How do I choose aa topic for my research proposal?

We encountered similar problems when it came to writing our fourth year honours thesis. The advice given to us was to look through the term papers we had written, and see if there was a particular topic that spoke to us. Of course, you want to come up with a new research question, so that you aren’t just expanding on an essay that you already wrote, but that was the idea.

For me, I had written a term paper on the internment of Japanese Canadians during the Second World War. My essay focused on how unnecessary this action was. It was pretty narrow in scope - I focused on the pragmatic elements, rather than ethical ones.

When it came to writing my honours thesis, I approached the topic from the point of view of Japanese Canadians. Their perspective caused me to see the importance of a community newspaper in maintaining that community during the war and in the years immediately following. I didn’t see this until I was about halfway done my thesis though. That is to say, I ended up a little ways off from where I thought I would be when I started writing.

So, maybe look back at your essays and find a general topic you liked. Thinking back to what you remember about your topic, try to approach it from a new angle - is there something you are genuinely curious about? I’m assuming you have a professor supervising you - bring a couple ideas to them and see where they guide you.