Subject Selection Designed by Elisa Paramore for Student Support Services

Introduction u Selecting a subject for an essay is the most important, yet difficult task that students face when asked to write an essay. In some cases you may be given a list of topics by your instructor and then be asked to choose one. However, in some instances you may be given the task of choosing a topic of your own. Whichever the case, it is best to follow the guidelines that will be discussed in this presentation to help ensure that you choose the best possible topic for you.

Guidelines for topic selection u Choose a subject that you already know something about or that you would like to know more about. u Choose a subject that will teach you something new while you are in the process of explaining it to your reader. u Remember not to undervalue the significance of your personal experience, especially when a particular experience led to a change in your life, the way you look at life or the way you live your life.

Other Guidelines for choosing a Topic u Let necessity be your guide. Ask yourself, “Is there some product that I need?” If so, you may choose to write an essay that discusses the different brands available, as well as the pros and cons of each. u Let the courses that you are taking help you decide. Ask yourself, “Have we briefly studied some topic in one of my classes that I would like to know more about?”

Topic Selection for Research Papers u When assigned the task of writing a research paper it is also very important to choose your topic wisely. u You may be drawn to a subject that you have heard a lot about from TV, or read about in magazines or newspaper articles. Choosing a topic that may be controversial and new may be a very good way to gain and keep your reader’s attention, but the problem with choosing topics that are so new is that there may not be enough resources available to adequately cover your topic.

Narrowing a broad subject u After choosing a broad subject area either for an essay or research paper, it is necessary to limit the scope of your subject into a more manageable topic that can be sufficiently covered in a limited amount of space. For example, writing about the world of work is too broad to cover completely and thoroughly in a word essay. Therefore, it is necessary to decide on one particular aspect of the world of work. For instance, the important benefits derived from working while attending college, would be a better topic choice.

More Guidelines for Narrowing u In deciding how to narrow your subject into a more manageable size, you may use any of the following aids, either alone or in combination. u Time period u Occupation u Cultural period u Religion u Particular economic group u Specialized discipline u Specific classification

u Individual example u Gender u Specific region or locale u Specific nationality, or race u Specific age group u Remember that although you may have narrowed your subject as far as you think is possible, it may be necessary to do so again, especially if you find something unexpected that may be of interest

Narrowing Activity u Look at the broad topics listed below and narrow them using the guidelines from the previous 2 pages so that each can be used in word essays: u Advertising u Animals u Automobiles u College u Crime

u Drugs u Education u Fashion u Foreign Affairs u Hobbies u Magazines u Movies u Television u Vacations

Topics to Avoid u Topics to avoid writing essays or research papers about include the following: u Topics that you are too emotionally connected to or have some connection to your faith u Topics that appear to be too easy to write about. The danger here is that you may soon become bored, and therefore, you will run the risk of not writing a very interesting paper u Topics with resources that are not available within a specified time. Therefore, it is advised that you find out which topics have the most readily available material

u Topics that limit you to a fixed viewpoint before you even start your research. Allow your topic to develop into a thesis and do not try to make your facts fit your thesis u Avoid topics that have been done over and over unless you can approach the topic from a new perspective u Avoid topics that can be summed up in an encyclopedia entry or found in any single source u Avoid topics chosen out of desperation

Conclusion u I hope this presentation has given you some useful information concerning the task of choosing a subject about which to write. Please come by Student Support Services to fill out an Academic Enrichment Summary so that we may document your participation. If you are viewing this workshop via the internet you may click on the link in the directions box on the Workshops page and print one out or it to: Please feel free to suggest any other topics that you would like to see presented. Handouts available upon EXIT