Think about things you've seen on social media or the news.
Can you turn one into a research topic?
Look through class readings. Which do you find interesting?
Think about topics that are discussed in your major.
Talk to your professor, classmates, or a librarian.
Do some quick searches in Google to test out and refine any ideas you have.
It can be helpful to start your research by asking yourself questions like:
What are people in this field talking about right now? What are the hot ideas?
What concerns do people in this field have? What problem am I trying to solve?
Are there areas of improvement or opportunity for this field, business or industry? What are they?
Mind mapping is a technique to explore different angles on your topic.
You can make your own mind map on paper or use a tool to create one.
Below is an example of what a mind-map might look like, with the main topic in the center and subtopics surrounding it:
If you want to use an online tool to help with mind mapping, here are some options. Many others are available if you search on the web: