It can be hard to decide on a topic for your research paper. A good starting point is, within the theme of your class, think about what interests you. Is there a specific animal you like and want to learn about? Do you have a pet? Are you interested in health-related issues? Are you concerned about endangered species or the environment? Think about how current events impact animals (see the box on this page).
When you have a few ideas, do some general searching to determine if your topic is research-able.
Here are some places to look for topic ideas:
► Consult the list of topics on this website: Society & Animals
► Look at the books in the library collection. Click on the title to see a description and browse the Table of Contents for topic ideas
► If you are interested in researching something dog-related, go to the All About Dogs page. Browse the dog-centric magazine, The Bark. (There are some great articles under the "Dog's Life" link.).
► Look at Dog Spies, a collection of blog posts from Scientic American.
► Explore articles ranging from animal news to wild and weird animals in National Geography
► Browse the blogs on the website, World Animal Protection.
► Scroll through the various sites on the websites page.
► Search in Opposing Viewpoints in Context using keywords such as animals, pets, dogs, or animal rights
► Think about readings and discussions you are having in class.
► Contact me! I can help.
Another way to come up with a research topic is to think about current events and how they may impact specific animals and their place in our society or around the world.
The articles below are about specific events but you can use the event as a jumping off point for a research topic on the impact of wildfires or climate change on wildlife or the role of our pets during a pandemic.