English 101 (College Writing) Research Guide: Get Started
Need a topic idea?
Here are some places you could look for a paper topic:
- Class discussions
- Assigned readings
- Personal interests
- Browse journals in the field
- Hot topics in the news (see links below)
- ACLU Key Issues (American Civil Liberties Union)Click on the "Issues" button for a drop-down of topics such as racial justice and free speech.
- Brookings Institute - ResearchResearch covers topics like foreign policy, healthcare, and social issues.
- Pew Research Center - Topics IndexBrowse public opinion polls by subject here.
- Urban InstituteNonprofit, authoritative source for unbiased information on current events.
- List of Hot Paper Topics (Saint Ambrose University Library)More popular topics with authoritative sources for students to use in papers.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Don't know the first thing about climate change or the Vietnam War? Reference sources (like encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks) are a great place to start. Click the link below, and try your topic in the search box.
Print Reference Writing Sources
We have extra copies of each of these books, which you can check out:
Rules for Writers by Call Number: REF PE 1408 H277 2012Publication Date: 2015
A Pocket Style Manual by Call Number: PE 1408 H26 2018
MLA HandbookCall Number: LB 2369 M52 2021
The Brief Bedford Reader by Call Number: Reserves PE 1417 B7125 2020
