Perhaps you have decided a broad subject area that you are interested in, but are having trouble narrowing your focus to a specific topic area. If so, you should take the basic step of identifying key words connected to your subject. This can help you get started. Check the link titled "Information Search" (on the right of this page) for an explanation. At the bottom of that page, also read "Tip Sheet 3" (in the green box) about getting an overview.
Doing some background reading to get an overview of your subject gives you a general idea about the subject, and shows you how it can be separated into sub-topics. Then you might see what topic you'd like to focus on. Encyclopedias (for example, Encyclopedia Brittanica) are excellent sources for getting an overview. Wikipedia is okay, although not as reliable. Anyone can write for Wikipedia, and it's known to be less than 100% reliable. Wikipedia can never be used as a direct source for research essays.
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