Before you start writing an essay, you will need to have a good topic to write about. Choosing a topic for an essay can be time-consuming, especially if you have so many ideas popping into your mind.
Stuck with your essay? Not sure where to begin? This guide will provide you with the necessary guidelines for your essay’s ideas, which can help you finalise your essay topic.
Guidelines for Generating Essay Topic Ideas
Here are the guidelines that you need to follow to develop easy topic ideas:
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Think out of the box
The best way to generate an essay topic idea is to think out of the box. You are more likely to come up with a great essay idea as you let the ideas flow in your mind.
It doesn’t matter how you get to an idea because what matters most is determining whether the idea fulfils your essay assignment’s requirements. Try to avoid using conventional ways to generate topic ideas for your essay.
IMPORTANT NOTE
- When we think of great ideas that acted as a stepping stone in the world of science, we will realise that all those ideas didn’t appear to be realistic at that moment in time.
- For instance, Newton didn’t know about the Law of Gravity; what made him think and propose the law was the incident of an apple falling from a tree.
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Move from general ideas to specific ones
There is less probability that you will come up with great essay topic ideas right away. Initially, you will think of some general research problems in your area of study before you can discover a more specific topic.
After careful filtration of your early ideas, you will be able to shift towards a few specific essay titles gradually.
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Don’t be overwhelmed by the process
It would be best if you gave yourself the liberty to make mistakes during this stage. Being overwhelmed will hinder the process of idea generation.
You might come up with some strange ideas initially; that’s where you need to be patient and keep working with the ideas. Perceiving your ideas to be unnecessary or uninteresting will obstruct the flow of ideas in your mind.
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Don’t just cling to the first idea
Don’t get over-excited by the first idea that captures your interest. That idea may appear to be really interesting, but you could also find that it does not suit your needs upon probing the merits and demerits.
Make sure you don’t get stuck on just one idea. Instead, create a list of several ideas in your area of study. Getting stuck to just a single idea will certainly get you out of focus, and you may overlook other options in generating your essay topic ideas.
Should I start writing an essay with the first idea?
No, you shouldn’t start writing your essay with your first idea. Instead, you can dump early ideas on paper to formulate them. Plan your essay’s outline and the order of your arguments first.
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Analyse your ideas critically
Once you know about the topics that fascinate you, it might be challenging to choose which to pursue.
Try to critically analyse your chosen ideas and see what possible difficulties you can encounter while writing the essay. Choosing a topic that is interesting as well as manageable is the key to success in this regard.
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Choose an idea you enjoy writing about
You wouldn’t be able to write a good essay if you don’t like the topic. The topic for an essay must be chosen based on your own interests so that you enjoy writing about it.
You will need to have a personal liking for the topic chosen. This will allow you to write smoothly without making the work tedium and lethargic for yourself. If you haven’t been able to find any interesting topic among the essay topic ideas, pick the topic you find least boring.
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Don’t forget to make notes
Ideas won’t be flowing in your mind all the time. So, making notes will be a beneficial practice to generate your essay topic. You would likely be coming up with ideas in unusual times, like falling asleep at night or during a workout session in the gym.
Ensure that you jot down all these ideas and consider them later while looking for an essay topic.
How to take notes for essay topic ideas?
To take notes, use a notebook, digital tools, or others, and ensure that you always have them ready. Use your own words to paraphrase and organise information with headings, subheadings, and bullet points.
What are the guidelines to generate essay topic ideas?
- Think out of the box
- Move from general ideas to specific ones
- Don’t be overwhelmed by the process
- Don’t just cling to the first idea
- Analyse your ideas critically
- Choose an idea you enjoy writing about
- Don’t forget to make notes
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Strategies to Find a Great Essay Topic
Here are some strategies that you should apply to come up with an excellent essay topic:
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Discuss Ideas
Sharing your ideas with a friend or colleague can help you figure out which idea can work best for you. You can further consult or discuss with your instructor or teacher, as they can guide you in a better way.
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Brainstorming
This technique allows you to write down as many ideas as you can without doing any desk-based research.
You need to think of the topic by just considering the knowledge or information your mind already holds. Make sure that you keep your concentration spot on when employing this strategy.
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Mind Mapping
It involves writing the central, broad subject in the middle of the page and drawing branches radiating outward for sub-topics. You can further add smaller twigs from these branches for more specific ideas.
If the broad subject is “Climate Change”, you can narrow it down to causes, effects, and renewable energy, and further reduce it to “Solar Power Efficiency in Nordic Countries”.
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Question Storming
This method deals with asking questions about the subject. It’s about channelling your inner child and asking “Why”. For example, if the subject is “Social Media”, you can ask these questions:
Q1: How does social media affect mental health?
Q2: Why does it affect mental health?
Q3: Why does FOMO cause anxiety?
Q4: Why are curated online personas perceived as reality?
Q5: Why is it difficult for users to disconnect from these platforms?
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Source Scouting
Sometimes, you need a little extra external inspiration. It can be done by using source scouting, also known as the preliminary research.
Conduct a quick research on Google Scholar, your library’s database, and even reputable news channels related to your subject. Skim interesting angles, debates, or recent developments that scholars are talking about. It significantly helps to craft an argumentative essay.
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Freestyle Writing
This method is somewhat similar to the brainstorming method, but you will need to time-limit yourself. The idea of freestyle writing includes the exercise of writing freely about any topic.
A good tactic is to give yourself 2-3 minutes for each topic. Make sure that you don’t stop writing unless the designated time finishes.
It doesn’t matter how foolish or strange your content seems to be, because once you evaluate your essay writing piece, it might enable you to finalise a suitable topic.
What are the strategies to find an excellent essay topic?
Here are the strategies that you must adopt:
- Discuss Ideas
- Brainstorming
- Mind Mapping
- Question Storming
- Source Scouting
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Frequently Asked Questions
To choose a unique essay topic, look for gaps in common debates, add a new perspective, or combine two different themes to create originality.
Even if your teacher assigns you an essay topic, you should try coming up with your own angle. Narrow the scope or focus on a unique perspective.
A topic is broad if you can’t cover the main points in the required essay length. So, narrow it down by adding limits like time, location, or demographic.
Yes, you can change your topic if you realise the present one is not working. It is better to refine or switch early rather than forcing a weak idea.
You should come up with 5-10 possible topics. Compare options to make it easier to pick the one that’s both practical and interesting.
