75 Research Paper Topics Some argumentative topics have become stale, old, and cliché. They are also subjects that lend themselves to copy and paste research and, thus, plagiarism because they are the universal stock topics of Freshman Composition. Here are stale topics you may NOT write about:

1. Abortion 2. ADD/ADHD drug over-prescription issues 3. Affirmative Action 4. Assisted Suicide/Euthanasia 5. Birth Control in schools 6. Corporal Punishment 7. Creationism/Evolution 8. Death Penalty 9. Dress codes (school uniforms) 10. Drinking Age (Age of Consent) 11. Drug Legalization (Marijuana for medical use, etc.) 12. English as America’s official language 13. Gay marriage 14. Gun control 15. Illegal immigration 16. Offensive sports team names (i.e "Sioux" and "Redskins") 17. Prayer in schools (and Pledge of Allegiance in schools) 18. Senior citizens and their driving skills 19. Sex Education in schools 20. Video Game Violence

Acceptable topics include but are not limited to: Business

1. Cheap labor U.S. companies that move factories to undeveloped nations barely pay employees enough to live on. Is it unethical to pay cheap wages or are companies doing those workers a favor? 2. Fitness programs Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time? 3. Oil companies Do oil companies make big bucks while the rest of us pay over $3 a gallon? 4. Wage gap Women still earn only 80 cents for every $1 a man earns. Explain why. 5. Wages There’s a minimum wage, but should there also be a maximum wage/salary a person can earn?

Education

6. Censorship Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools? 7. College athletics Should college athletes be paid? 8. Electronic information preservation Does the Information Age mean we are losing impor- tant historical information? 9. Exams Exams often do little more than measure a person’s ability to take exams. Should exams be outlawed in favor of another form of assessment? 10. Gap year Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college? 11. Grades In some European schools, fewer than 10% of students get A’s. Is there grade inflation in the U.S.? Why so many A’s for Americans? 12. Single-sex schools Do children learn better in boys-only and girls-only schools?

Environment

13. Climate change Is global warming a hoax? Is it being exaggerated? 14. Coal Should the use of coal be subjected to stricter environmental regulations than other fuels? 15. Wind energy Is wind energy really that cheap? Is it effective? Is it practical? Government Policy

16. Airport security Should the government use invasive pat-downs and body scans to ensure passenger safety or are there better methods? 17. Al-Qaida and ISIS Has U.S. policy actually spread terrorism rather than contain it? Will it get better or worse? Why and how? 18. Arming pilots Good idea? 19. Bridges, roads, waterways Why the government gets a bad report card on America’s infrastructure. 20. Homeland Security Are we safer since the creation of this department? Immigration Should illegal immigrants be made legal citizens? 21. Internet regulation Should the federal government be allowed to regulate information on the Internet? 22. Marijuana legalization Should the federal government legalize the use of marijuana? 23. Obesity and weight loss Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums? 24. Privacy Should the government be allowed to wiretap without permission? 25. Sex offenders Once they leave prison, are laws about where they may live and be employed unfair?

Health

26. Fast food Are we taking it too far by blaming fast-food restaurants for obesity? When is it individual responsibility and when is it appropriate to place blame? 27. Fitness programs Should companies allow employees to exercise on work time? 28. Food Steroids. Antibiotics. Sprays. Are food manufacturers killing us? 29. Lead poisoning Should the U.S. stop importing Chinese-manufactured toys? 30. Malpractice How can we balance the need to lower the cost of malpractice insurance with the fact that physician malpractice is one of the leading causes of death? 31. Models Should there be a minimum weight limit? 32. Noise pollution How much is too much noise? What, if anything, should we do to curb it? 33. Obesity and weight loss Should thin people have to pay Medicare and other health costs for the health problems of obese people? Should obese people have higher premiums? OR Is there an amplified problem with obesity in the South? Why and what can be done about it? 34. School lunches Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be served in school cafeterias? 35. Smoking bans Should the federal government pass a nationwide indoor smoking ban? 36. Steroids Should they be legalized? 37. Vaccines Should parents avoid vaccinating their children?

Human Behavior

38. Nonverbal communication How do men and women communicate differently using body language, and why does it matter (in dating, the workplace, social circles)? 39. Road rage Why do normally patient people become impatient behind the wheel? 40. Social anxiety How is it different from shyness? And, are we a society of anxiety? 41. Suicide bombers What kind of person becomes a suicide bomber? 42. Terrorism Can terrorism ever be justified?

Legal Issues

43. Airplane accidents Who is responsible? Should families of victims be entitled to compensa- tion? 44. Bullying laws Should the state or federal government put laws into place to prevent bullying? 45. Civil disobedience Is breaking the law for a cause justifiable? 46. Civil unions If civil couples have the same rights/privileges as married people, why get mar- ried? 47. Holocaust Should denial of the Holocaust be illegal?Infidelity In some states, it is illegal to cheat on a spouse. Should we prosecute cheaters? Is a 48. law that’s not enforced really a law? 49. Juvenile offenders Should juvenile offenders be tried and punished as adults? 50. Organ sale Should we legalize the sale of human organs? 51. Parents Should parents be held responsible when their children break laws? 52. Statutory rape Recently, a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for having con- sensual oral sex with a 15-year-old girl. Are statutory rape laws patronizing to girls and discriminatory to boys? 53. Media and Freedom of SpeechAdvertising Should certain kinds of ads be banned in the interest of health/morality/annoyance (alcohol, cigarettes, prescription meds, etc.? ) 54. Art A few years ago, an artist was criticized for depicting the Virgin Mary with elephant dung. When is art not really art? 55. Censorship Should parents censor textbooks and other literature for children in schools? 56. Church arson Hate crime? 57. Flag Should children be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools? 58. Journalism Should newspaper reporters be required to reveal their sources? 59. Media Does the media, both print and broadcast, report fairly? Does it ever cross the line between reporting the news and creating the news?How serious is the issue of fake news? 60. Public figures Does the public have a right to know about a public figure’s private life? 61. Racial bias in media Does news coverage favor whites? 62. Women in the clergy Should women be priests, pastors, ministers and rabbis?

Social Issues

63. Animal rights Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment? 64. Beauty contests Do they serve any purpose in society? 65. Campus sexual assault Are sexual assault incidences on college campuses on the rise or has awareness just increased? 66. Child soldiers Why and how children are used for war 67. Divorce Should we reform laws to make it harder to get a divorce? 68. Felons and voting Should convicted felons have the right to vote? 69. Feminism Is feminism still relevant? How do young women view feminism? 70. Gay marriage Should there be a constitutional amendment that allows gays and lesbians to legally marry? 71. Internet and children Are children smarter (or more socialized) because of the Internet? 72. Literacy Are Americans “literate”? 73. Organ sale Should we legalize the sale of human organs? 74. Spanking Should it be outlawed? 75. Sports parents What are the effects on children whose parents push them in sports?