Coming up with a research or paper topic requires thought about what interests one about course topics, topics of other papers or research studies. It could also be on related topics that one might wonder about. Sometimes background information is necessary to identify a topic, or to learn more about potential topics of interest. 

Say, for example, one might be interested in religiosity or spirituality and attachment, pornography, or marital relationships and coping with stress. These topics could be from what just one is interested in from courses, other papers or research studies, or other things.

While it is important to come up with these broad topics, one needs to consider how each of these things will be focused on or measured (i.e., operationalized). While the paper may be on attachment or pornography, there are many aspects of these two concepts that could be studied. For example, one might look at either maternal or paternal attachment, attachment in collectivistic vs. individualistic cultures, one’s attachment to God, differences in attachment style, attachment when young vs. as an adult, etc. Religiosity and spirituality could vary with religious orientation, one’s concept of God, fundamentalism, religious experience, religious coping, spiritual well-being, etc.

One needs to consider the scope and purpose of the project or paper in coming up with topics as well. Is the paper, for instance, a literature review on a topic? Is it a response paper with just background information needed? Is it a thesis, capstone, or dissertation–something that might be formally published later? How much time do you have to work on it? How long should the paper or project be? All these questions should be considered while deciding on a topic.

Therefore, preliminary research should be done to determine these things. Are there a lot of research studies on the topic, or only a few? If there are too many, one may need to narrow down the research focus. If there are too few, one may need to broaden it. Looking at heterosexual marital couples in their second marriages and, after being diagnosed with depression and anxiety, how the couple’s concept of God relates to how they cope with stressful events is an example of a topic that is possibly too narrow.

This preliminary research is also important to conduct to determine whether or not there is enough research on and a theoretical basis for the topic. Good research or paper topics should be based on theory and a certain amount of background research. Research or paper topics also should not be too broad or narrow, and for thesis or dissertation work, usually should be original. It should focus on more than obvious or common knowledge and be relevant. A preliminary survey of the research should also be able to help you determine whether or not a topic is original, any theories behind the topics of interest, whether something is common knowledge. Some studies also suggest topics for future study. 

Once you narrow down your ideas based on your research, you can start to formulate a research question or statement. 

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