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Research 101

Tips for Choosing a Research Topic

Write what you know! Choose a topic you have some familiarity with
What are you curious about? Write about something you always wanted to know
Browse a magazine or one of the databases below and see what catches your attention
Look at the Thinking Tool to refine your topic and brainstorm some keywords

Databases for Browsing Topics

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
CQ Researcher provides award winning in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. The reports are written by experienced journalists, footnoted and professionally fact-checked.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Look for "Browse Issues" under the lightbulb icon to browse a list of topics.