 Choosing a research topic can be one of the most difficult parts of the research process. Always remember, your research matters. There is an audience out there for every topic, so don't be afraid to explore a seemingly uncommon subject. This video will help you choose a topic relevant and interesting to you. When choosing a research topic, the best first step is to understand your assignment's requirements. Are there things you can or cannot research? How long is the paper? Are you required to find scholarly sources? This will help you choose an appropriate topic. Next, you want to ask yourself, what are you interested in? What issues personally affect you? What are current issues in your field of study? Writing about a topic that you care about will result in a better paper and make the process more enjoyable for you. Christian has to write a persuasive research paper. Christian recently got back from a trip to Africa and is interested in incorporating his experience into his research paper. Christian does a search on Africa in an article database. His initial search returns over 300,000 results. This helps Christian realize that his topic is too broad, so he needs to figure out a way to narrow this topic down into something more researchable. Some questions Christian can ask himself to narrow down his topic are Who? Is there a specific population, group, organization to focus on? What? What are the main issues affecting individuals in Africa? Where? Can you focus on a specific region or country? Why? What is the cause of the issue? What's the context behind the issue? How? How do the issues impact individuals, the environment, or the government? Using results from his database search and his personal experiences, Christian determines that he wants to focus on the lack of clean water in sub-Saharan Africa and its impact on the individuals in these countries. It's okay if you don't have prior knowledge of your topic like Christian. You can use your initial research to learn more about your topic and the angle you want to pursue. As you continue the research process, it is inevitable that your topic will change or evolve. If you need additional help with choosing a topic, contact a librarian.