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US History 2024-2025: Finding a Topic: Q3 Research Essay

Getting Started: Choosing a Topic

The first step in your research process will be choosing a topic. Here are some suggestions for generating topic ideas:

  • Is there anything you have read, either in a class or on your own, that has caught your interest?
  • Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of school that might provide a general topic for your paper?
  • Do you or a family member have a story to tell that you could also research? Research topics with personal connections can be compelling.
  • Still stuck? Take a look at some of the resources in the boxes below.

Using Library Books

If you're having trouble thinking of a topic, the library can help! 

Sometimes it can be helpful to browse the shelves and look at some books. Try looking at books catalogued in the 300s (these are the social studies books) or in the 900s (these are the history books).

Some popular topics are found in these sections:

  • 305: Women’s Rights; Race; Racism
  • 323: Civil Rights
  • 327: International Relations/Espionage
  • 355: Military/Warfare
  • 362: Opioid Crisis
  • 364: Mass Incarceration
  • 610-620: Medicine & Health (including Diseases, Mental Health, and Addiction)
  • 780: Music
  • 796: Sports 
  • 940: WWI & WWII
  • 973: US History (arranged chronologically)

Using Library Databases

This link will take you to the landing page for all of our ABC-CLIO databases. You can browse by time period through any of the databases focused on life in America or US history and government. Each time period includes some general topic ideas. 

This will take you to the landing page for the database. Click "Browse Topics" in the navigation bar that runs across the middle of the page to see some possible topic areas.

Still Stuck?

The librarians and history teachers have created this list of paper topic ideas arranged by subject. Feel free to explore this document and use it for inspiration. If you don't know what a topic is, you can search for it online or in a library database!