History

• Even if you've been assigned a general topic, you'll need to narrow it down. Suppose the topic assigned is to determine the most influential person of the 20th century or the most important invention since 1900. Now you must decide on your specific focus. Think of people, like world leaders, inventors and so on, who have made an impact on the United States or the world as a whole. Look at inventions which you use every day, such as the cell phone or the microchip, and explain how one of these has changed our world. Once you've found a good topic, make sure you can find the necessary supporting materials.
  
  

News

• Current topics are always good choices; however, if they are too current, it might be difficult to find the necessary materials to support your ideas. In 2011, some high profile topics to consider are whether the government should limit Internet access in times of national emergency or whether the United States should provide universal health care for all its citizens like many European countries do. Consider how the use of social media has affected the more traditional news providers and society as a whole or whether citizens should be willing to give up their personal and constitutional rights as part of homeland security.
  
  

Science

• While research papers and essays assigned in science classes are not as common, this area provides a variety of possible topics. Some of these include whether the space program should be expanded or whether testing products on animals should continue. Look at the impact of robots in today's society in such fields as manufacturing and medicine and predict how their use in these and other areas may expand in the future. Discuss whether human cloning should be considered to produce additional organs for transplants or whether foods made from genetically altered plants or animals should be offered for human consumption.
  
  

Humanities

• There are numerous topics that apply to the humanities, such as whether the government should fund the arts or whether schools should continue to offer art and music classes as part of a suitable education, that would make good research projects. Other topics might ask whether school libraries should include books found on the "challenged books list" or whether classics like "Huckleberry Finn" should be rewritten to make them more suitable for classroom use. You may also want to explore the role of the arts in today's technological world.