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ENG 310 Research Writing

Research Topics and Resources by Major

Scroll to find the box listing your College/Major to view topics and resources to support your writing assignment.

College of Education & Liberal Arts

Topics:
  • Fake news
  • ethical and unethical communication (in the workplace; in print, broadcast and digital media, in advertising and marketing);
  • social media (ethics)
  • opinion vs. fact; blurring of lines between entertainment and news
  • advertising vs. marketing
  • bias in media
  • traditional vs. new media
  • alt right and alt left media
  • agenda setting and framing
  • media literacy
  • media law in the U.S.
  • the business of journalism
  • changing nature of news
  • crisis communication
  • ethics in public relations
  • media convergence.
Library Databases:
​Topics:
  • health care
  • mental health
  • business
  • finance
  • politics
  • education
  • gender issues (LGBTQ)
  • childcare
  • parenthood
  • elder care; or even things like superhero movie viewing
  • art appreciation or making
  • robotics; new technology
  • food and eating
  • criminal justice
  • entertainment
  • sports
  • tattoos 
Library Databases:

College of Business

Topics:
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Business Ethics
  • Sustainability and Energy Management
  • Organizational Culture
  • Business Professionalism (Business Etiquette)
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Team Development
  • Motivation
  • Leadership
  • Supply and Demand
Library Databases:
Topics:
  • Equal Employment Opportunity
  • HR Management in Organizations
  • Strategic HR Management and Planning
  • Workers, Jobs, and Job Analysis
  • Human Resource Planning and Retention
  • Recruiting and Labor Markets
  • Selecting Human Resources
  • Training Human Resources
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management and Appraisal​

Topics
  • Concussions
  • Sports professionals as social media influencers
  • Safety and Security at Mega Sport Events
  • Sport sponsorship and endorsement
  • College athletics
  • Youth sports
  • Sport analytics
  • Marketing and ticket sales
  • Title IX
  • Olympic Sport
Use the Sports Management guide to locate articles

College of Health Professions & Natural Sciences

Topics:
  • Bioethics of human genetic engineering
  • Evolution
  • Biodiversity
  • Cell Function
  • Impact of Science on Society
Library Databases
Topics:
  • Social Determinants of Health and their impact on the health of Individuals or populations
  • Community Impact of Disease
  • Trauma Informed Care
  • US Health System vs Other countries
  • Health care Rights
Library Databases:
Topics:
  • Nurse as educator
  • Nurse as a Professional
  • Nurse as a health care provider in a community setting
  • Legal Implications in Nursing
  • Nursing effects on Global Health
  • Nurse in politics.
Library Databases:

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

TOPIC

SUGGESTED RESEARCH QUESTION/ These are conceptual questions designed to narrow the focus of the topic and provide a framework for the literature search.

Crime
  • What are the key socio-economic factors behind knife crimes in Wilmington, Delaware?
  • What are the social causes behind gang fights in Wilmington, Delaware?
  • What childhood experiences do female serial murderers have in common?
  • What makes mothers kill their children?

Culture
  • How do immigrant children bridge the culture of their birth with the culture of their adopted countries?
  • How can African American churches in the community help youths stay in school?

Economy
  • To what extent does the minimum wage contribute to the suppression of economic mobility?
  • Why has the illegal drug economy proliferated among the poor?
  • How do teenagers learn to manage money?

Families
  • What is the correlation of military deployments and family divorce rates?
  • How do parents of autistic children deal with stress?
  • What has happened to the traditional daily family dinner routine in middle-class suburban American families?
  • How does child neglect affect a child’s self-esteem in adulthood?
  • What are the causes of children abusing their elderly parents?

Fathers
  • What are the challenges to single fathers raising children?
  • How does the loss of a job affect a man’s role as a father?

Gangs
  • How do mothers of gang members reconcile their off-spring’s membership in a gang with their parenting style?

Gender issues
  • Why do women still earn less than men for the same work?
  • To what extent does the glass ceiling prevent women from reaching top jobs in organizations?
  • How do the media influence teen-age girls’ perceptions of body image? 
  • How are men and women convicted of murder portrayed differently in the media?

Immigration
  • To what extent do undocumented immigrants contribute to the economy?

Labor
  • To what extent has the decline of labor unions contributed to the decline of the middle class?
  • How do newcomers to an organization experience becoming an organizational member?
  • How do organizational friendships with co-workers contribute to organizational commitment of workers?

Media
  • How are disabled individuals presented in the media?
  • How are young, attractive women portrayed in the media?
  • How does the media portrayal of young women affect teenage girls’ self-esteem?
  • What television commercials are played most often during the afternoons?

Military families
  • How is the divorce rate in the military affected by deployments?
  • How does a soldier’s return from war affect a family?

Newcomer socialization
  • How do newcomers to an organization experience becoming an organizational member?

Organizations
  • What is the relationship on worker motivation and organizational productivity?
  • What are the social dimensions of communication within an organization?

Poverty
  • What is the difference in access to fresh food in poor neighborhoods versus suburban neighborhoods?

Race & Ethnicity
  • How do bi-racial children develop their ethnic identity?

Religion
  • What is the relationship between religion and economic well-being?
  • How does religion shape gender relations and roles?

Social stratification
  • How does social class influence parental attitudes to child rearing?
  • How does social class influence a parent’s attitude toward child punishment?

Library Databases

Library Databases:

If ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS have not selected a topic and drafted a research question by Week 2, then students should select a topic and research question from the list below. This will be the topic students will use for all of their assignments in this course.

ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS students should select their articles from BUSINESS SOURCE ULTIMATE or SAGE JOURNALS ONLINE (SEE BELOW FOR DATABASE LINKS)

TOPIC

SUGGESTED RESEARCH QUESTION/ These are conceptual questions designed to narrow the focus of the topic and provide a framework for the literature search.

SUGGESTED JOURNALS - Use Library Journal Locator Tool listed below to locate specific journals

Commitment

How do newcomers to an organization experience becoming an organizational member?

 

How do organizational friendships with co-workers contribute to organizational commitment of workers?

 

What is there a difference in organizational commitment for public, non-profit and for-profit employees?

Journal of Applied Psychology

 

Academy of Management Journal

 

Business and Management Review

 

Business Communication Quarterly

 

Personnel Psychology

 

Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies

 

Human Resource Executive

 

Organization Studies

 

Journal of International Organizations Studies

 

Journal of Management Inquiry

 

The Leadership Quarterly

 

Journal of Leadership Studies

 

Advancing Women In Leadership

Leadership

How do over-qualified individuals reconcile their identity when having to settle for lower level jobs?

 

What expectations do college students have of translating their social science bachelor degrees into career opportunities?

 

How do young leaders learn the techniques needed to gain support from older workers?

 

Workplace learning

How does organizational friendship with co-workers contribute to learning organizational tasks?

 

Who do organizational members turn to when having to learn new complex tasks in the organization?

Workplace violence

What are the risk factors that help increase awareness of workplace violence?

 

If PSYCHOLOGY MAJORS have not selected a topic and drafted a research question by Week 2, then students should select a topic and research question from the list below. This will be the topic students will use for all of their assignments in this course.

PSYCHOLOGY majors should select their articles from either the PSYCH INFO, PSYCH ARTICLES, or SAGE JOURNAL ONLINE databases. (SEE BELOW FOR DATABASE LINKS)

TOPIC SUGGESTED RESEARCH QUESTION OR HYPOTHESIS SUGGESTED JOURNALS - Use Library Journal Locator Tool listed below to locate specific journals
Work and family What is the relationship between job satisfaction and mental health?

Community Mental Health Journal

Journal of Counseling and Development

International Journal of Behavioral Development

Personnel Psychology
Sexuality  What is the relationship between body image and sexuality?

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Journal of Sex Research

Journal of Counseling Psychology
Motivation What is the relationship between motivation and academic performance?

Journal of Educational Psychology

Educational Psychology

Journal of Personality

and Social Psychology

Journal of Applied Psychology

Educational Psychologist
Human Development What is the relationship between gender and self-regulation of emotions?

Child Development

Journal of Child and Family Studies

Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology

Journal of Cognition and Development

Developmental Psychology
Child development What is the correlation between shyness and academic achievement?  
Cognitive psychology
  • What is the relationship of dreaming and reduced stress among students?
  • To what extent does dreaming help to solve problems?
  
Industrial/ Organizational psychology
  • What is the decision making process among 911 call takers?
  • What is the correlation between extroversion and promote-ability at work?
  
Social psychology How do bullies select their victims?  

 

College of Technology

​Topics:
  • Internet Security
  • Web Design
  • Gaming
  • Smart Home Technology
  • Internet of Things
  • Augmented Reality
  • Virtual Reality
  • Machine learning
  • Humanized Big Data ( visual, empathetic, qualitative)
  • Automation
  • Physical-Digital integration
  • On-demand phone apps
  • Social Media
Library Databases and Resources:
Topics:
  • The Internet of Things (IoT)
  • Software vulnerabilities/Secure software development
  • Data breaches
  • Threat intelligence
  • Ransomeware
  • Information security awareness
  • Cloud computing
  • Digital forensics
  • Phishing, Spear Phishing and Whaling
  • Social Engineering
  • IoT forensics
  • Cyber warfare
  • ACM Digital Library
Library Databases and Resources:
Topics in Web, Interface, and Experience Design:
  1. Designing for Augmented Reality
  2. Designing for Virtual Reality
  3. Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
  4. Ethics in Digital Design 
  5. Designing Addictive Experiences
  6. Internet Privacy
  7. Net Neutrality
  8. Agile and Waterfall Project Management
  9. Accessibility
  10. What makes a great customer experience
  11. Psychology of Color
  12. ​Aesthetics and Function
  13. Digital Art Evolution
  14. Influential Graphic Designers
  15. Visual Communication
  16. Culture and Design Expectations
  17. What is the hook of digital photography? Is the its anticipation of capturing a moment of time in your life? Are these images an enduring and inedible benchmark of your physical world? Summarize your view and expand on the vision/artform of the medium.
  18. ​How has the Art of Photography changed now that we all carry a powerful digital camera in the form of our cell phones?
  19. What is the social impact of carrying a cell phone with a camera and video capture with us at all times?
  20. In the era of all news being consumed on the screen, what impact does this have for comprehension and understanding?
  21. visual literacy
  22. propaganda
  23. Propaganda Posters and Political Design
  24. Graffiti Art and Design
  25. Creative Imagination vs Artificial Intelligence in Design
  26. Use of Photoshop - Is it ethical to digitally alter photos and call them real? (I'm thinking about magazine models)
  27. Staying Relevant - How do you design for the times? 
  28. Image Rights
  29. Overthinking Projects
  30. UX design vs UI design​
  31. Video game industry
  32. Typography
  33. Color
  34. Logos/Branding
  35. Freelancing
  36. Style
  37. Digital 
  38. Cameras
  39. Printing
  40. Marketing
  41. Motion
  42. Framing
  43. Lighting
  44. Shadows
  45. Shapes

 

Library Databases:
Subjects: Liberal Arts