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Top 10 research topics from 2021.

research topic ideas 2021

Find the answers to your biggest research questions from 2021. With collective views of over 3.7 million, researchers explored topics spanning from nutritional immunology and political misinformation to sustainable agriculture and the human-dog bond .

Research Topics:

research topic ideas 2021

1. Infectious disease

  • 1,643,000 views
  • 29 articles

research topic ideas 2021

2. Nutritional immunology

  • 768,000 views

research topic ideas 2021

3. Music therapy

  • 268,000 views
  • 44 articles

research topic ideas 2021

4. Political misinformation

  • 219,000 views
  • 11 articles

research topic ideas 2021

5. Plant science

  • 198,000 views
  • 15 articles

research topic ideas 2021

6. Sustainable agriculture

  • 168,000 views
  • 49 articles

research topic ideas 2021

7. Mental health

  • 136,000 views
  • 22 articles

research topic ideas 2021

8. Aging brains

  • 134,000 views
  • 18 articles

research topic ideas 2021

Benefits of human-dog interactions

  • 229,000 views
  • 13 articles

research topic ideas 2021

10. Mood disorders

  • 102,000 views
  • 12 articles

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January 17, 2022

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125 Best Research Paper Topics of 2021

research topic ideas 2021

When you get into high school, you are not aware of the number of responsibilities you might have to face over your academics, making you feel clogged and exhausted, especially when writing and submitting research papers on time.

One of the most challenging parts of writing a research paper is to find a perfect topic to write. Luckily, we have done all the hard work for you and have created a list of 125 fascinating research paper topics.

For your further convenience, we have organized the topics into different categories covering a wide range of subjects so you can easily choose the best topic according to your interest and knowledge.

Besides the list of good research topics, I have also talked about selecting a good research topic and how you can use your subject to start writing an excellent paper.

How to Select a Perfect Research Paper Topic?

Before you start writing, you need to make sure you choose a great topic. Below mentioned are the three crucial factors to contemplate before selecting the best research paper topics.

Choosing a field, you are interested in

It is difficult to find a research paper topic because most high-school students are confused about selecting their major. However, you can always select an area of interest.

There are always specific research topics on trending. Many people seem interested in writing about the buzzing topics; never feel tempted or go with the crowd and make it your subject unless you genuinely have some interest in it.

There is enough information to foster your research.

Once you have chosen the best research paper topic and you're happy to write about it, it is still challenging to produce a good paper if there isn't enough information about the subject. 

This is possible for very particular or specialized topics, and sometimes some topics are too new to have enough research conducted on them at the moment. Simple topics will always have more than enough information to write a full-length paper. Writing a research paper on a topic that does not have enough information is extremely hard. Before you take up a topic, do primary research and make sure you have all the essential information to write your research paper.

The research paper fits your teacher guidelines. 

Always note down any specific requirements or restrictions your teacher may have implemented on some research topic ideas. If you are writing a research paper on a political science topic, deciding to write about technology’s impact on sports won’t be allowed. Still, there can be some sort of flexibility.

For example, if you want to write about the “Portrayal of minorities by Media” and your teacher wants you to write about “History,” you can combine both topics and develop something relevant. Like “How the portrayal of minorities by media go a long way back.” You can also use companies, like do my essay , to help you write your research paper.

For your convenience, we have organized the topics into different categories. It will also make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Simple research paper topics

  • How important is diversity within the team, and why?
  • What makes one sport more accepted than another?
  • How would the world be different without the discoveries of Albert Einstein?
  • Rise of anime; what made anime admired worldwide?
  • Is the traditional music of a country foremost than the international music that is popular around the world?
  • What causes people to change their leisure time activities as they get older?
  • What is the best way to deal with procrastination?
  • What are hobbies more favored with children and adults in your area?
  • Are there hobbies you can easily do in your own country but not so comfortable when you go to another country? Why?
  • What are stereotypes of people from your country, and how true are those?

Interesting research paper topics

  • How true is it that older people are wiser and correct, always right in their choices?
  • Can technology cause a gap between generations?
  • How different are friendships between men from friendships between women, and why?
  • Can amusement parks have an educational motive aside from an entertaining one? 
  • What things make people in your country happy?
  • What are the pros and cons of plastic surgery?
  • Does beauty, in general, decide how much a person will be happy and successful in life?
  • What other common sayings such as “Actions speak louder than words” exist in your language, and what life lessons they teach?
  • What makes Nordic regions happier and more prosperous than others?
  • Ways to communicate better with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers?

Controversial topics for research paper

These topics might stimulate terrible responses from some people because most of these subjects are controversial and are likely to raise some issues. Be careful before writing about such topics.

  • What is the context of all terrorist attacks in the world?
  • How to deal with a large number of immigrants?
  • How to prevent a rise in the number of homeless children?
  • What is the proper punishment for serial killers and rapists?
  • Will religion survive the future? Explain

Aggressive research topics

  • Are video games the reason for more antisocial people?
  • What makes communism the best political system in the world?
  • How will a rise in the minimum wage help increase economic mobility?
  • Should steroids be allowed in sports?
  • What can things be done on an individual level to prevent cyberbullying?

Research topics by different fields of study

In different fields of study, you can tell your brain to perform innovatively. Here, you can carry out extensive research to put forward new opinions.

  • What were the devastating impacts of British rule in India ? 
  • What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
  • Was it necessary to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
  • Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation ? 
  • What caused the Soviet Union to invade Afghanistan ?
  • What are the important events in the history of Latin America? 
  • How did Greece become a huge philosophical hub in ancient times?
  • How did people study foreign languages before the 19th century?
  • Who profited the most from wars in the Middle Ages?
  • What caused Hitler's rise to power?

Sample History research papers

Environment 

  • How deadly is the Earth’s climate change in the past few decades?
  • How have previous oil spills changed regulations and cleaning methods?
  • Make a detailed analysis of deforestation rates globally over a while.
  • Impacts of Paris Climate Agreement on environment
  • How to improve access to clean water around the world?
  • Should developed countries rely more on nuclear energy?
  • What to do to save amphibian species which are presently at risk of extinction?
  • What impacts has climate change had on coral reefs?
  • How are black holes created?
  • Why has the number of natural disasters increased in the past few decades?

Sample Environment research papers 

  • What can health issues be caused by emotional stress?
  • What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
  • What are the advantages and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
  • How do the healthcare plans of different countries vary from each other?
  • How to lower blood pressure using natural herbs?
  • Is it appropriate for parents to skip vaccination?
  • How can you encourage obese people to change their lifestyles?
  • What are the cons of genetically modified foods?
  • Explain the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
  • How much work out/ exercise should the average adult be getting each week?

Sample Health research papers

  • How is business etiquette changed in the past decade?
  • How can the understanding of culture change the way you do business?
  • Who are the exceptional businessmen in the 21st century?
  • Who are the exceptional businesswomen in the 21st century?
  • What are the traits of team leaders, and how to become one?
  • Why is the cause in the rise of the popularity of stock markets?
  • What are the pros and cons of an all-female working environment?
  • The difference in Islamic banking systems from traditional ones?
  • What are the effects of gold and diamonds on the economy?
  • How do offshore bank accounts work – the case of Panama papers?
  • Analyze the history and future of self-driving vehicles.
  • How the invention of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
  • Why has social media made people less connected to reality?
  • Rise of Artificial Intelligence? Explain
  • Do smartphones improve or reduce workplace productivity?
  • What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
  • How is social media manipulating and causing depression?
  • What is the history behind the Internet of Things?
  • Can everything be solar-powered?
  • What is the distinction between open and closed systems?

Sample Technology research papers

  • Why did we stop believing in multiple gods?
  • Are religion and spirituality connected?
  • What is Karma?
  • Why are teenagers less religious than older people?
  • How are terrorist attacks affecting religion? 
  • What are the new ideologies becoming popular?
  • How are Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism connected?
  • Teachings of Hinduism (you can choose any religion)
  • What influence do religions have on the perception of right and wrong?
  • Can other religions help to change the view of women in Arabic cultures?

Social Media

  • Are social media making us lonely, empty from the inside, and unsociable?
  • How to protect children online?
  • What are some techniques to identify pedophiles on social media?
  • Why do people have the want to post everything online?
  • How to prevent cyber-bullying?
  • Can LinkedIn help people find jobs or further education?
  • How to make a break from social media?
  • Why are more adolescent generations obsessed with the number of followers and likes?
  • How bad is social media addiction?
  • Who are world-famous influencers on social media?
  • What is causing the rise in popularity of classical music?
  • Why are world-famous musicians more prone to become drug abusers?
  • History and the rise of hip-hop culture
  • Why do people listen to sad music when they do not feel good?
  • What happens to your mind when you listen to 432 HZ frequency music?
  • How is the US education system different from the education systems in other countries?
  • Impact of college debt on the future life choices of students?
  • What benefits do physical education classes have on students' health?
  • Do children who attend preschool excel in school in the future?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Montessori Method ?
  • Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
  • Do students who get free meals at school get higher grades than those who do not receive any free meal?
  • Impact of technology on studies
  • What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
  • Homeschoolers VS Traditional school; who performs better in the college 

Current Affairs

  • How have the motives of feminists changed over the decades?
  • What are the impacts of China’s one-child policy?
  • What factors gave rise to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
  • Difference between US immigration laws and immigration laws of other countries
  • Explain the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
  • Explain Brexit
  • What factors contributed to China becoming a superpower?
  • How has the “Black Lives Matter” movement affected the view about racism in the world?
  • How will India become a superpower in 2050?
  • History and rise of Bitcoin and another cryptocurrency 

Conclusion 

Make sure to do your research before you start writing. You do not have to make a mistake to start writing your research paper and then learn that there is not enough information to foster your research. 

In some cases, your research can contradict the points you are trying to explain. Get most of your research done before your start writing. Create an outline to understand your flow. This will help keep your paper clear and structured, and you will get clarity to produce a strong report.

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Research Paper Guide

Research Paper Topics

Nova A.

Interesting Research Paper Topics for 2024

21 min read

Research Paper Topics

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Ever struggled to find the perfect topic for your research paper ? We get it – it can be a bit overwhelming. 

Picking something interesting and valuable for your academic journey isn't always easy. But don't worry, we're here to help!

Here, we have listed more than 300 research paper ideas for a variety of subjects.

These topics can help you get creative and find the inspiration you need. 

So read on! 

Arrow Down

  • 1. What are Good Topics for a Research Paper? 
  • 2. Research Paper Topics for Your Academic Level
  • 3. Research Paper Topics for Science & Technology
  • 4. Research Paper Topics For Social Sciences
  • 5. Research Paper Topics for Humanities
  • 6. Research Paper Topics on Economics
  • 7. Research Paper Topics Related to Marketing
  • 8. Best Research Paper Topics 2023
  • 9. How to Choose a Good Research Paper Topic?

What are Good Topics for a Research Paper? 

An interesting research topic is the one that has the following characteristics:

  • Specific and Clear . The topic should cover a specific aspect or question within a broader subject area. A focused topic allows for in-depth exploration.
  • Original and Unique - Great research topics are original. They explore a unique angle or perspective on a subject.
  • Significant - Good topics have academic or real-world significance. They contribute to existing knowledge or address a problem with practical implications.
  • Relevant - Topics that are timely and related to the current issues and debates in your field of study are better for research.

Research Paper Topics for Your Academic Level

All students get research writing assignments, whether they are in high school, college, or higher. Here are some engaging ideas suitable for different academic levels.

High School Research Essay Topics

  • Examine the impact of social media on teenagers' well-being.
  • Assess the effects of climate change and its consequences.
  • Analyze the dynamics of cyberbullying and online safety.
  • Explore the influence of music on adolescents.
  • Investigate the importance of financial literacy education.
  • Assess gender inequality in high school sports programs.
  • Examine the impact of technology on the education system.
  • Analyze youth voting trends and political engagement.
  • Investigate the role of video games in cognitive development.
  • Assess teenage substance abuse and prevention programs.

College Research Paper Topics 

  • IELTS vs. TOEFL - Discuss the similarities and differences.
  • College admission policies and criteria in the United States.
  • How to plan to pay college tuition?
  • Elaborate on ACT vs. SAT.
  • Benefits of Distance Learning.
  • Impacts of China's one-child policy.
  • Do college students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
  • Effect of the No Child Left Behind Act.
  • Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
  • Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?

Graduate Research Paper Topics

  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Business Operations and Strategy
  • Environmental Sustainability in Supply Chain Management: Strategies for Global Corporations
  • The Ethical Implications of Gene Editing Technologies: CRISPR-Cas9 and Beyond
  • Financial Derivatives and Risk Management: Advanced Strategies for Portfolio Optimization
  • The Role of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare: Improving Patient Care and Outcomes
  • Cybersecurity Threats and Mitigation in Critical Infrastructure: A Comprehensive Analysis
  • The Intersection of International Trade and Intellectual Property Rights: Trade Agreements and Dispute Resolution
  • Exploring the Impacts of Climate Change on Urban Planning and Infrastructure
  • Educational Leadership and School Reform in the 21st Century: Innovative Approaches and Challenges
  • Theoretical Advances in Quantum Computing: Applications, Limitations, and Future Prospects

Research Paper Topics for Science & Technology

Looking for research paper ideas in your discipline? The list of topics below covers a variety of subjects and disciplines to help you out.

Research Paper Topics for Computer Science 

  • Quantum Computing: Current State and Future Prospects
  • Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Diagnosis and Treatment
  • Blockchain Technology and Its Applications Beyond Cryptocurrency
  • Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT: Challenges and Solutions
  • The Ethical Implications of Machine Learning Algorithms
  • Natural Language Processing for Sentiment Analysis in Social Media
  • The Role of Computer Vision in Autonomous Vehicles
  • Big Data Analytics for Business Intelligence and Decision-Making
  • Human-Computer Interaction: Enhancing User Experience
  • The Evolution of Cloud Computing: Trends and Innovations

Research Paper Topics in Machine Learning

  • Explainable AI (XAI): Techniques and Challenges in Interpretable Machine Learning Models
  • Federated Learning: Privacy-Preserving Machine Learning Across Decentralized Data Sources
  • Transfer Learning in Deep Neural Networks: Methods, Applications, and Limitations
  • Reinforcement Learning: Recent Advances and Real-World Applications
  • Bias and Fairness in Machine Learning: Detection, Mitigation, and Ethical Considerations
  • Multi-Modal Learning: Integrating Data from Multiple Sources for Improved Performance
  • Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs): Innovations in Image Generation and Beyond
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Healthcare: Applications in Clinical Data Analysis and Diagnosis
  • AutoML (Automated Machine Learning): Tools, Challenges, and Implications for Non-Experts
  • Quantum Machine Learning: Harnessing Quantum Computing for Advanced Data Analysis

Research Paper Topics in Chemistry

  • Green Chemistry: Sustainable Approaches to Chemical Synthesis
  • Nanotechnology in Drug Delivery: Innovations and Challenges
  • Chemical Analysis of Environmental Pollutants and Their Remediation
  • Advancements in Organic Synthesis: New Methods and Strategies
  • The Role of Catalysis in Industrial Chemical Processes
  • Chemical Kinetics: Studying Reaction Rates and Mechanisms
  • Analytical Chemistry Techniques for Food Safety and Quality Control
  • Supramolecular Chemistry: Self-assembly and Molecular Recognition
  • The Chemistry of Renewable Energy Sources
  • Chemical Bonding in Complex Molecules: Insights from Quantum Chemistry

Information Technology Research Paper Topics

  • The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Information Technology
  • Blockchain Technology: Security and Privacy Implications
  • Data Governance and Compliance in the Digital Age
  • Cloud Computing Adoption Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises
  • Internet of Things (IoT) Security Challenges and Solutions
  • E-Government: Advancements and Challenges in Digital Transformation
  • The Role of Machine Learning in Healthcare Data Management
  • Cybersecurity Threat Intelligence: Trends and Best Practices
  • Digital Twins and their Applications in Industry 4.0
  • Human-Centric IT: Designing Systems with User Well-being in Mind

Research Paper Topics Environmental Science

  • Climate Change and Its Impact on Global Ecosystems
  • Biodiversity Conservation and Habitat Restoration
  • Sustainable Agriculture Practices for Food Security
  • Air Pollution Control Strategies in Urban Environments
  • The Effects of Deforestation on Watersheds and Biodiversity
  • Waste Management and Recycling: Towards a Circular Economy
  • Ocean Acidification and Coral Reef Conservation
  • Environmental Impacts of Renewable Energy Technologies
  • Eco-friendly Transportation Solutions: Promoting Sustainable Mobility
  • Human Health and Environmental Pollution: Assessing Risks and Mitigation

Research Paper Topics for Medical Students

  • The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Healthcare Access and Delivery
  • Epidemiology and Management of Infectious Diseases: A Focus on Emerging Pathogens
  • Precision Medicine and Personalized Healthcare: Advancements and Challenges
  • Ethical Considerations in Medical Research: Informed Consent and Human Rights
  • Mental Health in Medical Education: Strategies for Reducing Burnout and Promoting Well-being
  • Global Health Disparities: Analyzing Causes and Strategies for Health Equity
  • Advancements in Surgical Techniques and Robotics in Medicine
  • The Opioid Epidemic: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
  • Healthcare for Underserved Populations: Access, Barriers, and Innovations
  • Medical Innovations in Diagnostic Imaging: Impact on Patient Care and Diagnosis

Research Paper Topics in Zoology

  • The Impact of Climate Change on Wildlife Migration Patterns and Habitats
  • Behavioral Ecology of Apex Predators: From Wolves to Tigers
  • Zoonotic Diseases: Investigating the Transmission of Diseases Between Animals and Humans
  • Marine Biology and Conservation: Coral Reefs, Ocean Acidification, and Marine Biodiversity
  • The Role of Zoos in Conservation and Species Preservation
  • Invasive Species: Ecological Impacts and Management Strategies
  • Bird Migration and Navigation: Mechanisms and Conservation Implications
  • Animal Communication and Language: Insights from Studies on Dolphins and Primates
  • Endangered Species Recovery Programs: Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned
  • Evolutionary Biology: The Coevolution of Predators and Prey

Research Paper Topics For Social Sciences

Are you a student of social sciences? The list of research paper topics below is for you!

History Research Paper Topics

  • The Causes and Consequences of the American Civil War
  • The Impact of the Industrial Revolution on Society and Labor
  • The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire: Lessons from History
  • Women's Suffrage Movements Around the World
  • The Cold War: Origins, Conflicts, and Effects on Global Politics
  • The Role of Religion in Ancient Civilizations: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece
  • The Renaissance Era: Art, Science, and Cultural Transformation
  • The Development of Culture in Mughal India
  • The Decolonization of Africa and Asia: Struggles for Independence
  • The Civil Rights Movement in the United States: Progress and Challenges

Research Paper Topics for Education

  • The Impact of Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing Learning or Distracting Students?
  • Inclusive Education: Strategies for Supporting Students with Disabilities
  • The Role of Parental Involvement in Student Academic Achievement
  • Education and Socioeconomic Inequality: Bridging the Gap
  • The Effectiveness of Online Learning: Pros and Cons
  • Early Childhood Education: The Importance of Preschool Programs
  • Teacher Burnout and Strategies for Teacher Well-being
  • The Influence of Standardized Testing on Curriculum and Instruction
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching: Promoting Diversity and Inclusion
  • Education Policy Reform: Challenges and Impacts on Student Success

Sociology Research Paper Topics 

  • The Impact of Social Media on Social Interaction and Relationships
  • Gender Inequality in the Workplace: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
  • Racial Profiling and Policing: Examining Bias and Discrimination
  • The Sociology of Deviance: Understanding Criminal Behavior
  • Income Inequality and Its Effects on Society
  • The Influence of Family Structure on Child Development
  • Migration and the Social Integration of Immigrants
  • Environmental Sociology: Exploring the Relationship Between Society and the Environment
  • The Role of Religion in Shaping Societal Norms and Values
  • Health Disparities in Marginalized Communities: A Sociological Perspective

Psychology Research Paper Topics

  • The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Adult Mental Health
  • Psychological Effects of Social Media Use on Adolescents
  • Stress and Coping Mechanisms: Strategies for Resilience
  • The Psychology of Decision-Making: Biases and Heuristics
  • The Role of Attachment Theory in Parent-Child Relationships
  • Mental Health Stigma: Barriers to Seeking and Receiving Treatment
  • The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Functioning
  • Psychological Factors in Addiction and Recovery
  • Cognitive Development in Infants: Theories and Milestones
  • The Psychology of Happiness and Well-being: Factors and Interventions

Research Paper Topics On Media And Communication

  • The Influence of Social Media on Political Discourse and Public Opinion
  • Media Bias: Examining News Coverage and Its Impact on Perception
  • The Evolution of Journalism in the Digital Age: Challenges and Opportunities
  • The Effects of Advertising on Consumer Behavior and Purchasing Decisions
  • Media Literacy Education: Preparing Citizens for a Digital World
  • The Role of Media in Shaping Gender Stereotypes and Representation
  • Fake News and Misinformation: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
  • Cultural Appropriation in Media: Analyzing Its Implications
  • Media and Crisis Communication: Case Studies and Best Practices
  • Media Effects on Body Image and Self-esteem: Exploring the Impact of Beauty Standards

Political Science Research Paper Topics

  • The Role of Political Parties in Shaping Government Policies
  • Electoral Systems and Their Impact on Representation and Governance
  • The Rise of Populism: Causes and Consequences
  • The Influence of Lobbying and Interest Groups on Policy-Making
  • Comparative Analysis of Political Systems: Democracies vs. Authoritarian Regimes
  • Foreign Policy Decision-Making: Case Studies and Models
  • Political Polarization: Understanding the Divisions in Contemporary Politics
  • Human Rights and International Relations: Challenges and Solutions
  • Environmental Politics and Climate Change Agreements
  • The Role of Social Media in Shaping Political Discourse and Activism

Research Paper Topics for International Relations

  • The Impact of Globalization on International Security
  • International Human Rights Law: Challenges and Progress
  • Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution: Case Studies in Successful Negotiations
  • The Role of International Organizations in Promoting Peace and Cooperation
  • Nuclear Proliferation: Examining the Threats and Non-Proliferation Efforts
  • Cybersecurity in International Relations: Challenges and Strategies
  • Global Economic Governance: The Role of International Financial Institutions
  • The Refugee Crisis: International Responses and the Humanitarian Challenge
  • Climate Change Diplomacy: Agreements, Obstacles, and Climate Justice
  • The Geopolitics of Energy: Resource Competition and Security Issues

Research Paper Topics On Culture

  • Cultural Appropriation: Understanding the Controversy and Implications
  • Cultural Relativism vs. Universalism: Debates in Anthropology and Ethics
  • Cultural Expressions in Art: Analyzing Cultural Identity Through Creative Works
  • Globalization and Its Impact on Cultural Homogenization vs. Cultural Diversity
  • Cultural Influences on Gender Roles and Identity
  • The Role of Culture in Shaping Dietary Habits and Food Traditions
  • Cultural Heritage Preservation: Challenges and Strategies
  • Language and Culture: The Relationship Between Linguistic Diversity and Cultural Identity
  • Cultural Rituals and Their Significance in Different Societies
  • Intercultural Communication: Navigating Cultural Differences in a Globalized World

Research Paper Topics for Humanities

Here are some engaging ideas for research paper topics in humanities disciplines.

Research Paper Topics for English Literature

  • Exploring the Themes of Love and Desire in Shakespeare's Sonnets
  • Postcolonial Literature: Analyzing the Works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
  • The Role of Symbolism in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"
  • Feminist Critique of Classic Literature: Reevaluating Jane Austen's Heroines
  • The Gothic Tradition in Literature: A Comparative Study of Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley
  • Dystopian Literature: Examining Social Commentary in George Orwell's "1984"
  • The Evolution of Science Fiction: From H.G. Wells to Contemporary Authors
  • The Modernist Movement in Poetry: T.S. Eliot and "The Waste Land"
  • Literary Representations of War: Analysis of Ernest Hemingway's Works
  • The Influence of Mythology in Literature: A Study of Greek and Roman Epics

Research Paper Topics for English Linguistics 

  • The Evolution of English Language: A Historical Analysis
  • Exploring Dialectical Variations: A Study of Regional English Accents
  • Syntax in Shakespearean English: Unraveling Linguistic Patterns
  • Code-Switching in Bilingual Literature: Impacts on Linguistic Identity
  • The Influence of Technology on Modern English: A Linguistic Perspective
  • Gendered Language in Literature: Analyzing Linguistic Representations
  • Sociolinguistic Aspects of English in Global Communication
  • Cognitive Linguistics: Understanding Language Processing and Comprehension
  • The Role of Phonetics in English Language Teaching: Strategies and Challenges
  • Linguistic Analysis of Online Discourse: Trends in Digital Communication

Research Paper Topics on Arts

  • The Influence of Renaissance Art on Modern Visual Culture
  • The Evolution of Street Art: From Vandalism to Urban Beautification
  • Gender and Identity in Contemporary Performance Art
  • The Role of Public Art in Shaping Urban Spaces and Communities
  • Censorship in the Arts: Balancing Expression and Sensitivity
  • The Intersection of Technology and Art: Digital Media and New Frontiers
  • Art as a Form of Political Protest: Examining Contemporary Activist Art
  • The Psychology of Art Appreciation: Understanding Aesthetic Experiences
  • Art Conservation and Preservation: Challenges and Ethical Considerations
  • Art Therapy: Exploring the Healing Power of Creativity

Research Paper Topics on Religion

  • Religious Pluralism and Interfaith Dialogue: Promoting Understanding and Tolerance
  • The Role of Religion in Shaping Moral Values and Ethics
  • Religion and Politics: Examining the Influence of Faith on Governance
  • Religious Rituals and Their Significance in Different Cultures
  • Secularism and Its Impact on Religious Practice and Belief
  • Religion and Science: Exploring the Compatibility and Conflict
  • The Influence of Religion on Gender Roles and Equality
  • Religious Fundamentalism and Its Implications for Society
  • Religion and Environmental Ethics: Perspectives on Stewardship
  • Religious Conversion and the Psychology Behind Faith Changes

Philosophy Research Paper Topics

  • The Philosophy of Ethics: Exploring Different Ethical Theories
  • The Problem of Free Will and Determinism: Philosophical Perspectives
  • Existentialism in Literature: A Philosophical Analysis
  • The Philosophy of Mind: Dualism vs. Materialism
  • The Nature of Reality: Metaphysical Approaches and Debates
  • Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Decision-Making: A Philosophical Examination
  • Philosophy of Technology: Ethical Implications of Advancements
  • Political Philosophy: Theories of Justice and Social Contracts
  • Philosophy of Religion: The Existence of God and Theodicy
  • Environmental Ethics: Philosophical Perspectives on Nature and Sustainability

Research Paper Topics for Ethics

  • Ethical Dilemmas in Medical Decision-Making: Balancing Autonomy and Beneficence
  • The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: Accountability and Bias in AI Systems
  • Corporate Ethics: Ethical Responsibility of Multinational Corporations
  • Ethical Considerations in Environmental Conservation: Sustainability and Future Generations
  • The Ethics of Genetic Engineering and Designer Babies
  • The Intersection of Ethics and Technology: Privacy, Surveillance, and Data Ethics
  • Ethical Implications of End-of-Life Care and Euthanasia
  • Animal Rights and Ethical Treatment of Animals in Research
  • The Role of Ethics in Criminal Justice: Police Conduct and Criminal Punishment
  • The Ethics of Whistleblowing: Balancing Loyalty and Accountability

Law Research Paper Topics

  • The Evolution of Privacy Rights in the Digital Age: Legal and Ethical Considerations
  • Criminal Justice Reform: Assessing the Impact of Changes in Sentencing and Policing
  • Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Era: Copyright, Trademarks, and Patents
  • The Role of International Law in Addressing Global Human Rights Violations
  • Environmental Law and Sustainable Development: Balancing Conservation and Economic Interests
  • Legal Aspects of Cybersecurity: Privacy, Data Protection, and Cybercrime
  • The Legalization of Marijuana: Implications for Criminal Justice and Public Health
  • Corporate Governance and Ethics: Analyzing Legal Frameworks for Accountability
  • Family Law and Child Custody Disputes: Examining Best Interests and Parental Rights
  • The Intersection of Law and Bioethics: Ethical Dilemmas in Medical and Scientific Research

Research Paper Topics on Criminal Justice 

  • Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: Causes and Consequences
  • Police Use of Force: Policies, Accountability, and Community Relations
  • Criminal Profiling and Its Effectiveness in Solving Crimes
  • Mental Illness in the Criminal Justice System: Diversion Programs and Treatment
  • The Impact of Mass Incarceration on Communities and Rehabilitation Efforts
  • Forensic Science and Criminal Investigations: Advances, Challenges, and Ethics
  • Cybercrime and Digital Forensics: Investigative Techniques and Legal Implications
  • Juvenile Justice: Rehabilitation vs. Punishment and the Recidivism Rate
  • The Death Penalty: Ethical, Legal, and Policy Considerations
  • Victim Rights and Restorative Justice Programs: Balancing the Scales of Justice

Research Paper Topics on Economics

  • Income Inequality: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Solutions
  • The Impact of Economic Globalization on Developing Countries
  • Behavioral Economics: Exploring Psychological Factors in Decision-Making
  • The Economics of Climate Change: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
  • Monetary Policy and Its Effects on Economic Stability
  • Trade Wars and Tariffs: Economic Effects and Global Trade Relations
  • Healthcare Economics: Examining Healthcare Costs, Access, and Reform
  • The Economics of Education: Investment in Human Capital and Economic Growth
  • Urban Economics: Challenges and Solutions in Sustainable City Development
  • Labor Market Trends: Gig Economy, Automation, and Future of Work

Research Paper Topics Related to Marketing

  • Influencer Marketing: Effectiveness, Ethics, and the Role of Social Media
  • Consumer Behavior in the Digital Age: Online Shopping Trends and Decision-Making
  • Brand Loyalty and Customer Retention Strategies in Competitive Markets
  • Neuromarketing: Understanding the Psychology of Consumer Choices
  • The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Brand Image and Customer Engagement
  • E-commerce and Marketplaces: Strategies for Success in Online Retail
  • Content Marketing: Creating and Measuring the Value of Branded Content
  • Marketing to Generation Z: Preferences, Values, and Communication Channels
  • The Role of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Marketing
  • Crisis Marketing and Reputation Management: Strategies for Navigating Challenges

Best Research Paper Topics 2023

Here are some impressive and easy research paper topics to write an extraordinary paper.

Argumentative Research Paper Topics 

  • Should the Minimum Wage be Raised?
  • The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health: Harmful or Beneficial?
  • Is Genetic Engineering Ethical? Examining the Pros and Cons of Genetic Modification
  • The Death Penalty: Should it be Abolished or Retained?
  • Gun Control: Balancing Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety
  • Universal Healthcare: Is it a Right or a Privilege?
  • The Role of Government in Regulating Big Tech Companies
  • Climate Change: Is Human Activity the Primary Cause?
  • Online Privacy: Balancing Security and Civil Liberties
  • The Legalization of Recreational Marijuana: Weighing the Social and Economic Impacts

US History Research Paper Topics

  • The American Revolution: Causes, Key Figures, and Impact on the Nation
  • The Abolitionist Movement: Strategies, Leaders, and the Fight Against Slavery
  • The Reconstruction Era: Challenges, Achievements, and Failures
  • The Women's Suffrage Movement: Struggles and Triumphs in the Fight for Voting Rights
  • The Civil Rights Movement: Leaders, Events, and the Struggle for Equality
  • The Great Depression: Causes, Effects, and Government Responses
  • The Vietnam War: Origins, Controversies, and Legacy
  • The Space Race: The Cold War Competition for Supremacy Beyond Earth
  • The Civil War: Battlefronts, Political Divisions, and the Emancipation Proclamation
  • The American Westward Expansion: Manifest Destiny, Conflicts, and Impacts on Native Americans

Persuasive Research Paper Topics 

  • The Importance of Comprehensive Sex Education in Schools
  • Banning Single-Use Plastics: Protecting the Environment and Marine Life
  • Promoting Renewable Energy: Transitioning to a Sustainable Future
  • Mandatory Vaccination: Protecting Public Health and Herd Immunity
  • The Benefits of Telecommuting: A Win-Win for Employers and Employees
  • Promoting Healthy Eating Habits: The Case for Implementing Sugar Taxes
  • The Need for Stricter Animal Welfare Laws: Preventing Animal Cruelty
  • Accessible Education for All: The Case for Affordable College Tuition
  • Promoting Voting Rights: Ensuring a Fair and Inclusive Democracy
  • The Importance of Mental Health Awareness and Support: Breaking the Stigma

Easy Research Paper Topics 

  • The Benefits of Regular Exercise for Physical and Mental Health
  • The History and Impact of Social Media on Society
  • The Basics of Climate Change: Causes, Effects, and Solutions
  • The Life and Achievements of a Notable Inventor or Scientist
  • The Importance of Recycling and Waste Reduction in Daily Life
  • The Impact of Fast Food on Diet and Health
  • Effect of Global Warming on The Frequency And Intensity Of Natural Disasters
  • Should Marijuana be legalized in US? Costs, Economic And Social Benefits
  • How Do Terrorist Attacks Influence Public Opinion And Political Behavior In Democratic Countries
  • Crime Rates: Main Factors That Explain The Variation In Crime Rates Across Different Countries And Regions

Research Paper Topics on Current Affairs 

  • The Impact of COVID-19 on Global Health Systems and Preparedness
  • Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies
  • The Future of Work: Remote Work Trends and Implications
  • Economic Recovery Post-Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Vaccine Hesitancy: Understanding Causes and Addressing Concerns
  • Cybersecurity in the Digital Age: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Defense
  • Immigration Policies and Border Security: A Global Perspective
  • The Role of Social Media in Political Movements and Disinformation
  • Global Supply Chain Disruptions: Causes and Strategies for Resilience
  • Racial and Social Justice Movements: Progress and Ongoing Challenges

Controversial Research Paper Topics 

  • The Legalization of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: Ethical and Legal Considerations
  • Gun Control Laws: Balancing Second Amendment Rights and Public Safety
  • The Death Penalty: Is it an Effective Deterrent or a Violation of Human Rights?
  • Animal Testing: Ethical Issues and Alternatives for Scientific Research
  • The Legalization of Recreational Drugs: Assessing Risks and Benefits
  • Abortion: Examining the Ethical, Legal, and Medical Aspects
  • Freedom of Speech vs. Hate Speech: Protecting Civil Liberties in a Digital Age
  • Climate Change Denial: Analyzing the Science and Skepticism
  • School Vouchers and School Choice: The Future of Public Education
  • Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Safety, Labeling, and Environmental Concerns

Research Paper Topics on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

  • Historical Roots of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Tracing the Beginnings
  • Media Framing of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Impact on Public Perception
  • The Role of International Diplomacy in Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  • Human Rights Violations in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Critical Analysis
  • Refugees and Displacement: The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in the Conflict
  • Religious Perspectives in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Comparative Study
  • Water Scarcity and Resource Management in the Context of the Conflict
  • Education and Propaganda: Examining the Impact of Curricula on Perpetuating Conflict Narratives
  • The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Peacebuilding Efforts
  • Media and Social Media's Influence on Shaping Public Opinion in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Nursing Research Paper Topics 

  • The Impact of Nurse-to-Patient Ratios on Patient Outcomes
  • Nursing Shortages: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions
  • Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing: Implementing Research into Clinical Care
  • Nursing Ethics: Ethical Dilemmas and Decision-Making in Patient Care
  • Palliative Care and End-of-Life Nursing: Improving Quality of Life for Patients
  • Nursing Informatics: Advancements in Healthcare Technology and Data Management
  • The Role of Cultural Competence in Nursing: Providing Culturally Sensitive Care
  • Nursing Burnout and Staff Well-being: Strategies for Prevention and Support
  • The Impact of Nurse Leadership on Patient Safety and Quality of Care
  • Pediatric Nursing: Specialized Care for Children and Families

How to Choose a Good Research Paper Topic?

Now that you have a plethora of ideas for your research paper, which one should you choose? Here are some steps you need to follow to choose a good research paper topic: 

  • Identify Your Interests: Start by considering your own interests and passions. Research is much more enjoyable when you're exploring a topic you're genuinely curious about. Think about subjects, issues, or questions that intrigue you.
  • Brainstorm and Mind Map: Write down potential topics or research questions and create a mind map to visualize how they connect to one another. This can help you see the relationships between different ideas and narrow down your options.
  • Do Some Preliminary Research: Conduct initial research to see what resources are available on potential topics. This will help you gauge whether there is enough information and credible sources to support your research.
  • Consider Your Audience: Think about who will be reading your research paper. Tailor your topic to your target audience's interests and knowledge level. You should also comply with the instructor's requirements. Make sure your topic gets approved before you begin with the writing process.
  • Discuss with Others: Talk to your peers, professors, or mentors about your potential topics. They may offer valuable insights, suggest relevant resources, or help you refine your ideas.

To conclude,

Selecting a good topic is the first and most important step in writing a research paper. Your decision should be guided by your interests, the assignment requirements, and the availability of credible resources. 

With this list of potential research paper topics and tips on how to choose a good topic, you are able to select a topic that is both engaging for you and relevant to your audience.

Remember that staying current and conducting preliminary research will help you make an informed choice. Seek feedback from peers and mentors, and don't shy away from challenging or controversial topics when appropriate. 

Looking for a research paper writing service? Look no further! MyPerfectWords.com can help you out!

At our professional writing service, we have subject specialists and research writers with advanced knowledge and expertise. They offer essay help according to your academic requirements.

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One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

  • Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
  • Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
  • How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
  • How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
  • How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
  • How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

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Current Events

  • What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
  • How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
  • How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
  • Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
  • What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
  • What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
  • How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
  • How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
  • How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
  • What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
  • What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
  • What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
  • Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
  • Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
  • Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
  • Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
  • Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
  • Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
  • How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
  • What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
  • Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
  • What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
  • How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
  • What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
  • Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
  • Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
  • Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
  • How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
  • Should graduate students be able to form unions?

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  • What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
  • How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
  • Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
  • Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
  • How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
  • How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
  • Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
  • Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
  • Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
  • Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
  • Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
  • Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
  • Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
  • Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
  • Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
  • What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
  • How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
  • How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
  • What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
  • What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
  • Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
  • What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
  • What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
  • Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
  • Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
  • How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
  • Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
  • What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
  • How does stress affect the body?
  • Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
  • What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
  • Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
  • How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
  • What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
  • What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
  • Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
  • What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
  • What were the causes of the Civil War?
  • How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
  • Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
  • What caused Hitler's rise to power?
  • Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
  • What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
  • How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
  • What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

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  • Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
  • Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
  • How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
  • How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
  • What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
  • What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
  • How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

  • How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
  • How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
  • Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
  • Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
  • How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
  • How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
  • What are the pros and cons of fracking?
  • What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
  • What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
  • How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
  • Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
  • Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
  • What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
  • What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
  • How are black holes created?
  • Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
  • How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
  • Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
  • How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
  • Has social media made people more or less connected?
  • What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
  • Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
  • What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
  • How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
  • When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
  • Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

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How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

Are you also learning about dynamic equilibrium in your science class? We break this sometimes tricky concept down so it's easy to understand in our complete guide to dynamic equilibrium .

Thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners have one of the fastest growing careers in the country, and we have all the information you need to know about what to expect from nurse practitioner school .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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research topic ideas 2021

100 Interesting Research Paper Topics for High Schoolers

What’s covered:, how to pick the right research topic, elements of a strong research paper.

  • Interesting Research Paper Topics

Composing a research paper can be a daunting task for first-time writers. In addition to making sure you’re using concise language and your thoughts are organized clearly, you need to find a topic that draws the reader in.

CollegeVine is here to help you brainstorm creative topics! Below are 100 interesting research paper topics that will help you engage with your project and keep you motivated until you’ve typed the final period. 

A research paper is similar to an academic essay but more lengthy and requires more research. This added length and depth is bittersweet: although a research paper is more work, you can create a more nuanced argument, and learn more about your topic. Research papers are a demonstration of your research ability and your ability to formulate a convincing argument. How well you’re able to engage with the sources and make original contributions will determine the strength of your paper. 

You can’t have a good research paper without a good research paper topic. “Good” is subjective, and different students will find different topics interesting. What’s important is that you find a topic that makes you want to find out more and make a convincing argument. Maybe you’ll be so interested that you’ll want to take it further and investigate some detail in even greater depth!

For example, last year over 4000 students applied for 500 spots in the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a rigorous research program founded by Harvard researchers. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project . The program actually does not require you to have a research topic in mind when you apply, but pro tip: the more specific you can be the more likely you are to get in!

Introduction

The introduction to a research paper serves two critical functions: it conveys the topic of the paper and illustrates how you will address it. A strong introduction will also pique the interest of the reader and make them excited to read more. Selecting a research paper topic that is meaningful, interesting, and fascinates you is an excellent first step toward creating an engaging paper that people will want to read.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is technically part of the introduction—generally the last sentence of it—but is so important that it merits a section of its own. The thesis statement is a declarative sentence that tells the reader what the paper is about. A strong thesis statement serves three purposes: present the topic of the paper, deliver a clear opinion on the topic, and summarize the points the paper will cover.

An example of a good thesis statement of diversity in the workforce is:

Diversity in the workplace is not just a moral imperative but also a strategic advantage for businesses, as it fosters innovation, enhances creativity, improves decision-making, and enables companies to better understand and connect with a diverse customer base.

The body is the largest section of a research paper. It’s here where you support your thesis, present your facts and research, and persuade the reader.

Each paragraph in the body of a research paper should have its own idea. The idea is presented, generally in the first sentence of the paragraph, by a topic sentence. The topic sentence acts similarly to the thesis statement, only on a smaller scale, and every sentence in the paragraph with it supports the idea it conveys.

An example of a topic sentence on how diversity in the workplace fosters innovation is:

Diversity in the workplace fosters innovation by bringing together individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, which stimulates creativity, encourages new ideas, and leads to the development of innovative solutions to complex problems.

The body of an engaging research paper flows smoothly from one idea to the next. Create an outline before writing and order your ideas so that each idea logically leads to another.

The conclusion of a research paper should summarize your thesis and reinforce your argument. It’s common to restate the thesis in the conclusion of a research paper.

For example, a conclusion for a paper about diversity in the workforce is:

In conclusion, diversity in the workplace is vital to success in the modern business world. By embracing diversity, companies can tap into the full potential of their workforce, promote creativity and innovation, and better connect with a diverse customer base, ultimately leading to greater success and a more prosperous future for all.

Reference Page

The reference page is normally found at the end of a research paper. It provides proof that you did research using credible sources, properly credits the originators of information, and prevents plagiarism.

There are a number of different formats of reference pages, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. Make sure to format your reference page in your teacher’s preferred style.

  • Analyze the benefits of diversity in education.
  • Are charter schools useful for the national education system?
  • How has modern technology changed teaching?
  • Discuss the pros and cons of standardized testing.
  • What are the benefits of a gap year between high school and college?
  • What funding allocations give the most benefit to students?
  • Does homeschooling set students up for success?
  • Should universities/high schools require students to be vaccinated?
  • What effect does rising college tuition have on high schoolers?
  • Do students perform better in same-sex schools?
  • Discuss and analyze the impacts of a famous musician on pop music.
  • How has pop music evolved over the past decade?
  • How has the portrayal of women in music changed in the media over the past decade?
  • How does a synthesizer work?
  • How has music evolved to feature different instruments/voices?
  • How has sound effect technology changed the music industry?
  • Analyze the benefits of music education in high schools.
  • Are rehabilitation centers more effective than prisons?
  • Are congestion taxes useful?
  • Does affirmative action help minorities?
  • Can a capitalist system effectively reduce inequality?
  • Is a three-branch government system effective?
  • What causes polarization in today’s politics?
  • Is the U.S. government racially unbiased?
  • Choose a historical invention and discuss its impact on society today.
  • Choose a famous historical leader who lost power—what led to their eventual downfall?
  • How has your country evolved over the past century?
  • What historical event has had the largest effect on the U.S.?
  • Has the government’s response to national disasters improved or declined throughout history?
  • Discuss the history of the American occupation of Iraq.
  • Explain the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
  • Is literature relevant in modern society?
  • Discuss how fiction can be used for propaganda.
  • How does literature teach and inform about society?
  • Explain the influence of children’s literature on adulthood.
  • How has literature addressed homosexuality?
  • Does the media portray minorities realistically?
  • Does the media reinforce stereotypes?
  • Why have podcasts become so popular?
  • Will streaming end traditional television?
  • What is a patriot?
  • What are the pros and cons of global citizenship?
  • What are the causes and effects of bullying?
  • Why has the divorce rate in the U.S. been declining in recent years?
  • Is it more important to follow social norms or religion?
  • What are the responsible limits on abortion, if any?
  • How does an MRI machine work?
  • Would the U.S. benefit from socialized healthcare?
  • Elderly populations
  • The education system
  • State tax bases
  • How do anti-vaxxers affect the health of the country?
  • Analyze the costs and benefits of diet culture.
  • Should companies allow employees to exercise on company time?
  • What is an adequate amount of exercise for an adult per week/per month/per day?
  • Discuss the effects of the obesity epidemic on American society.
  • Are students smarter since the advent of the internet?
  • What departures has the internet made from its original design?
  • Has digital downloading helped the music industry?
  • Discuss the benefits and costs of stricter internet censorship.
  • Analyze the effects of the internet on the paper news industry.
  • What would happen if the internet went out?
  • How will artificial intelligence (AI) change our lives?
  • What are the pros and cons of cryptocurrency?
  • How has social media affected the way people relate with each other?
  • Should social media have an age restriction?
  • Discuss the importance of source software.
  • What is more relevant in today’s world: mobile apps or websites?
  • How will fully autonomous vehicles change our lives?
  • How is text messaging affecting teen literacy?

Mental Health

  • What are the benefits of daily exercise?
  • How has social media affected people’s mental health?
  • What things contribute to poor mental and physical health?
  • Analyze how mental health is talked about in pop culture.
  • Discuss the pros and cons of more counselors in high schools.
  • How does stress affect the body?
  • How do emotional support animals help people?
  • What are black holes?
  • Discuss the biggest successes and failures of the EPA.
  • How has the Flint water crisis affected life in Michigan?
  • Can science help save endangered species?
  • Is the development of an anti-cancer vaccine possible?

Environment

  • What are the effects of deforestation on climate change?
  • Is climate change reversible?
  • How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect global warming and climate change?
  • Are carbon credits effective for offsetting emissions or just marketing?
  • Is nuclear power a safe alternative to fossil fuels?
  • Are hybrid vehicles helping to control pollution in the atmosphere?
  • How is plastic waste harming the environment?
  • Is entrepreneurism a trait people are born with or something they learn?
  • How much more should CEOs make than their average employee?
  • Can you start a business without money?
  • Should the U.S. raise the minimum wage?
  • Discuss how happy employees benefit businesses.
  • How important is branding for a business?
  • Discuss the ease, or difficulty, of landing a job today.
  • What is the economic impact of sporting events?
  • Are professional athletes overpaid?
  • Should male and female athletes receive equal pay?
  • What is a fair and equitable way for transgender athletes to compete in high school sports?
  • What are the benefits of playing team sports?
  • What is the most corrupt professional sport?

Where to Get More Research Paper Topic Ideas

If you need more help brainstorming topics, especially those that are personalized to your interests, you can use CollegeVine’s free AI tutor, Ivy . Ivy can help you come up with original research topic ideas, and she can also help with the rest of your homework, from math to languages.

Disclaimer: This post includes content sponsored by Lumiere Education.

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The 10 Most Popular Articles in 2021 (So Far)

Leading through change, hybrid work environments, and developing strategy for the post-pandemic era are among the most popular topics for readers in recent months..

research topic ideas 2021

  • Workplace, Teams, & Culture
  • Leading Change
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Remote Work

research topic ideas 2021

Following one of the most disruptive years in recent memory, 2021 has offered up many challenges and questions for managers: How can they keep teams safe and engaged in their work when they return to offices? How can they develop new skills and strategies at a time when things aren’t quite back to normal?

In the first half of the year, the most popular topics among readers have dived into answering these types of questions, with a focus on returning to physical offices, implementing hybrid work models, and redesigning organizational culture and strategy for the post-pandemic era. Other core issues for readers include understanding employee productivity and resilience, overcoming leadership failure, and developing strategies that can stand up against uncertainty and change.

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The following are the 10 most popular articles of the year so far. We hope they are inspiring and instructive for you and your teams in the months ahead.

#1 The Future of Team Leadership Is Multimodal

Robert hooijberg and michael watkins.

The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a transformation in the ways we work by accelerating a shift to hybrid virtual and in-person models and requiring a fundamental change in the skills team leaders need to succeed. Leaders will need to play four roles as they adapt to managing a hybrid workforce.

#2 Redesigning the Post-Pandemic Workplace

Gerald c. kane, rich nanda, anh phillips, and jonathan copulsky.

As organizations plan for ways to bring remote employees back to the workplace, they should take advantage of the opportunity to rethink how and where work is best done, and how to combine the best aspects of remote and colocated work.

#3 The Future of Work Is Through Workforce Ecosystems

Elizabeth j. altman, david kiron, jeff schwartz, and robin jones.

Today’s leaders need best practices for dealing strategically and operationally with a distributed, diverse workforce that crosses internal and external boundaries. The authors contend that the best way to address the shift to managing all types of workers is through the lens of a workforce ecosystem — a structure that consists of interdependent actors, from within the organization and beyond, working to pursue both individual and collective goals.

About the Author

Ally MacDonald ( @allymacdonald ) is senior editor at MIT Sloan Management Review .

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Top 300+ Ideas For Research Paper Topics in 2024

Updated 11 Apr 2024

research paper topics

Some say the most difficult part of writing a text – is to start. But topic selection even precedes this starting point. This activity takes off a lot of time, and sometimes imagination just doesn’t work in your favor. That’s where our list of best research paper topics will come in handy.

We collected the most unhacked and powerful ideas to turn the average piece of writing into a research paper . Discover  what is a research paper and how to choose suitable and interesting research topics with our help. 

Writing a research topic on your own requires either producing one from scratch (based on your interests and goals and potentially, on some brainstorming) or getting inspiration from a number of sources, like preassembled topic lists, course material, teachers, real life, news headlines, published research in the respective field, etc.

What are the 3 Types of Research Questions?

Before formulating your research questions ideas, note that there are 3 important types of research questions:

  • descriptive – these employ careful and comprehensive observation of a phenomenon/ event, subject, trait, etc. in order to characterize it in detail and to potentially reveal important/ interesting/ undescribed aspects or patterns.
  • causal – these investigate whether altering some variables leads to changes in other variables suggesting a causal relationship.
  • comparative – these look into similarities and differences between two or more entities

What is a Good Research Paper Topic?

Features that tend to characterize good research questions are as follows:

  • specific and concrete – investigation goals and (expected results) have to be clear and focused
  • original – investigating aspects/ entities/ relationships that have not been researched before
  • highly important/ impactful for community/ society/ a professional field.
  • highly relevant for potential readers/ reviewers
  • trending – emerging disciplines/ topics spark more interest due to their novelty and yet unexplored potential

College Research Paper Topics

  • The bias in the selection of the college internships and scholarships
  • The problems of reverse discrimination in post-college employment
  • Should multicultural education concepts be implemented at a greater depth?
  • The drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses
  • Does social media help students to find appropriate information and learn?
  • The psychological disorders and the support groups in modern colleges
  • Should people with ADHD and Autism be separated from the other students?
  • The art of college political campaigns
  • Pros and cons of religious colleges
  • Should college athletes be paid and provided with additional advantages?
  • The Influence of Social Media on College Students' Academic Performance and Well-being
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Learning Platforms in Higher Education
  • The Role of College Education in Fostering Entrepreneurial Skills
  • The Impact of Student Loan Debt on Career Choices Among Graduates
  • Analyzing the Shift in College Admissions Criteria in the Post-COVID Era

Health Research Paper Topics

  • The challenges of deafness and communication difficulties among special needs students
  • The concept of global health security
  • The ways to decrease household air pollution
  • How the information about infectious diseases is distributed online
  • Should people be allowed to know more about climate change issues?
  • The privacy factor and the personal health issues
  • The role of fitness ads in exercising practices
  • The healthy food standards are not always unbiased
  • The role of social media in the medical care system
  • The psychological aspect in the perception of allergies
  • The Long-term Effects of COVID-19 on Respiratory Health
  • Mental Health Outcomes of Prolonged Social Media Use Among Adolescents
  • The Efficacy of Plant-based Diets in Preventing Chronic Diseases
  • The Role of Telemedicine in Improving Accessibility to Healthcare
  • Analyzing the Impact of Sleep Quality on Daily Cognitive Functioning

Research Paper Topics on Medicine

  • Is life-sustaining therapy needed when it’s futile?
  • The role of placebo treatment
  • How to avoid animal testing?
  • Pros and contras of medical marijuana
  • Is being a vegetarian useful for child’s health?
  • How obesity affects our health?
  • Vaccines for kids: their usefulness or damage
  • Should prescription drugs be advertised directly to consumers?
  • Do doctors turn their patients into drug addicts?
  • Advancements in Gene Editing: Ethical Implications and Future Prospects
  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Diagnostic Medicine
  • Personalized Medicine: Tailoring Drug Therapies to Genetic Profiles
  • The Impact of Microbiome Diversity on Human Health
  • Stem Cell Therapy: Current Applications and Ethical Considerations
  • The Challenges and Successes of Vaccine Development in the 21st Century

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Education Research Paper Topics

  • How can standardized tests improve education?
  • Does college graduates make more money?
  • Should education be cheaper?
  • How will modern technologies change the way of teaching in the future?
  • The creation of particular learning methods for blind children
  • Social networking and school
  • Metal detectors at schools
  • The effects of contemporary teaching methods
  • The role of technology in lesson planning
  • How to manage bullies and take actions against bullying at education institutions?
  • The Effects of Bilingual Education on Cognitive Development in Children
  • Evaluating the Long-term Impact of Early Childhood Education Programs
  • The Role of Technology in Enhancing Special Education
  • Standardized Testing: Measuring Intelligence or Memorization?
  • The Influence of Teacher-Student Relationships on Academic Achievement
Read also: 150+ Best Sociology Research Topics

Environmental Research Paper Topics

  • How to reduce global warming?
  • How to stop wasting paper and save trees?
  • Can overpopulation be managed?
  • Should more films about environmental issues be produced?
  • Human impacts on forests
  • Underground effects of earthquakes
  • How to elaborate the optimal adaptation of buildings threatened by hurricanes?
  • Is it possible to predict hurricane impacts?
  • Is nuclear power safe for humans?
  • How dangerous is GMO food?
  • Assessing the Impact of Urban Sprawl on Local Ecosystems
  • The Effectiveness of Plastic Ban Policies on Ocean Health
  • Carbon Capture Technology: Viability and Potential in Mitigating Climate Change
  • The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Biodiversity Conservation
  • Analyzing the Environmental Consequences of Fast Fashion

Research Topics on Entertainment and Sport

  • Are social networks good for our society?
  • Do violent video games make kids angry and cruel?
  • Is it necessary to forbid using animals for entertainment?
  • Do beauty contests set the non-achievable beauty standards?
  • Are newspapers going to be replaced by online sources of information?
  • How gaming consoles influence the youth?
  • Should women be allowed to compete against men?
  • What television programs should be banned?
  • How tv shows impose fake moral standards?
  • Can the use of social media, such as Facebook, lower teens’ self-esteem?
  • The Psychological Impact of Competitive Sports on Young Athletes
  • The Influence of Celebrity Endorsements on Consumer Behavior
  • E-Sports: The Rise of Competitive Gaming and Its Recognition as a Legitimate Sport
  • The Role of Sports in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue and Understanding
  • The Economic Impact of Major Sporting Events on Host Cities

Research Paper Topics on Media and Communication

  • Should the media programming of ads aimed at children be made illegal?
  • The role of mediation in the media
  • Should bloggers be considered as journalists?
  • The ethical side of modern news reports
  • The freedom of speech online
  • The copyright law restrictions and the vague concepts
  • The importance of psychology and communicative skills in journalism
  • The role of gender in interpersonal communication
  • The modern standards of nonverbal communication
  • The negative influence of Instagram and body image distortion
  • The Evolution of News Consumption: Impact of Social Media on Traditional Media
  • The Role of Media in Shaping Public Opinion During Political Campaigns
  • The Ethics of Surveillance and Privacy in Digital Communication
  • The Effects of Smartphone Usage on Face-to-Face Communication Skills
  • Virtual Reality: The Future of Immersive Journalism

Research Paper Topics on Politics

  • Should the drinking age be lowered?
  • Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun?
  • More gun control laws should be enacted
  • How can the international community prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons?
  • How can ethnic killings be stopped?
  • Current prospect for peace between Israel and the Palestinians
  • What world would be like without wars?
  • How to avoid workforce reduction?
  • Should the death penalty be allowed?
  • Is socialism possible?
  • The Influence of Social Media on Political Mobilization and Public Protests
  • Campaign Finance Reform: The Effects on Political Representation and Elections
  • The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Shaping Global Policy
  • The Impact of Populism on Traditional Political Party Systems
  • Cybersecurity in Elections: Protecting the Integrity of Democracy

Psychology Research Paper Topics

  • Is autism a disease or a development idiosyncrasy?
  • How to forecast and shape behavioral patterns?
  • How to manage child violence?
  • How to deal with a mental breakdown?
  • The impact of classical music on the work of the brain
  • How insomnia affects our health?
  • How bad dreams influence our mood?
  • Is stress really harmful?
  • How depression impacts the immune system?
  • Intellectually gifted people: how is it possible?
  • The Psychological Effects of Social Isolation in the Digital Age
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs. Mindfulness: Comparative Outcomes in Treating Anxiety
  • The Role of Resilience in Recovery from Trauma
  • The Impact of Parenting Styles on Child Personality Development
  • Neuroplasticity: How Learning and Experience Shape Brain Function

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Science & Technology Research Paper Ideas

  • How is light being used to treat cancer and other diseases?
  • What is the current evidence that Mars has had water and maybe life?
  • Can nanomedicine potentially extend the human lifespan?
  • What is the future of computing and artificial intelligence?
  • The role cryogenics may play in future
  • Can alternative energy effectively replace fossil fuels?
  • Is it beneficial for wild animals to have interactions with people?
  • What evidence do we have that CMB is the result of the big bang?
  • How will self-driving cars change the way people live?
  • Can using system like bitcoin help protect identity theft?
  • The Potential of CRISPR and Gene Therapy in Curing Genetic Diseases
  • Nanotechnology in Medicine: The Next Frontier for Drug Delivery Systems
  • The Role of Quantum Computing in the Future of Cybersecurity
  • The Ethical Implications of Humanoid Robots in Society
  • Renewable Energy Technologies: Assessing the Efficiency and Sustainability of Solar Power Solutions

Research Topics Ideas on Culture

  • A new comprehension of past events
  • The origin of racial discrimination
  • The roots of antisemitism
  • The impact of advertisements and commercials on modern art
  • The most remarkable cultural achievements of the 20th century and their influence on our society
  • Cultural revolutions throughout history
  • How pop culture trends influence youth?
  • Should pregnant celebrities be exposed on magazine’s covers?
  • Why was Greek cultural influence so important for the ancient Mediterranean world?
  • Why was the Victorian period a time of cultural change?
  • Cultural Impact on Climate Change Response: A Comparative Study
  • The Preservation of Folklore and Oral Traditions in the Digital Age
  • Cross-Cultural Communication: Overcoming Language and Ethical Barriers
  • The Influence of Globalization on Indigenous Cultures
  • Cultural Diplomacy and Its Role in International Relations

Research Paper Topics on Math

  • The influence of algorithms
  • Is it possible to build a winning monopoly strategy?
  • Why is 'x' the unknown?
  • How math changed the world?
  • What's the solution to the McDonald's math problem?
  • How do math geniuses understand extremely hard math concepts so quickly?
  • Should high school math contests be banned?
  • What is the relationship between music and math?
  • Are math formulas ever used in real life?
  • What are some of the most confusing math problems ever?
  • The Role of Mathematics in Cryptography and Cybersecurity
  • Mathematical Models in Predicting Pandemic Outcomes: A Case Study of COVID-19
  • The Application of Game Theory in Economic and Social Decision Making
  • Chaos Theory and Its Implications in Weather Forecasting and Climate Science
  • The Impact of Big Data on the Evolution of Statistical Methods and Theories

Research Paper Topics on Business

  • How do dirty business tactics work?
  • Can business be started without money?
  • Notorious business leaders
  • Entrepreneurship and family business
  • Ethical decision making in everyday work situations
  • What are the most effective strategies for promoting a small business?
  • Is it worth it to expand the business into a new region or country?
  • How to build a successful startup
  • The role of international business and sustainable development
  • The impact of climate change on international business strategies
  • Corporate Social Responsibility: Measuring the Impact on Business Performance
  • The Gig Economy: Challenges and Opportunities for the Modern Workforce
  • Innovative Business Models in the Age of Sustainable Development
  • The Influence of Organizational Culture on Employee Productivity and Satisfaction
  • The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Shaping Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategies

Research Paper Topics For Middle School

  • Is going vegan the healthiest choice for you?
  • Is the greenhouse effect artificial or natural?
  • The causes, effects, and consequences of earthquakes
  • How much computer games can one play without getting addicted
  • Princess Diana and her dynasty
  • Why is competition so critical for humans?
  • How did poetry evolve?
  • Methods used by ancient sailors to navigate the globe
  • Gender roles in children’s books and cartoons
  • Who is the greatest general who has lived on the planet?
  • The Science Behind Video Games: How Gaming Affects Reflexes and Learning
  • The History and Cultural Significance of a Popular Holiday
  • The Impact of Recycling Programs in Schools
  • Animal Habitats: How Urban Development Affects Local Wildlife
  • The Role of Social Media in Modern Communication Among Teens

High School Research Paper Ideas

  • The ways to address drug addiction cases in high school
  • The physical vs digital communications
  • The body image and the K-Pop culture
  • The importance of school volunteering and social work
  • The changes to the academic process due to Covid-19
  • The legacy of the Trail of Tears
  • The role of motivation in becoming a better student
  • The role of books in print and the libraries
  • The ways to improve school safety
  • The role of parental involvement in school work
  • Exploring the Psychological Effects of Social Media on Teen Self-Esteem
  • The Physics of Sports: Analyzing the Science Behind Athletic Performance
  • Climate Change and Its Effects on Local Ecosystems
  • The Evolution of Language in the Digital Age
  • The Rise of Cryptocurrency: Economic Education and the Future of Money

History Research Paper Topics

  • What were the impacts of World War II on the rights of women?
  • What factors initiated the WWII
  • Is liberalism the most optimal solution?
  • What were the consequences of women suffrage movements
  • What was the impact of Martin Luther King’s protest against the Catholic church
  • What is the most effective military strategy of all time
  • How has Asian art influenced contemporary art
  • How have different monetary systems affected the development of humanity
  • What is the correlation between the Roman and Greek culture?
  • Aztec empire and its architecture
  • The Role of Women in World War II and Its Impact on Gender Roles
  • The Influence of the Silk Road on the Cultural Exchange between East and West
  • The Effects of the Cold War on Space Exploration Competition
  • The Historical Accuracy of Popular Historical Films: A Case Study
  • The Impact of the Printing Press on the Renaissance and European Society

Art Research Paper Ideas

  • The reasons why digital museums must be present and made available
  • The peculiarities of the Flemish artists
  • Should Japanese anime be considered as a separate art form?
  • The role of Photoshop and similar digital solutions in the perception of modern art
  • The history of photography and the artistic expression forms
  • The challenges of the modern artists during social distancing times
  • The Middle Eastern perception of color and the light
  • Ancient Rome's role in the creation of the sculptures
  • Should the artists be allowed to represent their works in public parks?
  • The importance of art education in middle schools
  • The Evolution of Street Art and Its Acceptance into Mainstream Art Culture
  • The Influence of Digital Media on Traditional Painting Techniques
  • The Role of Patronage in the Development of Renaissance Art
  • The Psychological Impact of Color in Abstract Art
  • Cultural Representation and Diversity in Modern Art Museums

Literature Research Paper Topics

  • The American dream literature
  • How does harry potter reflects the ideal of the time
  • Can you show a new aspect of prose based on the independent investigation
  • The prose of women suffrage movements
  • The dawn of literature on modern society
  • Why do authors use metaphors and similes
  • Evaluate and discuss the allegory of 2 random novels
  • What factors are helpful in allowing you to identify the genre of a novel you are reading
  • Is fanfiction considered an independent literature
  • Romance and sex in Renaissance
  • Fiction as an instrument of propaganda
  • The Representation of Gender Roles in Victorian Literature
  • Postcolonial Voices: How Literature Has Shaped National Identity
  • The Journey Motif in Classic American Road Novels
  • Dystopian Visions: What Modern Dystopian Literature Tells Us About Today's Society

Law Research Paper Topics

  • How is the Islamic law perceived around the globe
  • Is ECOLEX a pathway to environmental law
  • Why is it critical to learn the GATT documents?
  • What does the European patent office do?
  • Mass communication law
  • Impact of women’s authority in different countries on the planet
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of the international criminal law court tools
  • Detailed analysis and report of the comparative criminal procedure
  • Exciting outtakes from the inter-American human rights library
  • Does the US copyright office really help writers defend their businesses?
  • The Impact of International Law on Human Rights Practices in Developing Countries
  • Cyber Law: The Challenges of Regulating Online Behavior and Privacy
  • Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Age: Balancing Innovation and Protection
  • The Effectiveness of Rehabilitation in Juvenile Justice Systems
  • Comparative Analysis of Gun Control Legislation and Its Impact on Violent Crime Rates

Religion Research Paper Topics

  • The Role of Religion in Modern Secular Societies
  • Interfaith Dialogue: Benefits and Challenges in a Pluralistic Society
  • The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Ethical Decision-Making in Business
  • Religion and Politics: An Analysis of Their Intersections in Contemporary World Affairs
  • The Impact of Religious Education on Tolerance and Cultural Understanding
  • The Evolution of Religious Practices and Their Adaptation in the Digital Age
  • The Psychological Effects of Religious Rituals and Traditions
  • Comparative Study of Creation Myths Across Different Cultures
  • The Role of Women in Organized Religions: A Historical Perspective
  • Secularization: The Decline of Religious Influence in Western Societies
  • Religious Extremism: Understanding the Causes and Seeking Solutions
  • The Impact of Pilgrimage on Religious and Spiritual Life
  • Religious Symbols in Public Spaces: Freedom of Expression or a Call for Regulation?
  • The Relationship Between Religion and Morality in Contemporary Ethical Debates
  • The Effects of Globalization on Indigenous Religions and Spiritual Practices

Argumentative Research Paper Topics

  • Should education be made free for everyone?
  • The influencers and bloggers cannot be considered as a job
  • The role of military service is the way towards maturity
  • Should Internet access be limited during college lectures?
  • The death penalty service is not an ethical solution
  • Fashion industry creates a bad influence on young people
  • The Fairplay concept should be rewarded financially
  • Should tobacco be made illegal indoors?
  • Religious differences often become the cause of wars
  • The majority of mobile applications represent the invasion of privacy
  • Universal Basic Income: Economic Savior or Road to Dependency?
  • Mandatory Vaccinations: Public Health Requirement or Personal Choice Infringement?
  • The Death Penalty: A Necessary Deterrent or a Violation of Human Rights?
  • Climate Change Policies: Economic Hindrance or Long-term Investment?
  • Animal Testing in Medical Research: Ethical Consideration or Scientific Necessity?

These are the 200+ topics on various subjects, which you might find useful when creating your own. In case you need help aside from creating topics, you can also order the original research on Politics, Media & Communication, to do my Math homework , Law, and even Nursing papers for sale on Edubirdie.

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How to Choose a Good Research Paper Topic?

While it may seem challenging to come up with a good research paper topic as you try your best to narrow things down, the trick is to choose something that influences you because you know it well and can support your arguments with relevant evidence. The subject should be well-structured and relevant to your thesis statement. Always take time to research the list of sources to compose your topic sentences as well to make them relate to your thesis part. It’s always best to check a good research paper introduction example before you start working on the paper and choosing your topic, or contact our essay writing service for help. Here are the steps to consider:

  • Start With Observing Your Interests.

If you are confused with a variety of interesting topics for writing a creative essay, it’s better to decide what interests you the most. Don’t stick to easy research paper topics just to complete the task fast. If you are allowed to freely choose what to write an essay about, use the opportunity to create something unique. Write down the list of your interests and break down every idea into small certain topics. When you have a list in front of your eyes, it will be easier to make up your mind and start considering a particular issue.

Then you should examine what aspect of the topic is preferable for you to outline in your research paper . A list will save you here again. Use pros/cons template to include all the arguments and objections to the issues.

  • Come Up With an Argumentative Research Question.

The most challenging part of choosing a competitive research paper topic is finding an aspect that poses some importance for your course and the subject per se. While it may seem that it is sufficient to make a general statement, your argumentation should include a clear research question. Consider asking yourself why you have chosen a particular topic and how your research will make it clearer or provide innovative solutions.

  • Study Available Research Topic Ideas.

Since we have already mentioned the dangers of choosing something too broad, it is vital to narrow things down and brainstorm the list of possible research paper ideas that deal with the same subject. In other words, you can write down at least five different subjects and see whether you can find sufficient information to support them with the sources or statistical data. Remember the importance of your topic’s wording!

  • Compose Strong Thesis Statement.

It must be done at the same time as you choose your research paper topic because these two concepts must be interconnected. Your subject must reflect your main idea of the thesis statement. Make sure that you have the list of sources prepared in advance to incorporate relevant information in your body paragraphs. As always, they must be the supporting evidence for your thesis statement’s idea and the research purpose.

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Written by David Kidwell

David is one of those experienced content creators from the United Kingdom who has a high interest in social issues, culture, and entrepreneurship. He always says that reading, blogging, and staying aware of what happens in the world is what makes a person responsible. He likes to learn and share what he knows by making things inspiring and creative enough even for those students who dislike reading.

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Top positive psychology research of 2021 (so far)

07/07/2021 by Marie

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Top positive psychology research of 2021

There is so much research happening around the world into what is arguably the most important question you can ask: how can I be happy? As global mental health stats continue to decline, particularly during COVID, this is good news. There’s now a raft of actionable science-backed research you can apply in your life to take you from simply languishing in life, to thriving.

While the rest of this article is a catalogue of the top positive psychology research in 2021 so far, I would like to acknowledge one other piece of sad news from this year: Edward Diener, Psychologist Known as Dr. Happiness, Dies at 74 . Since the 1980s, Ed Diener was recognised as a leader in measuring what he called “subjective well-being” and his passing is a loss for not only his family and friends, but the entire positive psychology community.

In this article, we take a look at the top positive psychology research of 2021, so far. Let me know in the comments about how you are using the latest research to achieve a happier, healthier life!

Frequent travel could make you 7% happier  (Science Daily). People dreaming of travel post-COVID-19 now have some scientific data to support their wanderlust. A new study shows frequent travellers are happier with their lives than people who don’t travel at all.

Research suggests positive forward-thinking safeguards mental health during lockdowns  (Mental Health Today). We all might feel nostalgic for a time when we weren’t confined to our homes or had rules imposed upon us in public spaces; however new research from the University of Surrey suggests that if we forget about 2020 or even our current lockdown state in 2021 and look forward to the future, our mental wellbeing will presently be more resilient.

Learning Boosts Happiness, New Study Suggests  (Sci News). New research from University College London suggests that how we learn about the world around us can be more important for how we feel than rewards we receive directly.

Study suggests link between word choices and extraverts  (Science Daily). A study by a team of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) psychologists has found a link between extraverts and their word choices.

Why living in the future, rather than the past, is key to coping with lockdowns – new research  (The Conversation).  Researcher in the UK recruited 261 people during the first lockdown in the UK (March-May 2020) to explore the impact of the three different time orientations on wellbeing.

Being around birds linked to higher happiness levels  (World Economic Forum). Greater bird biodiversity can make people more joyful, according to a study published in Ecological Economics. The happiest Europeans are those who see the most bird species in their day-to-day life. 

Research shows positive effect of street trees on mental health  (De Montfort University). Daily contact with trees in the street may significantly reduce the risk of depression and the need for antidepressants, according to new research by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academic.

Heading outdoors keeps lockdown blues at bay  (Science Daily). A new study has found that spending time outdoors and switching off devices, such as smartphones, is associated with higher levels of happiness during a period of COVID-19 restrictions.

Money matters to happiness—perhaps more than previously thought   (Penn Today). Research shows that contrary to previous influential work, there’s no dollar-value plateau at which money’s importance lessens. One potential reason: Higher earners feel an increased sense of control over life.

Happiness and life expectancy by main occupational position among older workers: Who will live longer and happy?   (ScienceDirect) We show that women in routine jobs were systematically the ones who were expected to live shorter and unhappier. Men and women in managerial positions lived longer, but only men record more years with happiness.

Why being resilient won’t necessarily make you happy new research  (The Conversation). Resilience featured at the core of the World Health Organization’s policy framework for health and well-being in 2020. This states that “building resilience is a key factor in protecting and promoting health and wellbeing”. Similar statements have also been made by wellbeing researchers. Despite this, most resilience research focuses on how to help individuals avoid negative outcomes, rather than achieve positive outcomes. Very few who investigate resilience actually assess wellbeing.

Happiness really does come for free  (Science Daily). Economic growth is often prescribed as a sure way of increasing the well-being of people in low-income countries, but a study led by McGill and the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) suggests that there may be good reason to question this assumption.

20 surprising, science-backed health benefits of music  (USA Today). Research suggests that music not only helps us cope with pain — it can also benefit our physical and mental health in numerous other ways. Read on to learn how listening to tunes can ramp up your health.

Mental Health Plays a Role in Treating and Preventing Heart Disease  (VeryWell) Researchers are stressing the important links between your mental health and heart health. And they’re calling on clinicians to screen and address mental health when seeking to treat heart conditions.

COVID-19’s Impact on Mental Health Hasn’t Been All Bad   (Psychology Today). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental distress, but it has also strengthened people’s mental health in many ways. New research shows how the crisis has increased mental health through three main processes.

Study uncovers a psychological factor that predict one’s motivation to boost happiness  (PsyPost). A group of researchers from Seoul National University and Korea University have found evidence that “essentializing” happiness—i.e., attributing one’s happiness to immutable factors like genetics—renders individuals less likely to adopt behaviors intended to (and in many cases, proven to) increase happiness.

To Get Through Tough Times Turn Down Your Pessimism   (Psychology Today). New research shows the value of remaining positive when things look negative. There is a personality trait that can explain this tendency to overlook the negative and find reason to celebrate each day as it comes. Optimism, from this perspective, reflects not some delusional form of denial, but a stable quality that allows people to feel genuinely hopeful no matter what’s going on around them.

Emotional Well-Being Under Conditions of Lockdown  (Springer) The coronavirus pandemic and related lockdown measures present serious threats to emotional well-being worldwide. Researchers examined the extent to which being outdoors (vs. indoors), the experience of loneliness, and screen-time are associated with emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How Trip Planning and Happiness Are Directly Correlated  (Psychology Today). Research reveals that planning future travel may boost mood and mindset.

A Tale of Three Countries: What is the Relationship Between COVID‐19, Lockdown and Happiness ?  (Wiley Online Library). Though lockdowns do minimise the physical damage caused by the virus, there may also be substantial damage to population well‐being. 

Does Volunteering Make Us Happier, or Are Happier People More Likely to Volunteer? Addressing the Problem of Reverse Causality When Estimating the Wellbeing Impacts of Volunteering   (Springer Link). New research shows that volunteering does indeed make people measurably happier.

Is Awareness of Strengths Intervention Sufficient to Cultivate Wellbeing and Other Positive Outcomes?   (Springer Link). A new study shows that students who reflected on strengths for a 5-week period prior to exams prevented the surfacing of negative emotions and distress, as well as a decline in wellbeing due to the impending examination period. The intervention also enhanced feelings of optimism about the future.

Mental Health Declining During COVID, But Not For Regular Church Attenders  (Theravive). A recent Gallup study reveals a positive connection between regular church attendance and a positive self-evaluation of one’s mental health. I invited experts to give their opinions on these findings and what it is about church attendance that contributes to positive mental health.

Happiness of centenarians a severely neglected area of research  (Mirage). A systematic review by researchers at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), UNSW Sydney has highlighted the need for clearer definitions of ‘happiness’, ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘positive affect’ in centenarians. This is the first systematic review to summarise the literature on the subjective wellbeing of this unique age group.

Forget what you think happiness is  (Wall Street Journal). Think you know what it means to be happy? Think again. Scientists are learning how to better measure and improve happiness, as the pandemic forces many to question what brings them joy. In the future, some experts believe, people will embrace a more complex definition of happiness that focuses less on uninterrupted bliss and involves everything from a person’s environment to exercises that train the brain in ways to be happy.

How watching TV in lockdown can be good for you — according to science  (Salon). Many mental health organizations have proposed strategies to protect mental health, such as exercising, sleeping well and enjoying nature. This may make us assume that watching TV is ultimately bad for our mental wellbeing. But there is evidence to suggest that watching TV can also be good for us – if we go about it the right way.

One team is redefining how the world measures happiness, for the better  (Inverse).  First released in 2012, the World Happiness Report aims to both quantify and analyze well-being around the world. Each year, it generates press coverage because of its ranking of the world’s happiest countries — typically Nordic countries like Finland and Denmark top the charts.

Women reported decreased happiness during COVID-19 pandemic: Study   (ZEE5).  A recent study found that during the COVID-19 pandemic women, especially mothers, spent more time on tasks such as childcare and household chores than men. In turn, time spent completing household chores was linked to lower well-being and decreased happiness during the pandemic.

Why Older People Managed to Stay Happier Through the Pandemic  (New York Times) . New surveys over the last year show that the ability to cope improves with age.

Australia ‘most expensive country in the world to be happy,’ study finds  (DMarge)  Researchers at Purdue University in the United States have come up with a metric called ‘income satiation’ – basically, the point at which you have enough money to be happy.

Degrees of happiness? Formal education does not lead to greater job satisfaction  (Science Daily).  Education is considered one of the most critical personal capital investments. But formal educational attainment doesn’t necessarily pay off in job satisfaction, according to new research from the University of Notre Dame.

Happiness can be learned through meditation, philosophy and training  (Medical Xpress). Is it possible to learn to be happier? Well, it seems it is—at least according to a scientific study coordinated by the University of Trento and carried out in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, now published in Frontiers in Psychology.

Make mine a micro-job! Why working one day a week is the secret of happiness  (The Guardian). Working only one day a week is the secret of happiness, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Do you ever struggle to overcome a bad mood? Scientists have finally figured out why this happens  (News24). In a new study on brain activity led by University of Miami psychologists, researchers explain why some of these emotional experiences persist. According to their research, how a person’s brain evaluates fleeting negative stimuli may influence their long-term psychological well-being.

The unsung secret to stability and happiness during the pandemic  (ZDNet). It’s been a hard year, but at least many people have found a reliable way to reduce stress and increase happiness. Netflix is great and exercise is important, but music, it turns out, has made a positive difference in the lives of many during an often-bleak and perpetually uncertain pandemic year.

How Life Could Get Better (or Worse) After COVID  (Greater Good Magazine). Fifty-seven scientists make predictions about potential positive and negative consequences of the pandemic.

Want a Happier Workplace? Studies Say the Best Companies Do These 5 Things Every Single Day  (Inc.). It will not only make employees happy, it will also increase their productivity.

UK workforce finds happiness in ability to work from anywhere  (Computer Weekly). Study finds 44% of UK workers consider the ability to work remotely as a driver of happiness and 61% would support government policies aimed at the widespread adoption of ‘hybrid’ working practices.

Scientists explore the source of well-being and happiness  (ZJU University). Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a messenger molecule that produces a sense of well-being and happiness and is therefore also known as the “happy hormone”. However, the biological mechanism as to how 5-HT generates a sense of well-being has yet to be deciphered.

How has WFH impacted employee happiness? results by sector, revealed  (HRD). If there’s one thing we can all agree on about 2020/21, it’s that most of us have never spent so much time at home. But how has working from home (WFH) affected us? Expert Insolvency Practitioners, Hudson Weir, polled 3,500 employees across the country to find out how well we have taken to it…

Social comparisons with similar people determine income’s effect on happiness  (Phys.org). Researchers have found that in states where incomes were relatively equal, individuals’ happiness was affected less by their incomes because their economic positions were less clearly defined, making social comparisons less meaningful.

Can Online Psychology Classes Increase Well-Being?  (Psychology Today). A study found that participants in online psychology courses saw increases in well-being from their baseline measures. If these classes have long-term benefits, they could become reliable public health interventions.

8 Mix-and-Match Ingredients for a Tailored Be-Well Plan  (Psychology Today). A new systematic review and meta-analysis of well-being studies identified 8 core psychological interventions that delivered positive results. The researchers found, though, that no one approach was best, and encouraged clinicians and individuals to “mix and match” strategies. 

Curiosity and happiness go hand in hand  (The Philadelphia Inquirer). As Einstein said: The important thing is to never stop questioning. Recent research suggests that consistent curiosity goes hand in hand with happiness. 

Lockdown has had a positive effect on some people’s mental health, study reveals  (GentSide). Researchers from the University of Manchester have found that lockdown brought forth a sense of relief for those who struggled with pre-existing depression. 

If You Want to Be Happy, Try to Make Someone Else Happy  (Greater Good Berkeley). What if happiness comes from aiming to make others happy, instead of doing nice things for yourself? That is exactly what a recent study found. 

How to Draw On Your Psychological Resources  (Psychology Today). An international team of psychologists has explored various ways individuals can help alleviate the pandemic’s massive psychological toll – with an arsenal of researched-backed skills, states, and competencies that can help us buffer against stress, bolster mental health, and build new capacities. 

3 Reasons Real-Life Social Support Is Best for Mental Health  (Psychology Today). Many people rely on social media platforms for social support. New research suggests that social media social support (SMSS) doesn’t have a negative impact on mental health. However, real-life social support (RLSS) can reduce anxiety, depression, and loneliness; RLSS has a positive effect on mental health.

The impact of staff happiness on customer service   (Convenience and Impulse Retailing). Three-quarters or 79 per cent of Australian casual workers say their happiness at work directly impacts on the customer experience they can deliver.

Happiness statistics 2021  (Finder.com). Data reveals children, financial security and a good Internet connection make Aussies happy.

So Happy Fur You: Elmhurst Research Links Pet Spending to Joy  (Elmhurst University). In findings published in The Journal of Positive Psychology, Elmhurst University faculty and students showed that a person’s happiness can be affected by purchasing a gift for their pet. Study participants reported being happier when buying for a pet than spending money on themselves or another person.

Happiness Comes from Making Others Feel Good   (Psychology Today). New research published by a team of psychologists at the University of Missouri-Columbia suggests that King’s words are as true today as they were a half-century ago — that our own happiness is, in part, influenced by the kindness and generosity we show others.

Happiness & Sustainability Go Hand In Hand’: New Survey Shows Vegans Are Happier Than Meat Eaters  (Green Queen). A new study was looking to do a deeper dive into the many misconceptions about vegans and vegetarians has taken meat eaters by surprise, with the results showing that vegans reported higher happiness levels (+7%) than those who consume meat.

Zest, Hope, And Humor Are The Most Important Character Strengths, Suggests New Psychological Research  (Forbes). A new study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology suggests that while all character strengths serve an important function, some may be more central to psychological well-being than others — and that zest, hope, and humor are the three strengths most commonly found in well-rounded and psychologically healthy individuals.

Employee happiness drops 75% in two years  (Employee Benefits).The happiness of workers has decreased by 75% since 2019, according to new findings from employee engagement consultancy Inpulse.

If You Want to Be Happy, Try to Make Someone Else Happy  (Epoch Times). In a recent study, college students reported on their happiness and on their sense of autonomy, competence, and connection to others—all what researchers consider to be “basic psychological needs” for well-being.

Green space around primary schools may improve students’ academic performance  (The Conversation). Greenery around primary schools may improve students’ academic performance, while traffic pollution may be detrimental, our study shows. 

This is where older Americans find the most happiness  (Market Watch). A new study “The Four Pillars of the New Retirement: What a Difference a Year Makes” conducted by Edward Jones, the large investment and financial services advisory firm, in partnership with Age Wave, a think tank and consulting firm, and The Harris Poll reports that 70% of Americans say the pandemic has caused them to be more reflective and pay more attention to their long-term finances.

‘Urban green space affects citizens’ happiness’  (Science Daily). A recent study revealed that as a city becomes more economically developed, its citizens’ happiness becomes more directly related to the area of urban green space.

Considering happiness and stress as leading indicators  (OHS Canada). As our understanding of neuroscience evolves, how we manage workplace safety and health must also evolve.

How You Decorate Your Home Can Impact Your Happiness   (Women’s Health). Google partnered with the Arts & Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University to explore the impact of sensory input on our minds and bodies. They designed three different rooms, and participants wore bands to track their physiological responses as they moved through each room.

One Walking Strategy That Will Secretly Make You a Happier Person  (Eat This. Not That). If you’re looking to really boost your mood—and to view the world in a much more positive light—walking can help you out there, too. You just need to employ one specific mental technique devised by researchers at Iowa State University and published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.

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Google Scholar reveals its most influential papers for 2021

Early clinical observations of COVID-19 and its mortality risk factors among the most cited output, while a five-year-old AI paper continues to command attention.

research topic ideas 2021

Examples of using SSD, an object-detection algorithm described in a highly cited artificial intelligence paper. Credit: Wei Liu et al. European Conference on Computer Vision (2016)

24 August 2021

research topic ideas 2021

Wei Liu et al. European Conference on Computer Vision (2016)

Examples of using SSD, an object-detection algorithm described in a highly cited artificial intelligence paper.

COVID-19-related papers have eclipsed artificial intelligence research in the annual listing of the most highly-cited publications in the Google Scholar database. The most highly cited COVID-19 paper, published in The Lancet in early 2020, has garnered more than 30,000 citations to date (see below for paper summary).

But, in the database of almost 400 million academic papers and other scholarly literature, even it fell a long way short of the most highly cited paper of the last five years, ‘Deep Residual Learning for Image Recognition’, published in Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition by a team from Microsoft in 2016.

The five-year-old paper’s astonishing ascendancy continues, from 25,256 citations in 2019 to 49,301 citations in 2020 to 82,588 citations in 2021. We wrote about it last year here .

The 2021 Google Scholar Metrics ranking tracks papers published between 2016 and 2020, and includes citations from all articles that were indexed in Google Scholar as of July 2020. Google Scholar is the largest database in the world of its kind.

Below we describe selections from Google Scholar’s most highly-cited articles for 2021. COVID-19 research dominated new arrivals in the list, but we’re also featuring a popular AI paper from 2016, and research that provides an economical shortcut to seeing patterns of human genetic variation, also from 2016.

See our coverage of the 2019 and 2020 lists.

‘Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China’

30,529 citations

Published in February 2020, this is one of the earliest papers to describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19. It was authored by researchers in China and doctors working in hospitals in Wuhan, the city where COVID-19 was first detected in late 2019.

The team, from institutions such as the Jin Yin-tan Hospital in Wuhan and China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, reviewed the clinical and nursing reports, chest X-rays and lab results of the first 41 COVID-19 patients. They noted that the novel virus acts similarly to SARS and MERS, in that it causes pneumonia, but is different in that it seldom manifests as a runny nose or intestinal symptoms.

The final sentences of the paper call for robust and rapid testing, because of the likelihood of the disease spreading out of control:

“Reliable quick pathogen tests and feasible differential diagnosis based on clinical description are crucial for clinicians in their first contact with suspected patients. Because of the pandemic potential of 2019-nCoV, careful surveillance is essential to monitor its future host adaption, viral evolution, infectivity, transmissibility, and pathogenicity.”

The paper has been referenced or cited in almost 100 policy documents to date , including several released by the World Health Organization on topics such as mask-wearing and clinical care of patients with severe symptoms .

‘Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China’

New England Journal of Medicine

19,656 citations

Published online in February 2020, this study was a retrospective review of medical records for 1,099 COVID-19 cases reported to the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China between 11 December 2019 and 29 January 2020.

The team, which included almost 40 researchers from China from institutions such as the Guangzhou Medical University in Guangzhou and Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan, accessed electronic medical records from 552 hospitals in mainland China to summarise exposure risk, signs and symptoms, laboratory and radiologic findings related to COVID-19 infection.

The study garnered a lot of media attention based on the evidence it put forward that men might be more severely impacted by disease – 58% of the patient cohort were male.

However, as Sharon Begley reported for STAT , “It’s possible the apparent sex imbalance reflects patterns of travel and contacts that make men more likely to be exposed to carriers of the virus, not any inherent biological differences. It’s also possible the apparent worse disease severity in men could skew the data.”

A paper published in JAMA around the same time by researchers in the United States reported that, among hospitalized patients, there is “a slight predominance of men”.

A Nature Communications meta-analysis , published in December 2020, looked at 92 studies covering more than three million patients and concluded that, while males and females appeared to be susceptible to infection, men were 2.84 times more likely to be end up in intensive care and 1.39 times more likely to die from the disease.

‘Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study’

17,047 citations

Published in March 2020, The Lancet described this study as the first time researchers have examined risk factors associated with severe symptoms and death in hospitalised or deceased patients. Of the 191 patients studied, 137 were discharged from hospital and 54 died.

The study, by researchers from hospitals in China, also presented new data on viral shedding – information that informed early understanding of how the virus spreads and can be detected over the cause of infection.

“The extended viral shedding noted in our study has important implications for guiding decisions around isolation precautions and antiviral treatment in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection,” said co-lead author, Bin Cao, from the China-Japan Friendship Hospital and Capital Medical University in Beijing.

“However, we need to be clear that viral shedding time should not be confused with other self-isolation guidance for people who may have been exposed to COVID-19 but do not have symptoms, as this guidance is based on the incubation time of the virus.”

‘A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019’

The New England journal of medicine

16,194 citations

On 31 December 2019, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC) dispatched a rapid response team to accompany health authorities in Hubei province and Wuhan city in conducting COVID-19 investigations.

This study, published in January 2020, reported the results of that investigation, including the clinical features of the pneumonia of two patients.

Described by Jose Manuel Jimenez-Guardeño, a researcher in the Department of Infectious Diseases at King's College London , UK and colleagues in an article for The Conversation as “the article that released this virus to the world”, the paper details how the virus was isolated from patients with pneumonia in Wuhan in cell cultures.

“In fact, actual photographs of SARS-CoV-2 were shown to the world for the first time here,” say Jimenez-Guardeño and his co-authors .

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The study authors urged that more epidemiologic investigations were needed in order to characterize transmission modes, reproduction intervals and other characteristics of the virus to inform strategies to control and stop its spread.

‘SSD: Single Shot MultiBox Detector’

European Conference on Computer Vision

15,368 citations

A change of pace from recent COVID-19 studies, this paper, led by Wei Liu from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and published in 2016, remains one of the most highly cited in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). It describes a new method for detecting objects in images or video footage using a single deep neural network – a set of AI algorithms inspired by the neurological processes that fire in the human cerebral cortex.

The approach, called the Single Shot MultiBox Detector, or SSD, has been described as faster than Faster R-CNN – another object detection technology that was described in a very highly cited paper published in 2015 ( see our coverage here ).

SSD works by dividing the image into a grid, with each grid cell responsible for detecting objects within that part of the image. As the name indicates, the network is able to identify all objects within an image in a single pass, allowing for real-time analysis.

SSD is now one of a handful of object detection technologies that are now available. YOLO (You Only Look Once) is a similar single-shot object detection algorithm, whereas R-CNN and Faster R-CNN use a two-step approach , which involves first identifying the regions where objects might be, and then detecting them.

‘Analysis of protein-coding genetic variation in 60,706 humans’

7,696 citations

Led by Monkol Lek from the University of Sydney in Australia and Daniel MacArthur from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University , this 2016 paper presents an open-access catalogue of more than 60,000 human exome sequences (exomes are the coding portions of genes) from people of European, African, South Asian, East Asian, and Latinx ancestry.

The collection was compiled as part of the Exome Aggregation Consortium project, run by an international group of researchers with a focus on exome sequencing. As exomes only make up about 2% of the human genome , the approach has been praised for being able to highlight patterns of genetic variation, including known disease-related variants, in a more cost-effective way than whole-genome sequencing.

Presented at a 2015 genomics conference, the catalogue encompasses 7.4 million genetic variants, which can be used to identify those connected to rare diseases. “Large-scale reference datasets of human genetic variation are critical for the medical and functional interpretation of DNA sequence changes,” Lek said when the paper was published.

The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021

Thrilling discoveries, hurdles in the fight against Covid and advancements in space exploration defined the past year

Associate Editor, Science

Top ten science stories illustration

Covid-19 dominated science coverage again in 2021, and deservedly so. The disease garnered two entries on this list of our picks for the most important science stories of the year. But other key discoveries and achievements marked the year in science too, and they deserve more attention. NASA and private companies notched firsts in space. Scientists discovered more about the existence of early humans. And researchers documented how climate change has impacted everything from coral reefs to birds. Covid-19 will continue to garner even more attention next year as scientists work to deal with new variants and develop medical advances to battle the virus. But before you let stories about those topics dominate your reading in 2022, it’s worth it to take a look back at the biggest discoveries and accomplishments of this past year. To that end, here are our picks for the most important science stories of 2021.

The Covid Vaccine Rollout Encounters Hurdles

Covid Vaccine Being Administered

Last year the biggest science story of the year was that scientists developed two mRNA Covid vaccines in record time. This year the biggest Covid story is that the rollout of those vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna, and one other by Johnson and Johnson, haven’t made their way into a large proportion of the United States population and a significant portion of the world. As of this writing on December 21 , roughly 73 percent of the U.S. population has received one dose, and roughly 61 percent of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated. An incomplete rollout allowed for a deadly summer surge, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant . Experts pointed out that vaccination rates lagged due to widespread disinformation and misinformation campaigns . It didn’t help that some popular public figures —like Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers , musician Nick Minaj , podcast host Joe Rogan and rapper Ice Cube —chose not to get vaccinated. Luckily, by November, U.S. health officials had approved the Pfizer vaccine for children as young as five, providing another barrier against the deadly disease’s spread, and Covid rates declined. But while the wall against the disease in the U.S. is growing, it is not finished. As cases surge as the Omicron variant spreads around the country, building that wall and reinforcing it with booster shots is critically important. In much of the rest of the world, the wall is severely lacking where populations haven’t been given decent access to the vaccine. Only 8 percent of individuals in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and a WHO Africa report from this fall said that on that continent, less than 10 percent of countries would hit the goal of vaccinating at least 40 percent of their citizens by the end of the year. Globally, less than 60 percent of the population has been vaccinated. The holes in vaccination coverage will allow the virus to continue to kill a large number of individuals, and allow an environment where possibly other dangerous variants can emerge.

Perseverance Notches Firsts on Mars

Illustration of Perseverance Rover of Mars

NASA took a huge step forward in exploring the Red Planet after the rover Perseverance landed safely on Mars in February. Scientists outfitted the vehicle with an ultralight helicopter that successfully flew in the thin Martian atmosphere , a toaster-sized device called MOXIE that successfully converted carbon dioxide to oxygen , and sampling elements that successfully collected rocks from the planet’s floor. All of the achievements will lend themselves to a better understanding of Mars, and how to investigate it in the future. The flight success will give scientists clues on how to build larger helicopters, the oxygen creation will help scientists come up with grander plans for conversion devices, and the rocks will make their way back to Earth for analysis when they are picked up on a future mission. In addition to the rover’s triumphs, other countries notched major firsts too. The United Arab Emirates Hope space probe successfully entered orbit around the planet and is studying the Martian atmosphere and weather. China’s Zhurong rover landed on Mars in May and is exploring the planet’s geology and looking for signs of water. With these ongoing missions, scientists around the world are learning more and more about what the planet is like and how we might better explore it, maybe one day in person.

Is “Dragon Man” a New Species of Human?

Dragon Man Recreation

The backstory of the skull that scientists used to suggest there was a new species of later Pleistocene human—to join Homo sapiens and Neanderthals—garnered a lot of ink. After the fossil was discovered at a construction site in China nearly 90 years ago, a family hid it until a farmer gave it to a university museum in 2018. Since then, scientists in China pored over the skull—analyzing its features, conducting uranium series dating, and using X-ray fluorescence to compare it to other fossils—before declaring it a new species of archaic human. They dubbed the discovery Homo longi , or “Dragon Man.” The skull had a large cranium capable of holding a big brain, a thick brow and almost square eye sockets—details scientists used to differentiate it from other Homo species. Some scientists questioned whether the find warranted designation as a new species. “It’s exciting because it is a really interesting cranium, and it does have some things to say about human evolution and what’s going on in Asia. But it’s also disappointing that it’s 90 years out from discovery, and it is just an isolated cranium, and you’re not quite sure exactly how old it is or where it fits,” Michael Petraglia of the Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Initiative told Smithsonian magazine back in June. Other scientists supported the new species designation, and so the debate continues, and likely will until more fossils are discovered that help to fill in the holes of human history.

Climate Change Wreaks Havoc on Coral Reefs

Bleached Coral Reef

Increasing natural disasters—forest fires, droughts and heat waves—may be the most noticeable events spurred by climate change; a warming Earth has helped drive a five-fold uptick in such weather-related events over the last 50 years according the a 2021 report by the World Meteorological Organization . But one of the biggest impacts wrought by climate change over the past decade has occurred underwater. Warming temps cause coral reefs to discard the symbiotic algae that help them survive, and they bleach and die. This year a major report from the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network announced that the oceans lost about 14 percent of their reefs in the decade after 2009, mostly because of climate change. In November, new research showed that less than 2 percent of the coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef—the world’s largest such feature—escaped bleaching since 1998. That news came just two months after a different study stated that half of coral reefs have been lost since the 1950s , in part due to climate change. The reef declines impact fisheries, local economies based on tourism and coastal developments—which lose the offshore buffer zone from storms the living structures provide. Scientists say if temperatures continue to rise, coral reefs are in serious danger. But not all hope is lost—if humans reduce carbon emissions rapidly now, more reefs will have a better chance of surviving .

The Space Tourism Race Heats Up

Blue Origen Rocket

This year the famous billionaires behind the space tourism race completed successful missions that boosted more than just their egos. They put a host of civilians in space. Early in July, billionaire Richard Branson and his employees flew just above the boundary of space—a suborbital flight—in Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed trip. (But Virgin Galactic did delay commercial missions until at least late next year.) Just over a week after Branson’s mission, the world’s richest person, Jeff Bezos, completed Blue Origin’s first crewed suborbital flight with the youngest and oldest travelers to reach space. In October, his company Blue Origin repeated the feat when it took Star Trek actor William Shatner up. A month before that, a crew of four became the first all-civilian crew to circle the Earth from space in Elon Musk’s SpaceX Dragon capsule Resilience. More ambitious firsts for civilians are in the works. In 2022, SpaceX plans to send a retired astronaut and three paying passengers to the International Space Station. And beyond that, Bezos announced Blue Origin hopes to deploy a private space station fit for ten—called “Orbital Reef”—sometime between 2025 and 2030.

WHO Approves First Vaccine Against Malaria

Malaria Vaccine Being Administered

In October, the World Health Organization approved the first vaccine against malaria. The approval was not only a first for that disease, but also for any parasitic disease. The moment was 30 years in the making, as Mosquirix—the brand name of the drug— cost more than $750 million since 1987 to develop and test. Malaria kills nearly a half million individuals a year, including 260,000 children under the age of five. Most of these victims live in sub-Saharan Africa. The new vaccine fights the deadliest of five malaria pathogens and the most prevalent in Africa, and is administered to children under five in a series of four injections. The vaccine is not a silver bullet; it prevents only about 30 percent of severe malaria cases. But one modeling study showed that still could prevent 5.4 million cases and 23,000 deaths in children under five each year. Experts say the vaccine is a valuable tool that should be used in conjunction with existing methods—such as drug combination treatments and insecticide-treated bed nets—to combat the deadly disease.

Discoveries Move Key Dates Back for Humans in the Americas

Fossilized Human Footprints at White Sands

Two very different papers in two of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals documented key moments of human habitation in the Americas. In September, a study in Science dated footprints found at White Sands National Park to between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. Researchers estimated the age of the dried tracks known as “ghost prints” using radiocarbon dating of dried ditchgrass seeds found above and below the impressions. Previously, many archaeologists placed the start of human life in the Americas at around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age, based on tools found in New Mexico. The new paper, whose results have been debated , suggests humans actually lived on the continent at the height of the Ice Age. A month after that surprising find, a study in Nature published evidence showing that Vikings lived on North America earlier than previously thought. Researchers examined cut wood left by the explorers at a site in Newfoundland and found evidence in the samples of a cosmic ray event that happened in 993 C.E. The scientists then counted the rings out from that mark and discovered the wood had been cut in 1021 C.E. The find means that the Norse explorers completed the first known crossing of the Atlantic from Europe to the Americas.

Humans Are Affecting the Evolution of Animals

Bird in the Amazon

New research published this year shows that humans have both directly and indirectly affected how animals evolve. In probably the starkest example of humans impacting animal evolution, a Science study found a sharp increase in tuskless African elephants after years of poaching. During the Mozambican Civil War from 1977 to 1992, poachers killed so many of the giant mammals with tusks that those females without the long ivory teeth were more likely to pass on their genes. Before the war, 20 percent were tuskless. Now, roughly half of the female elephants are tuskless. Males who have the genetic make-up for tusklessness die , likely before they are born. And killing animals isn’t the only way humans are impacting evolution. A large study in Trends in Ecology and Evolution found that animals are changing shape to deal with rising temps. For example, over various time periods bats grew bigger wings and rabbits sprouted longer ears—both likely to dissipate more heat into the surrounding air. More evidence along those lines was published later in the year in Science Advances . A 40-year-study of birds in a remote, intact patch of Amazon rainforest showed 77 species weighed less on average, and many had longer wings, than they used to. Scientists said the changes likely occurred due to rising temperatures and changes in rainfall.

Antiviral Pills That Fight Covid Show Promising Results

Molnupiravir

Almost a year after scientists released tests showing the success of mRNA vaccines in fighting Covid, Merck released promising interim test results from a Phase III trial of an antiviral pill. On October 1, the pharmaceutical giant presented data that suggested molnupiravir could cut hospitalizations in half. Ten days later, the company submitted results to the FDA in hopes of gaining emergency use. In mid-November, the U.K. jumped ahead of the U.S. and granted approval for the treatment. By late November, advisers to the FDA recommended emergency authorization of the pill, though it was shown by this time to reduce death or disease by 30—not 50—percent. The drug should be taken —four pills a day for five days—starting within five days of the appearance of symptoms. It works by disrupting SARS-CoV-2’s ability to replicate effectively inside a human cell.

Molnupiravir isn’t the only viral drug with positive results. In November, Pfizer announced its antiviral pill, Paxlovid, was effective against severe Covid. By December, the pharmaceutical giant shared final results that it reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by 88 percent in a key group. News about both pills was welcome , as they are expected to work against all versions of the virus, including Omicron. Though the drugs aren’t as big of a breakthrough as the vaccines, a doctor writing for the New Yorker called them “the most important pharmacologic advance of the pandemic.” Many wealthy countries have already agreed to contracts for molnupiravir, and the Gates Foundation pledged $120 million to help get the pill to poor countries. If approved and distributed fast enough, the oral antivirals can be prescribed in places, like Africa, where vaccines have been lacking. The pills represent another crucial tool, in addition to masks and vaccines, in the fight against Covid.

The James Webb Space Telescope May Finally Launch

James Webb Space Telescope

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Joe Spring is the associate digital science editor for Smithsonian magazine.

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The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2021

From reframing our notion of “good” schools to mining the magic of expert teachers, here’s a curated list of must-read research from 2021.

It was a year of unprecedented hardship for teachers and school leaders. We pored through hundreds of studies to see if we could follow the trail of exactly what happened: The research revealed a complex portrait of a grueling year during which persistent issues of burnout and mental and physical health impacted millions of educators. Meanwhile, many of the old debates continued: Does paper beat digital? Is project-based learning as effective as direct instruction? How do you define what a “good” school is?

Other studies grabbed our attention, and in a few cases, made headlines. Researchers from the University of Chicago and Columbia University turned artificial intelligence loose on some 1,130 award-winning children’s books in search of invisible patterns of bias. (Spoiler alert: They found some.) Another study revealed why many parents are reluctant to support social and emotional learning in schools—and provided hints about how educators can flip the script.

1. What Parents Fear About SEL (and How to Change Their Minds)

When researchers at the Fordham Institute asked parents to rank phrases associated with social and emotional learning , nothing seemed to add up. The term “social-emotional learning” was very unpopular; parents wanted to steer their kids clear of it. But when the researchers added a simple clause, forming a new phrase—”social-emotional & academic learning”—the program shot all the way up to No. 2 in the rankings.

What gives?

Parents were picking up subtle cues in the list of SEL-related terms that irked or worried them, the researchers suggest. Phrases like “soft skills” and “growth mindset” felt “nebulous” and devoid of academic content. For some, the language felt suspiciously like “code for liberal indoctrination.”

But the study suggests that parents might need the simplest of reassurances to break through the political noise. Removing the jargon, focusing on productive phrases like “life skills,” and relentlessly connecting SEL to academic progress puts parents at ease—and seems to save social and emotional learning in the process.

2. The Secret Management Techniques of Expert Teachers

In the hands of experienced teachers, classroom management can seem almost invisible: Subtle techniques are quietly at work behind the scenes, with students falling into orderly routines and engaging in rigorous academic tasks almost as if by magic. 

That’s no accident, according to new research . While outbursts are inevitable in school settings, expert teachers seed their classrooms with proactive, relationship-building strategies that often prevent misbehavior before it erupts. They also approach discipline more holistically than their less-experienced counterparts, consistently reframing misbehavior in the broader context of how lessons can be more engaging, or how clearly they communicate expectations.

Focusing on the underlying dynamics of classroom behavior—and not on surface-level disruptions—means that expert teachers often look the other way at all the right times, too. Rather than rise to the bait of a minor breach in etiquette, a common mistake of new teachers, they tend to play the long game, asking questions about the origins of misbehavior, deftly navigating the terrain between discipline and student autonomy, and opting to confront misconduct privately when possible.

3. The Surprising Power of Pretesting

Asking students to take a practice test before they’ve even encountered the material may seem like a waste of time—after all, they’d just be guessing.

But new research concludes that the approach, called pretesting, is actually more effective than other typical study strategies. Surprisingly, pretesting even beat out taking practice tests after learning the material, a proven strategy endorsed by cognitive scientists and educators alike. In the study, students who took a practice test before learning the material outperformed their peers who studied more traditionally by 49 percent on a follow-up test, while outperforming students who took practice tests after studying the material by 27 percent.

The researchers hypothesize that the “generation of errors” was a key to the strategy’s success, spurring student curiosity and priming them to “search for the correct answers” when they finally explored the new material—and adding grist to a 2018 study that found that making educated guesses helped students connect background knowledge to new material.

Learning is more durable when students do the hard work of correcting misconceptions, the research suggests, reminding us yet again that being wrong is an important milestone on the road to being right.

4. Confronting an Old Myth About Immigrant Students

Immigrant students are sometimes portrayed as a costly expense to the education system, but new research is systematically dismantling that myth.

In a 2021 study , researchers analyzed over 1.3 million academic and birth records for students in Florida communities, and concluded that the presence of immigrant students actually has “a positive effect on the academic achievement of U.S.-born students,” raising test scores as the size of the immigrant school population increases. The benefits were especially powerful for low-income students.

While immigrants initially “face challenges in assimilation that may require additional school resources,” the researchers concluded, hard work and resilience may allow them to excel and thus “positively affect exposed U.S.-born students’ attitudes and behavior.” But according to teacher Larry Ferlazzo, the improvements might stem from the fact that having English language learners in classes improves pedagogy , pushing teachers to consider “issues like prior knowledge, scaffolding, and maximizing accessibility.”

5. A Fuller Picture of What a ‘Good’ School Is

It’s time to rethink our definition of what a “good school” is, researchers assert in a study published in late 2020.⁣ That’s because typical measures of school quality like test scores often provide an incomplete and misleading picture, the researchers found.

The study looked at over 150,000 ninth-grade students who attended Chicago public schools and concluded that emphasizing the social and emotional dimensions of learning—relationship-building, a sense of belonging, and resilience, for example—improves high school graduation and college matriculation rates for both high- and low-income students, beating out schools that focus primarily on improving test scores.⁣

“Schools that promote socio-emotional development actually have a really big positive impact on kids,” said lead researcher C. Kirabo Jackson in an interview with Edutopia . “And these impacts are particularly large for vulnerable student populations who don’t tend to do very well in the education system.”

The findings reinforce the importance of a holistic approach to measuring student progress, and are a reminder that schools—and teachers—can influence students in ways that are difficult to measure, and may only materialize well into the future.⁣

6. Teaching Is Learning

One of the best ways to learn a concept is to teach it to someone else. But do you actually have to step into the shoes of a teacher, or does the mere expectation of teaching do the trick?

In a 2021 study , researchers split students into two groups and gave them each a science passage about the Doppler effect—a phenomenon associated with sound and light waves that explains the gradual change in tone and pitch as a car races off into the distance, for example. One group studied the text as preparation for a test; the other was told that they’d be teaching the material to another student.

The researchers never carried out the second half of the activity—students read the passages but never taught the lesson. All of the participants were then tested on their factual recall of the Doppler effect, and their ability to draw deeper conclusions from the reading.

The upshot? Students who prepared to teach outperformed their counterparts in both duration and depth of learning, scoring 9 percent higher on factual recall a week after the lessons concluded, and 24 percent higher on their ability to make inferences. The research suggests that asking students to prepare to teach something—or encouraging them to think “could I teach this to someone else?”—can significantly alter their learning trajectories.

7. A Disturbing Strain of Bias in Kids’ Books

Some of the most popular and well-regarded children’s books—Caldecott and Newbery honorees among them—persistently depict Black, Asian, and Hispanic characters with lighter skin, according to new research .

Using artificial intelligence, researchers combed through 1,130 children’s books written in the last century, comparing two sets of diverse children’s books—one a collection of popular books that garnered major literary awards, the other favored by identity-based awards. The software analyzed data on skin tone, race, age, and gender.

Among the findings: While more characters with darker skin color begin to appear over time, the most popular books—those most frequently checked out of libraries and lining classroom bookshelves—continue to depict people of color in lighter skin tones. More insidiously, when adult characters are “moral or upstanding,” their skin color tends to appear lighter, the study’s lead author, Anjali Aduki,  told The 74 , with some books converting “Martin Luther King Jr.’s chocolate complexion to a light brown or beige.” Female characters, meanwhile, are often seen but not heard.

Cultural representations are a reflection of our values, the researchers conclude: “Inequality in representation, therefore, constitutes an explicit statement of inequality of value.”

8. The Never-Ending ‘Paper Versus Digital’ War

The argument goes like this: Digital screens turn reading into a cold and impersonal task; they’re good for information foraging, and not much more. “Real” books, meanwhile, have a heft and “tactility”  that make them intimate, enchanting—and irreplaceable.

But researchers have often found weak or equivocal evidence for the superiority of reading on paper. While a recent study concluded that paper books yielded better comprehension than e-books when many of the digital tools had been removed, the effect sizes were small. A 2021 meta-analysis further muddies the water: When digital and paper books are “mostly similar,” kids comprehend the print version more readily—but when enhancements like motion and sound “target the story content,” e-books generally have the edge.

Nostalgia is a force that every new technology must eventually confront. There’s plenty of evidence that writing with pen and paper encodes learning more deeply than typing. But new digital book formats come preloaded with powerful tools that allow readers to annotate, look up words, answer embedded questions, and share their thinking with other readers.

We may not be ready to admit it, but these are precisely the kinds of activities that drive deeper engagement, enhance comprehension, and leave us with a lasting memory of what we’ve read. The future of e-reading, despite the naysayers, remains promising.

9. New Research Makes a Powerful Case for PBL

Many classrooms today still look like they did 100 years ago, when students were preparing for factory jobs. But the world’s moved on: Modern careers demand a more sophisticated set of skills—collaboration, advanced problem-solving, and creativity, for example—and those can be difficult to teach in classrooms that rarely give students the time and space to develop those competencies.

Project-based learning (PBL) would seem like an ideal solution. But critics say PBL places too much responsibility on novice learners, ignoring the evidence about the effectiveness of direct instruction and ultimately undermining subject fluency. Advocates counter that student-centered learning and direct instruction can and should coexist in classrooms.

Now two new large-scale studies —encompassing over 6,000 students in 114 diverse schools across the nation—provide evidence that a well-structured, project-based approach boosts learning for a wide range of students.

In the studies, which were funded by Lucas Education Research, a sister division of Edutopia , elementary and high school students engaged in challenging projects that had them designing water systems for local farms, or creating toys using simple household objects to learn about gravity, friction, and force. Subsequent testing revealed notable learning gains—well above those experienced by students in traditional classrooms—and those gains seemed to raise all boats, persisting across socioeconomic class, race, and reading levels.

10. Tracking a Tumultuous Year for Teachers

The Covid-19 pandemic cast a long shadow over the lives of educators in 2021, according to a year’s worth of research.

The average teacher’s workload suddenly “spiked last spring,” wrote the Center for Reinventing Public Education in its January 2021 report, and then—in defiance of the laws of motion—simply never let up. By the fall, a RAND study recorded an astonishing shift in work habits: 24 percent of teachers reported that they were working 56 hours or more per week, compared to 5 percent pre-pandemic.

The vaccine was the promised land, but when it arrived nothing seemed to change. In an April 2021 survey  conducted four months after the first vaccine was administered in New York City, 92 percent of teachers said their jobs were more stressful than prior to the pandemic, up from 81 percent in an earlier survey.

It wasn’t just the length of the work days; a close look at the research reveals that the school system’s failure to adjust expectations was ruinous. It seemed to start with the obligations of hybrid teaching, which surfaced in Edutopia ’s coverage of overseas school reopenings. In June 2020, well before many U.S. schools reopened, we reported that hybrid teaching was an emerging problem internationally, and warned that if the “model is to work well for any period of time,” schools must “recognize and seek to reduce the workload for teachers.” Almost eight months later, a 2021 RAND study identified hybrid teaching as a primary source of teacher stress in the U.S., easily outpacing factors like the health of a high-risk loved one.

New and ever-increasing demands for tech solutions put teachers on a knife’s edge. In several important 2021 studies, researchers concluded that teachers were being pushed to adopt new technology without the “resources and equipment necessary for its correct didactic use.” Consequently, they were spending more than 20 hours a week adapting lessons for online use, and experiencing an unprecedented erosion of the boundaries between their work and home lives, leading to an unsustainable “always on” mentality. When it seemed like nothing more could be piled on—when all of the lights were blinking red—the federal government restarted standardized testing .

Change will be hard; many of the pathologies that exist in the system now predate the pandemic. But creating strict school policies that separate work from rest, eliminating the adoption of new tech tools without proper supports, distributing surveys regularly to gauge teacher well-being, and above all listening to educators to identify and confront emerging problems might be a good place to start, if the research can be believed.

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HBR’s Most-Read Research Articles of 2021

  • Dagny Dukach

research topic ideas 2021

A look back at the insights that resonated most with our readers.

What will it take to make work better? Over the past year, HBR has published a wide array of research-backed articles that explore topics ranging from retaining employees to overcoming meeting overload to fostering gender equity in the workplace. In this end-of-year roundup, we share key insights and trends from our most-read research articles of 2021.

As the workplace rapidly transforms in the wake of the pandemic, social movements, and more, a fundamental question remains: How can we ensure we’re making work better — for employees, organizations, and society at large?

research topic ideas 2021

  • Dagny Dukach is a former associate editor at Harvard Business Review.

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Disruptive Innovation 2021: These 15 big ideas are most likely to change the world

vala-afshar-author.jpg

ARK Invest defines ''disruptive innovation'' as the introduction of a technologically enabled new product or service that potentially changes the way the world works. ARK focuses solely on offering investment solutions to capture disruptive innovation in the public equity markets.

ARK began publishing Big Ideas in 2017. This annual research report seeks to highlight the latest developments in innovation and offers some of our most provocative research conclusions for the year. ARK notes that risks associated with investment in disruptive innovation include: rapid pace of change, exposure across sectors and markets, uncertainty and unknowns, regulatory hurdles, political and legal pressures and competitive landscape.    

Special Feature

Special report: 5g: what it means for edge computing (free pdf).

This ebook, based on the latest ZDNet / TechRepublic special feature, helps business leaders understand how cloud providers, telecoms, and carriers will make 5G part of their edge-computing plans.

ARK Big Ideas 2021 include the following:

  • Deep Learning
  • The Reinvention of the Data Center
  • Virtual Worlds
  • Digital Wallets
  • Bitcoin Fundamentals
  • Bitcoin: Preparing For Institutions
  • Electric Vehicles (EVs)
  • Autonomous Ride-Hailing
  • Delivery Drones
  • Orbital Aerospace
  • 3D Printing
  • Long Read Sequencing
  • Multi-Cancer Screening
  • Cell and Gene Therapy: Generation 2

The ARK Big Ideas 2021 report is quite comprehensive, covering several key emerging and new technologies and innovation opportunities. I recently interviewed ARK with a focus on the future of autonomous electric vehicles and Tesla. In this article I will share some of the big ideas that I believe to be the most immediately impactful and disruptive innovation for 2021 and beyond. 

executive guide

What is machine learning everything you need to know.

Here's how it's related to artificial intelligence, how it works and why it matters.

DEEP LEARNING

According to ARK, Deep Learning could be the most important software breakthrough of our time.  According to ARK's research, deep learning will add $30 trillion to the global equity market capitalization during the next 15-20 years. Deep Learning is creating the next generation of computing platforms including: 

  • Conversational computers: Powered by AI, smart speakers answered 100 billion voice commands in 2020, 75% more than in 2019.
  • Self-driving cars: Waymo's autonomous vehicles have collected more than 20 million real-world driving miles across 25 cities, including San Francisco, Detroit, and Phoenix.
  • Consumer apps: TikTok, which uses deep learning for video recommendations, has outgrown Snapchat and Pinterest combined.

Deep Learning is software 2.0 

Deep Learning requires boundless computational power. ARK states: "While advances in hardware and software have been driving down AI training costs by 37% per year, the size of AI models is growing much faster, 10x per year. As a result, total AI training costs continue to climb. We believe that state-of-the-art AI training model costs1 are likely to increase 100-fold, from roughly $1 million today to more than $100 million by 2025."

Deep Learning will also create a boom in the AI chips. ARK estimates that data center spending on AI processors will scale more than four-fold during the next five years, from $5 billion a year today to $22 billion in 2025. ARK is forecasting an expansion of AI from vision to language. The reports notes: "2020 was the breakthrough year for conversational AI. For the first time, AI systems could understand and generate language with human-like accuracy. Conversational AI requires 10x the computing resources of computer vision and should spur large investments in the coming years."

Total AI chip market 

Perhaps the biggest bold estimate in the reports is that Deep Learning could create more economic value than the Internet did. ARK believes that deep learning will add $30 trillion to equity market capitalizations during the next 15-20 years.

The economic impact of deep learning may be bigger than the Internet. 

AR and VR mean business: Everything you need to know

An executive guide to the technology and market drivers behind the hype in AR, VR, and MR.

VIRTUAL WORLDS

A virtual world is defined as a computer-simulated environment (video games, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR)), that can be accessed by anyone at any time. Society interacts daily with virtual worlds which today are in their infancy. According to ARK, revenue from virtual worlds will compound 17% annually from roughly $180 billion today to $390 billion by 2025. 

By 2022, consumer-grade AR headsets should turbocharge investments in augmented reality on mobile devices.  ARK forecasts that by 2030 the AR market could scale from under a $1 billion today to $130 billion. ARK estimates that virtual reality could approach realty by 2030 with best-in-class VR headsets only achieving 10% of human visual immersion today.

Augmented Reality AR market growth projections. 

The revenue from virtual worlds could approach $400 billion by 2025. Based on our research, the global gaming market will increase at a 16% compound annual rate during the next five years, from $175 billion in 2020 to roughly $365 billion by 2025. The AR & VR markets will grow at a 59% compound annual rate during the next five years, from $3 billion to $28 billion in 2025.

The global gaming and VR/AR market by 2025. 

Digital wallets

ARK estimates that digital wallets represent a $4.6 trillion opportunity in your pocket. ARK points to Venmo, Cash App, and venture funded startups who are likely to upend traditional banking by activating the mobile phones — the bank branches — in users' pockets and handbags.

According to ARK's research, digital wallets are valued between $250 and $1,900 per user today but could scale to $20,000 per user, representing a $4.6 trillion opportunity in the US by 2025. ARK references China as the best example of digital wallet adoption. Per ARK: The volume of mobile payments in China has exploded more than 15-fold in just five years, from roughly $2 trillion in 2015 to an estimated $36 trillion, nearly three times the size of China's GDP in 2020.

Digital wallets are now a global phenomenon 

In the US, digital wallet users are surpassing the number of deposit account holders at the largest financial institutions. Square's Cash App and PayPal's Venmo each amassed roughly 60 million active users organically in the last 7 and 10 years, respectively, a milestone that took J.P. Morgan more than 30 years and five acquisitions to reach.

Deposit accounts versus cash apps in the US

The most important takeaway here is that digital wallets can acquire customers for a fraction of banks' customer acquisition cost.  According to ARK's research, compared to the roughly $1,000 that a traditional financial institution might pay to acquire a new checking account customer, digital wallets invest only $20 thanks to viral peer-to-peer payment ecosystems, savvy marketing strategies, and dramatically lower cost structures. Given the rising cost of bank branches, the benefits of mobile banking and digital wallets is key to offset expenditures and also deliver a more seamless user experience.

Digital wallets is the most cost effective methods for customer acquisitions in the banking industry 

ARK highlights a potential sizable risk to traditional banks. According to ARK estimates, bank interest income on credit cards fell more than 10%, or roughly $16 billion in 2020 and is likely to drop more than 25% further, from $130 billion in 2019 to $95 billion by 2025. ARK also estimates that at maturity, each digital wallet user could be worth about $20,000. If digital wallets were to become consumer financial dashboards, ARK estimates that the net present value associated with their financial service revenues will exceed $10,000 per average US user. 

The value of a digital wallet owner to a bank in a mature market. 

According to ARK's research, if each of the estimated 230 million US digital wallet users were valued at $19,900 in 2025, the US digital wallet opportunity would be worth $4.6 trillion.

Cryptocurrency 101: What every business needs to know

There’s promise and peril in the still-evolving world of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ether.

  • Payment distancing: Apple and Google, we need our cashless society even more in pandemic times

Bitcoin fundamentals

As bitcoin's price hit an all-time high, ARK's research indicated that its network fundamentals remained healthy. Per ARK research, if all S&P 500 companies were to allocate 1% of their cash to bitcoin, ARK estimates that its price would increase by approximately $40,000.  As of November 2020, roughly 60% of Bitcoin's supply had not moved in more than a year, a testament to the market's longer-term focus and a holder base with stronger conviction. Another interesting data point about the hype around bitcoins is that ARK shows that bitcoin's search interest is low relative to the increase in its price. As its price neared all-time highs, Bitcoin's Google search interest was at 15% of its all-time high.

Bitcoin's Market Participants Never Have Been More Long-Term Focused

ARK notes that Bitcoin could play a pivotal role as corporate cash. The research sites Square and MicroStrategy, both with balance sheet investments in bitcoin, are showing the way for public companies to deploy bitcoin as a legitimate alternative to cash. According to our research, if all S&P 500 companies were to allocate 1% of their cash to bitcoin,1 its price could increase by approximately $40,000.

Electric Vehicles 

2021 is the year of EVs.  Electric vehicles are approaching sticker price parity with gas-powered cars. Leaders in the EV market are developing innovative battery designs to enable longer range vehicles at lower costs.

Based on Wright's Law, ARK forecasts that EV sales should increase roughly 20-fold from ~2.2 million in 2020 to 40 million units in 2025. ARK believes the biggest downside risk to our forecast is whether traditional automakers can transition successfully to electric and autonomous vehicles. The total cost of ownership for a like-for-like EV dropped below that of a Toyota Camry in 2019.1 Soon, sticker prices likely will do the same. The auto market is undergoing a shift to both electric and autonomous. ARK believes that traditional automakers lack the software and electrical engineering talent necessary to succeed.

EVs Are Competing On Range And Performance

According to @ARKInvest , @Tesla is 3-4 years ahead of all autonomous electrical vehicle competitors. In addition, potential new ride-hailing services and the @boringcompany can further solidify Tesla’s dominant EV leadership position. https://t.co/CZZAf3z1Df — Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) January 27, 2021

If traditional automakers overcome obstacles, global EV sales could scale roughly 20-fold from 2.2 million in 2020 to 40 million by 2025. ARK expects that sales of smaller, cheaper, "neighborhood electric vehicles" will rise dramatically as a share of total EV sales.

Global Electric Vehicle Sales: 40 million by 2025

Special feature

Ai, automation, and tech jobs.

There are some things that machines are simply better at doing than humans, but humans still have plenty going for them. Here's a look at how the two are going to work in concert to deliver a more powerful future for IT, and the human race.

The robots are coming to help you and create jobs. Per ARK: automation has the potential to shift unpaid labor to paid labor. For example, as food services automate, they will transform food prep, cleanup, and grocery shopping into market activities including food delivery.

ARK believes automation will add 5%, or $1.2 trillion to US GDP during the next five years. Thanks to increased productivity and automation, ARK expects a combination of the following four outcomes:

  • Higher wages: benefiting employees
  • Lower prices: benefiting consumers
  • Higher margins: benefiting companies
  • Higher investments: creating virtuous cycles

According to ARK's research, for every percentage drop in labor share in the industrial and agricultural sectors, operating margins increased 30 basis points and 280 basis points, respectively. ARK would not be surprised to see a similar relationship in all industries. If labor share were to fall 15%, in line with manufacturing, operating margins could double to more than 20%.

Automation could add 5%, or $1.2 trillion, to US GDP during the next five years. ARK believes automation will boost US real GDP growth by 100 basis points on average per year to 3.4%.

Automation could add 5%, or $1.2 trillion, to US GDP during the next five years.

The big ideas 2021 report from ARK is incredibly insightful. Here are some more bold predictions you can find in the report: 

  • AUTONOMOUS RIDE-HAILING : ARK's research suggests that autonomous ride-hailing platforms will generate more than $1 trillion in profits per year by 2030. In addition, automakers and fleet owners could enjoy profits of $250 billion and $70 billion, respectively. Enterprise value for autonomous platform operators could scale to 3.8T by 2025.
  • DRONES :  ARK believes that drone delivery platforms will generate roughly $275 billion in delivery revenues, $50 billion in hardware sales, and $12 billion in mapping revenue by 2030. ARK estimates that at some point during the next five years, drones will deliver more than 20% of parcel shipments and significantly drive e-commerce adoption. While not yet commercialized, ARK estimates that drone delivery platforms will generate nearly $50 billion in revenues, $14 billion in hardware sales, and $3 billion in mapping revenues by 2025.
  • 3D PRINTING : ARK believes 3D printing will revolutionize manufacturing, growing at an annual rate of roughly 60% from $12 billion last year to $120 billion in 2025.  ARK estimates that drone hardware revenues will total roughly $100 billion by 2025.  

To learn more about the 15 disruption innovation categories in the ARK Invest Big Ideas 2021 report, visit here . 

OpenAI's GPT-5 plans and Apple's 'most advanced' hardware of 2024 lead ZDNET's Innovation Index

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Research Topics & Ideas: Business

50+ Management Research Topic Ideas To Fast-Track Your Project

Business/management/MBA research topics

Finding and choosing a strong research topic is the critical first step when it comes to crafting a high-quality dissertation, thesis or research project. If you’ve landed on this post, chances are you’re looking for a business/management-related research topic , but aren’t sure where to start. Here, we’ll explore a variety of  research ideas and topic thought-starters for management-related research degrees (MBAs/DBAs, etc.). These research topics span management strategy, HR, finance, operations, international business and leadership.

NB – This is just the start…

The topic ideation and evaluation process has multiple steps . In this post, we’ll kickstart the process by sharing some research topic ideas within the management domain. This is the starting point, but to develop a well-defined research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , along with a well-justified plan of action to fill that gap.

If you’re new to the oftentimes perplexing world of research, or if this is your first time undertaking a formal academic research project, be sure to check out our free dissertation mini-course. In it, we cover the process of writing a dissertation or thesis from start to end. Be sure to also sign up for our free webinar that explores how to find a high-quality research topic. 

Overview: Business Research Topics

  • Business /management strategy
  • Human resources (HR) and industrial psychology
  • Finance and accounting
  • Operations management
  • International business
  • Actual business dissertations & theses

Strategy-Related Research Topics

  • An analysis of the impact of digital transformation on business strategy in consulting firms
  • The role of innovation in transportation practices for creating a competitive advantage within the agricultural sector
  • Exploring the effect of globalisation on strategic decision-making practices for multinational Fashion brands.
  • An evaluation of corporate social responsibility in shaping business strategy, a case study of power utilities in Nigeria
  • Analysing the relationship between corporate culture and business strategy in the new digital era, exploring the role of remote working.
  • Assessing the impact of sustainability practices on business strategy and performance in the motor vehicle manufacturing industry
  • An analysis of the effect of social media on strategic partnerships and alliances development in the insurance industry
  • Exploring the role of data-driven decision-making in business strategy developments following supply-chain disruptions in the agricultural sector
  • Developing a conceptual framework for assessing the influence of market orientation on business strategy and performance in the video game publishing industry
  • A review of strategic cost management best practices in the healthcare sector of Indonesia
  • Identification of key strategic considerations required for the effective implementation of Industry 4.0 to develop a circular economy
  • Reviewing how Globalisation has affected business model innovation strategies in the education sector
  • A comparison of merger and acquisition strategies’ effects on novel product development in the Pharmaceutical industry
  • An analysis of market strategy performance during recessions, a retrospective review of the luxury goods market in the US
  • Comparing the performance of digital stakeholder engagement strategies and their contribution towards meeting SDGs in the mining sector

Research topic idea mega list

Topics & Ideas: Human Resources (HR)

  • Exploring the impact of digital employee engagement practices on organizational performance in SMEs
  • The role of diversity and inclusion in the workplace
  • An evaluation of remote employee training and development programs efficacy in the e-commerce sector
  • Comparing the effect of flexible work arrangements on employee satisfaction and productivity across generational divides
  • Assessing the relationship between gender-focused employee empowerment programs and job satisfaction in the UAE
  • A review of the impact of technology and digitisation on human resource management practices in the construction industry
  • An analysis of the role of human resource management in talent acquisition and retention in response to globalisation and crisis, a case study of the South African power utility
  • The influence of leadership style on remote working employee motivation and performance in the education sector.
  • A comparison of performance appraisal systems for managing employee performance in the luxury retail fashion industry
  • An examination of the relationship between work-life balance and job satisfaction in blue-collar workplaces, A systematic review
  • Exploring HR personnel’s experiences managing digital workplace bullying in multinational corporations
  • Assessing the success of HR team integration following merger and acquisition on employee engagement and performance
  • Exploring HR green practices and their effects on retention of millennial talent in the fintech industry
  • Assessing the impact of human resources analytics in successfully navigating digital transformation within the healthcare sector
  • Exploring the role of HR staff in the development and maintenance of ethical business practices in fintech SMEs
  • An analysis of employee perceptions of current HRM practices in a fully remote IT workspace

Research topic evaluator

Topics & Ideas: Finance & Accounting

  • An analysis of the effect of employee financial literacy on decision-making in manufacturing start-ups in Ghana
  • Assessing the impact of corporate green innovation on financial performance in listed companies in Estonia
  • Assessing the effect of corporate governance on financial performance in the mining industry in Papua New Guinea
  • An evaluation of financial risk management practices in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia
  • Exploring the role of leadership financial literacy in the transition from start-up to scale-up in the retail e-commerce industry.
  • A review of influential macroeconomic factors on the adoption of cryptocurrencies as legal tender
  • An examination of the use of financial derivatives in risk management
  • Exploring the impact of the cryptocurrency disruption on stock trading practices in the EU
  • An analysis of the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance in academic publishing houses
  • A comparison of financial ratios performance in evaluating E-commerce startups in South Korea.
  • An evaluation of the role of government policies in facilitating manufacturing companies’ successful transitioning from start-up to scale-ups in Denmark
  • Assessing the financial value associated with industry 4.0 transitions in the Indian pharmaceutical industry
  • Exploring the role of effective e-leadership on financial performance in the Nigerian fintech industry
  • A review of digital disruptions in CRM practices and their associated financial impact on listed companies during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Exploring the importance of Sharia-based business practices on SME financial performance in multicultural countries

Free Webinar: How To Find A Dissertation Research Topic

Ideas: Operations Management

  • An assessment of the impact of blockchain technology on operations management practices in the transport industry of Estonia
  • An evaluation of supply chain disruption management strategies and their impact on business performance in Lithuania
  • Exploring the role of lean manufacturing in the automotive industry of Malaysia and its effects on improving operational efficiency
  • A critical review of optimal operations management strategies in luxury goods manufacturing for ensuring supply chain resilience
  • Exploring the role of globalization on Supply chain diversification, a pre/post analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic
  • An analysis of the relationship between quality management and customer satisfaction in subscription-based business models
  • Assessing the cost of sustainable sourcing practices on operations management and supply chain resilience in the Cocao industry.
  • An examination of the adoption of behavioural predictive analytics in operations management practices, a case study of the
  • Italian automotive industry
  • Exploring the effect of operational complexity on business performance following digital transformation
  • An evaluation of barriers to the implementation of agile methods in project management within governmental institutions
  • Assessing how the relationship between operational processes and business strategy change as companies transition from start-ups to scale-ups
  • Exploring the relationship between operational management and innovative business models, lessons from the fintech industry
  • A review of best practices for operations management facilitating the transition towards a circular economy in the fast food industry
  • Exploring the viability of lean manufacturing practices in Vietnam’s plastics industry
  • Assessing engagement in cybersecurity considerations associated with operations management practices in industry 4.0 manufacturing

Research Topic Kickstarter - Need Help Finding A Research Topic?

Topics & Ideas: International Business

  • The impact of cultural differences in communication on international business relationships
  • An evaluation of the role of government import and export policies in shaping international business practices
  • The effect of global shipping conditions on international business strategies
  • An analysis of the challenges of managing multinational corporations: branch management
  • The influence of social media marketing on international business operations
  • The role of international trade agreements on business activities in developing countries
  • An examination of the impact of currency fluctuations on international business and cost competitiveness
  • The relationship between international business and sustainable development: perspectives and benefits
  • An evaluation of the challenges and opportunities of doing business in emerging markets such as the renewable energy industry
  • An analysis of the role of internationalisation via strategic alliances in international business
  • The impact of cross-cultural management on international business performance
  • The effect of political instability on international business operations: A case study of Russia
  • An analysis of the role of intellectual property rights in an international technology company’s business strategies
  • The relationship between corporate social responsibility and international business strategy: a comparative study of different industries
  • The impact of technology on international business in the fashion industry

Topics & Ideas: Leadership

  • A comparative study of the impact of different leadership styles on organizational performance
  • An evaluation of transformational leadership in today’s non-profit organizations
  • The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership and productivity
  • An analysis of the relationship between leadership style and employee motivation
  • The influence of diversity and inclusion on leadership practices in South Africa
  • The impact of Artificial Intelligence technology on leadership in the digital age
  • An examination of the challenges of leadership in a rapidly changing business environment: examples from the finance industry
  • The relationship between leadership and corporate culture and job satisfaction
  • An evaluation of the role of transformational leadership in strategic decision-making
  • The use of leadership development programs in enhancing leadership effectiveness in multinational organisations
  • The impact of ethical leadership on organizational trust and reputation: an empirical study
  • An analysis of the relationship between various leadership styles and employee well-being in healthcare organizations
  • The role of leadership in promoting good work-life balance and job satisfaction in the age of remote work
  • The influence of leadership on knowledge sharing and innovation in the technology industry
  • An investigation of the impact of cultural intelligence on cross-cultural leadership effectiveness in global organizations

Business/Management Dissertation & Theses

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a business-related research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual dissertations and theses to see how this all comes together.

Below, we’ve included a selection of research projects from various management-related degree programs (e.g., MBAs, DBAs, etc.) to help refine your thinking. These are actual dissertations and theses, written as part of Master’s and PhD-level programs, so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

  • Sustaining Microbreweries Beyond 5 Years (Yanez, 2022)
  • Perceived Stakeholder and Stockholder Views: A Comparison Among Accounting Students, Non-Accounting Business Students And Non-Business Students (Shajan, 2020)
  • Attitudes Toward Corporate Social Responsibility and the New Ecological Paradigm among Business Students in Southern California (Barullas, 2020)
  • Entrepreneurial opportunity alertness in small business: a narrative research study exploring established small business founders’ experience with opportunity alertness in an evolving economic landscape in the Southeastern United States (Hughes, 2019)
  • Work-Integrated Learning in Closing Skills Gap in Public Procurement: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study (Culver, 2021)
  • Analyzing the Drivers and Barriers to Green Business Practices for Small and Medium Enterprises in Ohio (Purwandani, 2020)
  • The Role of Executive Business Travel in a Virtual World (Gale, 2022)
  • Outsourcing Security and International Corporate Responsibility: A Critical Analysis of Private Military Companies (PMCs) and Human Rights Violations (Hawkins, 2022)
  • Lean-excellence business management for small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in Kurdistan region of Iraq (Mohammad, 2021)
  • Science Data Sharing: Applying a Disruptive Technology Platform Business Model (Edwards, 2022)
  • Impact of Hurricanes on Small Construction Business and Their Recovery (Sahu, 2022)

Looking at these titles, you can probably pick up that the research topics here are quite specific and narrowly-focused , compared to the generic ones presented earlier. This is an important thing to keep in mind as you develop your own research topic. That is to say, to create a top-notch research topic, you must be precise and target a specific context with specific variables of interest . In other words, you need to identify a clear, well-justified research gap.

Fast-Track Your Topic Ideation

If you’d like hands-on help to speed up your topic ideation process and ensure that you develop a rock-solid research topic, check our our Topic Kickstarter service below.

You Might Also Like:

Topic Kickstarter: Research topics in education

Great help. thanks

solomon

Hi, Your work is very educative, it has widened my knowledge. Thank you so much.

Benny

Thank you so much for helping me understand how to craft a research topic. I’m pursuing a PGDE. Thank you

SHADRACK OBENG YEBOAH

Effect of Leadership, computerized accounting systems, risk management and monitoring on the quality of financial Reports among listed banks

Denford Chimboza

May you assist on a possible PhD topic on analyzing economic behaviours within environmental, climate and energy domains, from a gender perspective. I seek to further investigate if/to which extent policies in these domains can be deemed economically unfair from a gender perspective, and whether the effectiveness of the policies can be increased while striving for inequalities not being perpetuated.

Negessa Abdisa

healthy work environment and employee diversity, technological innovations and their role in management practices, cultural difference affecting advertising, honesty as a company policy, an analysis of the relationships between quality management and customer satisfaction in subscription based business model,business corruption cases. That I was selected from the above topics.

Ngam Leke

Research topic accounting

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December 22, 2021

2021 Research Highlights — Promising Medical Findings

Results with potential for enhancing human health.

With NIH support, scientists across the United States and around the world conduct wide-ranging research to discover ways to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability. Groundbreaking NIH-funded research often receives top scientific honors. In 2021, these honors included Nobel Prizes to five NIH-supported scientists . Here’s just a small sample of the NIH-supported research accomplishments in 2021.

Printer-friendly version of full 2021 NIH Research Highlights

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Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Advancing COVID-19 treatment and prevention

Amid the sustained pandemic, researchers continued to develop new drugs and vaccines for COVID-19. They found oral drugs that could  inhibit virus replication in hamsters and shut down a key enzyme that the virus needs to replicate. Both drugs are currently in clinical trials. Another drug effectively treated both SARS-CoV-2 and RSV, another serious respiratory virus, in animals. Other researchers used an airway-on-a-chip to screen approved drugs for use against COVID-19. These studies identified oral drugs that could be administered outside of clinical settings. Such drugs could become powerful tools for fighting the ongoing pandemic. Also in development are an intranasal vaccine , which could help prevent virus transmission, and vaccines that can protect against a range of coronaviruses .

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Developments in Alzheimer’s disease research

One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s is an abnormal buildup of amyloid-beta protein. A study in mice suggests that antibody therapies targeting amyloid-beta protein could be more effective after enhancing the brain’s waste drainage system . In another study, irisin, an exercise-induced hormone, was found to improve cognitive performance in mice . New approaches also found two approved drugs (described below) with promise for treating AD. These findings point to potential strategies for treating Alzheimer’s. Meanwhile, researchers found that people who slept six hours or less per night in their 50s and 60s were more likely to develop dementia later in life, suggesting that inadequate sleep duration could increase dementia risk.

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New uses for old drugs

Developing new drugs can be costly, and the odds of success can be slim. So, some researchers have turned to repurposing drugs that are already approved for other conditions. Scientists found that two FDA-approved drugs were associated with lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease. One is used for high blood pressure and swelling. The other is FDA-approved to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Meanwhile, the antidepressant fluoxetine was associated with reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration. Clinical trials will be needed to confirm these drugs’ effects.

20210713-heart.jpg

Temporary pacemaker mounted on the heart.

Making a wireless, biodegradable pacemaker

Pacemakers are a vital part of medical care for many people with heart rhythm disorders. Temporary pacemakers currently use wires connected to a power source outside the body. Researchers developed a temporary pacemaker that is powered wirelessly. It also breaks down harmlessly in the body after use. Studies showed that the device can generate enough power to pace a human heart without causing damage or inflammation.

20210330-crohns.jpg

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Fungi may impair wound healing in Crohn’s disease

Inflammatory bowel disease develops when immune cells in the gut overreact to a perceived threat to the body. It’s thought that the microbiome plays a role in this process. Researchers found that a fungus called  Debaryomyces hansenii  impaired gut wound healing in mice and was also found in damaged gut tissue in people with Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Blocking this microbe might encourage tissue repair in Crohn’s disease.

20210406-flu.jpg

Nanoparticle with different colored proteins on surface

Nanoparticle-based flu vaccine

Influenza, or flu, kills an estimated 290,000-650,000 people each year worldwide. The flu virus changes, or mutates, quickly. A single vaccine that conferred protection against a wide variety of strains would provide a major boost to global health. Researchers developed a nanoparticle-based vaccine that protected against a broad range of flu virus strains in animals. The vaccine may prevent flu more effectively than current seasonal vaccines. Researchers are planning a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the vaccine in people.

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A targeted antibiotic for treating Lyme disease

Lyme disease cases are becoming more frequent and widespread. Current treatment entails the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. But these drugs can damage the patient’s gut microbiome and select for resistance in non-target bacteria. Researchers found that a neglected antibiotic called hygromycin A selectively kills the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. The antibiotic was able to treat Lyme disease in mice without disrupting the microbiome and could make an attractive therapeutic candidate.

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Retraining the brain to treat chronic pain

More than 25 million people in the U.S. live with chronic pain. After a treatment called pain reprocessing therapy, two-thirds of people with mild or moderate chronic back pain for which no physical cause could be found were mostly or completely pain-free. The findings suggest that people can learn to reduce the brain activity causing some types of chronic pain that occur in the absence of injury or persist after healing.

2021 Research Highlights — Basic Research Insights >>

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Big Ideas 2021: 10 Broad Trends in K-12 Education in 10 Charts

Each year, for the past four years, Education Week has produced a special report on big ideas in K-12 education. The reports focus on important and timely issues that schools have grappled with in the past 12 months. Not surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic was a major emphasis in the 2021 edition, Big Ideas for Education’s Urgent Challenges . Initially published in September 2021, this report examined such pandemic-related topics as remote learning, educator stress, and student home environments.

Drawing upon the results of a nationally representative survey of nearly 900 teachers, principals, and district leaders that was incorporated into Education Week’s fourth annual report on big ideas in K-12 education, this Spotlight sums up 10 broad trends in 10 accompanying charts. These ideas include the transformation of educational technology, educators’ knowledge of students’ lives outside of school, and educator stress. Given the time period covered by the survey, all of these broad trends were deeply impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, a theme that resonates throughout this report.

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U.S. public, private and charter schools in 5 charts

A teacher instructs a fourth grade math class at a private school in Washington, D.C. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While children in the United States are guaranteed a free education at their local public school through state constitutional law, many families weigh other educational options for their children. Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended families’ usual routines, 36% of parents with K-12 students say they considered multiple schools for their child in the 2018-19 school year.

Students’ school environments vary widely – sometimes even for children living in the same community – depending on whether they attend traditional public, private or charter schools.

Here are some key distinctions between these three types of schools, based on data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). All figures reflect the most recent school year with data for all three types of schools.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to better understand how U.S. students’ school experiences might differ depending on whether they attend a traditional public school, a private school or a charter school.

Data comes from the Institute of Education Sciences’ National Center for Education Statistics . We used the most recent year in which data is available for all three school types.

Public, private and charter schools include those that teach students in kindergarten through 12th grade, unless otherwise specified. Racial categories used in this analysis include those who report being a single race and non-Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. National School Lunch Program data for 2021-22 is not available for Alaska.

What’s the difference between public, private and charter schools?

Until a few decades ago, parents with kids in elementary, middle or high school could choose to send them to either a traditional public school or a private one. More recently, many states have added a third option: public charter schools.

  • Traditional public schools are taxpayer funded, are tuition free and must adhere to standards set by a school district or state board of education. These are the most common schooling option in the U.S.
  • Private schools are known for being selective, religiously affiliated or sometimes both, and charge tuition rather than receive public money. In addition to tuition dollars, private schools may be funded through a combination of donations, endowments or grants from other private sources. As a result, they have more autonomy when it comes to curriculum and other academic standards. During the 2021-22 school year, about three-quarters of private school K-12 students (77%) attended a religiously affiliated school. The largest share went to Catholic schools, which accounted for 35% of all private school enrollment. Another 23% of private school students attended secular institutions.
  • Public charter schools are legally allowed to operate in nearly all states, plus the District of Columbia, as of 2024. Like traditional public schools, these are taxpayer funded and tuition free. They’re open to any student who wishes to enroll. But unlike their traditional counterparts, agreements – or charters – with the state or local government allow them flexibility when it comes to curriculum and other standards. They also may turn students away due to space constraints.

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that U.S. private and charter schools are mostly in urban or suburban communities.

Differences exist in the size and locale of each type of school, NCES data from the 2021-22 school year shows.

Traditional public schools tend to be larger than the other types. For instance, 39% of public schools enroll 500 or more students, compared with 32% of charter schools and 8% of private schools. And while 31% of public schools have fewer than 300 students, 44% of charter schools and 82% of private schools do.

Public schools are relatively evenly distributed across urban, suburban and rural areas, while most charter and private school campuses are located in either cities or suburbs.

(Traditional public and charter school environment data includes prekindergarten students, who account for less than 1% of enrollment at these types of schools.)

Where is enrollment growing and shrinking?

During the 2021-22 school year, the vast majority of the country’s roughly 54.6 million public, private and charter school students in pre-K through 12th grade (83%) attended traditional public schools. Another 10% were enrolled in private schools, and 7% went to public charter schools.

Enrollment numbers have shifted over the last decade:

An area chart showing that traditional public schools make up the bulk of U.S. enrollment.

  • Traditional public school enrollment has declined. In fall 2011, about 47.2 million students attended public elementary, middle and secondary schools, accounting for 87% of all school enrollment. By fall 2021, the number of public school students dropped to about 45.4 million, resulting in a small drop in public schools’ share of total enrollment.
  • The popularity of charter schools has grown. Minnesota became the first state to pass legislation allowing charter schools in 1991. In the last 10 years alone, enrollment has risen from about 2.1 million students in fall 2011 to nearly 3.7 million in fall 2021, an increase from 4% to 7% of total enrollment.
  • Private school enrollment has held relatively steady. Private school students have consistently made up about 10% of school enrollment, with numbers that have fluctuated from a 10-year low of fewer than 5.3 million in 2011 to a peak of almost 5.8 million in 2015.

How does enrollment look at the state level?

Nationwide, the vast majority of students in pre-K through 12th grade attend traditional public schools – but shares vary somewhat from state to state. In Wyoming, for example, nearly all students (97%) attend public school, while 45% do in D.C.

The states with the highest percentages of public school enrollment include some of those with the lowest population density . In addition to Wyoming, West Virginia (95%), Montana (93%), Kansas and Alaska (91% each) round out the top five states by share of public school enrollment.

In most states, students are more likely to attend a private school than a charter school. Charter school students make up a larger share of enrollment than private school students in just 12 states and D.C. (Data is unavailable for seven states because they did not have any charter schools or legislation allowing them in fall 2021.)

Among the places where students are the least likely to attend traditional public schools:

  • D.C. has the highest share of charter school students, at 36%. Just 45% of K-12 students there attend traditional public schools. Another 19% attend private schools.
  • D.C. and Hawaii have the largest percentage of students in private schools, at 19% each. In Hawaii, another 76% of students are enrolled in public school, and 6% are enrolled in charter schools.

A map showing that U.S. enrollment in traditional public, charter and private schools varies by state.

How do student demographics vary by school type?

Charter schools had the most racial and ethnic diversity during the 2021-22 school year. Hispanic students make up the largest share of enrollment there (36%), followed by White (29%), Black (24%) and Asian American students (4%).

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that U.S. charter school students tend to be more racially and ethnically diverse than those in other types of schools.

In contrast, 47% of traditional public school students and 65% of private school students are White. Smaller shares are Hispanic, Black or Asian.

Differences also exist by household income level. Nearly all public and charter schools are part of the National School Lunch Program , which provides free or reduced-price meals to students based on family income.

In general, charter school students are more likely than public school kids to qualify for the program. For instance, 31% of charter students and 21% of traditional public school students are enrolled at a school where more than three-quarters of their peers qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Because a relatively small share of private schools participate in this program, 2021-22 data is not available for them. However, research shows that private school enrollment rates are highest among upper-income families .

What does the teaching staff look like at each type of school?

More than 4.2 million full- and part-time teachers worked at public, private and charter schools during the 2020-21 school year, the most recent year with available data. That year, about 3.5 million teachers (83%) taught at traditional public schools. Another 466,000 (11%) worked in private schools, and 251,000 (6%) taught at public charters.

The teaching force in each environment varies based on race and ethnicity, age, experience, and educational attainment.

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that teacher demographics vary somewhat by type of school.

  • Charter school teachers are the most racially and ethnically diverse: 69% of charter school teachers are White, compared with about eight-in-ten at both traditional public and private schools. Charters also employ the largest shares of Black and Hispanic teachers.
  • Private school teachers skew slightly older, while charter school teachers are the youngest: About 17% of private school teachers are ages 60 and older, compared with 8% in public schools and 7% in charter schools. And in charter schools, 21% of teachers are under 30, compared with 14% each in public and private schools.
  • Charters employ a larger share of teachers with fewer years of experience: For instance, 13% of both private and charter school teachers have fewer than three years of experience, compared with 7% of public school teachers. And 43% of charter school teachers have between three and nine years of experience, compared with 28% each in public and private schools.
  • Public school teachers are the most likely to have a master’s degree: 52% of public school teachers have a master’s degree, compared with about 41% each in charter and private schools.

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Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center .

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LGBTQI+ People and Substance Use

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  • Research has found that sexual and gender minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people (LGBTQI+), have higher rates of substance misuse and substance use disorders than people who identify as heterosexual. People from these groups are also more likely to enter treatment with more severe disorders.
  • People in LGBTQI+ communities can face stressful situations and environments like stigma and discrimination , harassment, and traumatic experiences . Coping with these issues may raise the likelihood of a person having substance use problems.
  • NIDA supports research to help identify the particular challenges that sexual and gender minority people face, to prevent or reduce substance use disorders among these groups, and to promote treatment access and better health outcomes.

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Find more resources on lgbtqi+ health.

  • Hear the latest approaches in treatment and care from experts in the fields of HIV and SUD in this NIDA video series, “ At the Intersection .”
  • See the Stigma and Discrimination Research Toolkit from the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia)

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On this page:

What is low blood glucose?

How common is low blood glucose, who is more likely to develop low blood glucose, what are the symptoms of low blood glucose, what are the complications of low blood glucose, what causes low blood glucose in people with diabetes, how can i prevent low blood glucose if i have diabetes, how do i treat low blood glucose, what if i have severe low blood glucose and can’t treat myself, clinical trials for low blood glucose.

Low blood glucose , also called low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, occurs when the level of glucose  in your blood drops below what is healthy for you. For many people with diabetes , this means a blood glucose reading lower than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). 1 Your number might be different, so check with your doctor or health care team to find out what blood glucose level is low for you.

Low blood glucose is common among people with type 1 diabetes  and among people with type 2 diabetes  who take insulin  or some other diabetes medicines . In a large global study of people with diabetes who take insulin, 4 in 5 people with type 1 diabetes and nearly half of those with type 2 diabetes reported a low blood sugar event at least once over a 4-week period. 2

Severely low blood glucose, defined as when your blood glucose level drops so low you can’t treat it yourself, is less common. Among U.S. adults with diabetes who take insulin or some diabetes medicines that help the pancreas  release insulin into the blood, 2 in 100 may develop severely low blood glucose each year. 3

You are more likely to develop low blood glucose if you 4

  • have type 1 diabetes
  • take insulin or some other diabetes medicines
  • are age 65 or older 5
  • had low blood glucose before
  • have other health problems, such as kidney disease , heart disease , or cognitive impairment

Symptoms of low blood glucose tend to come on quickly and can vary from person to person. As Table 1 below shows, symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Table 1. Symptoms of low blood glucose 6

Mild-to-Moderate Severe

If your blood glucose level is low, you may feel

If your blood glucose level is very low, your brain may stop working as it should. You may

Low blood glucose during sleep

Your blood glucose level can drop while you sleep and stay low for several hours, causing serious problems. 7 Symptoms of low blood glucose while you sleep can include

  • crying out or having nightmares
  • sweating enough to make your pajamas or sheets damp
  • feeling tired, irritable, or confused after waking up

Although you may not wake up or notice any symptoms, low blood glucose can interfere with your sleep, which may affect your quality of life, mood, and ability to work. Having low blood glucose during sleep can also make you less likely to notice and respond to symptoms of low blood glucose during the day.

Mild-to-moderate low blood glucose can be easily treated. But severely low blood glucose can cause serious complications, including passing out, coma, or death.

Repeated episodes of low blood glucose can lead to

  • high blood glucose levels, if worry or fear of low blood glucose keeps you from taking the medicines you need to manage your diabetes 8
  • hypoglycemia unawareness, a condition in which you don’t notice any symptoms of low blood glucose until your blood glucose level has dropped very low

Low blood glucose levels can be a side effect of insulin or some other medicines that help your pancreas release insulin into your blood. Taking these can lower your blood glucose level.

Diabetes medicines in a pill bottle, a vial of insulin, and a syringe.

Two types of diabetes pills can cause low blood glucose

  • sulfonylureas, usually taken once or twice per day, which increase insulin over several hours
  • meglitinides, taken before meals to promote a short-term increase in insulin

The following may also lower your blood glucose level

  • Not eating or drinking enough carbohydrates  (carbs). When you eat foods or drink beverages that contain carbohydrates, your digestive system breaks down the sugars and starches into glucose . Glucose then enters your bloodstream and raises your blood glucose level. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates or skip or delay any meals, your blood glucose level could drop lower than what is healthy for you.
  • Fasting. Continuing to take medicines that lower your glucose level while fasting for a medical procedure or for other purposes can also increase the risk for low blood glucose.
  • Increasing physical activity. Increasing your physical activity level beyond your usual routine can lower your blood glucose level for up to 24 hours after the activity. Learn more about diabetes, eating, and physical activity .
  • Drinking too much alcohol without enough food. Alcohol makes it harder for your body to keep your blood glucose level steady, especially if you haven’t eaten in a while. Alcohol can also keep you from feeling the first symptoms of low blood glucose, which can lead to severe symptoms.
  • Being sick. When you’re sick , you may not be able to eat as much or keep food down, which can lower blood glucose.

If you take insulin or other medicines that lower blood glucose, the following actions may help you prevent low blood glucose levels.

  • Ask your doctor or health care team how to check your blood glucose level. The most common way to do so is by using a blood glucose meter . If you have hypoglycemia unawareness or have low blood glucose often, a continuous glucose monitor  (CGM) may be a good option. The CGM measures your blood glucose level at regular times and can sound an alarm if it drops below your target range.
  • Make sure your regular eating plan includes meals, snacks, and beverages with enough carbohydrates to help keep your blood glucose level in your target range. Carry a source of fast-acting carbohydrate, such as glucose tablets or a juice box, with you. Also, if you drink alcoholic beverages, it’s safer to eat some food at the same time.
  • Be safe during exercise or physical activity. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose during the activity and for hours afterward. You may need to check your blood glucose before, during, and after physical activity and adjust your medicine or carbohydrate intake to prevent low blood glucose. For example, you might eat a snack before physical activity to prevent low blood glucose.
  • Work with your doctor or health care team to prevent low blood glucose. Ask your team if any of your diabetes medicines can cause low blood glucose and how you can prevent and treat symptoms. Work with your doctor or health care team to adjust your diabetes management plan as needed.

A woman with a smart sensor attached to her arm looks at a mobile phone that shows her blood glucose reading.

If you begin to feel one or more symptoms of low blood glucose, check your blood glucose level. If your blood glucose level is below your target or less than 70 mg/dL, follow these steps

  • four glucose tablets or one tube of glucose gel.
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of fruit juice—not low-calorie or reduced-sugar juice. If you have kidney disease, don’t drink orange juice because it has a lot of potassium. Apple, grape, or cranberry juice are good options.
  • 1/2 can (4 to 6 ounces) of soda—not low-calorie or reduced-sugar soda.
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or corn syrup.
  • Wait 15 minutes and check your blood glucose level again. If your glucose level is still low, eat or drink another 15 to 20 grams of glucose or carbohydrates.
  • Check your blood glucose level again after another 15 minutes. Repeat these steps until your glucose level is back to your target range.
  • If your next meal is more than 1 hour away, have a snack to keep your blood glucose level within a range that is healthy for you. Try crackers or a piece of fruit.

Treating low blood glucose if you take medicines that slow down digestion

Some diabetes medicines slow down the digestion of carbohydrates to keep blood glucose levels from rising too high after you eat. If you develop low blood glucose while taking these medicines, you will need to take glucose tablets or glucose gel right away. Eating or drinking other sources of carbohydrates won’t raise your blood glucose level quickly enough.

Glucagon —a hormone that raises blood glucose levels—is the best way to treat severely low blood glucose. Available as an injection or a nasal spray, glucagon will quickly raise your blood glucose level. Your doctor can prescribe you a glucagon kit for use in case of an emergency.

If your blood glucose level drops very low, you won’t be able to treat it by yourself. Be prepared to address severely low blood glucose by

  • talking with your doctor or health care team about when and how to use a glucagon emergency kit. If you have an emergency kit, regularly check the date on the package to make sure it hasn’t expired.
  • teaching your family, friends, and coworkers when and how to give you glucagon. Tell them to call 911 right away after giving you glucagon or if you don’t have a glucagon emergency kit with you.
  • wearing a medical alert identification bracelet or pendant. A medical alert ID tells other people that you have diabetes and need care right away. Getting prompt care can help prevent the serious problems that low blood glucose levels can cause.

The NIDDK conducts and supports clinical trials in many diseases and conditions, including diabetes. The trials look to find new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and improve quality of life.

What are clinical trials for low blood glucose?

Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies —are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the future.

Researchers are studying many aspects of low blood glucose levels in diabetes, such as

  • how to diagnose and treat low blood glucose among people with diabetes
  • medicines that can treat symptoms of low blood glucose in people with hypoglycemia unawareness
  • educational approaches to reduce fear of low blood glucose, which can make it harder for you to control your diabetes

Find out if clinical studies are right for you .

Watch a video of NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers explaining the importance of participating in clinical trials.

What clinical studies for low blood glucose are looking for participants?

You can view a filtered list of clinical studies on low blood glucose that are federally funded, open, and recruiting at www.ClinicalTrials.gov . You can expand or narrow the list to include clinical studies from industry, universities, and individuals; however, the National Institutes of Health does not review these studies and cannot ensure they are safe. Always talk with your health care provider before you participate in a clinical study.

This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.

The NIDDK would like to thank: Martha Funnell, M.S., R.N., C.D.E., University of Michigan Medical School

Illustration showing how cybersecurity helps protect critical systems and sensitive information from cyberattacks

Published: 27 October 2023

Cybersecurity refers to any technology, measure or practice for preventing cyberattacks or mitigating their impact. 

Cybersecurity aims to protect individuals’ and organizations’ systems, applications, computing devices, sensitive data and financial assets against computer viruses, sophisticated and costly ransomware attacks, and more.

Cyberattacks have the power to disrupt, damage or destroy businesses, and the cost to victims keeps rising. For example, according to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach 2023 report, 

  • The average cost of a data breach in 2023 was USD 4.45 million, up 15% over the last three years;
  • The average cost of a ransomware-related data breach in 2023 was even higher, at USD 5.13 million. This number does not include the cost of the ransom payment, which averaged an extra USD 1,542,333, up 89% from the previous year. 

By one estimate, cybercrime might cost the world economy  USD 10.5 trillion per year by 2025  (link resides outside ibm.com). 1

The expanding information technology (IT) trends of the past few years include:

  • a rise in cloud computing adoption,
  • network complexity,
  • remote work and work from home,
  • bring your own device (BYOD) programs,
  • and connected devices and sensors in everything from doorbells to cars to assembly lines.

All these trends create tremendous business advantages and human progress, but also provide exponentially more opportunities for cybercriminals to attack.

Not surprisingly, a recent study found that the global cybersecurity worker gap—the gap between existing cybersecurity workers and cybersecurity jobs that need to be filled—was 3.4 million workers worldwide. 2 Resource-strained security teams are focusing on developing comprehensive cybersecurity strategies that use advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and automation to fight cyberthreats more effectively and minimize the impact of cyberattacks.

The X-Force Threat Intelligence Index offers new insights into top threats to help you prepare and respond faster to cyberattacks, extortion and more.

Register for the Cost of a Data Breach report

A strong cybersecurity strategy protects all relevant IT infrastructure layers or domains against cyberthreats and cybercrime.

Critical infrastructure security protects the computer systems, applications, networks, data and digital assets that a society depends on for national security, economic health and public safety. In the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed a cybersecurity framework to help IT providers in this area. The US Department of Homeland Security’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) provides extra guidance.

Network security prevents unauthorized access to network resources, and detects and stops cyberattacks and network security breaches in progress. At the same time, network security helps ensure that authorized users have secure and timely access to the network resources they need.

Endpoints—servers, desktops, laptops, mobile devices—remain the primary entry point for cyberattacks. Endpoint security protects these devices and their users against attacks, and also protects the network against adversaries who use endpoints to launch attacks.

Application security protects applications running on-premises and in the cloud, preventing unauthorized access to and use of applications and related data. It also prevents flaws or vulnerabilities in application design that hackers can use to infiltrate the network. Modern application development methods—such as  DevOps and DevSecOps —build security and security testing into the development process.

Cloud security secures an organization’s cloud-based services and assets—applications, data, storage, development tools, virtual servers and cloud infrastructure. Generally speaking, cloud security operates on the shared responsibility model where the cloud provider is responsible for securing the services that they deliver and the infrastructure that is used to deliver them. The customer is responsible for protecting their data, code and other assets they store or run in the cloud. The details vary depending on the cloud services used.

Information security (InfoSec) pertains to protection of all an organization's important information—digital files and data, paper documents, physical media, even human speech—against unauthorized access, disclosure, use or alteration. Data security, the protection of digital information, is a subset of information security and the focus of most cybersecurity-related InfoSec measures.

Mobile security encompasses various disciplines and technologies specific to smartphones and mobile devices, including mobile application management (MAM) and enterprise mobility management (EMM). More recently, mobile security is available as part of unified endpoint management (UEM) solutions that enable configuration and security management for multiple endpoints—mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and more—from a single console.

Malware—short for "malicious software"—is any software code or computer program that is written intentionally to harm a computer system or its users. Almost every modern  cyberattack  involves some type of malware.

Hackers and cybercriminals create and use malware to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and sensitive data, hijack computer systems and operate them remotely, disrupt or damage computer systems, or hold data or systems hostage for large sums of money (see Ransomware).

Ransomware is a type of  malware  that encrypts a victim’s data or device and threatens to keep it encrypted—or worse—unless the victim pays a ransom to the attacker. According to the  IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023 , ransomware attacks represented 17 percent of all  cyberattacks  in 2022.

“Or worse” is what distinguishes today's ransomware from its predecessors. The earliest ransomware attacks demanded a single ransom in exchange for the encryption key. Today, most ransomware attacks are double extortion attacks, demanding a second ransom to prevent sharing or publication of the victims data. Some are triple extortion attacks that threaten to launch a distributed denial of service attack if ransoms aren’t paid.

Phishing attacks are email, text or voice messages that trick users into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending funds to the wrong people. Most users are familiar with bulk phishing scams—mass-mailed fraudulent messages that appear to be from a large and trusted brand, asking recipients to reset their passwords or reenter credit card information. But more sophisticated phishing scams, such as spear phishing and business email compromise (BEC) , target specific individuals or groups to steal especially valuable data or large sums of money.

Phishing is just one type of social engineering —a class of ‘human hacking’ tactics and attacks that use psychological manipulation to tempt or pressure people into taking unwise actions.

Insider threats are threats that originate with authorized users—employees, contractors, business partners—who intentionally or accidentally misuse their legitimate access, or have their accounts hijacked by cybercriminals. Insider threats can be harder to detect than external threats because they have the earmarks of authorized activity, and are invisible to antivirus software, firewalls and other security solutions that block external attacks.

One of the more persistent cybersecurity myths is that all cybercrime comes from external threats. In fact, according to a recent study, 44% of insider threats are caused by malicious actors, and the average cost per incident for malicious insider incidents in 2022 was USD 648,062. 3 Another study found that while the average external threat compromises about 200 million records, incidents involving an inside threat actor resulted in exposure of one billion records or more. 4

A DDoS attack attempts to crash a server, website or network by overloading it with traffic, usually from a botnet—a network of multiple distributed systems that a cybercriminal hijacks by using malware and remote-controlled operations.

The global volume of DDoS attacks spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasingly, attackers are combining DDoS attacks with ransomware attacks, or simply threatening to launch DDoS attacks unless the target pays a ransom.

Despite an ever-increasing volume of cybersecurity incidents worldwide and ever-increasing volumes of learnings that are gleaned from them, some dangerous misconceptions persist.

Strong passwords alone are adequate protection . Strong passwords make a difference. For example, a 12-character password takes 62 trillion times longer to crack than a 6-character password. But because cybercriminals can steal passwords (or pay disgruntled employees or other insiders to steal them), they can’t be an organization’s or individual’s only security measure.  

The major cybersecurity risks are well known . In fact, the risk surface is constantly expanding. Thousands of new vulnerabilities are reported in old and new applications and devices every year. Opportunities for human error—specifically by negligent employees or contractors who unintentionally cause a data breach—keep increasing.  

All cyberattack vectors are contained . Cybercriminals are finding new attack vectors all the time—including Linux systems, operational technology (OT), Internet of Things (IoT) devices and cloud environments.  

‘My industry is safe.’ Every industry has its share of cybersecurity risks, with cyber adversaries exploiting the necessities of communication networks within almost every government and private-sector organization. For example, ransomware attacks are targeting more sectors than ever, including local governments, non-profits and healthcare providers. Threats on supply chains, ".gov" websites, and critical infrastructure have also increased.  

Cybercriminals don’t attack small businesses . Yes, they do. For example, in 2021, 82 percent of ransomware attacks targeted companies with fewer than 1,000 employees; 37 percent of companies attacked with ransomware had fewer than 100 employees. 5

The following best practices and technologies can help your organization implement strong cybersecurity that reduces your vulnerability to cyberattacks and protects your critical information systems without intruding on the user or customer experience.

Security awareness training helps users understand how seemingly harmless actions—from using the same simple password for multiple log-ins, to oversharing on social media—increases their own or their organization’s risk of attack. Security awareness training combined with thought-out data security  policies can help employees protect sensitive personal and organizational data. It can also help them recognize and avoid phishing and malware attacks.

Identity and access management (IAM) defines the roles and access privileges for each user, and the conditions under which they are granted or denied their privileges. IAM technologies include  multi-factor authentication , which requires at least one credential in addition to a username and password, and adaptive authentication, which requires more credentials depending on context. 

Attack surface management (ASM) is the continuous discovery, analysis, remediation and monitoring of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities and potential attack vectors that make up an organization’s attack surface . Unlike other cyberdefense disciplines, ASM is conducted entirely from a hacker’s perspective, rather than the perspective of the defender. It identifies targets and assesses risks based on the opportunities they present to a malicious attacker.

Organizations rely on analytics- and AI-driven technologies to identify and respond to potential or actual attacks in progress because it's impossible to stop all cyberattacks. These technologies can include (but are not limited to) security information and event management (SIEM) , security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) , and endpoint detection and response (EDR) . Typically, these technologies are used as part of a formal incident response plan.

Disaster recovery capabilities often play a key role in maintaining business continuity in the event of a cyberattack. For example, the ability to fail over to a backup that is hosted in a remote location can enable a business to resume operations quickly following a ransomware attack (and sometimes without paying a ransom).

Outsmart attacks with a connected, modernized security suite. The QRadar portfolio is embedded with enterprise-grade AI and offers integrated products for endpoint security, log management, SIEM and SOAR—all with a common user interface, shared insights and connected workflows.

Proactive threat hunting, continuous monitoring and a deep investigation of threats are just a few of the priorities facing an already busy IT department. Having a trusted incident response team on standby can reduce your response time, minimize the impact of a cyberattack, and help you recover faster.

AI-driven unified endpoint management (UEM) protects your devices, apps, content and data. This protection means you can rapidly scale your remote workforce and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives while building a zero trust security strategy. 

Implemented on premises or in a hybrid cloud, IBM data security solutions help you investigate and remediate cyberthreats, enforce real-time controls and manage regulatory compliance.

Proactively protect your organization’s primary and secondary storage systems against ransomware, human error, natural disasters, sabotage, hardware failures and other data loss risks.

Be better prepared for breaches by understanding their causes and the factors that increase or reduce costs. Learn from the experiences of more than 550 organizations that were hit by a data breach.

SIEM (security information and event management) is software that helps organizations recognize and address potential security threats and vulnerabilities before they can disrupt business operations.

Know the threat to beat the threat—get actionable insights that help you understand how threat actors are waging attacks, and how to proactively protect your organization.

Understand your cybersecurity landscape and prioritize initiatives together with senior IBM security architects and consultants in a no-cost, virtual or in-person, 3-hour design thinking session.

Threat management is a process used by cybersecurity professionals to prevent cyberattacks, detect cyber threats and respond to security incidents.

Find insights for rethinking your ransomware defenses and building your ability to remediate an evolving ransomware situation more rapidly.

Cybersecurity threats are becoming more advanced, more persistent and are demanding more effort by security analysts to sift through countless alerts and incidents. IBM Security QRadar SIEM helps you remediate threats faster while maintaining your bottom line. QRadar SIEM prioritizes high-fidelity alerts to help you catch threats that others miss.

1  Cybercrime threatens business growth. Take these steps to mitigate your risk.  (link resides outside ibm.com)

2  Bridging the 3.4 million workforce gap in cybersecurity (link resides outside ibm.com)

3  2022 Ponemon Cost of Insider Threats Global Report  (link resides outside ibm.com)

4  Verizon 2023 Data Breach Investigations Report  (link resides outside ibm.com)

5   82% of Ransomware Attacks Target Small Businesses, Report Reveals  (link resides outside ibm.com)

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  1. Top 5 Research Topic Ideas in 2021!

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  2. 🏷️ The best research paper topics. 200 Easy Research Paper Topics for

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  3. Take a Look at Interesting Research Topics in Education

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  4. Research Topics for PhD in Law by PhD Research

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  5. How to Develop Research Topic & Ideas for Your Dissertation or Thesis

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  6. 130 Excellent Science Research Paper Topics to Consider

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VIDEO

  1. Top 15 Best Research Topics for microbiology for researchers and M.sc. students #study #yt #video

  2. I get a brilliant website for microbiology research topic ideas 📋✌🏻

  3. Introduction to Research and how to choose a research topic

  4. PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH TITLE AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM (Qualitative Research)

  5. 10 Most Potential Dissertation Topics (Fisheries & Aquaculture) #msc #zoology #adarshalaya#project

  6. What is research topic? Criteria for selecting topic, components and examples #health #research

COMMENTS

  1. Top 10 Research Topics from 2021

    Find the answers to your biggest research questions from 2021. With collective views of over 3.7 million, researchers explored topics spanning from nutritional

  2. 125 Best Research Paper Topics of 2021

    This will help keep your paper clear and structured, and you will get clarity to produce a strong report. One of the most challenging parts of writing a research paper is to find a perfect topic to write. Luckily, we have done all the hard work for you and have created a list of 125 fascinating research paper topics.

  3. 300+ Good Research Paper Topics

    Research Paper Topics for Computer Science. Quantum Computing: Current State and Future Prospects. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Diagnosis and Treatment. Blockchain Technology and Its Applications Beyond Cryptocurrency. Cybersecurity in the Age of IoT: Challenges and Solutions.

  4. 170+ Research Topics In Education (+ Free Webinar)

    Below you can find research topic ideas for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education contexts. Click the relevant level to view the respective list. Research Topics: Pick An Education Level ... (McCrae, 2021) As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, in order for ...

  5. 113 Great Research Paper Topics

    113 Great Research Paper Topics. Posted by Christine Sarikas. General Education. One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and ...

  6. 99+ Interesting Research Paper Topics

    The ideas are categorized into fields of study or areas of interest, so you can explore a new angle in your research paper topic. Research Ideas for the Sciences. So many research papers fall within the sciences and breaking them down or connecting the sciences encompasses entire fields of study. Here are the 3 main areas of science and a few ...

  7. 100+ Healthcare Research Topics (+ Free Webinar)

    Here, we'll explore a variety of healthcare-related research ideas and topic thought-starters across a range of healthcare fields, including allopathic and alternative medicine ... 2021) On the Incentives of Medicare's Hospital Reimbursement and an Examination of Exchangeability (Elzinga, 2016) Managing the healthcare crisis: the career ...

  8. 55 Research Paper Topics to Jump-Start Your Paper

    55 Research Paper Topics to Jump-Start Your Paper. Matt Ellis. Updated on October 9, 2023 Students. Coming up with research paper topics is the first step in writing most papers. While it may seem easy compared to the actual writing, choosing the right research paper topic is nonetheless one of the most important steps.

  9. 100 Interesting Research Paper Topics for High Schoolers

    Composing a research paper can be a daunting task for first-time writers. In addition to making sure you're using concise language and your thoughts are organized clearly, you need to find a topic that draws the reader in. CollegeVine is here to help you brainstorm creative topics! Below are 100 interesting research paper topics that will ...

  10. 2021 Top 25 Health Sciences Articles

    Here, the authors investigate the fluctuations of physiological indices along aging trajectories and observed a characteristic decrease in the organism state recovery rate. Timothy V. Pyrkov ...

  11. The 10 Most Popular Articles in 2021 (So Far)

    Leading through change, hybrid work environments, and developing strategy for the post-pandemic era are among the most popular topics for readers in recent months. Ally MacDonald July 27, 2021 Reading Time: 3 min. Subscribe Share. Following one of the most disruptive years in recent memory, 2021 has offered up many challenges and questions for ...

  12. 300+ Research Paper Topics for Every Student in 2024

    These are the 200+ topics on various subjects, which you might find useful when creating your own. In case you need help aside from creating topics, you can also order the original research on Politics, Media & Communication, to do my Math homework, Law, and even Nursing papers for sale on Edubirdie.

  13. Top positive psychology research of 2021 (so far)

    Three-quarters or 79 per cent of Australian casual workers say their happiness at work directly impacts on the customer experience they can deliver. Happiness statistics 2021 (Finder.com). Data reveals children, financial security and a good Internet connection make Aussies happy.

  14. Google Scholar reveals its most influential papers for 2021

    The five-year-old paper's astonishing ascendancy continues, from 25,256 citations in 2019 to 49,301 citations in 2020 to 82,588 citations in 2021. We wrote about it last year here. The 2021 ...

  15. 15 Trending Nutrition Research Articles from 2021

    2021 has come to a close, take a look back at some trending nutrition research articles from ASN's four journals: The Journal of Nutrition, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Advances in Nutrition, and Current Developments in Nutrition.Here are 15 articles that were mentioned the most in news and social media this year.

  16. The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2021

    Joe Spring. Associate Editor, Science. December 23, 2021. From amazing firsts on Mars to the impacts of climate change on Earth, these science stories stood out as the most important of 2021 Photo ...

  17. 2021 Research Highlights

    Six months later, people who had been vaccinated still showed signs of immunity. COVID-19 vaccines saved an estimated 140,000 lives through May 2021, and hundreds of thousands more have been saved since. As SARS-CoV-2 mutated and new variants became common, scientists conducted studies on booster doses of vaccine.

  18. The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2021

    3. The Surprising Power of Pretesting. Asking students to take a practice test before they've even encountered the material may seem like a waste of time—after all, they'd just be guessing. But new research concludes that the approach, called pretesting, is actually more effective than other typical study strategies.

  19. HBR's Most-Read Research Articles of 2021

    HBR's Most-Read Research Articles of 2021. Summary. What will it take to make work better? Over the past year, HBR has published a wide array of research-backed articles that explore topics ...

  20. Disruptive Innovation 2021: These 15 big ideas are most likely to

    Based on our research, the global gaming market will increase at a 16% compound annual rate during the next five years, from $175 billion in 2020 to roughly $365 billion by 2025. The AR & VR ...

  21. MBA Research Topics In Business (+ Free Webinar)

    Here, we'll explore a variety of research ideas and topic thought-starters for management-related research degrees (MBAs/DBAs, etc.). These research topics span management strategy, HR, finance, operations, international business and leadership. ... 2021) Science Data Sharing: Applying a Disruptive Technology Platform Business Model (Edwards ...

  22. 2021 Research Highlights

    The findings suggest that people can learn to reduce the brain activity causing some types of chronic pain that occur in the absence of injury or persist after healing. 2021 Research Highlights — Basic Research Insights >>. NIH findings with potential for enhancing human health include new drugs and vaccines in development for COVID-19 ...

  23. Big Ideas 2021: 10 Broad Trends in

    October 2021. Each year, for the past four years, Education Week has produced a special report on big ideas in K-12 education. The reports focus on important and timely issues that schools have ...

  24. American Psychological Association (APA)

    The American Psychological Association (APA) is a scientific and professional organization that represents psychologists in the United States. APA educates the public about psychology, behavioral science and mental health; promotes psychological science and practice; fosters the education and training of psychological scientists, practitioners and educators; advocates for psychological ...

  25. U.S. public, private and charter schools in 5 charts

    A teacher instructs a fourth grade math class at a private school in Washington, D.C. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images) While children in the United States are guaranteed a free education at their local public school through state constitutional law, many families weigh other educational options for their children. Even before the coronavirus pandemic upended families ...

  26. Oral Health Topics

    The Oral Health Topics section on ADA.org is intended to provide dentists with clinically relevant, evidence-based science behind the issues that may affect their patients and their practice. Refer to the Oral Health Topics for current scientific reviews of subjects that relate to oral health, from amalgam separators and antibiotic prophylaxis ...

  27. LGBTQI+ People and Substance Use

    IN AN EMERGENCY: Are you or someone you know experiencing severe symptoms or in immediate danger? Please seek immediate medical attention by calling 9-1-1 or visiting an Emergency Department.Poison control can be reached at 1-800-222-1222 or www.poison.org.; Are you or someone you know experiencing a substance use and/or mental health crisis or any other kind of emotional distress?

  28. Low Blood Glucose (Hypoglycemia)

    Related Topics. English. English; Español; Preventing Diabetes Problems. ... Clinical trials—and other types of clinical studies—are part of medical research and involve people like you. When you volunteer to take part in a clinical study, you help doctors and researchers learn more about disease and improve health care for people in the ...

  29. What is Cybersecurity?

    Yes, they do. For example, in 2021, 82 percent of ransomware attacks targeted companies with fewer than 1,000 employees; 37 percent of companies attacked with ransomware had fewer than 100 employees. 5. ... Get the report Related topic What is SIEM? SIEM (security information and event management) is software that helps organizations recognize ...