Interest comes first

A. Pick a topic you are interested in and would like to learn about. If your interest is sparked, this can keep the paper from becoming lifeless.

B. The topic should be focused on the course for which it is written. In other words, a history paper will have a different focus than a sociology paper.

Places to find interesting subjects:
newspapers;   the Internet;    instructors;    magazines;
conversations;    your textbook;   editorials;  reference books;
TV or radio news; the Writing Lab!

Select your topic early.

A. Write down a deadline date and have your topic chosen by that date._____________________________________

B. Making a topic decision early will help to ensure that you have time to gather reference material. Material on popular topics is often checked out early in the semester, and it takes time to obtain books from other libraries. Visit the library early!