Using Directories to find a Topic for Your Paper

Directories are similar to Search Engines, except the present main Categories of subjects.  Clicking on a subject that you are interested in leads you to a list of sub-topics.
 
Clicking on a Sub-topic brings you to another list of sub-topics, and so on.

    You can usually drill down to some very specific concept that you use for your Topic.
 
The process helps you take a general subject, and narrow it down to some detail you can use as your paper’s topic.
 
The other nice thing is once you have found some interesting idea, you’re provided a list of links that starts your list of references.
 

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There are several good directories out there.
 
Yahoo actually started out like this http://dir.yahoo.com/
Google has one as well:        http://www.google.com/dirhp
The Directory of Open Access Journals has over 6,000 scientific Journals that make up its directory:  http://www.doaj.org/
The Environment Directory is more specialized – focusing on Environmental subjects:  http://www.webdirectory.com/

The trick is to start out with a general subject that:

1)    You like
2)    You know a lot about
3)    You want to learn more about

You should also consider that you might have to do another paper on the same thing in the future. Writing about that general subject could save you time in a future project.
 

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Other Links

Here’s a good “how to” in deciding on a topic: http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/choose-a-research-topic

Here’s another that helps you before and after you choose your topic:  http://library.weber.edu/ref/guides/howto/topicselection.cfm

This article looks closer at the “narrowing down” process: http://www.ehow.com/how_4582358_choose-topic-research-paper.html