Finding a Topic for an Informative Essay






	C. Munzenmaier • Urbandale, IA

Home
Syllabus
Assignments
Instructor
Help
Site Map
Contact

Quick Links
APA Resources
ESL Resources
  Writing Process
    • Getting Started
    • Grammar
    • Practical Writer
  Citing Sources
    • APA Resources
    • BibMe
    • Citation Machine
    • Plagiarism
  Subject-Area Resources
    • Business
    • Criminal Justice
    • Humanities
    • IT
    • Legal
    • Medical

Choosing a Topic for an Informative Essay
• Overview • Hints • Resources

Overview
When you write an informative essay, your goal is to share knowledge with your reader. A good topic would be one that

is interesting to you
provides new information (either an update on a familiar topic or information that most people don't already know)
can be explained in 3–5 pages
can be supported by credible evidence

As you look for a topic, you can start with your interests. Perhaps you have a question: What causes autism? Perhaps you have a problem: What is the best way to stop smoking? Perhaps you want to learn more about an idea that intrigues you: Could watching ants help us solve traffic congestion?

You may have to explore several topics before you find one that fits your interests and the criteria of the assignment. The Hints below will help you identify possible topics.

Topics to Avoid

Some topics are interesting, but not well-suited to an informative essay because they are

Too complex	You only have 3–5 pages, which isn't enough to allow you to explain a complex topic like the theory of relativity.
Dependant on faith-based texts	“Use of such texts assumes your audience shares the same belief system” (The KU Handbook for Writers, 2008, p. 10). People who do not share your beliefs will not accept sacred texts as evidence.
Too personal	If a topic has a close connection to your life or reflects strong convictions, you may find it difficult to write objectively.
Same old— same old topics	Your teacher has probably read far too many papers on abortion and capital punishment. To write an interesting paper on an overdone topic, you must find a new angle: Why did the woman who sued for the right to have an abortion try to reopen Roe v. Wade? How is the Innocence Project affecting Americans’ views on capital punishment?

Hints for Finding a Topic

One strategy is to browse until you find something that catches your interest. Here are some places to look:

Browse the magazines displayed in the library or check out these recommended articles.
Visit a news organization's or print magazine's Web site; try CNN or PBS (especially Frontline or the Nova archive), Psychology Today or Prevention.
Check out the subject-area resources in the left sidebar.
Type a word into KwMap (http://www.kwmap.net) and get a map of related ideas.
Visit sites that cover controversial issues, such as ACLU, Debatabase, Hot Topic Supersites, Public Agenda Research Reports, The Annenberg Public Policy Center, or Psychology Matters. (For an argument paper, you'll need to take a position. For an informative paper, you can write a briefing paper, giving background on an issue and summarizing various points of view about it.)
Look for something offbeat at New Scientist or Psychology Matters.
Ask your teachers for ideas of what you might research.

Another approach is to look over a list of ideas like the ones below:

A question you have	What makes some people survivors? What's the best way to praise kids? Which is more important: practice or talent? Does multitasking have hidden costs? How does taking care of someone with Alzheimer’s affect the caregiver? Why do some say we should teach women to interrupt? (look for article on "Gender and Cultural Variables in Management Education")
A cause-effect relationship	How does texting affect your driving? (interactive game) Does violence spread like an infection? Can sleep really help you lose weight? Has the link between television and ADHD been proven? Is there an alcoholism gene? What do we know about why serial killers commit crimes? What is the relationship between ethical behavior and company profits? What does research say about lead and ADHD? Why is happiness contagious?
A problem you want to solve	What is the best way to potty train a toddler? When people try to quit smoking, which method has the best success rate? How does stereotyping yourself contribute to test anxiety? How are prisons preparing to deal with aging inmates? What can be done to help teens with ADHD?
A favorite show or hobby	Does the CSI effect really influence juries? How does music make your brain happy? What can art tell us about serial killers? Can acoustic therapy (music) ease chronic pain? Can playing Tetris ease the symptoms of post-traumatic stress?
A long-term interest	What is the latest thinking on autism? How do profilers link cases together? I already know a lot about the Holocaust. What could I learn by focusing on what happened to children?
Something you question	Can you trust eyewitness testimony? Can John Gottmann really predict which couples will get divorced? Where do the best new business ideas come from? Are your friends making you fat? What do you mean by “strategic logic" of suicide terrorism?? Surely terrorists are crazy, not logical. Can brain scans detect lies? With so much conflicting advice, is there any nutrition information I can trust? Can you be blamed for sleepwalking crimes?
A myth you want to expose	People believe that... but researchers have found...
Cutting-edge research	Could Skinput make your arm into a touchscreen? What is the relationship between diabetics' survival rates and a new cancer treatment? What is the noisy brain theory of autism? Latest, greatest technology

Making the choice: Familiar or unfamiliar topic? Should you pick a topic you know well or a topic you know little about? The chart below will help you weight the advantages and disadvantages.

Familiar Topic		New Topic
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
Quick; no need to do background research	Can be difficult to distinguish between common knowledge and what needs to be documented	Chance to learn something new, different	Harder to predict difficulties you might run into, such as not finding enough material
Predictable; shouldn’t hit too many snags in research	Same old, same old	More challenging; less boring	Requires more time and mental effort

Still have questions? See the Internet Resources below and Hints for Finding Sources.

Internet Resources

Choosing a Topic

	How to Find a Research Topic (UCSC)
	Finding a Topic (tutorial from Webster U. library)
	Finding a Topic (includes links to successful topics and a research log entry on picking a topic)
	Module 2: Choosing a Topic (help with keywords from Lesley Libraries)
	Developing a Research Question (Empire State)
	Choosing and Focusing a Topic (tutorial from Virginia Tech)
	Framing Your Research Question (OhioLINK)

The Research Process

	Steps Along the Research Path (Lesley Libraries)
	Writing Tip # 19: Writing and Planning a Research Paper (University of Colorado at Boulder; discusses how your topic changes as you find more information)
	Planning and Writing a Research Paper (tutorial from the University of Wisconsin-Madison)
	Module 2: Choosing a Topic (help with keywords from Lesley Libraries)
	Stages in Writing a Research Paper

Copyright in these materials belongs to C. Munzenmaier © 2010.
Teachers are free to reproduce or modify them for nonprofit educational use.

home • syllabus •assignments • instructor • help • site map • contact