Occasionally you will be assigned a specific topic, but more likely there will be some choice involved. Choosing a good topic to research is a key factor for a successful paper. Whenever possible it is best to choose a topic which interests you, but interest aside always consider the following:

• Length
  • What is the prescribed length of the paper, project, or speech? Some topics are too complex for a research paper of 5-7 pages. A librarian can help you focus a topic to fit the required length of your research paper.
• Due Date
  • When is your assignment due? If you do not have much time to research your topic and complete your assignment, you may want to pick a topic that is easier to research, for instance, a topic about which a large number of books and periodical articles have been written.
• Available Information
  • How much information is available on the topic? Finding sufficient scholarly information on topics that are extremely recent or are of limited interest may be difficult or even impossible.