Author Topic: Research Essay (Read 1464 times)

Dreams_Of_Cheese · November 28, 2016, 11:33:35 PM

I'm meant to be picking a topic for a research essay for my english class soon. The problem is, I have no clue whatsoever as to what I want to write about. It has to be arguable and have actual evidence out there. Give me some ideas, BLF.

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DrMobius · November 28, 2016, 11:39:27 PM

How hard do you want to troll your class?

The 2016 election, abortion, and antivaccination are all good ways to get people arguing

Alternat�ve · November 28, 2016, 11:55:32 PM

I stuff out a 7 page paper on Climate Change in one night and got a high C so you should try that

Planr · November 29, 2016, 12:00:49 AM

smoking weed vs eating weed: yay or nay

Outpact- · November 29, 2016, 12:08:39 AM

US Politics is the hot topic this year.

Bloody Mary · November 29, 2016, 12:11:11 AM

I wouldn't recommend choosing a topic that's controversial just for the sake of it. Something I recommend is an actual issue that's either prominent now or will be in the next few years. Arguing against/for something like that is quite constructive because it lets you make an argument that's both relevant and that could be genuinely convincing to some people.

Some examples:

Climate change is likely to cause a very large number of people to be displaced globally within the next few decades. Humanitarian efforts will almost certainly be required in many countries. Should the USA take in refugees displaced due to environmental issues? Why or why not? In addition, should the countries most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change undergo infrastructural reform now to soften the blow of potential environmental damage?
With the ongoing, seemingly perpetual conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, is there a point where our military efforts do more harm then good? Looking at the larger picture, is military intervention abroad an overall positive or negative thing? Why or why not?
As the economic future of the United States remains unclear, should we make a concentrated effort to address the issue of homelessness in our population, or is such concern better spent elsewhere?

Planr · November 29, 2016, 12:26:14 AM

if he's doing a research essay he shouldnt choose a very broad subject like the ones you suggested bloody mary. he needs to back up and support everything in his essay which can make it much harder to do if he has to support and research so many different aspects of one general topic. the more focused and narrow his essay is, the better.

a good strategy for a research essay is for it to lay out a problem facing society that some relevant authority is able to solve. basically write the paper to convince them of why they should or should not do x.

Bloody Mary · November 29, 2016, 12:37:30 AM

Quote from: Planr on November 29, 2016, 12:26:14 AM

if he's doing a research essay he shouldnt choose a very broad subject like the ones you suggested bloody mary. he needs to back up and support everything in his essay which can make it much harder to do if he has to support and research so many different aspects of one general topic. the more focused and narrow his essay is, the better.

a good strategy for a research essay is for it to lay out a problem facing society that some relevant authority is able to solve. basically write the paper to convince them of why they should or should not do x.

I mean, we are talking about a research essay here. Choosing a topic that requires some deep research is probably better than a topic that doesn't require much digging, both for the end result and the experience gained by writing about it. I can understand just wanting to get your feet wet at first though, especially if you haven't written many research papers before.

Also, I believe the topics I mentioned are plenty narrow. All three are direct questions that can be argued for/against. By brown townyzing environmental issues and the cost of rehabilitation / the effects of military action in a variety of contexts / homelessness in America, someone could construct a hard-hitting thesis that isn't overtly broad. On the other hand, I understand their complexity being a concern.

Space1255 · November 29, 2016, 06:56:32 AM

Do something on overpopulation.

Drydess · November 29, 2016, 07:14:04 AM

write about dreaming_about_cheese

Nikki · November 29, 2016, 07:57:20 AM

Easiest way to do it is a law.
There's easy speculation and hypothetical situations, and using a long history on why we have it as a law or if it was a recent development

I did my HS research paper on graffiti and had some fun with that.

Tactical Nuke · November 29, 2016, 08:17:59 AM

breakdown of the black family and its link to crime

kinda easy to write about because there's so much evidence to prove it

Zloff · November 29, 2016, 09:04:08 AM

for one of my final papers in 10th or 11th grade i chose to write a short summary on gravitational time dilation. i got marked down6 or 8 points bc the teacher didn't understand what i was talking about

Quote from: Tactical Nuke on November 29, 2016, 08:17:59 AM

breakdown of the black family and its link to crime

kinda easy to write about because there's so much evidence to prove it

^hell op if u need convincing then just look for a argument that jitank was involved in. counter-arg evidence is practically non-existant

Pastrey Crust · November 29, 2016, 09:07:12 AM

Bestiality is a bomb when it comes to arguments. We had a 150-page debate here.

Ravencroft� · November 29, 2016, 09:16:27 AM

Climate change is such a broad subject though. Focus on something more specific like ethanol biofuels, dam relocation, carbon reclamation, severe weather, etc.