10 Good Research Paper Topics for High School

Coming up with a research topic for a high school paper can be a difficult first step in your writing process. Start by thinking about what you have some pre-existing knowledge of, what you’re interested in and what you want to talk about.

Research

Do research to pick a specific topic. Look through your textbook, look at your handouts and notes, go to the library and look online. Once you have a general idea of what you want to talk about, it is crucial for you to narrow it down to a more specific topic so that you have an interesting paper with its own voice.

Interesting Research Topics

Writing about things that are controversial or that are in the news can be good topic ideas. Any topic you choose to write about will make a good and interesting paper if you pour in hours of time and research. If you are excited about your topic and if you find it interesting, so will the reader.

10 Possible Topics to Consider

  1. Is animal testing ethical?
    • They don’t have a say.
    • Why not test on willing human volunteers?
  2. Is abortion justified?
    • What if the baby is a product of rape?
    • Should girls under 18 have parental consent to have an abortion?
    • Should women who regularly practice unsafe sex have a limit to the amount of abortions they can have?
    • Do you feel abortion is ethical?
    • Does a woman have a say in her own body?
  3. Should human cloning be legalized?
    • Is it ethical to clone a human?
    • Would the clone have a soul?
    • Would they have the same rights as people who aren’t clones?
    • Would cloning end up being used to harvest organs?
  4. Talk Internet addiction among the younger population.
    • Are children, teenagers, and young adults addicted to the Internet?
    • Why has this happened?
    • How can we get humans to interact with one another in real life again?
  5. Can intelligence of animals be tested?
    • Look at past studies of tests on animal intelligence and discuss them.
    • Observe animals using their brains in the wild.
  6. Discuss different types of pollution and how we can control pollution.
    • What are the different types?
    • What are side effects of the pollution?
    • How can we decrease future pollution?
  7. Take on the different types of STDs.
    • What are the different sexually transmitted diseases?
    • How do people get them and how can they get rid of them?
    • What is the percentage of each STD in the population?
  8. Obesity in the United States.
    • Why has it become an issue?
    • How can we stop it?
  9. Homelessness.
    • What percentage of the population of certain countries is homeless?
    • How does it happen for most people?
    • Can anyone get out of homelessness?
  10. Teen Pregnancy.
    • Is it wise for girls in high school to have babies?
    • Are shows like 16 and Pregnant turning teen pregnancy into a fad?
    • How can we decrease the amount of teen pregnancies?

No matter what you write about, you will have a great paper to turn in when you’re finished if you write about something you are passionate about.

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