Research Starter Databases
Sample Research Questions
Here are examples of good topics and research questions for argumentation essays and research papers. Most of these research questions will need to be narrowed down further to focus on one or two aspects. Not all of the topics listed are suitable for all types of writing assignments, so if you aren’t sure which topic is most appropriate for your assignment, check with your faculty member.
Art & Music
- What is the “Mozart effect” and how valid is it?
- What are the benefits of having children learn to play a musical instrument?
- Is art/music therapy the best form of treatment for specific disorders? Why?
- How does mental illness play a role in creativity?
- Should authors, artists, musicians, filmmakers etc… be held accountable if their work if it incites violence?
- How does the history of [hip hop, country music, other genre] reflect social trends in America?
- How did the invention of the camera affect the art of painting?
Business, Economics, & the Workplace
- Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time?
- Do workplace wellness programs really help employees?
- Would a four-day workweek be beneficial to workers?
- What should be done to eliminate salary disparities between men and women?
- How should copyright laws be changed to address the impact of technology?
- Why should/shouldn’t small farms be government subsidized?
- Why should/shouldn’t U.S. citizens have the option to manage their own social security funds?
Communication & Mass Media
- How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)?
- What impact do social media sites have on relationships?
- How have blogging, wikis, i-pods, and other methods of electronic transmissions affected the dissemination of information?
- How does mass communication affect politics, war, global awareness, and social norms?
- Should televised sexual and violent content be censored by the government? Are mandatory ratings a form of censorship?
- What affect does the 24 hour news cycle have on human stress levels?
- How will has the Internet affected the newspaper industry? Is this a good or bad thing?
- How has streaming video services affected advertising and network programming?
- Do American media present an accurate picture of Islam?
- Are TV, magazines, and other media responsible for eating disorders?
- How are news organizations and newspapers influenced by their parent companies and how does that affect the information we get?
- Is there really a “liberal media” in the United States?
- How much screen time is too much for young children?
- What role has the media played/does the media play in body image for boys/men?
- Are social media companies responsible for the prevalence of “fake news”?
Computers & the Internet
- How has the digital divide changed relationships/workplace communication? If so how, and why?
- How has free speech been impacted by the Internet?
- What is the ‘hacker culture’? And how has it shaped cybercrime?
- What is the future of artificial intelligence and how will it impact Americans?
- How are online users experiencing or addressing privacy issues on such social networking sites as Facebook and Twitter?
- How is digital learning changing schools and education?
- How is technology impacting our children’s social skills?
- Should employers be allowed to monitor employees’ online activity at work?
- How has technology impacted spelling and grammar over the past 5, 10, 20 years?
- Should the government regulate privacy settings for social networking services?
- How will Bitcoin (or Blockchain technology) impact U.S. banking systems?
- Does a using social network like Facebook make us feel more isolated?
Criminal Justice
- Should prison be punitive or rehabilitative in nature?
- Many consider today’s justice system to be too slow. What improvements could be made to expedite the system without sacrificing due process?
- What role does education play in reducing juvenile delinquents’ return to crime?
- Is our criminal justice system racially biased?
- Should juveniles be sentenced to life without parole?
- Would an assault weapons ban reduce gun violence in America?
- Should there be harsher penalties for white collar crimes?
- What causes juvenile delinquency? Choose a theory from Criminal Justice or Psychology and apply it.
- Is the death penalty an effective deterrent to crime?
Earth & Environmental Sciences
- Should genetically altered food have warning labels?
- How does urbanization affect the natural areas of the world?
- Does climate change have an effect on the intensity of tornadoes/hurricanes/floods/other natural disasters?
- Can the agricultural biotechnology industry co-exist with the environment?
- Should we eliminate daylight savings time?
- How does overseas oil dependency influence our economy/ international policies?
- Should vehicle manufacturers be fined for making energy inefficient cars?
- Should stores charge customers for paper or plastic shopping bags to cut down on waste?
- What could make nuclear energy safer?
- Is wind energy really that cheap? Is it effective? Is it practical? Is it safe for wildlife?
- Could tidal power be an effective solution to the energy crisis?
Education
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- What effects does an inclusive environment have on all the children in the classroom covering all aspects of learning?
- Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?
- Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?
- Do abstinence programs work?
- Should summer vacation be eliminated from the school year?
- Should parents who home-school their children be certified to teach?
- Do video games positively engage students with ADD or ADHD?
- Has No Child Left Behind helped improve school performance?
- Is single-sex education effective?
- Is arts/music education important in elementary schools?
- What can be done to help stop bullying/cyberbullying?
- Should Creationism be taught alongside Evolution as a viable theory?
- Should books that include racist or sexist language be banned from schools or libraries?
- Is standards-based grading an improvement over traditional grading?
Health & Nutrition
- What is the relationship between income and obesity?
- Should we legalize the sale of human organs?
- Can memory loss and dementia be prevented?
- What can be done to prevent the so called “lifestyle” diseases? (Pick one of these: cardiovascular disease, diabetes, skin cancer)
- What role should vaccinations play in health care? Should childhood vaccination for certain diseases be mandatory?
- How has the Affordable Care Act impacted access to health care for the working poor?
- How is added/artificial sugar harmful?
- According to the research, who can benefit from pet therapy?
- What is the ‘grandmother hypothesis’? Do grandmothers help humans live longer?
- Should energy drinks be banned from high school sports?
- Pandemics and the Flu: Media hype or serious threat?
- Is there too much hype about toxins and the public health? Are mold, lead, radon, food additives, and power lines really threats to public health?
- What is the relationship between vaccines and autism and is it based on scientific evidence?
- Should genetically modified food technologies be used to solve world hunger issues?
- Does advertising to children contribute to childhood obesity?
- Will a soda tax help reduce obesity?
- Is there a nutritional benefit to buying organic vegetables?
History, Philosophy, & Anthropology
- What were the social forces that led to Prohibition?
- How did the labor movement bring about the work week as we know it today?
- Is the government doing enough to protect indigenous cultures in [country]?
- What is the historical basis for Americans to distrust socialism?
- Does the Information Age mean we are losing important historical information?
- How have Native Americans been treated in the past, and what has changed?
- What can be learned from the witch trials in England and the United States about mob actions and mass hysteria?
- Why do so many cultures have a “Flood Myth” and what does that say about human nature?
Human Development
- How does society view aging and the aged? Is this different than 10 years ago? 20 years ago?
- How will a growing aging population affect American society?
- Should the current Social Security program be reformed? How?
- Are improvements needed in the way we care for the health of the elderly? If so, what?
- What quality of life do seniors face, now and in the future?
- How can we, as a society, improve end-of-life care?
- Why is there little pretend play among young children in many societies, and what difference does this make in later development?
- Does participation in before- and after-school care and education relate to academic and social outcomes experienced by children?
- Do video games help or hinder childhood development?
- Does having an infant in full time day care hinder their social or emotional growth?
Literature & Languages
- How did the Hollywood Blacklist affect movies and television in the 1950s?
- Should American elementary students be required to learn a second language?
- How does the modern Vampire novel compare with the 19th-century Gothic genre?
- What is the role of symbolism in the work of [Poe, Chekhov, Atwood, other author]?
- What social forces made the Harlem Renaissance possible?
Mathematics & Science
- How has technology impacted spelling and grammar over the past 5, 10, 20 years?
- How is technology impacting our children’s social skills?
- How has the concept of zero changed the way we think about our surroundings?
- Is there a mathematical equation for beauty and proportion? Should there be?
- How important is it to explore our solar system? Is space exploration really necessary?
- How are insects being used as models for miniature robots?
- Do the benefits of nanotechnology for medical uses outweigh the risks?
- How will robotics change lives?
- Should the United States return to the moon and try to go to other planets?
- How has the Hubble Space Telescope changed the way we look at the universe?
Political Science
- Should we eliminate the Electoral College?
- What strategies should politicians employ to engage young voters? Why should young people vote?
- Do Cold War era alliances such as NATO remain relevant or have they become obsolete?
- Is partisan conflict a threat to American democracy?
- Do political protests have an impact on policy outcomes?
- Would a ban on immigration of Muslims improve U.S. national security?
Psychology
- Should men have mandatory paternity leave?
- How has the media (TV, film, social networks) changed the social stigma of mental illness?
- Is there a correlation to academic achievement, behavior problems or creativity and birth order?
- Is an addiction to gambling as serious as an addiction to drugs or alcohol? (pick any addiction)
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Have misdiagnoses caused doctors to over-prescribe Ritalin? Should we develop new diagnostic procedures (which ones?) to curb this trend?
- What differences, if any, are there in children who are raised by stay-at-home moms and working moms?
- Does society today still discriminate against working mothers who wish to have flexible work schedules?
- Should fathers be allowed the same treatment as mothers in family court decisions? Are mothers being favored too much because of the “nurturing” stereotype?
- Road Rage: Why do normally patient people become impatient behind the wheel?
- Is attachment parenting good for healthy child development or is it just coddling them?
Sociology & Cultures
- How does body adornment exemplify a culture and its values?
- How do members of the Hmong community experience grief?
- How do Latinos in rural communities perceive their ability to obtain public social services?
- How do Vietnamese women view domestic violence?
- Why do teenagers join street gangs?
- How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)?
Explore Resources by Subject
Once you have a few topic ideas, explore subject-specific databases and suggested websites by exploring the Subject Guides assembled by CCV and Vermont Tech librarians.
