How to Choose a Paper Topic
Once you begin researching a topic, you may find it is too broad for the scope of your project, and must be narrowed before beginning your writing.
Here are some examples of narrowing a topic:
Broad Topic: "Early Modern Middle East."
First Narrowing: “The Ottoman Empire in the time of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.”
Second Narrowing: “Sultan Suleyman and Emperor Charles V.”
Third Narrowing: “The Competition between Sultan Suleyman and Emperor Charles V for Supremacy in the Mediterranean.”
Broad Topic: "The Medieval Church."
First Narrowing: “Church State Relations in Medieval Europe.”
Second Narrowing: “Henry IV, Pope Gregory VII, and the Conflict over Lay Investiture.”
Third Narrowing: “Henry IV and the Pilgrimage to Canossa: A Turning Point in Church State Relations.”
Broad Topic: "Latin American Independence."
First Narrowing: “Mexican Independence.”
Second Narrowing: “Miguel Hidalgo and Mexican Independence.”
Third Narrowing: “How Hidalgo’s uprising led to the protracted struggle for independence in Mexico.”
Broad Topic: "Women's Rights."
First Narrowing: “The Women’s Suffrage Campaign in Britain.”
Second Narrowing: “The Pankhursts and the WSPU.”
Third Narrowing: “The Terrorist Tactics of the Pankhursts and the WSPU and their impact on the Women’s Suffrage Campaign in Britain.”
Broad Topic: "World War Two."
First Narrowing: “Medical Advances during World War Two.”
Second Narrowing: “How Medical Advances helped Soldiers during World War Two.”
Third Narrowing: “The Role of Plasma and Sulfonamides in reducing Mortality Rates during World War Two.”
Broad Topic: "The Modern Middle East."
First Narrowing: “Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”
Second Narrowing: “Land Issues and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”
Third Narrowing: “The Role of Settlements in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process.”