Need a Research Topic? Let curiosity by your guide! – Mary and Jeff Bell Library Blog

magnifying glass illustration with words What do you do? in the lens.

You have a research project coming up… and you have no idea what to write about!

Illustration of a young woman looking thoughtful, bright green shirt with dark hair.

Let your natural curiosity lead you to your initial research topic!

Find a prompt to spark your curiosity!

A prompt can be any item of interest that sparks your curiosity.

This method uses your creativity and a prompt to help you generate questions to lead you to a working research topic.

A prompt can be a piece of text, a word, an image, a video, a sound, sculpture, animals…

Anything.

Here’s an example:

view of the Grand Canyon as a prompt. See caption for long description. — The image displays a scenic view of the Grand Canyon under a partly cloudy sky. In the foreground, there are rugged formations of red rock with jagged edges and varying elevations. The layers of sediment create a striking contrast of red, brown, and orange hues. In the midground, the canyon’s vast expanse is visible, featuring rocky ridges and deep valleys stretching into the distance. The background features a wide horizon line with soft clouds dispersed across the sky, offering a subtle brightness to the scene. *Photo by Sojy John on Unsplash*

You can find an interesting image like this one to use as a prompt, maybe from your textbook or course readings, or an online search.

Now, you can try some brainstorming!

What questions does the image bring to mind?

What would make you curious to ask or find out about it?

Take about 10 uninterrupted minutes to jot down a few questions, even simple ones!

Here’s a few we came up with:

How old are these rock layers?
What does the canyon look like at sunrise or sunset?
How does water erosion shape the canyon over time?

Your questions or ideas of course are probably different, for this prompt or any others.

Perfect! That’s the point. This exercise is meant to find what makes YOU curious. You can then identify a topic you genuinely want to research and find out more about!

For now, don’t worry whether these are “high quality” research questions. Simple questions can lead us to find out more about a topic and then dive a little deeper!

Following our natural curiosity can lead us to ask more complex, open-ended questions.

Not only can these be great research questions, they also spark our interests!

Here are a couple examples of research topics we came up with, based on our initial questions:

What cultural, spiritual, or survival practices were connected to canyons like this one?
Examine how artists, writers, and filmmakers have represented red rock canyons in cultural works

Example 2

Here’s a couple of more examples of images as prompts!

Vaccination clinic scene used as a prompt. See caption for long description. — A vaccination scene inside a room with brick walls. In the foreground, a healthcare worker wearing a white medical coat, a blue hairnet, a face mask, and protective glasses is administering a vaccine to a seated woman. The woman, with dark hair tied back, is wearing a red and black polka-dot face mask and a light-colored garment. A multicolored, checkered cloth covers her lap. Behind them, two more medical personnel dressed in white coats and colorful straw hats are seated at a table, with one writing. A yellow banner in the background reads “Vacuna es segura” with additional text. A handmade sign with red lettering and symbols hangs on the wall. *(USAID/Colombia/Flickr)*

Here are the research questions we came up with:

Explore the role of social media and local media in spreading vaccine information.
Research global disparities in vaccine access — what barriers exist for marginalized communities

Example 3

Picture of ancient fresco as a prompt. See caption for long description. — An ancient fresco in black and white, featuring several athletic figures in motion. The fresco is divided into two horizontal rows. The top row shows four figures, each engaged in different athletic activities such as running and throwing. The bottom row also features four figures participating in activities like holding objects or performing gestures. All figures are adorned in what appears to be two-piece athletic attire. The fresco has a textured background, suggesting its ancient origin and worn surface.

Here are our questions:

Analyze the artistic style of the mosaic—what techniques were used to depict movement and activity?
Compare depictions of women in Roman mosaics with media portrayals of female athletes.

References for the images:

CSP Global. (2021, March 22). [Photograph of Ancient Greek fresco depicting women athletes]. In A brief history of women in sports. Concordia University Global. Retrieved September 16, 2025, from https://kinesiology.csp.edu/sports-coaches-and-trainers/a-brief-history-of-women-in-sports/

John, S. (2018). Stunning view of Grand Canyon [Photograph]. Unsplash. Retrieved September 25, 2025, from https://share.google/images/lrjrHjETlW5Fyr6fq

Ochs, J., et al. (2021). [Photograph of a vaccination clinic]. In Population health for nurses (Chapter 1.1, “Defining population health,” Heading: Vaccines). OpenStax. Retrieved September 12, 2025, from https://openstax.org/books/population-health/pages/1-1-defining-population-health#fig-00003

For a some more example prompts

So when you have a research assignment coming up, and you have no idea what you are going to write about… Let your natural curiosity lead you to a topic and research question that genuinely intrigue you!

See this short video from the Mary and Jeff Bell Library for some more ideas on finding curiosity prompts!