
Tessa M. answered 04/13/25
Patient and Knowledgeable English as a Second Language Tutor
To find the "right topic" for your essay, if there is such a thing, there are things that you can do and guidelines that you can follow.
- Understand the prompt. What is the goal of writing this essay? What should your finished product accomplish? Remember to complete the assignment you are given and follow the instructions.
- Brainstorm. Write down a list of ideas that you could possibly use for your topic. Think of topics that you are interested in writing about, and that will not bore you to death.
- Pick a topic that fits the prompt, that you are interested in, and that is not too broad or too narrow. For example, want to write an expository (informative) essay about psychology? You could narrow in a topic such as a few famous psychologists and their theories, or focus on one theory that you find interesting, like humanistic psychology. Or, you could even narrow it down further, by picking one element of humanistic psychology, like the study and understanding of the person as a whole.
- Pick a topic that you can find enough information on. Do a search on Google Scholar, and/or do a search at your local library and see what you can find. Remember that you need to use credible, academic sources for your essay. Look for peer-reviewed journal articles and studies, and remember that a lot of them require payment. Look for the ones that you can get some actual information from for free.
- Pick out who your audience is. Who are you writing this essay for? This will help you choose which information to put in your essay, and help you refine your topic.