Skip to Main Content

POLSC 101 - American Politics

This guide will help you complete research projects, find sources appropriate for college-level research, evaluate those sources, and cite them so you can avoid plagiarism while lending credibility to your paper

As one of the first steps in your research process, selecting a topic that interests you and fits the parameters of your assignment are key ways to get on the right path to research success.

Topic Selection Considerations: Finding the Topic Sweet Spot The topic sweet spot is found when these three considerations are weighed equally: Understanding your assignment. It is crucial to understand your assignment guidelines. This includes what topics you should explore, length of finished work, and the number & types of required sources. Mode of presentation is also vital: Is the work informative? Analytical? Persuasive? Compare-contrast? Problem-solution? Source availability. Source availability can affect topic choice. Prompts requiring 8 peerreviewed journals demand more scholarly topics than prompts requiring 3 substantive sources. Preview available sources before committing to a topic. A librarian can help you do this! Personal relevancy. If your topic isn't personally meaningful, your research will turn perfunctory and tedious. Choose topics that get you excited about investing your time and energy. Chase the knowledge, not just the grade.

Pick a Topic Databases

You can get ideas for research topics from several MJC article databases.

Once you click on the page, be sure to scroll down to the the Pick a Topic Databases.

Pick a Topic