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100+ ICMR Research Topics: Unlocking Health Insights

The landscape of healthcare research in India has been significantly shaped by the endeavors of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Established in 1911, the ICMR has played a pivotal role in advancing medical knowledge, informing health policies, and fostering collaborations to address pressing health challenges in the country.

In this blog, we embark on a journey through the corridors of ICMR research topics, shedding light on the council’s current and noteworthy research topics that are contributing to the nation’s health and well-being.

The Role of ICMR in Health Research

Table of Contents

The Indian Council of Medical Research operates as the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research. With a mission to nurture and harness the potential of medical research for the benefit of society, ICMR has become a cornerstone in shaping health policies and practices. 

By fostering collaborations with researchers and institutions across the nation, ICMR has emerged as a driving force in advancing healthcare knowledge and outcomes.

Understanding ICMR Research Methodology

The success of ICMR’s research lies not only in its expansive scope but also in its rigorous methodology and ethical considerations. ICMR has established guidelines that researchers must adhere to, ensuring that studies funded by the council are not only scientifically sound but also ethically conducted. 

This commitment to ethical research practices has been a cornerstone in building public trust and confidence in the findings generated by ICMR-funded studies.

100+ ICMR Research Topics For All Level Students

• Infectious Diseases: Emerging pathogens and control strategies.
• Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): Diabetes, cardiovascular research.
• Maternal and Child Health: Strategies for mortality reduction.
• Biomedical Research: Molecular insights into diseases.
• Cancer Research: Innovative approaches for treatment.
• Epidemiology: Studying disease patterns and trends.
• Vaccination Strategies: Enhancing immunization programs.
• Public Health Interventions: Effective community health measures.
• Antibiotic Resistance: Combating microbial resistance.
• Genetic Studies: Understanding genetic contributions to diseases.
• Neurological Disorders: Research on neurological conditions.
• Mental Health: Addressing mental health challenges.
• Nutrition and Health: Studying dietary impacts on health.
• Health Systems Research: Improving healthcare delivery.
• Ayurveda Research: Integrating traditional medicine practices.
• Environmental Health: Impact of environment on health.
• Emerging Technologies: Utilizing tech for healthcare innovations.
• Pharmacological Research: Advancements in drug discovery.
• Global Health Collaborations: International health partnerships.
• Waterborne Diseases: Prevention and control strategies.
• Health Policy Research: Shaping evidence-based policies.
• Health Economics: Studying economic aspects of healthcare.
• Telemedicine: Harnessing technology for remote healthcare.
• Rare Diseases: Understanding and treating rare disorders.
• Community Health: Promoting health at the grassroots level.
• HIV/AIDS Research: Advancements in HIV prevention and treatment.
• Aging and Health: Research on geriatric health issues.
• Cardiovascular Health: Preventive measures and treatments.
• Respiratory Diseases: Understanding lung-related conditions.
• Zoonotic Diseases: Investigating diseases transmitted from animals.
• Stem Cell Research: Applications in regenerative medicine.
• Yoga and Health: Studying the health benefits of yoga.
• Gender and Health: Research on gender-specific health issues.
• Oral Health: Preventive measures and treatments for oral diseases.
• Health Informatics: Utilizing data for healthcare improvements.
• Health Education: Promoting awareness for better health.
• Drug Resistance: Research on antimicrobial resistance.
• Hepatitis Research: Prevention and treatment strategies.
• Telehealth: Remote healthcare services and accessibility.
• Diabetes Management: Strategies for diabetes prevention and control.
• Tuberculosis Research: Advancements in TB diagnosis and treatment.
• Fertility Research: Understanding reproductive health issues.
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Integrating AI for diagnostics.
• Health Disparities: Addressing inequalities in healthcare access.
• Mental Health Stigma: Research on reducing stigma.
• Mobile Health (mHealth): Applications for mobile-based healthcare.
• Vector-Borne Diseases: Prevention and control measures.
• Nanotechnology in Medicine: Applications in healthcare.
• Occupational Health: Research on workplace health issues.
• Biobanking: Storing and utilizing biological samples for research.
• Telepsychiatry: Providing mental health services remotely.
• Health Equity: Promoting fairness in healthcare delivery.
• Community-Based Participatory Research: Engaging communities in research.
• E-health: Electronic methods for healthcare delivery.
• Sleep Disorders: Understanding and treating sleep-related conditions.
• Health Communication: Effective communication in healthcare.
• Global Burden of Disease: Research on disease prevalence and impact.
• Traditional Medicine: Studying traditional healing practices.
• Nutraceuticals: Research on health-promoting food components.
• Health Data Security: Ensuring privacy and security of health data.
• Regenerative Medicine: Advancements in tissue engineering.
• Social Determinants of Health: Studying social factors affecting health.
• Pharmacovigilance: Monitoring and ensuring drug safety.
• Gerontology: Research on aging and the elderly.
• Mobile Apps in Healthcare: Applications for health monitoring.
• Genetic Counseling: Supporting individuals with genetic conditions.
• Community Health Workers: Role in improving healthcare access.
• Health Behavior Change: Strategies for promoting healthier habits.
• Palliative Care Research: Enhancing end-of-life care.
• Nanomedicine: Applications of nanotechnology in medicine.
• Climate Change and Health: Impact on public health.
• Health Literacy: Promoting understanding of health information.
• Antibody Therapeutics: Advancements in antibody-based treatments.
• Digital Health Records: Electronic health record systems.
• Microbiome Research: Understanding the role of microorganisms in health.
• Disaster Preparedness: Research on health response during disasters.
• Food Safety and Health: Ensuring safe food consumption.
• Artificial Organs: Advancements in organ transplantation.
• Telepharmacy: Remote pharmaceutical services.
• Environmental Epidemiology: Studying the link between environment and health.
• E-mental Health: Digital tools for mental health support.
• Precision Medicine: Tailoring treatments based on individual characteristics.
• Health Impact Assessment: Evaluating the consequences of policies on health.
• Genome Editing: Applications in modifying genetic material.
• Mobile Clinics: Bringing healthcare to underserved areas.
• Telecardiology: Remote cardiac care services.
• Health Robotics: Utilizing robots in healthcare settings.
• Precision Agriculture and Health: Linking agriculture practices to health outcomes.
• Community-Based Rehabilitation: Supporting rehabilitation at the community level.
• Nanotoxicology: Studying the toxicological effects of nanomaterials.
• Community Mental Health: Strategies for promoting mental well-being.
• Health Financing: Research on funding models for healthcare.
• Augmented Reality in Healthcare: Applications in medical training and diagnostics.
• One Health Approach: Integrating human, animal, and environmental health.
• Disaster Mental Health: Addressing mental health issues after disasters.
• Mobile Laboratory Units: Rapid response in disease outbreaks.
• Health Impact Investing: Investing for positive health outcomes.
• Rehabilitation Robotics: Assisting in physical therapy.
• Human Microbiota: Understanding the microorganisms living in and on the human body.
• 3D Printing in Medicine: Applications in medical device manufacturing.

Success Stories from ICMR-Funded Research

Highlighting the impact of ICMR-funded research is essential in appreciating the council’s contribution to healthcare in India. From breakthrough discoveries to successful interventions, ICMR-supported studies have led to tangible improvements in health outcomes. 

Case studies showcasing the journey from ICMR research topics and findings to real-world applications serve as inspiring examples of how scientific knowledge can translate into positive societal impacts.

Challenges and Opportunities in ICMR Research

While ICMR has achieved remarkable success in advancing health research, it is not without its challenges. Researchers face obstacles in conducting studies, ranging from resource constraints to logistical issues. 

Acknowledging these challenges is crucial in finding solutions and optimizing the impact of ICMR-funded research. Additionally, there are opportunities for collaboration, both nationally and internationally, that can further enrich the research landscape and accelerate progress in addressing health challenges.

The Future of Health Research in India: ICMR’s Vision

Looking ahead, ICMR envisions a future where health research continues to play a central role in shaping the well-being of the nation. Strategic goals include harnessing the power of technology and innovation to drive research advancements, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, and addressing emerging health challenges. 

The vision extends beyond the laboratory, emphasizing the translation of research findings into practical solutions that can positively impact the lives of individuals and communities across India.

In conclusion, the Indian Council of Medical Research stands as a beacon in the realm of healthcare research, tirelessly working towards advancements that contribute to the well-being of the nation. 

By exploring ICMR research topics, understanding its methodology, and reflecting on success stories, we gain insight into the transformative power of scientific inquiry. 

As ICMR continues to forge ahead, the future of health research in India looks promising, guided by a vision of innovation, collaboration, and a steadfast commitment to improving the health of all citizens.

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India’s renewed quest to improve its research quality

Dec 24, 2019

In recent years, India has emerged as one of the leading countries in terms of research volume. As per Elsevier’s 2018 Research Intelligence report, the country is the  fifth largest producer of research publications , only behind scientific superpowers such as the US, China, the UK, and Germany. When it comes to India’s ranking in Asia, as per the Scimago Journal and Country Rank database (which includes papers published between 1996 and 2018), India  ranks among the top Asian countries  in terms of research output, alongside China and Japan.

However, India’s research performance on parameters such as citation and collaboration has not been as stellar. In terms of citation, the country ranks 10 th  in the Elsevier report and 14 th  in the Scimago database.  In terms of international collaboration, the country has even seen a marginal decline in recent years , as per the STM Scientific Publishing Report 2018. Additionally, in the past few years,  the country has witnessed the rapid proliferation of predatory journals , putting a question mark on the quality of much of its research output.

Various stakeholders in the country – including the government, statutory bodies, and private institutions – have been working to deal with the challenges impacting the quality of the research output. In this article, we will take a closer look at these challenges as well as how the stakeholders are addressing them. The challenges include:

• Increasing citations and international collaborations
• Improving the quality of PhD papers
• Dealing with predatory publishing
• Implementing the tenure track system
• Increasing funding

Increasing citations and collaborations

Impact factor and, by association, citation as parameters for evaluating research quality have been  debated by experts  in recent times. However, citation and international collaboration are interlinked. As the 2018 STM Report  states , “There is a clear benefit to researchers from international collaboration in terms of increased citations. The average number of citations received per article increases with each additional collaborating country.”

Through increased collaboration, researchers gain crucial new insights and perspectives, which add value to the research. This explains why the number of international collaborations is on the rise and why such collaborations are now more the norm than the exception. Thus, if Indian researchers were to increase their number of international collaborations, the citation volume would also increase. To this effect, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) launched the Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty ( VAJRA ) scheme in July 2017 to foster collaboration between foreign and Indian researchers on projects funded by and based in India.

Pushing for better PhD quality

The University Grants Commission (UGC), India’s statutory body for higher education, has in the past year been reviewing several components of the PhD system, perhaps with the view that today’s PhD holder is tomorrow’s researcher.

In May this year, amid growing concerns that doctoral papers in recent years have been short on novelty and quality, the UGC called for a review of the PhD papers published in the past 10 years to identify the kind of guidance and support PhD students require. The review is meant to assess the type and value of PhD topics that have been greenlit in the recent past. Sushma Yadav, a member of the UGC, explained the  need for the review : “Higher education in India has expanded a lot over the last decade. But with growth in quantity, keeping a tab on quality becomes a major concern.” The results of the review are shortly due, based on which the UGC also plans to unveil new guidelines and regulations for higher education in the country.

The UGC is also  considering the removal of the publication requirement for PhD students . Presently, it is mandatory for PhD students to be published in a peer-reviewed journal to be awarded their degree. However, the timelines for publication in some fields (such as natural and life sciences) are longer than those in other fields. This causes a delay in the awarding of the degree, keeping students from advancing to the next stage in their careers, thereby leading to much stress. Also, this shifts the responsibility of ensuring the quality of the paper to the journal rather than resting with academics and their supervisors.

The move would not only reduce career-level insecurity for PhD students but would also increase their accountability, leading to a corresponding rise in quality. Eminent biochemist P Balaram, who headed the committee that made this recommendation,  underlines the need for this shift : “Academic standard has to be maintained by academics. Right now, the problem is that many institutions have abdicated the responsibility for PhD quality by outsourcing it to journals.”

Pushing back predatory publications

Several factors, such as the pressure to publish and a lack of awareness of best practices of publication, have contributed to the rise of predatory publications in India. According to several academics, the  introduction of the academic performance indicator (API) regulations  by the UGC in 2010 was one such factor. As per the API regulations, it became compulsory for teachers in all higher-education institutions (HEIs) to publish research papers and attend academic conferences for career progression.

While the intention was to raise the calibre of academics and research, it had the reverse effect. Academics already burdened with high teaching loads now had to deal with the additional pressure of frequent publishing. Many did so by submitting to journals that promised faster publishing for a fee, not realizing that these are dubious journals that either compromise or altogether omit the editorial and peer review processes. The result was a boom in the number of papers getting published, but with little or no assurance of the quality of the science. In a matter of years, the country inadvertently emerged as one of the biggest global hubs for predatory publishing .

Realizing the unfortunate consequences the API regulations had led to, the UGC has been working on various fronts. To stymie the further growth of predatory publishers, in 2017, it  introduced a white list  of approved journals for publishing and, since then, has  continually updated the list . At the same time, it has also decided to remove the API criteria for college teachers. Additionally, the UGC is attempting to address the problem at the grassroot level by increasing the awareness of researchers about the ethical aspects of conducting research. In November last year, it set up  Consortium for Academic Research and Ethics (CARE)  primarily to guide researchers and academics on research quality and integrity, especially in matters of journal identification and selection. Going forward, CARE would be responsible for the regular maintenance and update of the white list of journals. Also, as per Bhushan Patwardhan, Vice-Chairman, UGC,  the consortium is also developing a for-credit course  to be used for faculty induction, orientation, and refresher programs.

Instating the tenure track system to improve quality of faculty

The tenure track, which grants a permanent position to a professor at an institute on successful achievement of the criteria, is an established system in the West. In India, only a handful of institutes offer the tenure track, such as Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai.

This year,  the Draft National Education Policy  (NEP) made a recommendation for a nation-wide implementation of the tenure track system to improve the HEI faculty in the country and thereby improve the research quality. Based on the recommendation, several scientific institutes in the country have been in discussions on the adoption of the system. In September, giving tremendous momentum to the discussions, the 23 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Council of the 31 National Institutes of Technology (NITs)  decided to adopt the system .

Earlier, some institutes (such as IIT Bombay) granted permanent positions to professors after only one year of probation. The certainty of being made permanent after such a short period, some believe, takes away the need for the faculty to perform at their highest capacity. Therefore, under the new system, professors will receive tenure after five years as this  would ensure that only those genuinely interested in research and academia remain  in the institute and in the field.

However, some researchers are sceptical that the system will be able to fulfill its purpose . They believe it will introduce insecurity as professors who fail to get tenure after five years of being in the track system will have to look for employment elsewhere, or even outside academia, at an age when their contemporaries in other fields are well-established in their careers. On the other hand, there are concerns that the system will compel on-track academics to take up low-value research questions to meet their publishing goals, which will slow down the desired pace of improvement in research quality.

Given these concerns, some believe the impetus for the success of the system should lie with the institutes. V Ramgopal Rao, director at IIT Delhi,  elaborates : “The institutes must render proper infrastructure, including research support and lab space, that faculty need [in order] to administer high-quality projects and work at their best capacity.”

It is very early days for the tenure track in India, and it will be interesting to see how the system develops and, more importantly, whether it meets its objectives.

Reinvigorating research through funding Finally, the one area that the stakeholders may need to look at with the greatest urgency is funding. The country’s spending on research, as a part of its gross domestic product (GDP), has remained since two decades at 0.6% , which is lower than that of the leading Asian countries in research: China spends close to 2%, Japan 3.3%, and South Korea 4.2%. This is also  among the lowest of the G20 countries  (of which India is a member).

The reason for the stagnant spending could lie in the fact that the government remains the biggest spender on research, funding about 45% of projects. In India, private institutions fund only to the extent of 35% , compared with 68% in the US and 87% in China.

An increase in funding would help improve the research infrastructure in the country. Better facilities and improved salaries and stipends would in turn make academia more attractive as a long-term career option, helping to reduce the perennial challenge of brain drain from the country.

The initiatives taken by various stakeholders in recent times to improve the quality of research in the country are commendable, even if long due. But a lot more needs to be done if India wishes to go from being one of the largest producers of research to becoming a global scientific superpower.

Related reading:

• China is third-largest producer of academic papers with international coauthorship
• What’s the score: How the G20 nations performed in research in 2018-19
• India’s thriving “pay to publish” research paper bazaar uncovered
• Chasing the impact factor: Is it worth the hassle?

References:

• India at no. 5 in the world for science research, says new global report
• The STM Report, Fifth edition, October 2018
• UGC to review quality of PhD theses over 10 years
• Paper publication prior to PhD thesis submission rule may go
• Indian academics lead the world in publishing in fake journals – tarring the whole education sector
• Explained: How the pay-and-publish business works
• India culls hundreds more ‘dubious’ journals from government approved list
• Why India is striking back against predatory journals
• IITs show the tenure track way: Assistant professors to be promoted after 5 years and an appraisal
• Here is why the five-year tenure track system in IITs needs further consideration
• ‘Tenure track system will force new faculty to pursue short-term research goals’
• India’s R&D spend stagnant for 20 years at 0.7% of GDP
• India’s science and technology funding: Time for a rethink?
• Global Science
• Global Trends

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Developing survey questions on sensitive topics in India

Ariana Salazar

Pew Research Center: Decoded

Pew Research Center often conducts surveys around the globe on sensitive topics, including religion and national identity. Asking balanced questions about these kinds of topics is a challenging endeavor that requires us to invest considerable time and effort into developing and testing questionnaires.

But our recent survey of nearly 30,000 Indian adults required even more questionnaire development phases, over a longer period of time, than are typically undertaken at the Center. Through these efforts, we sought to produce a survey instrument that could be easily understood by respondents across India’s diverse regions and religious communities, while also asking about sensitive issues in an appropriate way.

The questionnaire development process took over two and a half years, concluding in the fall of 2019. Along the way, we consulted with subject-matter experts, conducted focus groups and qualitative interviews, and fielded both a survey pretest and a pilot survey. Between each phase of the development process, we refined the questionnaire. (Fieldwork for the main survey began in mid-November 2019. You can read more about the fieldwork in this Decoded post .)

The participants for our test studies came from a variety of backgrounds (taking into account their religion, gender, age, socio-economic status, languages spoken and location) to ensure that our questions were well-suited for a wide swath of the Indian public. An in-country institutional review board, or IRB, also approved the questionnaire — including the consent language — to protect the rights and privacy of the respondents.

Below is a description of our main efforts to develop and refine the survey questionnaire:

1. Background research (throughout the survey development process): In the earliest stages of the project, our main task was to identify the broad themes we wanted to cover in the survey that were both measurable through opinion data and relevant to India’s public discourse. We looked at previous surveys conducted in India and met with academics, journalists and policy experts to better understand where there may be data gaps that we could address. Throughout the project, we followed the news and looked for additional research on social issues in India that could improve the questionnaire.

2. Academic advisers (throughout the survey development process): We recruited a board of six academic scholars with diverse methodological and subject area expertise within the broad topic of religion and identity in India. They provided input on questionnaire topics and gave feedback on the wording of specific questions. Once fieldwork was completed, they also provided feedback on the analysis and editorial choices. While the project was guided by our consultations with these advisers, Pew Research Center alone determined which questions to include in the final questionnaire and how to analyze the results.

3. Focus groups (April-May 2018): We conducted 22 focus groups across five Indian states in four languages: Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Marathi. These moderated group discussions were an initial opportunity to understand how Indians talked about key issues and to see how comfortable participants were when having these discussions. Focus groups were organized around demographic characteristics; for example, urban Muslim women met to discuss religion, diversity, nationalism and gender. While the participants generally talked about our research topics with ease, in our assessment of qualitative interviews, religious conversion emerged as a topic too sensitive to phrase into a question. As a result, we did not include questions assessing attitudes toward proselytizing and conversion in the questionnaire, although we did measure the rate of religious switching. (For more information on religious conversion in India, see the report .)

4. Cognitive interviews (September-October 2018): We held 56 cognitive interviews across 10 Indian states, helping us better understand how respondents think through their response process. In these individual sessions, we asked participants to answer survey questions and then asked follow-up prompts to gauge participant discomfort and comprehension. We conducted these interviews in 10 languages: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Tamil and Telugu.

One conclusion from the cognitive interviews was that Indians have widely varying understandings of the phrase “the West.” We asked participants, “Please tell me if you completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree or completely disagree with the following statement: There is a conflict between India’s traditional values and those of the West.” As a follow-up question, we asked, “Which countries are parts of the West?” While academic discussions often consider places like the United States or Western Europe as “the West,” the Indians in our cognitive interviews also listed countries like China, Japan, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia as parts of “the West.” We therefore decided to remove “the West” from the questionnaire to avoid any data inconsistencies that could be created by these varying interpretations.

In one instance, based on cognitive interviews, we significantly changed a question aimed at assessing attitudes on diversity. We originally asked, “Is it better for us that our country is composed of people from different languages and religions OR would it be better for us if our country were composed of people with the same language and religion?” Some respondents gave us feedback that the wording of the second option could be understood as inflammatory and that they were uncomfortable with the question. As a result, we decided to include a different version of this question in the final instrument: “All in all, do you think India’s religious diversity benefits the country or harms the country?”

Throughout our qualitative work, Indian respondents enthusiastically shared their opinions on the topics covered in the survey. At the end of one cognitive interview, for example, a female respondent volunteered that no one had ever talked to her in so much detail about her opinion on these issues, even though she had so much to share through her personal experiences. Indian respondents’ enthusiasm for the survey topic was also reflected in the response rate for the nationally representative survey: 86% of the people we contacted to participate in the survey ended up completing an interview.

5. Pretest (March 2019): After the questionnaire was fully translated into 16 local languages and the translations were independently reviewed by additional translators, it was tested with 100 Indians across six states and union territories. In this test, we conducted full interviews with participants and asked questions of the interviewers after each interview was over. We asked interviewers to evaluate the quality of the translations and how burdensome the questionnaire was for respondents.

During the pretest, we recorded the start and end times of each interview to get a better sense of interview length. The pretest revealed that the interviews were running quite long, on average, and risked respondent fatigue. We therefore made significant cuts to the questionnaire.

We also improved the flow of the questionnaire by reordering and simplifying the wording of some questions. For instance, instead of asking if the “Partition of 1947” was a good thing or bad thing for Hindu-Muslim relations — a phrasing that lacked clarity and required the respondent to know a specific date — we concentrated the question on the impact of the “partition of India and Pakistan” on Hindu-Muslim relations.

6. Regional pilot (July-September 2019): The pilot survey (n=2,045) in four states was our final chance to test all survey processes before national fieldwork began. Beyond questionnaire edits, this included checking interviewer training procedures and practicing data quality checks.

The regional pilot also gave us an opportunity to conduct question wording experiments by asking half the respondents one version of a question and the other half a modified version. The data from the two groups could then be compared to see if question wording made a difference to the results. For example, we conducted an experiment on how best to ask about perceptions of discrimination against members of Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). We asked half of the pilot sample if there is a lot of discrimination against both SCs and STs, and the other half was asked separately about SCs, then STs. We found no noticeable difference between asking about discrimination against SCs and STs at the same time, as part of the same question, or asking about them separately. Therefore, we could decide which question version to use based on our editorial priorities. (For more about measuring caste in India, see this Decoded post .)

The large sample size of the pilot study also allowed us to look for potentially unexpected results that could point toward translation or cognition issues. In one instance, Sikhs were asked, “Do you generally keep your hair uncut?” A significant portion responded “no.” We knew this result was very unlikely, given that these respondents expressed high levels of religious observance on other measures. We found that the term “ un cut” was creating a cognitive issue because of the negative phrasing. So we simplified the question wording to: “Do you generally keep your hair long?” This and other examples illustrate how repeated testing can be highly beneficial to improving the validity of survey questions.

Ariana Monique Salazar is a research analyst focusing on religion at Pew Research Center.

Written by Ariana Salazar

Researcher of religious change around the world, religious organizations and Latinx religions. Views are my own.

Text to speech

150 Strong History Dissertation Topics to Write about

Writing a dissertation is one of the most challenging and exciting moments of an academic career. Such work usually takes a great deal of time, courage, and intellectual effort to complete. That’s why every step in your work process is essential.

It all starts with finding a good topic, which can be a challenge of its own. It especially matters when it comes to liberal arts subjects. In social studies, literature, or world history options are practically endless.

Coming up with history dissertation ideas, you need to think of historical events that interest you. We get it, choosing one is tough. There can be too much to wrap your head around. That’s why IvyPanda experts prepare some dissertation topics in history ready for you.

• How to Choose a Topic?
• Ancient History
• Medieval History
• Modern History
• Cold War Topics
• American History
• European History
• Indian History
• African History
• Performing Arts
• Visual Arts
• How to Structure

🧐 How to Choose a History Dissertation Topic?

Before examining our ideas for dissertation topics in history, you should get ready for this. You have to understand how to pick a history dissertation topic, which will ensure your academic success. Keep in mind that this is a vital step in your career.

So, check some tips on picking what to write about:

• Make sure that the topic fits in your field of study. You have to understand what you’re writing about. Basing your paper on existing knowledge and experience is a part of any dissertation. Working on an overly complicated idea can sound impressive but lead to failure. It will become a nightmare already on the stage of writing a dissertation proposal. How can you write the entire thing without comprehending it?
• Estimate whether you’re interested in the topic you intend to write on. Although this might seem obvious, yes. However, being actually invested makes a massive difference for your further work. There are plenty of students who settle for “easy but boring” topics and end up struggling twice as much.
• Ensure that your topic is specific enough. Your idea should have the potential for fruitful research. Narrowing down your area of study is essential for writing a good dissertation. It helps you to find the direction of your examination and enough sources to work with. Moreover, this way, you’ll be able to explore your topic in its entirety.
• Do some prior research. It will give you an understanding of how much literature on your topic is out there. Take notes of the materials for the reference list and your analysis. Checking history essay samples is a good idea, too.
• Don’t be shy to ask your dissertation advisor for some assistance. After all, they are here to help and guide you through the process. Besides, you have to see what ideas they consider relevant and appropriate.

👍 Good Dissertation Topics in History: Time Period

History is a subject as ancient and vast as the humankind itself. It’s only rational to study it according to a particular timeline. Here are some good history dissertation topics for different periods.

🏺 Ancient History Dissertation Topics

• Ancient Civilizations: The Maya Empire . The Maya was an incredibly powerful Empire with its prime around six century A.D., excelling in mathematics, calendar-making, astrology, and writing. It faced the decline of its city-states in nine century A.D., leaving a rich cultural heritage to the studies of subsequent generations.
• Women’s Roles and Gender relations in the Ancient World
• Greek City-States . Ancient Greece is the place where the first city-states were formed. How did the first governments in the ancient history timeline develop? How did people’s attitudes towards leadership change in that context?

• Ancient Near-Eastern Thought and the Old Testament
• The Inca Empire as a Great Civilization of Pre-Columbian America
• The Impact of Mongol Invasion in Ancient Arab
• The personality of Julius Caesar and His Effect on Rome
• The Role of Poets and the place of Poetry in Ancient Greece
• Mesopotamian Civilization . This was a fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. It has been home to some of the world’s wealthiest and most advanced ancient cities. It can also make an excellent archaeology dissertation topic. There are plenty of fascinating sites that could be studied.
• History: Ancient Greek Olympics . Started in 776 BC, the Olympic Games were the most important cultural event in Ancient Greece. They were held in honor of Zeus every four years. Besides, the Olympics were representative of the triumph of physical and spiritual power.
• Warfare and Violence in Ancient Times. Try to do a comparative analysis of warfare techniques used by different ancient civilizations. It could be a great dissertation topic.
• Burial Rituals in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece: a comparison
• Plutarch’s Vision on Alexander the Great
• Dissolution of the Roman Empire . The Empire sprawled from the coast of North Africa to the territories of the modern UK and Armenia. Once, it was the most powerful political entity in the entire Mediterranean. The empire, however, collapsed in 476 CE. What were the reasons for its eventual decline?

• How Geography Has Impacted the Development of Ancient Cultures
• Cause and Effect of Art on Classical Societies
• The Invention of Papyrus and its impact on the World
• Chichen Itza Archaeological Site . Chichen Itza is a great pre-Columbian archaeological site, home to the Maya civilization. It is a fascinating study case in many aspects. Consider the origins and Maya history. Analyze the cultural preservation issues that it faces nowadays.
• Egyptian Pyramid’s Importance in Egypt’s society
• The Stone Age Period and its Evolution

🛡 Medieval History Dissertation Ideas

• Cultural Exchanges in the Medieval Period . In the aftermath of the Roman Empire’s fall, new geopolitical conditions formed. The early Middle Ages period already marked the appearance of new trade routes. It fostered cultural exchange between nations.
• Rome in the Middle Ages and its cultural transformation
• The Development of Feudalism and Manorialism in the Middle Ages
• The Catholic Church and the Black Death in the 14th Century . During the high Middle Ages, the plague epidemic terrorized Europe. It was a dreadful challenge to medicine, religious institutions, and the social apparatus of the time. How did the Catholic Church deal with such a complex and disastrous medical phenomenon?
• Jews and Muslims in Medieval Spain . Christian, Islamic, and Jewish communities shared the Iberian peninsula in the early Middle Ages. It formed a vibrant cultural environment.
• London during the Roman Age: A Critical Overview
• Causes of the First Crusade of 1095-1099
• Twelfth-Century Renaissance, how Franciscans reacted to it and benefited from its development
• Business and Empire, the British ideal of an Orderly World
• The Black Death, Late Medieval Demographic crisis, and the Standard of Living controversies
• The Role of the Church in the life of the Middle Ages

• Medieval Siege Warfare . Exploring methods of defense used during the Middle Ages might be an interesting research project.
• The Conditions of Hindu and Islamic women in Medieval India
• Why the Crusades Failed
• The Mechanical Water clock of Ibn Al-Haytham, his philosophy of the rise and fall of empires
• The Renaissance and its Cultural, Political and Economic Influence
• The Dark Ages as the Golden Ages of European History . Plenty of facts demonstrate civilization’s decline during the Middle Ages. It was, nevertheless, the time of significant scientific, literary, and technological progress. For some interested in writing a medieval literature dissertation: think of Dante’s Divine Comedy . Da Vinci made his groundbreaking study projects during the Middle Ages. It was the time when first universities, such as Cambridge and Oxford, were founded. Overall, this period has a lot to offer!
• Japan’s Development Under Edo/Tokugawa Shogunate
• Historical and Theological Context of Byzantine Iconoclasm
• Medieval Convivencia: Document Analysis

🕰 Modern History Dissertation Topics

• World History: Enlightenment in Society and its Impact on Global Culture
• Nationalism and its 19th Century History
• Why Mussolini and the Fascists Were Able to Seize Power in Italy
• Religious Symbolism in Renaissance paintings . Renaissance is well-known as a period when fine arts were thriving. It was an early modern birthplace of many technological and cultural advancements. Religion, however, was still a central topic in visual art.
• Industrial Revolution and its Impact on Western Civilizations
• Principles of Liberalism and Its Connection to Enlightenment and Conservatism
• “History and Topography of Ireland” by Gerald of Wales . Looking for an incredible Irish history dissertation topic? Then this document might be an interesting prompt. Its somewhat controversial tone of describing contemporary Irish culture, history, and traditions can be subject to a comprehensive analysis.
• Moral treatment of Mental Illness . Over the 19th and 20th centuries, psychology has changed. Moving from a scientific periphery, it became one of the central subjects of scholarly discussions. Mental illnesses were highly disregarded in earlier centuries. People even considered them to be manifestations of demonic possession. How did this attitude change? Why did people rethink psychology as a scholarly discipline?
• A History of the Cuban Revolution

• Abraham Lincoln’s Historical Influence
• Role of Women During the Spanish Civil War
• Conquest and Colonization of America by European Countries . Colonization of America is one of the grandest enterprises in the world’s political history. What were its driving forces?
• Origins and Trajectory of the French Revolution
• Major Impacts of Consumerism in contemporary world history
• Coco Chanel Fashion: History of Costume . Probably not the first topic for a history dissertation that comes to mind. Chanel is truly an iconic figure in modern history, though. She revolutionized the fashion industry concerning gender as well.
• Causes of the Breakup of the Former Yugoslavia
• The Russian Working Class Movement . Before 1861, the agriculture and peasant-owning system were the foundation of the Russian Empire’s economy. Serfs made up a significant part of the population, accounting for over 60% in some regions. Then the serfdom abolition happened. A lot has changed in the economic and social life of the country.
• Segregation During the 1960s
• Historical Development of Feminism and Patriarchy
• Monetary and Fiscal Policy during the Great Depression

🔔 History Dissertation Topics on Cold War

• The Role of Cold War in Shaping Transatlantic Relations in the Period from 1945 to 1970
• The showdown between the United States and the USSR . Cold Was was essentially the power struggle between the US and the Soviet Union. It unleashed in the aftermath of World War II. This political precedent came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the answer to the “Who won the Cold War?” question may be unclear.
• The Cuban Missile Crisis , its causes, and effects
• US Foreign Policy during the Cold War. Cold War, as a phenomenon, has many layers to it. Yet the one crucial is the contest of two ideologies: democracy and communism. How did the US shape its foreign policy and pursue its interests abroad? And how did the cultural and political setup within the country adjust to it?
• To what extent did the Cold War shape the US relations with Latin America?
• What was the importance of Berlin in the Cold War?
• Japan’s role since the end of the Cold War
• Cold War Politics, Culture, and War . Exploring the Cold War causes and effects can be quite a challenge. It is such a multifaceted phenomenon. It was a war led on many fronts. Both USSR and the US pursued their interests using a variety of methods.

• How did Cold War propaganda influence the film industry?
• What were the challenges in the post-cold war world?

🗺 History Dissertation Topics: Geographical Regions

Every country has its historical course, and so does every continent. Geography has always been an important factor when talking about history. It shapes historical trajectory in varied, unique ways.

Look at a dissertation topics history list based on geographical regions:

🦅 American History Dissertation Topics

• History of Hollywood, California . Oh, Hollywood. A place where American movie history was born. What about Hollywood’s history? Although a less traditional American history dissertation topic, it is still a fascinating one. Explore the way technological advancements in filmmaking were introduced over the decades. How did they influence the film’s general style?
• History: Migration into the United States . How did migration influence the economy of the time?
• The Relationships between the Settlers and Native Americans
• Literary works’ Views on Slavery in the United States
• Causes of the Civil War in America
• What is the real meaning of a cowboy?
• The United States military experience through the eyes of films
• Attack on Pearl Harbor: Effects of Foreign policy
• Causes of Depression in the 1890s
• Has President Obama’s Presidency changed the US?
• The role of Founding Fathers in American Society and Religion
• Post-Civil War reconstruction . Consider the way America’s economy, trade, and finance transformed in the aftermath of the Civil War.
• Principal causes and consequences of the Spanish-American War
• Why was the Declaration of Independence written?
• The Significance of the Frontier in American History
• How is a “new racial narrative” in the U.S.A created?
• American Revolution and the Crisis of the Constitution of the U.S.A. Rethink the origins of the American constitution, as well as the following events. It could be an exciting thesis idea for an American history dissertation.

• Growth and Development of San Francisco and Los Angeles after the Gold Rush
• The Role of Racism in American Art
• Drug Use and Abuse in America: Historical Analysis

🏰 European History Dissertation Topics

• Age of Discovery in Europe. The Age of Exploration in Europe lasted from the 15th to the 17th century. Over this period, Europe actively engaged with other territories and continents. Discoverers formed new international relations and expanded geographical knowledge. This topic could also make an excellent cultural history dissertation.
• Analyzing the Impact of British Colonization
• Nationalism in World War II
• Effects of the Industrial Revolution concerning World War I
• The Rise and Fall of Napoleon and the Cause of Revolution . Napoleon is one of the most prominent figures in French history. What has shaped his career as a political leader?
• History of Hitler’s Nazi Propaganda . Consider a brief history of Germany. Undoubtedly, the rule of Hitler and the Third Reich was its most devastating chapter. The “art” of propaganda flourished during the nazi regime. It penetrated the cultural, political, and social life of the country.
• Evolution of the IRA
• Napoleon’s Strategy and Tactics in his Invasion of Russia . For someone interested in writing a military history dissertation.
• Industrial Revolution Impact on Gender Roles
• Witchcraft in Europe (1450-1750) . Witch hunts took place as early as the Middle Ages in Europe. Held by the Church in most cases, witch hunts targeted those who were suspected of practicing black magic. Examine this both astonishing and problematic phenomenon.

• French Revolution: Liberal and Radical Portions
• West European Studies: Columbus’s Journey
• History of Feudalism . Feudalism dominated the European way of life during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. What were its distinctive features as a system? Why did it eventually fade away?
• Europe’s perception of Islam in the Early and Middle centuries
• Cold War Consequences for European Countries
• Mutated Medical Professionals in the Third Reich: Third Reich Doctors
• Was the Holocaust the Failure or the Product of Modernity?
• How did the use of print change the lives of early modern Europeans ?
• Early Modern England: a Social History
• Jewish Insight of Holocaust

⛰ Indian History Dissertation Topics

• History of the Indian Castes. The Indian Caste system is a complex and unique example of social stratification.
• Mahatma Gandhi’s Leadership . Gandhi is, for sure, among the greatest human rights advocates in the world’s history. His one of a kind leadership style is subject to many studies. While practicing a peaceful form of civil protest, he fought for equality, independence, and compassion.
• Political conflicts in India in the XVII century
• Impacts of the First World War on British Policies in India
• Movement Against the British rule in India. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, with the support of the National Congress, the movement took place in 1920-22. It sought to fight for the freedom of Indians.
• The Origin and Course of the Indian revolt of 1857
• The Issues of the Partitioning of India in 1947
• India Since 1900 . India is a region rich with unique traditions. Its spiritual and cultural heritage goes back to antiquity. The country’s authentic art and architecture, music, and cuisine have served as an inspiration worldwide. A considerable part of its history is, however, affected by British rule.

• Women in Hinduism and Buddhism
• The British East India Company

🌍 African History Dissertation Topics

• Ancient Societies in Mesopotamia and Ancient Societies in Africa: a comparison . Egypt is one of the most ancient African civilizations. Its origins go back to the third millennium B.C. Back then, the cultural exchange between Egypt and Mesopotamia was flourishing. What were the significant differences between the two civilizations? What did they have to offer to one another?
• Political Violence in South Africa between 1985 and 1989
• Did History of Modern South Africa begin with the Discovery of Diamonds and Gold?
• Nelson Mandela: “Freedom in Africa.” Nelson Mandela is, without a doubt, one of the central figures in African history. His devotion and tireless effort in fighting against apartheid were remarkable. Thanks to him, many sub-Saharan countries enjoy the freedoms and advances of a democratic society.
• The Cult of the Dead in West Africa: The Kongo People . African tribal rituals and traditions are unique and specific to their region. Cult of the Dead is prevalent in Western African culture. It can be notoriously known as the origin place of voodoo and other black magic practices. There is yet much more to this culture. Dismantling some prejudices could make an excellent African history thesis.
• Christianity, Slavery, and Colonialism: the paradox
• The Colonial War in Southwest Africa
• African-Europe Relations between 1800 and 2000
• Impacts of Slavery and Slave Trade in Africa
• African Communities in America

🎨 Art History Dissertation Topics

Art comes in all shapes and forms. To grasp it better, we can explore each kind separately. Here’s a list of art history dissertation ideas:

🎶 Topics on Performing Arts

• History and Development of Ballet . Ballet is an art form with a long history. Initially, a specific dance originated in Medieval Italy. It was later brought to France and Great Britain. Ballet thrived in the 20th century Russia, where Russian choreographers brought it to the highest level of mastery.
• The Life and Work of William Shakespeare: His Contribution to The Contemporary Theater
• Jazz Music in American Culture . Jazz is one of the most complex and exciting music genres of all time. It was born in the 20’s century black communities of New Orleans and quickly spread across America and then the world. The genre, however, will always be an integral part of African-American identity.
• The Instrumental Music of Baroque: Forms and Evolution
• Rock Music of the 1970s
• Michael Jackson’s Life as a Musician and Choreographer
• Development of the Symphony Orchestra in the 19th and 20th Century
• Woodstock Music Festival . This massive music festival that first took place in 1969 was the epitome of hippie culture. It has a rich history that once again underscores the importance of performing arts in Western culture.
• The History of Modern Chinese Music
• The Renaissance Theater Development. The era in which both visual and performing arts were thriving. It has a lot to offer for proper dissertation research.

🖼Topics on Visual Arts

• Art Period Comparison: Classicism and Middle Age
• Vincent Van Gogh: Changes in the Technique
• The Ambiguity of Mona Lisa Painting

• Orientalism in Western Art . It’s commonly associated with romanticism and some 20th-century artworks. Orientalism is a Western term that speculates the aesthetics of the Orient. Consider this concept as a prism through which Westerners viewed the Eastern world.
• Classical Art and Cubism: History and Comparison
• Postmodern and Modern Art . The 20th and 21st centuries have been a breeding ground for many forms of fine art to emerge and flourish. Some art movements presented their philosophy in the form of manifestos. These texts can be nothing but a pure treasure for someone writing an art history dissertation.
• Female Figures in Ancient Greek Sculpture
• Andy Warhol’s Career . Pioneer of pop-art, creator of Studio 54, and a style icon.
• Filippo Brunelleschi and Religious Architecture
• The Photographic Approaches Towards American Culture of Robert Frank and Garry Winogrand

📋 How to Structure Your Dissertation?

An adequately structured history dissertation can immensely help students. It ensures that they present their ideas and thoughts logically. Sticking to a particular dissertation structure is an essential element of such work.

The general plan of any dissertation type is the following:

• Title Page. A title page should only contain essential information about your work. It usually shows your name, type of the document (thesis, research paper, dissertation), and the title itself. A good history dissertation title is crucial! It’s the first thing a reader will see.
• Acknowledgments. Do you wish to give credit to someone for supporting you during the tiresome months of your work? This is the right part to do so, be it your family, friends, or professors. It is an excellent form to express gratitude to those who proofread your drafts. Or those who brought you another cup of coffee when you needed it.
• Declaration. This section is your written confirmation. You declare that all the research and writing is entirely original and was conducted by you. If someone intellectually contributed to your project, state it in the acknowledgments.
• Table of Contents. Essentially, it’s a brief structure of your dissertation. List every section that you’ve included in your academic paper here.
• Abstract. This is the section where you write a brief summary of your dissertation. It should describe the issue, summarize your core message and essential points. List your research methods and what you’ve done. Remember to make it short, as the abstract shouldn’t exceed 300 words or so. Finish the part with a few essential keywords so that others can find your work.
• Introduction. A dissertation introduction presents the subject to the reader. You can talk about the format of your work. Explain what you plan to contribute to the field with your research.
• Literature Review. The chapter reviews and analyzes pieces of scholarly work (literature) that have been made on the subject of your research. The sources should present relevant theories and support your thesis. Be sure to discuss the weaknesses and strengths of the selected area of study and highlight possible gaps in this research.
• a code of conduct;
• research limitations;
• research philosophy;
• research design;
• ethical consideration;
• data collection methods;
• data analysis strategy.
• Findings and Results. Restate everything you have found in your research. However, do not interpret the data or make any conclusions yet.
• Discussion and Conclusion. In this chapter, you should personally interpret all of the data and make conclusions based on your research. It is essential to establish a logical link between the results and evidence. Finally, conclude the overall study. You can add final judgments, opinions, and comments.
• References. This section contains a list of references to all the sources that you used. Write down every material, which you quoted, mentioned, or paraphrased in your work. Check your educational institution’s guidelines to see how to do so correctly.
• Bibliography. Similar to the reference section, a bibliography is a list of sources you used in your dissertation. The only difference is that it should contain even the sources you don’t directly mention in your writing. Whatever helped you with the research, you state here.
• Appendices. The section may include any supplementary information that explains and complement the arguments. Add pictures, diagrams, and graphs that serve as examples for your research subject.

Writing a dissertation is the right challenge for those with ambitions and lots of determination. It is a lot like a marathon, and it starts with choosing the right topic. We hope that you will find one for yourself on this list. Good luck! Share the article to help those who may need a piece of advice or some history dissertation topics.

🔗 References

• How To Write A Dissertation: Department of Computer Science, West Lafayette, Purdue University
• Ph.D. Thesis Research, Where Do I Start: Don Davis, Columbia University
• Writing with Power: Elbow P., Oxford University
• Writing a Thesis or Dissertation – A Guide to Resources: Gricel Dominguez
• The Elements of Style: Strunk, W. Jr., White, E.B., Angell, R.
• A Collection Of Dissertation Topics In American History: asqauditconference.org
• Yale History Dissertations: Department of History, Yale University
• Dissertation Outline: School of Education, Duquesne University
• Developing a Thesis Statement: The Writing Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Writing an Abstract: The Writing Center, George Mason University
• Formatting Additional Pages: University of Missouri Graduate School
• Reference List vs. Bibliography: OWLL, Massey University
• How to Write Your Dissertation: Goldsmiths University for The Guardian
• Tips on Grammar, Punctuation and Style: Kim Cooper, for the Writing Center at Harvard University
• Acknowledgments, Thesis and Dissertation: Research Guides at Sam Houston State University
• Thesis Formatting, Writing up your Research: Subject Guides at University of Canterbury
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• 13 December 2023

Where science meets Indian economics: in five charts

• Andy Tay 0 &
• Jack Leeming

Andy Tay is a freelance writer in Singapore.

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

You have full access to this article via your institution.

Download a PDF of this graphic

This year, India overtook China to become the world’s most populous country. But it struggles to develop its economy and lags behind many other nations in terms of its investment in science and technology. How can better funding for research help its economic development?

The human factor

India has the world’s largest population, but how well does it look after all those people? The Human Development Index is a United Nations metric that quantifies a country’s human development in terms of health, lifespan, education and standard of living.

Source: https://data.worldbank.org ; United Nations Development Programme. Infographic by Mohamed Ashour

How they compare

In some key indicators of human development, India lags behind high-income countries such as the United States. For easy comparison, the scores in these radar charts are given in the percentile rankings of each country compared with all other countries.

Source: United Nations Development Programme; https://worldpopulationreview.com ; https://www.numbeo.com ; https://data.worldbank.org ; RSF Reporters without Borders. Infographic by Mohamed Ashour

Science spending

India spends less than the global average on research and development (R&D), but it has kept this spending largely consistent as its economy has grown in the past two decades. A good indication of a science-based society is the proportion of investment in research from private sources. India lags behind other countries in this metric. It is, however, the world’s largest outsourcer of programmers, and 60% of the world’s vaccines are produced in the country. And in August this year, India joined an exclusive club, becoming only the fourth country to make a soft landing on the Moon.

Source: https://data.worldbank.org ; https://sgp.fas.org ; Government of India’s Department of Science & Technology. Infographic by Mohamed Ashour

From degree to PhD

India has a smaller proportion of people with a university-degree-level qualification than many other nations, but those who do get an undergraduate degree are much more likely to complete a PhD. Indeed, India has the highest proportion of university graduates who go on to complete a doctoral degree in the world, at around 5% of graduates.

Source: https://gpseducation.oecd.org . Infographic by Mohamed Ashour

Publishing performance

India is among the world‘s most prolific publishers of research, behind only the United States and China.

Source: https://www.scimagojr.com ; https://data.worldbank.org . Infographic by Mohamed Ashour

Nature 624 , S20-S21 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03907-5

This article is part of Nature Spotlight: India , an editorially independent supplement. Advertisers have no influence over the content.

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Is it a good idea to pursue research in India?

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After completing higher education, many students choose to pursue research in their chosen field. It is this research work that adds to the information base of a country and various industries can use this to take forward a nation-whether economically or for general all-over development.

However he also stresses that this is only one approach of achieving the goal of impactful research. "Not all research would, or should be forced to, fit in this mold. Indeed, deep research and advances in the individual disciplines is often the foundation on which multiple disciplinary research stands," he says.

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Research Paper Topics for Students in India

• You will probably have to write a ton of research papers in college. So, it is important to learn and understand how to refine your search for a topic. However, more often than not, you may find that not all the topics you are interested in are easy to write about. It may also be the case that the topic you pick does not have enough research material on it for you to use. In a way, this could mean that your topic is somewhat untapped, as it were. At the same time, however, it makes your life a little bit harder. So before I begin with giving you a few research topic ideas, let’s look at some overarching tips that could help you during the whole process.

Overarching Guidelines

Think broad then narrow.

The first step is always the hardest. You may either feel overwhelmed or absolutely dejected in terms of options. One thing that helps is to start thinking broadly about what interests you. For example, when I was in my fourth year of college I had to write a thesis. I was interested in irrationality, and I arrived at this broad concept through mere observation of daily life around me. From there, I slowly broke down my topic and found the key issues that needed to be addressed. Not until I had finished my thesis, at the end of the year, did I actually give my project a concrete title.

Begin with what you like thinking about by asking yourself what intrigues you. Of course, write these ideas down. Maybe you’re interested in food and psychology, or business and philosophy, it could literally be anything. Don’t, at first, denounce any thoughts. You’d be surprised at how many interesting research papers result from mere musings.

So, once you’ve gotten a good number of thoughts down on paper, begin to analyze each one. You want to look for a problem, or an inconsistency, within these topics that you would like to talk about. Look to see if your topic is controversial, and if it is, think about what position your paper will take.

Check for Resources

Now that you’ve narrowed it down to maybe one or two topics, and you’ve broken those topics down as well, start reading some literature. Look for what has already been said about what you’re interested in. In other words, do some quick research to see whether your topic has been written about substantially, and not on blogs or websites. You should look for journal articles, books, and other published papers. One of the ways that I found a lot of my sources was through The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy. I started with reading the actual webpage to get a general idea of the discussion and then checked where Stanford got its information from. Those are the references I followed up with and ended up using a ton in my thesis.

Please do find reputable sources, preferably primary sources. So, you can start with a basic google search. But once you figure out who in the field is reputable and worth reading, start digging deeper.

You should also make sure to also read some literature on what is said against your tentative position. You need to know what you’re up against, and this will only make your paper stronger. It may also help bring out issues that you might have previously over looked.

Find and Use Library References

Once you have chosen your topic, looked at references from the internet, go digging into your school’s library database. As a student, you should be able to get any book, periodical, paper, article, or journal that you need for your paper. This is also a great time to make use of the people around you. Talk to your professors, ask the librarian for help, bounce ideas off of your friends, and so forth.

Cite as You Go

I think that this step is super important. By the end of the process, you should have a fair amount of sources. Scanning through your paper from start to end, especially if it’s a long one, and attempting to remember what source you used where is just a headache. Needless to say, you will end up wasting more time this way.

The best way to cite a source is to cite it the second you use it. Do it right then, even if it isn’t in the accurate format needed. You can always come back to fix the citation format. But you must at least put in a preliminary citation at the time of use. If you’re using a direct quote, put in the page number immediately.

Just Start Writing

I fail to take my own advice on this quite often. If you’re anything like me, you probably obsess about your first paragraph, thinking that it has to be perfect right away. Or at least close to perfect, well written perhaps. Usually, this ends up in frustration and lost time. Just start writing. Good writing is in editing, no first draft is ever going to be as good as you want it to be. Or at least mine wasn’t.

You should ideally write the final version of your introduction last. Your introduction sets the pace for your whole paper or thesis. There is no way you could possibly know the exact flow your paper will take at the very start. I always write a temporary introduction just to help clear my thoughts and set a tentative outline. More often than not, I go back after I’ve written my conclusion and either tweak or completely change my introduction.

Edit, Edit, Edit…

Leave plenty of time for editing. I’ll say it again, good writing is in editing. I find editing to be the most fun part actually. But it is important that you spend time reviewing your paper, checking for grammatical errors, citations, and of course, the overall flow. Is your argument clear? Are you rambling in some parts? Could you make your conclusion stronger? If so, how? Have you backed up all your claims? Have you made sure to address opposing points of view? How well have you refuted other arguments?

You must edit. For shorter papers, I always left a full day for editing. So I would finish a paper, sleep on it, and edit the next day with a fresh mind. Truly, my papers improved significantly once I started making a habit out of this.

Research Paper Topics

Please bear in mind that I have put this list together from multiple different sources online, and so I have kept them broad. It is only intended to get you thinking. You should still spend time on figuring out what you’re interested in.

Cybersecurity

E-business/ e-commerce, glass ceiling, online retail, outsourcing, white collar crime, ethics/ morality, doping in sports, drug testing, drunk driving, law and justice, police brutality, prisons and prisoners, roe vs. wade, serial killers, sexual harassment, acquaintance rape, animal rights, assisted suicide, campus violence, civil rights, the drinking age, legal, drug legalization, gun control, hate crimes, insanity defense, more specific:.

Again, I have taken these from a number of different websites . Please do conduct further research. Here is a link to another site that I used.

Digital Marketing Techniques used by Businesses Are Effective Enough to Increase Their Popularity of Smartphone Segment

Abandonment of e-shopping cart in e-commerce, the influence and prospect of online shopping in china, international market entry – case of starbucks, effect of non-financial rewards on employee’s motivation: an empirical study of china mobile communications corporation, social media influences the travelling decision of chinese international students in the uk., how to implement efficiency e-crm., sensory marketing role in consumer buying behaviour., how do brands exploit impulsive buying, the role of information technology in revolutionizing marketer’s approach towards the manipulative advertisement., impact of e-marketing on influencing consumer purchase decision: a case of uk luxury industry., the evolution and implementation of investment banking in emerging markets., how does european financial supervision affect cross-border financial investment, what is the impact of foreign direct investment on emerging economies, assessing the factors that promote foreign direct investment in asian economies – the case of india., the challenges of financial institutions in emerging economies., a study into the impact of multinational trade agreements on the growth of emerging economies: the case of russia., the role of leadership and culture in organisational change., how online digital platforms have helped organizations in recruiting effectively and efficiently., analyzing the factors which directly impact employee’s personal decision to leave employment., investigating the efficacy of performance appraisal from the perception of employees in the uk retail industry., to investigate the role of motivation in hrm – a study highlighting the most important motivation factors for future business leaders., the effect of performance management for large and diversified business organizations., the role of organizational support programs to enhance work outcome and employees’ behaviour., analyzing the impact of enterprise resource planning (erp) in improvising business operations of multinational companies., the impact of latest technological developments on inventory management systems; a case of uk’s manufacturing industry., the role of ict in supply chain management., impact of information technology on supply chain management., promoting creativity in organization: a case study of asian kindergarten, non-experimental research methods in psychology, importance of following ethics in psychological research, substance abuse, evolutionary aspects of mate preferences, advantages of social education in groups, factors that impact animal behaviour/growth, eyewitness testimony & memory: the correlation between them, attention-deficit syndrome: myth to justify persons or reality, is artificial intelligence going to dominate the planet, how do stereotypes appear in society, steps necessary to end cyber crimes, methods criminals target cyber zones, medical services to save babies born before 27 weeks, different types of stem cells and their usage, sleep disorders’ impact on the overall health condition, proof that screening for breast cancer is helpful, a correlation between breastfeeding & improved baby’s health, stem cells to assist in reducing death rates in heart attack cases, several reasons why eating disorders can lead to the patient’s death, compare & contrast the effectiveness of various managerial techniques, elucidate the pros of the small businesses, does franchising make it easier to run a business, what are the impacts of global warming on a specific type of business, pros & cons of outsourcing services, old & rigid corporate traditions that save some popular companies, the effectiveness of online grammar checkers & plagiarism detectors, self-defending networks: their importance, the most useful way to connect to the internet and use your email, exploring how gps system functions, controlling airport security via computer technologies, the primary dangerous computer viruses, the basics of search engine optimization (seo), international criminal law court tools: evaluate their effectiveness, comparative criminal procedure: report & analysis with details, the mission of wipo: world intellectual property organization, the us copyright office: does it really help the local writers to defend their business, what a european patent office does, why is it important to learn gatt documents, women’s authority in different parts of the planet, inter-american human rights library: exciting outtakes & full report, mass communications law, ecolex: a gateway to environmental law, dadt repeal and its significance, the united states border control: the collected insights & analysis, advantages & disadvantages of breastfeeding, child adoption by a gay family, the average wage in the us, why is it immoral for an old lady to date a young boy, no child left behind act: assessment of its effectiveness, does grade inflation take place in the united states, living on campus help to develop independence, reading & literacy in the early days, curriculum, teaching, and assessment nowadays, history of schooling statement, should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the internet.

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• Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Writing Strong Research Questions | Criteria & Examples

Published on October 26, 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on November 21, 2023.

A research question pinpoints exactly what you want to find out in your work. A good research question is essential to guide your research paper , dissertation , or thesis .

All research questions should be:

• Focused on a single problem or issue
• Researchable using primary and/or secondary sources
• Feasible to answer within the timeframe and practical constraints
• Specific enough to answer thoroughly
• Complex enough to develop the answer over the space of a paper or thesis
• Relevant to your field of study and/or society more broadly

Table of contents

How to write a research question, what makes a strong research question, using sub-questions to strengthen your main research question, research questions quiz, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about research questions.

You can follow these steps to develop a strong research question:

• Choose your topic
• Do some preliminary reading about the current state of the field
• Narrow your focus to a specific niche
• Identify the research problem that you will address

The way you frame your question depends on what your research aims to achieve. The table below shows some examples of how you might formulate questions for different purposes.

	Research question formulations
Describing and exploring
Explaining and testing
Evaluating and acting	is X

Using your research problem to develop your research question

Example research problem	Example research question(s)
Teachers at the school do not have the skills to recognize or properly guide gifted children in the classroom.	What practical techniques can teachers use to better identify and guide gifted children?
Young people increasingly engage in the “gig economy,” rather than traditional full-time employment. However, it is unclear why they choose to do so.	What are the main factors influencing young people’s decisions to engage in the gig economy?

Note that while most research questions can be answered with various types of research , the way you frame your question should help determine your choices.

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Research questions anchor your whole project, so it’s important to spend some time refining them. The criteria below can help you evaluate the strength of your research question.

Focused and researchable

Criteria	Explanation
Focused on a single topic	Your central research question should work together with your research problem to keep your work focused. If you have multiple questions, they should all clearly tie back to your central aim.
Answerable using	Your question must be answerable using and/or , or by reading scholarly sources on the to develop your argument. If such data is impossible to access, you likely need to rethink your question.
Not based on value judgements	Avoid subjective words like , , and . These do not give clear criteria for answering the question.

Feasible and specific

Criteria	Explanation
Answerable within practical constraints	Make sure you have enough time and resources to do all research required to answer your question. If it seems you will not be able to gain access to the data you need, consider narrowing down your question to be more specific.
Uses specific, well-defined concepts	All the terms you use in the research question should have clear meanings. Avoid vague language, jargon, and too-broad ideas.
Does not demand a conclusive solution, policy, or course of action	Research is about informing, not instructing. Even if your project is focused on a practical problem, it should aim to improve understanding rather than demand a ready-made solution. If ready-made solutions are necessary, consider conducting instead. Action research is a research method that aims to simultaneously investigate an issue as it is solved. In other words, as its name suggests, action research conducts research and takes action at the same time.

Complex and arguable

Criteria	Explanation
Cannot be answered with or	Closed-ended, / questions are too simple to work as good research questions—they don’t provide enough for robust investigation and discussion.
Cannot be answered with easily-found facts	If you can answer the question through a single Google search, book, or article, it is probably not complex enough. A good research question requires original data, synthesis of multiple sources, and original interpretation and argumentation prior to providing an answer.

Relevant and original

Criteria	Explanation
Addresses a relevant problem	Your research question should be developed based on initial reading around your . It should focus on addressing a problem or gap in the existing knowledge in your field or discipline.
Contributes to a timely social or academic debate	The question should aim to contribute to an existing and current debate in your field or in society at large. It should produce knowledge that future researchers or practitioners can later build on.
Has not already been answered	You don’t have to ask something that nobody has ever thought of before, but your question should have some aspect of originality. For example, you can focus on a specific location, or explore a new angle.

Chances are that your main research question likely can’t be answered all at once. That’s why sub-questions are important: they allow you to answer your main question in a step-by-step manner.

Good sub-questions should be:

• Less complex than the main question
• Focused only on 1 type of research
• Presented in a logical order

Here are a few examples of descriptive and framing questions:

• Descriptive: According to current government arguments, how should a European bank tax be implemented?
• Descriptive: Which countries have a bank tax/levy on financial transactions?
• Framing: How should a bank tax/levy on financial transactions look at a European level?

Keep in mind that sub-questions are by no means mandatory. They should only be asked if you need the findings to answer your main question. If your main question is simple enough to stand on its own, it’s okay to skip the sub-question part. As a rule of thumb, the more complex your subject, the more sub-questions you’ll need.

Try to limit yourself to 4 or 5 sub-questions, maximum. If you feel you need more than this, it may be indication that your main research question is not sufficiently specific. In this case, it’s is better to revisit your problem statement and try to tighten your main question up.

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If you want to know more about the research process , methodology , research bias , or statistics , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Methodology

• Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling
• Stratified sampling
• Cluster sampling
• Likert scales
• Reproducibility

 Statistics

• Null hypothesis
• Statistical power
• Probability distribution
• Effect size
• Poisson distribution

Research bias

• Optimism bias
• Cognitive bias
• Implicit bias
• Hawthorne effect
• Anchoring bias
• Explicit bias

The way you present your research problem in your introduction varies depending on the nature of your research paper . A research paper that presents a sustained argument will usually encapsulate this argument in a thesis statement .

A research paper designed to present the results of empirical research tends to present a research question that it seeks to answer. It may also include a hypothesis —a prediction that will be confirmed or disproved by your research.

As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, it’s important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. Use preliminary evaluation to determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth.

This involves:

• Reading abstracts , prefaces, introductions , and conclusions
• Looking at the table of contents to determine the scope of the work
• Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (“ x affects y because …”).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses . In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

Formulating a main research question can be a difficult task. Overall, your question should contribute to solving the problem that you have defined in your problem statement .

However, it should also fulfill criteria in three main areas:

• Researchability
• Feasibility and specificity
• Relevance and originality

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Formulation of Research Question – Stepwise Approach

Simmi k. ratan.

Department of Pediatric Surgery, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India

1 Department of Community Medicine, North Delhi Municipal Corporation Medical College, New Delhi, India

2 Department of Pediatric Surgery, Batra Hospital and Research Centre, New Delhi, India

Formulation of research question (RQ) is an essentiality before starting any research. It aims to explore an existing uncertainty in an area of concern and points to a need for deliberate investigation. It is, therefore, pertinent to formulate a good RQ. The present paper aims to discuss the process of formulation of RQ with stepwise approach. The characteristics of good RQ are expressed by acronym “FINERMAPS” expanded as feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, relevant, manageable, appropriate, potential value, publishability, and systematic. A RQ can address different formats depending on the aspect to be evaluated. Based on this, there can be different types of RQ such as based on the existence of the phenomenon, description and classification, composition, relationship, comparative, and causality. To develop a RQ, one needs to begin by identifying the subject of interest and then do preliminary research on that subject. The researcher then defines what still needs to be known in that particular subject and assesses the implied questions. After narrowing the focus and scope of the research subject, researcher frames a RQ and then evaluates it. Thus, conception to formulation of RQ is very systematic process and has to be performed meticulously as research guided by such question can have wider impact in the field of social and health research by leading to formulation of policies for the benefit of larger population.

I NTRODUCTION

A good research question (RQ) forms backbone of a good research, which in turn is vital in unraveling mysteries of nature and giving insight into a problem.[ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ] RQ identifies the problem to be studied and guides to the methodology. It leads to building up of an appropriate hypothesis (Hs). Hence, RQ aims to explore an existing uncertainty in an area of concern and points to a need for deliberate investigation. A good RQ helps support a focused arguable thesis and construction of a logical argument. Hence, formulation of a good RQ is undoubtedly one of the first critical steps in the research process, especially in the field of social and health research, where the systematic generation of knowledge that can be used to promote, restore, maintain, and/or protect health of individuals and populations.[ 1 , 3 , 4 ] Basically, the research can be classified as action, applied, basic, clinical, empirical, administrative, theoretical, or qualitative or quantitative research, depending on its purpose.[ 2 ]

Research plays an important role in developing clinical practices and instituting new health policies. Hence, there is a need for a logical scientific approach as research has an important goal of generating new claims.[ 1 ]

C HARACTERISTICS OF G OOD R ESEARCH Q UESTION

“The most successful research topics are narrowly focused and carefully defined but are important parts of a broad-ranging, complex problem.”

A good RQ is an asset as it:

• Details the problem statement
• Further describes and refines the issue under study
• Adds focus to the problem statement
• Guides data collection and analysis
• Sets context of research.

Hence, while writing RQ, it is important to see if it is relevant to the existing time frame and conditions. For example, the impact of “odd-even” vehicle formula in decreasing the level of air particulate pollution in various districts of Delhi.

A good research is represented by acronym FINERMAPS[ 5 ]

Interesting.

• Appropriate
• Potential value and publishability
• Systematic.

Feasibility means that it is within the ability of the investigator to carry out. It should be backed by an appropriate number of subjects and methodology as well as time and funds to reach the conclusions. One needs to be realistic about the scope and scale of the project. One has to have access to the people, gadgets, documents, statistics, etc. One should be able to relate the concepts of the RQ to the observations, phenomena, indicators, or variables that one can access. One should be clear that the collection of data and the proceedings of project can be completed within the limited time and resources available to the investigator. Sometimes, a RQ appears feasible, but when fieldwork or study gets started, it proves otherwise. In this situation, it is important to write up the problems honestly and to reflect on what has been learned. One should try to discuss with more experienced colleagues or the supervisor so as to develop a contingency plan to anticipate possible problems while working on a RQ and find possible solutions in such situations.

This is essential that one has a real grounded interest in one's RQ and one can explore this and back it up with academic and intellectual debate. This interest will motivate one to keep going with RQ.

The question should not simply copy questions investigated by other workers but should have scope to be investigated. It may aim at confirming or refuting the already established findings, establish new facts, or find new aspects of the established facts. It should show imagination of the researcher. Above all, the question has to be simple and clear. The complexity of a question can frequently hide unclear thoughts and lead to a confused research process. A very elaborate RQ, or a question which is not differentiated into different parts, may hide concepts that are contradictory or not relevant. This needs to be clear and thought-through. Having one key question with several subcomponents will guide your research.

This is the foremost requirement of any RQ and is mandatory to get clearance from appropriate authorities before stating research on the question. Further, the RQ should be such that it minimizes the risk of harm to the participants in the research, protect the privacy and maintain their confidentiality, and provide the participants right to withdraw from research. It should also guide in avoiding deceptive practices in research.

The question should of academic and intellectual interest to people in the field you have chosen to study. The question preferably should arise from issues raised in the current situation, literature, or in practice. It should establish a clear purpose for the research in relation to the chosen field. For example, filling a gap in knowledge, analyzing academic assumptions or professional practice, monitoring a development in practice, comparing different approaches, or testing theories within a specific population are some of the relevant RQs.

Manageable (M): It has the similar essence as of feasibility but mainly means that the following research can be managed by the researcher.

Appropriate (A): RQ should be appropriate logically and scientifically for the community and institution.

Potential value and publishability (P): The study can make significant health impact in clinical and community practices. Therefore, research should aim for significant economic impact to reduce unnecessary or excessive costs. Furthermore, the proposed study should exist within a clinical, consumer, or policy-making context that is amenable to evidence-based change. Above all, a good RQ must address a topic that has clear implications for resolving important dilemmas in health and health-care decisions made by one or more stakeholder groups.

Systematic (S): Research is structured with specified steps to be taken in a specified sequence in accordance with the well-defined set of rules though it does not rule out creative thinking.

Example of RQ: Would the topical skin application of oil as a skin barrier reduces hypothermia in preterm infants? This question fulfills the criteria of a good RQ, that is, feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant.

Types of research question

A RQ can address different formats depending on the aspect to be evaluated.[ 6 ] For example:

• Existence: This is designed to uphold the existence of a particular phenomenon or to rule out rival explanation, for example, can neonates perceive pain?
• Description and classification: This type of question encompasses statement of uniqueness, for example, what are characteristics and types of neuropathic bladders?
• Composition: It calls for breakdown of whole into components, for example, what are stages of reflux nephropathy?
• Relationship: Evaluate relation between variables, for example, association between tumor rupture and recurrence rates in Wilm's tumor
• Descriptive—comparative: Expected that researcher will ensure that all is same between groups except issue in question, for example, Are germ cell tumors occurring in gonads more aggressive than those occurring in extragonadal sites?
• Causality: Does deletion of p53 leads to worse outcome in patients with neuroblastoma?
• Causality—comparative: Such questions frequently aim to see effect of two rival treatments, for example, does adding surgical resection improves survival rate outcome in children with neuroblastoma than with chemotherapy alone?
• Causality–Comparative interactions: Does immunotherapy leads to better survival outcome in neuroblastoma Stage IV S than with chemotherapy in the setting of adverse genetic profile than without it? (Does X cause more changes in Y than those caused by Z under certain condition and not under other conditions).

How to develop a research question

• Begin by identifying a broader subject of interest that lends itself to investigate, for example, hormone levels among hypospadias
• Do preliminary research on the general topic to find out what research has already been done and what literature already exists.[ 7 ] Therefore, one should begin with “information gaps” (What do you already know about the problem? For example, studies with results on testosterone levels among hypospadias
• What do you still need to know? (e.g., levels of other reproductive hormones among hypospadias)
• What are the implied questions: The need to know about a problem will lead to few implied questions. Each general question should lead to more specific questions (e.g., how hormone levels differ among isolated hypospadias with respect to that in normal population)
• Narrow the scope and focus of research (e.g., assessment of reproductive hormone levels among isolated hypospadias and hypospadias those with associated anomalies)
• Is RQ clear? With so much research available on any given topic, RQs must be as clear as possible in order to be effective in helping the writer direct his or her research
• Is the RQ focused? RQs must be specific enough to be well covered in the space available
• Is the RQ complex? RQs should not be answerable with a simple “yes” or “no” or by easily found facts. They should, instead, require both research and analysis on the part of the writer
• Is the RQ one that is of interest to the researcher and potentially useful to others? Is it a new issue or problem that needs to be solved or is it attempting to shed light on previously researched topic
• Is the RQ researchable? Consider the available time frame and the required resources. Is the methodology to conduct the research feasible?
• Is the RQ measurable and will the process produce data that can be supported or contradicted?
• Is the RQ too broad or too narrow?
• Create Hs: After formulating RQ, think where research is likely to be progressing? What kind of argument is likely to be made/supported? What would it mean if the research disputed the planned argument? At this step, one can well be on the way to have a focus for the research and construction of a thesis. Hs consists of more specific predictions about the nature and direction of the relationship between two variables. It is a predictive statement about the outcome of the research, dictate the method, and design of the research[ 1 ]
• Understand implications of your research: This is important for application: whether one achieves to fill gap in knowledge and how the results of the research have practical implications, for example, to develop health policies or improve educational policies.[ 1 , 8 ]

Brainstorm/Concept map for formulating research question

• First, identify what types of studies have been done in the past?
• Is there a unique area that is yet to be investigated or is there a particular question that may be worth replicating?
• Begin to narrow the topic by asking open-ended “how” and “why” questions
• Evaluate the question
• Develop a Hypothesis (Hs)
• Write down the RQ.

Writing down the research question

• State the question in your own words
• Write down the RQ as completely as possible.

For example, Evaluation of reproductive hormonal profile in children presenting with isolated hypospadias)

• Divide your question into concepts. Narrow to two or three concepts (reproductive hormonal profile, isolated hypospadias, compare with normal/not isolated hypospadias–implied)
• Specify the population to be studied (children with isolated hypospadias)
• Refer to the exposure or intervention to be investigated, if any
• Reflect the outcome of interest (hormonal profile).

Another example of a research question

Would the topical skin application of oil as a skin barrier reduces hypothermia in preterm infants? Apart from fulfilling the criteria of a good RQ, that is, feasible, interesting, novel, ethical, and relevant, it also details about the intervention done (topical skin application of oil), rationale of intervention (as a skin barrier), population to be studied (preterm infants), and outcome (reduces hypothermia).

Other important points to be heeded to while framing research question

• Make reference to a population when a relationship is expected among a certain type of subjects
• RQs and Hs should be made as specific as possible
• Avoid words or terms that do not add to the meaning of RQs and Hs
• Stick to what will be studied, not implications
• Name the variables in the order in which they occur/will be measured
• Avoid the words significant/”prove”
• Avoid using two different terms to refer to the same variable.

Some of the other problems and their possible solutions have been discussed in Table 1 .

Potential problems and solutions while making research question

G OING B EYOND F ORMULATION OF R ESEARCH Q UESTION–THE P ATH A HEAD

Once RQ is formulated, a Hs can be developed. Hs means transformation of a RQ into an operational analog.[ 1 ] It means a statement as to what prediction one makes about the phenomenon to be examined.[ 4 ] More often, for case–control trial, null Hs is generated which is later accepted or refuted.

A strong Hs should have following characteristics:

• Give insight into a RQ
• Are testable and measurable by the proposed experiments
• Have logical basis
• Follows the most likely outcome, not the exceptional outcome.

E XAMPLES OF R ESEARCH Q UESTION AND H YPOTHESIS

Research question-1.

• Does reduced gap between the two segments of the esophagus in patients of esophageal atresia reduces the mortality and morbidity of such patients?

Hypothesis-1

• Reduced gap between the two segments of the esophagus in patients of esophageal atresia reduces the mortality and morbidity of such patients
• In pediatric patients with esophageal atresia, gap of <2 cm between two segments of the esophagus and proper mobilization of proximal pouch reduces the morbidity and mortality among such patients.

Research question-2

• Does application of mitomycin C improves the outcome in patient of corrosive esophageal strictures?

Hypothesis-2

In patients aged 2–9 years with corrosive esophageal strictures, 34 applications of mitomycin C in dosage of 0.4 mg/ml for 5 min over a period of 6 months improve the outcome in terms of symptomatic and radiological relief. Some other examples of good and bad RQs have been shown in Table 2 .

Examples of few bad (left-hand side column) and few good (right-hand side) research questions

R ESEARCH Q UESTION AND S TUDY D ESIGN

RQ determines study design, for example, the question aimed to find the incidence of a disease in population will lead to conducting a survey; to find risk factors for a disease will need case–control study or a cohort study. RQ may also culminate into clinical trial.[ 9 , 10 ] For example, effect of administration of folic acid tablet in the perinatal period in decreasing incidence of neural tube defect. Accordingly, Hs is framed.

Appropriate statistical calculations are instituted to generate sample size. The subject inclusion, exclusion criteria and time frame of research are carefully defined. The detailed subject information sheet and pro forma are carefully defined. Moreover, research is set off few examples of research methodology guided by RQ:

• Incidence of anorectal malformations among adolescent females (hospital-based survey)
• Risk factors for the development of spontaneous pneumoperitoneum in pediatric patients (case–control design and cohort study)
• Effect of technique of extramucosal ureteric reimplantation without the creation of submucosal tunnel for the preservation of upper tract in bladder exstrophy (clinical trial).

The results of the research are then be available for wider applications for health and social life

C ONCLUSION

A good RQ needs thorough literature search and deep insight into the specific area/problem to be investigated. A RQ has to be focused yet simple. Research guided by such question can have wider impact in the field of social and health research by leading to formulation of policies for the benefit of larger population.

Financial support and sponsorship

Conflicts of interest.

There are no conflicts of interest.

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113 Great Research Paper Topics

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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Public Views About Science in India

This roundup of findings shows public views about science-related issues and the role of science in Indian society. The findings come from a Pew Research Center survey conducted across 20 publics in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, Russia, the U.S., Canada and Brazil from October 2019 to March 2020.

[chapter title=”Ratings of medical treatments, scientific achievements and STEM education in India” icon_url=”https://www.pewresearch.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2020/09/STEM_icon.png”]

Majorities in most of the 20 publics surveyed saw their medical treatments in a favorable light on the eve of the global pandemic. Medical treatments were often seen more favorably than achievements in other areas.

Across the 20 publics, a median of 59% say their medical treatments are at least above average. In India, 57% think their country’s medical treatments are the best in the world or above average. Only about one-in-ten Indians think their medical treatments are below average (11%).

Six-in-ten Indians say their scientific achievements are above average or the best in the world; slightly fewer say this about their technological achievements (52%). When it comes to university STEM education, 56% say India’s is at least above average, and 55% say this about primary and secondary STEM education.

Majorities in all publics agree that being a world leader in scientific achievement is at least somewhat important, but the share who view this as very important varies by public. A 20-public median of 51% place the highest level of importance on being a science world leader. In India, 53% of people say being a world leader in scientific achievements is very important.

Overall, there is broad agreement among these 20 publics that government investments in scientific research are worthwhile. A median of 82% say government investments in scientific research aimed at advancing knowledge are usually worthwhile for society over time. In India, three-quarters of people say this.

[chapter title=”Views on artificial intelligence, food science and childhood vaccines in India” icon_url=”https://www.pewresearch.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2020/09/AI_icon.png”]

Majorities in most publics see their government’s space exploration program as a good thing for society. Across the 20 publics, a median of 72% say their government’s space exploration program has mostly been a good thing for society. In India, three-quarters say the Indian Space Research Organization’s space exploration program has been good for society.

Public views on artificial intelligence (AI) and using robots to automate jobs are more varied from public to public. A median of 53% say the development of AI, or computer systems designed to imitate human behaviors, has mostly been a good thing for society, while 33% say it has been a bad thing. The Center survey also finds that publics offer mixed views about the use of robots to automate jobs. Across the 20 publics, a median of 48% say such automation has mostly been a good thing, while 42% say it has been a bad thing.

In India, views of AI tend to be positive. Two-thirds say artificial intelligence has been good for society, while only 12% say it has been bad. Opinions about the effect of workplace automation through robotics tilt positive by a narrower margin: 47% say it has been a good thing, compared with 27% who say it’s been a bad thing.

Across most of the publics surveyed, views about the safety of fruits and vegetables grown with pesticides, food and drinks with artificial preservatives, and genetically modified foods tilt far more negative than positive. About half think produce grown with pesticides (median of 53%), foods made with artificial preservatives (53%) or genetically modified foods (48%) are unsafe. In India, people are skeptical about these applications of technology in foods. Only 19% say fruits and vegetables grown with pesticides are safe, while 75% think they are unsafe, and only 3% say they don’t know enough about this issue to say. Similarly, majorities say food and drinks with artificial preservatives (65%) or genetically modified foods (58%) are unsafe.

When it comes to childhood vaccines such as the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, a median of 61% say the preventive health benefits of such vaccines are high, and a median of 55% think there is no or only a low risk of side effects. In India, 55% say the preventive health benefits from the MMR vaccine are high; 49% rate the risk of side effects from the MMR vaccine as low or none.

[chapter title=”Views on climate and the environment in India” icon_url=”https://www.pewresearch.org/science/wp-content/uploads/sites/16/2020/09/Climate_icon.png”]

Majorities across all 20 survey publics would prioritize protecting the environment, even if it causes slower economic growth. A median of 71% would prioritize environmental protection. In India, about six-in-ten (61%) think protecting the environment should be given priority, even if it causes slower economic growth and some loss of jobs. A smaller share (25%) thinks creating jobs should be the top priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent.

Public concern about global climate change has gone up over the past few years in many publics surveyed by the Center.

Majorities in all 20 publics say they are seeing at least some effects of climate change where they live. A median of 70% say they are experiencing a great deal or some effects of climate change where they live. In India, the same share (70%) say climate change is affecting where they live a great deal (28%) or some (42%).

A 20-public median of 58% say their national government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change. In India, 37% say their government is doing too little to reduce the effects of climate change, the lowest share of the 20 publics surveyed. Only 15% say their government is doing about the right amount, and roughly three-in-ten (32%) say it is doing too much.

Find out more

Read the full report online .

All surveys were conducted with nationally representative samples of adults ages 18 and older. Here is the survey methodology used in each public.

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

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