBSCO , and Academia

● The source and citation list at the bottom of Wikipedia entries (NOT the Wikipedia article itself)

● Case studies in the industry

● Google Books

● Google Scholar

● Government archives for primary sources in a specific country

● Citations in academic articles

Stick to the type of sources listed above to make sure that you are always providing quality evidence, information, and data. Be sure to avoid this list of unacceptable references, sources, or research materials:

● Wikipedia

● Other online encyclopedias

● User generated content on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, etc.

● Blogs or opinion articles

● Consultant websites

● Organization or corporate websites (heavy use of bias)

● Question and answer websites or chat forums

● Personal web pages

● Self-published books

The Importance of Referencing Your Work

Any time you’re going to use any material or information from your sources, make sure you provide proper references. List out your references whenever you find an idea, even if you’re not sure if you’re going to use it yet. This will help you when it comes time to start writing.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to plagiarism. Add a citation for every idea or piece of information you use if you don’t consider it to be common knowledge. Be very careful with what you determine to be common knowledge, and always make sure you cite direct quotations at all times.

As a general guideline, the OWL At Purdue states that anything you see written in a credible source at least five times or more is usually safe to consider common knowledge. Again, be very careful with this. Just because you think something is common knowledge doesn’t mean that it actually is common knowledge to your specific audience – or more importantly, to your professor. For example, it’s common knowledge that there is a large population of homeless people in New York City, but it’s not common knowledge that, as of May 2020, there are approximately 59,308 homeless people in New York City. See the difference?

Learn more about referencing styles, avoiding plagiarism, and finding good sources in our free ebook, Making the Grade: A Guide to Essay Writing Like a Pro . This 150+ page book is packed with all the tips and advice you’ll ever need to write an amazing academic essay, regardless of what course you’re taking.

Don’t Feel Like Doing the Research? Let us Help

If you didn’t feel like looking through our master list of research topics for college students, we don’t blame you. There’s a lot of information here to process, and sometimes just the idea of digging through piles of research can be daunting enough to make you want to close your books forever.

When times get too tough, you can always turn to us. Homework Help Global provides custom essay writing services , as well as many other services such as editing, proofreading, presentations, and tutoring. All of our essays are written specifically for you based on your assignment details and instructions, are free from plagiarism, and are thoroughly researched by our team of scholars and academics.

Get a free quote now or place your order to get started , and we’ll get you set up with an expert in your field who can handle the work for you.

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