A great idea can come from many places. Here are some suggested places to start:
Before you develop your research topic or question, you'll need to do some background research first.
Some good places to find background information:
Try the library databases below to explore your topic. When you're ready, move on to refining your topic.
Credo Reference - A great encyclopedia database for starting your research. Search hundreds of encyclopedias at once, use the mind map to explore topics, and jump to other databases directly from here.
Issues and Controversies - A fantastic place to go if you're looking at controversial topics and current events. This database gives you information in as balanced a way as it can on a variety of topics you might be interested in.
Now that you've done some background research, it's time to narrow your topic. Remember: the shorter your final paper, the narrower your topic needs to be. Here are some suggestions for narrowing and defining your topic:
Describe and develop your topic in some detail. Try filling in the blanks in the following sentence, as much as you can:
I want to research ____(what/who)____
and ____(what/who)____
in ____(where)____
during ____(when)____
because ____(why)____.