Writing an excellent paper partly involves selecting a good topic for the paper. There are many possible good research paper topics, including psychology research paper topics. Below are some general guidelines that can be used in selecting good paper topics (e.g., good psychology research paper topics).
1. Pick a topic that you are really interested in. Your enthusiasm for the topic may be reflected in the paper. If you are very interested in the topic, you may be able to present your ideas in greater depth and cogency. You may be able to think of arguments and evidence to support your ideas. Your paper may be more detailed.
2. The topic should not be too broad for the length of the paper. If the topic is too broad, you may not present the ideas in sufficient depth. If you are writing a short paper (e.g., 4-8 pages), it may be better to have a more specific topic. For example, a short paper on humor and leadership would be better than a paper on humor in general.
3. In my view, papers are better and more interesting to read if they have a thesis statement. The papers should not just be a summarization of information. Sometimes these papers can be fragmented. It also may be more difficult to appreciate the ideas in the paper. Thus, it may be a good idea to pick a topic that reflects a thesis statement.
The thesis statement would be a view in the paper that would be supported by argument and evidence. For example, one thesis statement is the idea that rituals help us to find meaning in life. This may be a better than a paper on the topic of rituals in general.
4. Pick a topic in which you may be able to make some original contribution to the literature. In my view, papers that reflect some original insight are much better than papers that only summarize the ideas of others. Thus, you may wish to ask yourself whether you can develop some original ideas for that particular topic.
5. If you are writing a short paper, you may wish to pick a topic in which the ideas or research findings are not too confusing, conflicting, or complex. It may be very difficult to write a clear and informative short paper if the ideas or findings are too confusing, conflicting, or complex.
6. If the paper is focused on presenting research findings, it would be important to select a topic in which there is a significant amount of research on the topic. It would be good to be able to provide some conclusions based on sufficient evidence.