From the very beginning you need to understand the exact nature of a persuasive research paper. Unless you have a firm grasp of the definition of what is required with a persuasive or argumentative research paper, choosing the topic is a difficult process. Experienced research paper writers advise to pick a topic as easy as possible.
A persuasive essay or research paper requires you to persuade the reader, most probably your teacher or professor, that your point of view in the research paper has credibility and you have substantiated your opinion throughout your writing. Now all of this is fine but how does that help you go about selecting an appropriate topic? Well following each of these points will go a long way to seeing you successful.
- Is the topic controversial?
- Does the topic divide public opinion?
- Does the topic have depth?
- Does the topic have significant and relevant research material?
- Is the topic contemporary?
- Are you interested in this topic?
- Will you be studying aspects of this topic in your future studies?
Sitting on the fence is not a good position to take when writing a persuasive research paper. You need to come down firmly on one side of the fence. So the first thing to do is be sure that the topic you select is controversial, that it divides public opinion.
Then to further test the quality of the topic you are considering you need to discover if it has depth. If it is a shallow topic there will not be much to write about. But if it does have depth it must also have plenty of relevant research material.
One tip in selecting a topic for your persuasive research paper is to see if the proposed topic is contemporary. If so there should be plenty of relevant research material available easily and moreover, it will be a topic that your reader will be familiar with.
But then we get personal. Are you interested in this particular topic? Is it a topic which grabs your interest? Are you passionate about this topic? You see the key here is selecting not just a controversial topic but rather one which appeals to you. Then, to make it a really suitable topic, try and find one which is relevant to other subjects you will be studying in the future. If so you will be boosting your academic standing for whatever you tackle tomorrow.