If you are familiar with the subject area, then the topic to choose will become evident as you scan the assignment sheet, depending on your own knowledge, the time allocated for the project, and your own interests.

If you don't have much knowledge of the topic, there are several ways to choose a specific topic or narrow your focus.

• Read the assignment sheet again-- many people miss helpful information the first time. If you don't have an assignment sheet, try to remember all that was said in class about the assignment, or read notes that you may have taken.
• Look in your textbook to see if there is discussion related to the topic; that may help you decide.
• Ask your professor if they can recommend a topic, or if there is something that they would particularly like to see developed.
• Read an entry for the subject in an encyclopedia or handbook. Background information may help you make a choice.
• Use your own interests to develop a facet of the topic or to take the discussion in a particular direction (may need to be approved by your professor).
• Use GENIUS:
• Genre --especially for literary topics; for example, if you are studying Alice Walker, you may choose to focus on her poetry rather than her prose.
• Environment-- The subject as revealed in a particular time period, point in history, place, in the lives of scholars or authors, or scope? For example, the study of genetics since the invention of the electron microscope, vs. the study of genetics since Mendel.
• Novelty-- what's new about an old topic? What has changed about the way the topic has been viewed over time? For example, a speaker's interpretation of a religious text often reflects his or her times. For example, compare and contrast a sermon of Martin Luthur's to a sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Innovation--can the subject be viewed from a different perspective? For example, can the viewpoint of the indigenous peoples toward Columbus' arrival in the New World be determined? Is there any available material not written by people who were part of the Spanish party?
• Utility-- can the subject be treated in a way that contributes something practical and useful? Is there a way to make solar energy economically feasible for the average American family? (what is an "average American family"?) How about solar energy for the average family in India? What about during the monsoon season?
• Substance-- is there a way to make a real contribution to your own understanding in this assignment? Where are the holes in your knowledge? Part of the reason for research papers is to fill those in.