assignment topic definition

Below is a list of interpretations for some of the more common directive/instructional words. These interpretations are intended as a guide only but should help you gain a better understanding of what is required when they are used. 

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Choosing and Refining Topics

When we are given a choice of topics to write on, or are asked to come up with our own topic ideas, we must always make choices that appeal to our own interests, curiosity, and current knowledge. If you decide to write an essay on same sex marriage, for instance, it is obvious that you should make that decision because you are interested in the issue, know something about it already, and/or would like to know more about it. However, because we rarely write solely for our own satisfaction, we must consider matters other than our own interests as we choose topics.

A Definition of a Topic

A topic is the main organizing principle of a discussion, either verbal or written. Topics offer us an occasion for speaking or writing and a focus which governs what we say. They are the subject matter of our conversations, and the avenues by which we arrive at other subjects of conversations. Consider, for instance, a recent class discussion. Although your instructor determined what topic you discussed initially, some students probably asked questions that led to other topics. As the subjects of our discussions lead to related subjects, so do the topics we write about lead to related topics in our academic studies. However, unlike the verbal conversations we have, each individual piece of writing we produce usually focuses on a single topic. Most effective writers learn that when they present a well-defined, focused, and developed topic, they do a better job of holding their readers' attention and presenting appropriate information than if they had not attempted to place boundaries on the subject of their writing.

Arriving at Topics for Writing Assignments

In academic writing, topics are sometimes dictated by the task at hand. Consider, for example, that you must conduct a lab experiment before you can sit down to write a report. Or perhaps you have to run a statistical program to get your data. In these situations, your topic is determined for you: You will write about the results of the work you have completed. Likewise, your instructor may simply hand you a topic to explore or to research. In these situations, you are delivered from both the responsibility and the rewards of choosing your own topic, and your task is to try to develop an interest in what you have been given to write about.

More often, however, you will have a bit more leeway in choosing topics of your own. Sometimes you will be asked to find a topic of interest to you that is grounded in ideas developed in shared class readings and discussions. Other times, your assignment will be anchored even less, and you will be responsible for finding a topic all on your own. Many students find that the more freedom they are given to pursue their own interests, the more intimidated they are by this freedom, and the less certain they are of what really is interesting to them. But writing assignments with open topic options can be excellent opportunities either to explore and research issues that are already concerns for you (and which may even have been topics of earlier writing) or to examine new interests. A well chosen writing topic can lead to the types of research questions that fuel your academic interests for years to come. At the very least, though, topics can be seen as occasions for making your writing relevant and meaningful to your own personal and academic concerns.

How Purpose and Audience Affect the Choice of Topics

Before choosing and narrowing a topic to write about, consider why you are writing and who will read what you write. Your writing purpose and audience often dictate the types of topics that are available to you.

In the workplace, purpose and audience are often defined for you. For instance, you might have to write a memo to a co-worker explaining why a decision was made or compose a letter to a client arguing why the company cannot replace a product. In either case, your purpose and audience are obvious, and your topic is equally evident. As a student, you may have to work a little harder to determine which topics are appropriate for particular purposes and audiences.

Oftentimes, the wording of your assignment sheet will offer clues as to the reasons why you are writing and the audience you are expected to address. Sometimes, when assignment sheets are unclear or when you misunderstand what is expected of you, you will need either to ask your instructor about purpose and audience or to make your own educated guess. However you arrive at the purpose and the audience of your writing, it is important to take these elements into consideration, since they help you to choose and narrow your topic appropriately.

Interpreting the Assignment

Steve Reid, English Professor It's important to circle an assignment's key words and then ask the instructor to clarify what these words mean. Every teacher has a different vocabulary. My students always ask me what I'm looking for when I give an assignment. As a writer, you need to know what the words mean in your field and what they mean to your instructor.

Many times, an assignment sheet or verbal assignment given by an instructor will reveal exactly what you are being asked to do. The first step in reviewing an assignment sheet is to circle key words or verbs, such as "explain," "describe," or "evaluate." Then, once you've identified these words, make sure you understand what your instructor means by them. For example, suppose your instructor asks you to describe the events leading up to World War II. This could mean explain how the events prior to World War II helped bring about the beginning of the war, or list every possible cause you think led to the war, or describe and analyze the events. Inquiring before you start writing can help you determine your writing purpose and the expectations of your intended audience (usually your instructor).

How Purpose Affects Topics

Your purpose helps you to narrow a topic, since it demands particular approaches to a general subject. For example, if you're writing about how state policy affects foreign language study in grades K-12 in Oregon, you could have several different purposes. You may need to explain how the Oregon law came about; that is, what influenced it and who was responsible. Or perhaps you would need to explain the law's effects, how curriculum will be altered, etc. Another purpose might be to evaluate the law and to propose changes. Whatever purpose you decide to adopt will determine the questions which give direction to your topic, and (in the case of a research paper) will suggest the type of information you will need to gather in order to address those questions.

How Audience Affects Topics

Steve Reid, English Professor You have to be careful so your topic is not too narrow for your audience. You don't want readers to say, " Well, so what? I couldn't care less." One the most important roles a topic plays is impacting an audience. If your topic gets too narrow and too focused, it can become too academic or too pedantic. For example, every year at graduation, I watch people laugh when they hear the title of a thesis or dissertation. The students who wrote these documents were very narrowed and focused, but their audiences were very restricted.

Having a clear idea of the audience to whom you are writing will help you to determine an appropriate topic and how to present it. For example, if you're writing about how state policy affects foreign language study in grades K-12 in Oregon, you could have many different audiences. You could be writing for teachers, administrators at a specific school, students whose educational program will be affected by the law, or even the PTA. All of these audiences care about the topic since they are all affected by it. However, for each of them you may need to provide different information and address slightly different questions about this topic. Teachers would want to know why the policy was created and how it will affect what goes on in their classrooms. Parents will want to know what languages their children will be taught and why. Administrators will want to know how this will change the curriculum and what work will be required of them as a result. Knowing your audience requires you to adapt and limit your topic so that you are presenting information appropriate to a specific group of interested readers.

Choosing Workable Topics

Most writers in the workplace don't have to think about what's workable and what's not when they write. Writing topics make themselves obvious, being the necessary outcome of particular processes. For example, meetings inspire memos and minutes; research produces reports; interactions with customers result in letters. As a student writer, your task is often more difficult than this, since topics do not always "find you" this easily.

Finding and selecting topics are oftentimes arduous tasks for the writer. Sometimes you will find yourself facing the "blank page" or "empty screen" dilemma, lacking topic ideas entirely. Other times you will have difficulties making your ideas fit a particular assignment you have been given. This section on "Choosing a Workable Topic" addresses both of these problems, offering both general strategies for generating topic ideas and strategies for finding topics appropriate to particular types of writing assignments that students frequently encounter.

How to Find a Topic

Don Zimmerman, Journalism and Technical Communication Professor I look at topics from a problem solving perspective and scientific method. Topics emerge from writers working on the job when they're in the profession, following major trends, developments, issues, etc. From the scientific perspective, topics emerge based on solid literature reviews and developing an understanding of the paradigm. From these then come the specific problems/topics/subjects that professionals or scientists address. Writers generate topics from their professional expertise, their understanding of the issues in their respective disciplines, and their understanding the science that has gone before them.

While your first impulse may be to dash off to the library to dig through books and journals once you've received an assignment, you might also consider other information sources available to you.

Related Information: Making Use of Computer Sources

One valuable source of topic ideas is an Internet search. Many sites can provide you with current perspectives on a subject and can lead you to other relevant sites. You can also find and join newsgroups where your general subject or topic is discussed daily. This will allow you to ask questions of experts, as well as to read what issues are important.

Related Information: Making Use of Library Sources

It is always helpful, particularly in the case of writing assignments which demand research, to visit the library and talk to a reference librarian when generating topic ideas. This way, you not only get to discuss your topic ideas with another expert, but you will also have more resources pointed out to you. There is usually a wealth of journals, reference books, and online resources related to your topic area(s) that you may not even know exist.

Related Information: Talking to Others Around You

The people around you are often some of the best sources of information available to you. It is always valuable to talk informally about your assignment and any topic ideas you have with classmates, friends, family, tutors, professionals in the field, or any other interested and/or knowledgeable people. Remember, too, that a topic is not a surprise gift that must be kept from your instructor until you hand in your paper. Instructors are almost always happy to discuss potential topics with a student once he or she has an idea or two, and getting response to your work early in the writing process whenever possible is a good plan. Discussing your topic ideas in these ways may lead you to other ideas, and eventually to a well-defined topic.

Subjects and Topics

Most topic searches start with a subject. For example, you're interested in writing about languages, and even more specifically, foreign languages. This is a general subject. Within a general subject, you'll find millions of topics. Not only about every foreign language ever spoken, but also about hundreds of issues affecting foreign languages. But keep in mind that a subject search is always a good place to start.

Every time you use Yahoo or other Internet search engines, or even SAGE at the CSU library, you conduct a subject search. These search devices allow you to review many topics within a broad subject area. While it's beneficial to conduct subject searches, because you never know what valuable information you'll uncover, a subject always needs to be narrowed to a specific topic. This way, you can avoid writing a lengthy book and focus instead on the short research paper you've been assigned.

Starting With What You Know

Kate Kiefer, English Professor Most often the occasion dictates the topic for the writing done outside academe. But as a writer in school, you do sometimes have to generate topics. If you need help determining a topic, create an authority list of things you have some expertise in or a general list of areas you know something about and are interested in. Then, you can make this list more specific by considering how much you know and care about these ideas and what the target audience is probably interested in reading about.

In looking for writing topics, the logical first step is to consider issues or subjects which have concerned you in the past, either on the basis of life experience or prior writing/research. If you are a journal writer, look to your journal for ideas. If not, think about writing you have done for other writing assignments or for other classes. Though it is obviously not acceptable to recycle old essays you have written before, it is more than acceptable (even advisable) to return to and to extend topics you have written about in the past. Returning to the issues that concern you perennially is ultimately what good scholarship is all about.

Related Information: Choosing Topics You Want to Know More About

Even though your personal experience and prior knowledge are good places to start when looking for writing topics, it is important not to rule out those topics about which you know very little, and would like to know more. A writing assignment can be an excellent opportunity to explore a topic you have been wanting to know more about, even if you don't have a strong base knowledge to begin with. This type of topic would, of course, require more research and investigation initially, but it would also have the benefit of being compelling to you by virtue of its "newness."

Related Information: How to Pull Topics from Your Personal Experience

It is a good idea to think about how elements of your own life experience and environment could serve as topics for writing, even if you have never thought of them in that way. Think about the topics of recent conversations you have had, events in your life that are significant to you, problems in your workplace, family issues, matters having to do with college or campus life, or current events that evoke response from you. Taking a close look at the issues in your immediate environment is a good place to start in writing, even if those issues seem to you at first to be unworthy of your writing focus. Not all writing assignments have a personal dimension, but our interests and concerns are always, at their roots, personal.

General Strategies for Coming Up With Topics

Before attempting to choose or narrow a topic, you need to have some ideas to choose from. This can be a problem if you are suffering from the "blank page or screen" syndrome, and have not even any initial, general ideas for writing topics.

Brainstorming

As writers, some of our best ideas occur to us when we are thinking in a very informal, uninhibited way. Though we often think of brainstorming as a way for groups to come up with ideas, it is a strategy that individual writers can make use of as well. Simply put, brainstorming is the process of listing rough thoughts (in any form they occur to you: words, phrases, or complete sentences) that are connected (even remotely) to the writing assignment you have before you or the subject area you already have in mind. Brainstorming works best when you give yourself a set amount of time (perhaps five or ten minutes), writing down anything that comes to mind within that period of time, and resisting the temptation to criticize or polish your own ideas as they hit the page. There is time for examination and polishing when the five or ten minutes are over.

Freewriting

Freewriting is a technique much like brainstorming, only the ideas generated are written down in paragraph rather than list form. When you freewrite, you allow yourself a set amount of time (perhaps five or ten minutes), and you write down any and every idea that comes to mind as if you are writing a timed essay. However, your freewrite is unlikely to read like an organized essay. In fact, it shouldn't read that way. What is most important about freewriting is that you write continuously, not stopping to check your spelling, to find the right word, or even to think about how your ideas are fitting together. If you are unable to think of something to write, simply jot out, "I can't think of anything to write now," and go on. At the end of your five or ten minutes, reread what you have written, ignore everything that seems unimportant or ridiculous, and give attention to whatever ideas you think are worth pursuing. If you are able to avoid checking yourself while you are writing for that short time, you will probably be surprised at the number of ideas that you already have.

Clustering is a way of visually "mapping" your ideas on paper. It is a technique which works well for people who are able to best understand relationships between ideas by seeing the way they play themselves out spatially. (If you prefer reading maps to reading written directions, clustering may be the strategy for you.) Unlike formal outlining, which tends to be very linear, clustering allows you to explore the way ideas sprawl in different directions. When one thought leads to another, you can place that idea on the "map" in its appropriate place. And if you want to change its position later, and connect it with another idea, you can do so. (It is always a good idea to use a pencil rather than a pen for clustering, for this very reason.)

This is a good strategy not only for generating ideas, but also for determining how much you have to say about a topic (or topics), and how related or scattered your ideas are.

Related Information: Example of Brainstorming

Ideas on a Current Issue:

• multiculturalism
• training of teachers
• teaching strategies
• cultural difference in the classroom
• teaching multicultural texts
• language issues
• English only
• assimilation, checking cultural identity at the door
• home language/dialect as intentionally different from school language
• How many languages can we teach? (How multi-lingual must teachers be?)
• Is standard English really "standard"?
• success in school
• statistics on students who speak "non-English" languages or established dialects
• the difference between a dialect and a language
• Ebonics v. bi-lingual education

Related Information: Example of Freewriting

Problem: Development of Small Towns in the Rocky Mountain Region

When I grew up in Anyoldtown, New Mexico, it was a small town in the smallest sense: no movie theaters, no supermarkets, nothing. We had to go into town for the things we needed. Land sold for $2000 an acre. Now it sells for about $50,000 an acre. Anyoldtown was also primarily hispanic, and the families who lived there had very little. Now the people who live there are mostly white and almost exclusively professionals: doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and an endless number of people who have money that seems to have come from nowhere. There are good things to be had there now: good restaurants, good coffee, and all the other things that come along with Yuppie invasion. But those things were had at quite a cost. People who used to live in Anyoldtown when I was a kid can no longer afford to pay property taxes. I can't think of anything else to write now. Oh, yes...these people made a killing off the sale of their land and properties, but they had to give up the places they had lived all their lives. However, by the time they sold, Anyoldtown was no longer the place where they had lived all their lives anyway.

Strategies for Finding Topics Appropriate to Particular Types of Assignments

Sometimes your ways of generating topics will depend on the type of writing assignment you have been given. Here are some ideas of strategies you can use in finding topics for some of the more common types of writing assignments:

Essays Based on Personal Experience

Essays responding to or interpreting texts.

• Essays in Which You Take a Position on an Issue (Argument)

Essays Requiring Research

Essays in which you evaluate, essays in which you propose solutions to problems.

The great challenge of using personal experience in essays is trying to remember the kinds of significant events, places, people, or objects that would prove to be interesting and appropriate topics for writing. Brainstorming, freewriting, or clustering ideas in particular ways can give you a starting point.

Here are a few ways that you might trigger your memory:

Interview people you've known for a long time.Family members, friends, and other significant people in your life can remember important details and events that you haven't thought about for years.

Try to remember events from a particular time in your life. Old yearbooks, journals, and newspapers and magazines can help to trigger some of these memories.

Think about times of particular fulfillment or adversity. These "extremes" in your experience are often easily recalled and productively discussed. When have you had to make difficult choices, for instance? When have you undergone ethical struggles? When have you felt most successful?

Think about the groups you have encountered at various times in your life. When have you felt most like you belonged to or were excluded from groups of people: your family, cliques in school, clubs, "tracked" groups in elementary school, religious groups, or any other community/organization you have had contact with?

Think about the people or events that "changed your life." What are the forces that have most significantly influenced and shaped you? What are the circumstances surrounding academic, career, or relationship choices that you have made? What changes have you dealt with that have been most painful or most satisfying?

Try to remember any "firsts" in your experience.What was your first day of high school like? What was it like to travel far from home for the first time? What was your first hobby or interest as a child? What was the first book you checked out of the library? These "firsts," when you are able to remember them, can prove to have tremendous significance.

One word of caution on writing about personal experience: Keep in mind that any essay you write for a class will most likely be read by others, and will probably be evaluated on criteria other than your topic's importance to you. Never feel like you need to "confess," dredge up painful memories, or tell stories that are uncomfortable to you in academic writing. Save these topics for your own personal journal unless you are certain that you are able to distance yourself from them enough to handle the response that comes from instructors (and sometimes from peers).

Students are often asked to respond to or interpret essays, articles, books, stories, poems, and a variety of other texts. Sometimes your instructor will ask you to respond to one particular reading, other times you will have a choice of class readings, and still other times you will need to choose a reading on your own.

If you are given a choice of texts to respond to or to interpret, it is a good idea to choose one which is complex enough to hold your interest in the process of careful examination. It is not necessarily a problem if you do not completely understand a text on first reading it. What matters is that it challenges, intrigues, and/or evokes response from you in some way.

Related Information: Writing in the Margins of Texts

Many of us were told at some point in our schooling never to write in books. This makes sense in the case of books which don't belong to us (like library books or the dusty, tattered, thirty year-old copies of Hamlet distributed to us in high school). But in the case of books and photocopies which we have made our own, writing in the margins can be one of the most productive ways to begin the writing process.

As you read, it is a good idea to make a habit of annotating , or writing notes in the margins. Your notes could indicate places in the text which remind you of experiences you have had or of other texts you have read. They could point out questions that you have, points of agreement or disagreement, or moments of complete confusion. Annotations begin a dialogue between you and the text you have before you, documenting your first (and later) responses, and they are valuable when you attempt at a later time to write about that text in a particular way.

Essays in Which You Take a Position on an Issue

One of the most common writing assignments given is some variation on the Arguing Essay, in which students are asked to take a position on a controversial issue. There are two challenges involved in finding topics for argument. One challenge is identifying a topic that you are truly interested in and concerned about, enough so that whatever research is required will be engrossing (or at the very least, tolerable), and not a tedious, painful ordeal. In other words, you want to try to avoid arriving at the "So what?" point with your own topic. The other challenge is in making sure that your audience doesn't respond, "So what?" in reading your approach to your topic. You can avoid this by making sure that the questions you are asking and addressing are current and interesting.

Related Information: Examining Social Phenomena and Trends

In The St. Martin's Guide to Writing , Third Edition, Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper discuss the importance of looking toward social phenomena and trends for sources of argument topics. A phenomenon , they explain, is "something notable about the human condition or the social order" (314). A few of the examples of phenomena that they list are difficulties with parking on college campuses, negative campaigning in politics, popular artistic or musical styles, and company loyalty. A trend , on the other hand, is "a significant change extending over many months or years" (314). Some trends they list are the decline of Communism, diminishing concern over world hunger, increased practice of home schooling, and increased legitimacy of pop art. Trying to think in terms of incidental, current social phenomena or long-term, gradual social trends is a good way of arriving at workable topics for essays requiring you to take a position.

Related Information: Making Sure Your Approach to Your Topic is Current and Interesting

In choosing a topic for an arguing essay, it is important to get a handle not only on what is currently being debated, but how it is being debated. In other words, it is necessary to learn what questions are currently being asked about certain topics and why. In order to avoid the "so what" dilemma, you want to approach your topic in a way that is not simplistic, tired, outdated, or redundant. For example, if you are looking at the relationship of children to television, you probably would want to avoid a topic like "the effects of t.v. violence on children" (which has been beaten to death over the years) in favor of a topic like "different toy marketing strategies for young male v.s. female viewers of Saturday morning cartoons" (a topic that seems at least a bit more original).

As a student writer, you are usually not asked to break absolutely new ground on a topic during your college career. However, you are expected to try to find ground that is less rather than more trampled when finding and approaching writing topics.

Trying to think in terms of incidental, current social phenomena or long-term, gradual social trends is a good way of arriving at workable topics for essays requiring you to take a position.

Related Information: Sources of Topics

Looking to Your Own Writing

When trying to rediscover the issues which have concerned you in the past, go back to journal entries (if you are a journal writer) or essays that you have written before. As you look through this formal and informal writing, consider whether or not these issues still concern you, and what (specifically) you now have to say about them. Are these matters which would concern readers other than yourself, or are they too specific to your own life to be interesting and controversial to a reading audience? Is there a way to give a "larger" significance to matters of personal concern? For example, if you wrote in your journal that you were unhappy with a particular professor's outdated teaching methods, could you turn that idea into a discussion of the downfalls of the tenure system? If you were frustrated with the way that your anthropology instructor dismissed your comment about the ways that "primitive" women are discussed, could you think of that problem in terms of larger gender issues? Sometimes your frustrations and mental conflicts are simply your own gripes, but more often than not they can be linked with current and widely debated issues.

Looking to Your Other Classes

When given an assignment which asks you to work with a controversial issue, always try to brainstorm points of controversy that you recall from current or past courses. What are people arguing about in the various disciplines? Sometimes these issues will seem irrelevant because they appear only to belong to those other disciplines, but there are oftentimes connections that can be made. For example, perhaps you have been asked in a communications class to write an essay on a language issue. You might remember that in a computer class on information systems, your class debated whether or not Internet news groups are really diverse or not. You might begin to think about the reasons why news groups are (or aren't) diverse, thinking about the way that language is used.

Reading Newspapers and Magazines

If you are not already an avid newspaper and magazine reader, become one for a week. Pore over the different sections: news, editorials, sports, and even cartoons. Look for items that connect with your own life experiences, and pay attention to those which evoke some strong response from you for one reason or another. Even if an issue that you discover in a newspaper or magazine doesn't prove to be a workable topic, it might lead you to other topic ideas.

Interviewing the People Around You

If you are at a loss to find an issue that lights a fire under you, determine what fires up your friends, family members, and classmates. Think back to heated conversations you have had at the dinner table, or conduct interviews in which you ask the people around you what issues impact their lives most directly. Because you share many experiences and contexts with these people, it is likely that at least some of the issues that concern them will also concern you.

Using the Internet

It is useful to browse the Internet for current, controversial issues. Spend some time surfing aimlessly, or wander through news groups to see what is being discussed. Using the Internet can be one of the best ways to determine what is immediately and significantly controversial.

Although some essays that students are asked to write are to be based solely on their own thoughts and experience, oftentimes (particularly in upper level courses) writing assignments require research. When scoping out possible research topics, it is important to remember to choose a topic which will sustain your interest throughout the research and writing process. The best research topics are those which are complex enough that they offer opportunities for various research questions. You want to avoid choosing a topic that could bore you easily, or that is easily researched but not very interesting to you.

As always, it is good to start searching for a topic within your personal interests and previous writing. You might want to choose a research topic that you have pursued before and do additional research, or you might want to select a topic about which you would like to know more. More than anything, writers must remember that research will often carry them in different directions than they intend to go, and that they must be flexible enough to acknowledge that their research questions and topics must sometimes be adjusted or abandoned. To read more on narrowing and adjusting a research topic, see the section in this guide on Research Considerations.

Related Information: Flexibility in Research

As you conduct your research, it is important to keep in mind that the questions you are asking about your topic (and oftentimes, the topic itself) will probably change slightly. Sometimes you are forced to acknowledge that there is too much or too little information available on the topic you have chosen. Other times, you might decide that the approach you were originally taking is not as interesting to you as others you have found. For instance, you might start with a topic like "foreign language studies in grades K-12 in Oregon," and in the process of your reading you might find that you are really more interested in "bilingual education in rural Texas." Still other times, you might find that the claim you were attempting to make about your topic is not arguable, or is just wrong.

Our research can carry us in directions that we don't always foresee, and part of being a good researcher is maintaining the flexibility necessary to explore those directions when they present themselves.

Related Information: How Research Narrows Topics

By necessity, most topics narrow themselves as you read more and more about them. Oftentimes writers come up with topics that they think will be sufficiently narrow and engaging--a topic like "multiculturalism and education," for instance--and discover through their initial reading that there are many different avenues they could take in examining the various aspects of this broad issue. Although such discoveries are often humbling and sometimes intimidating, they are also a necessary part of any effective research process. You can take some comfort in knowing that you do not always need to have your topic narrowed to its final form before you begin researching. The sources you read will help you to do the necessary narrowing and definition of your focus.

Related Information: Research Topics and Writing Assignments

When you are choosing a research topic, it is important to be realistic about the time and space limitations that your assignment dictates. If you are writing a graduate thesis or dissertation, for instance, you might be able to research a topic as vast and as time-honored as "the portrayal of women in the poetry of William Blake." But if your assignment asks you to produce a five-page essay by next Tuesday, you might want to focus on something a bit more accessible, like "the portrayal of women in Blake's `The Visions of the Daughters of Albion.'"

Related Information: Testing Research Topics

Early in your research and writing process, after you have found a somewhat narrow avenue into your topic, put the topic to the test to see if you really want to pursue it further in research. Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, in The St. Martin's Guide to Writing , Third Edition, suggest some questions writers might ask themselves when deciding whether or not a research topic is workable:

• Does this topic really interest me?
• Do I know enough about it now to plan and write my essay, or can I learn what I need to know in the time I have remaining?
• Is the topic manageable within my time and space limits?
• Do I have a good sense of how others view this issue and what readers I might address in my essay?
• Have I begun to understand the issue and to formulate my own view?

Students are often asked to write essays in which they evaluate something: a product, a piece of writing, a restaurant, an advertising campaign, or some other entity related to their areas of study. Sometimes when you are given this type of writing assignment, you are also given a very specific topic on which to write. Other times, you are asked to find a topic for evaluation on your own.

Related Information: Comparing and Contrasting

After brainstorming a list of possible topics for evaluation, you may find it difficult to determine whether or not you will be able to effectively evaluate those topics. One way of stimulating your mind's evaluative tendencies is to try comparison and contrast. For example, if you are thinking about evaluating a local Thai restaurant, and you are having trouble coming up with points on which to evaluate it, try comparing and contrasting it with another local Thai restaurant. When we begin to compare two items, ideas, places, or people, we invariably wind up evaluating.

Related Information: Generating an Authority List

If the choice of topics to evaluate is open to you, try brainstorming a list of skills, activities, places, or subjects that you consider yourself to be an authority about. A list like this is a good starting point for just about any essay, but it is particularly useful in evaluation. If you are an avid rock climber, for instance, it makes perfect sense for you to evaluate climbing equipment, since your experience will provide you with a basis for evaluation. It may still be necessary to do research, but you will have a head start even before you begin researching.

Related Information: Questions to Ask Yourself as You Evaluate

In testing possible topics for evaluation, you might ask yourself some very general questions about your initial thoughts. Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, in their St. Martin's Guide to Writing , Third Edition, suggest a few such questions:

• How certain am I of my judgment? Do I have any doubts? Why do I feel the way I do?
• Do I like (or dislike) everything about my subject, or only certain parts?
• Are there any similar things I should consider (other products or movies, for example)?
• Is there anything I will need to do right away in order to research this subject authoritatively?
• If I need to do any research, can I get the information I need?

As a writer, you will sometimes be asked to speculate on possible solutions to known problems. Although the process of problem solving is itself quite difficult, one of the greatest challenges about that process is the matter of finding a topic that lends itself to your purpose.

Related Information: Evaluating and Problem Solving

Problem solving is an extension of the evaluating process. If in the past you have written evaluative essays which identify certain problems, these essays might offer you some topic ideas and starting points. You might also look to personal writing you have done (like journal entries) or recent conversations you have had as ways of recalling the types of problems that you have identified in your general environment.

Related Information: Focusing on Solvable Problems

Obviously, not all problems are appropriate topics for short problem solving essays. For example, if your instructor assigns a ten-page problem solving essay dealing with a current problem of your choice, you might want to avoid a topic as vast as "racism." However, if you were to focus on a more context-specific version of this hulking problem, you might find a workable topic (say, for instance, minority enrollment on your campus). For assignments like these, it is important to choose problems that appear solvable (or at least approachable) in the time and space you have available to you.

Related Information: Identifying Problems Within Communities

One excellent source of topics for problem solving essays is your immediate environment. Think about the groups or communities to which you belong: your neighborhood, college, family, ethnic and cultural groups, religious and political groups, workplace, and recreational groups. Try to brainstorm a list of problems that you can readily identify in any of these communities, then consider both how solvable these problems are and how appropriate they are to your writing assignment.

Generating More Than One Topic Idea

In order to choose a topic, you need to have several available to choose from. It is best to avoid being committed to one topic at this first stage of the writing process, since not every topic will pan out. Writers are usually more successful when they have a selection of topics which they can put to the test to determine whether or not they are workable (given the writing assignment).

Narrowing Topics

The scope of a topic depends on how much time and space you have to write and how much detail you are trying to use. For example, describing all the causes of World War II in three pages is impossible. You would have to either narrow your topic some more or write hundreds of pages to adequately discuss every cause. Defining your topic before you start writing will save you time and help you to research and/or to develop your thinking in a clear, methodical way. It is important to examine the topics we choose to determine whether they are too broad (or, in some instances, too narrow) for the writing assignments we are given. Once you have decided that a topic is too broad to be appropriate to your assignment (which is most often the case), you will need to have ways to narrow it. You will also want to consider, when writing essays that require research, how your research resources and limitations affect your choice of topics.

Deciding When a Topic is Too Broad

Kate Kiefer, English Professor If a writer doesn't present details quickly enough, then the topic is usually too broad. If the reader can expect the paper to go in one direction, but it goes in another, the topic is usually too broad or not stated precisely enough. If I can ask six million questions about whether the writer will include this or that point, the topic is too broad. If I do a library search and turn up 200 listings (or an Internet search and discover 1,000 hits), the topic is too broad.

A topic is too broad to be workable when you find that you have too many different (but oftentimes remotely related) ideas about that topic. While you want to start the writing process with as many ideas as possible, you will want to narrow your focus at some point so that you aren't attempting to do too much in one essay.

Where essays requiring research are concerned, your topic is too broad if you are able to find thousands of sources when conducting a simple library or Internet search. For example, conducting a search on "foreign languages in Oregon" will provide you with policies, foreign language departments, and cultural issues (just to name a few). When this happens, you can try various narrowing strategies to determine what most interests you about your topic area and what relates to your own life most readily. For instance, if you plan to study abroad, focusing on the language you'll be speaking might be a way to narrow the scope of your original topic, "foreign languages in Oregon."

Deciding When a Topic Is Too Narrow

Steve Reid, English Professor You have to careful so your topic is not too narrow for your audience. You don't want readers to say, " Well, so what? I couldn't care less." One the most important roles a topic plays is impacting an audience. If you get so narrowed and focused, a topic can become too academic or pedantic. For example, every year at graduation I watch people laugh when they hear the title of a thesis or dissertation. The students who wrote these documents were very narrowed and focused, but their audiences were very restricted.

Though student writers most often face the challenge of limiting a topic that is too broad, they occasionally have to recognize that they have chosen a topic that is too narrow or that they have narrowed a workable topic too much. A topic is too narrow if you can't find any information about it. For example, suppose your foreign language subject to, "foreign language policy in South Dakota." Although you might have a strong interest in this topic, South Dakota may not have a specific policy about foreign languages. If you have chosen the topic, "teaching Chinese in elementary schools," and your research attempts have been fruitless, it may be that you are considering a topic that no one else has previously presented. In other words, no one has determined that Chinese should be a major language taught as commonly as Spanish or French. If this happens to be the case, keep your topic in mind, because it could very well be an excellent topic for a graduate thesis or dissertation. However, it is also likely to be a difficult topic to handle in a ten-page essay for an education class, due in two weeks.

If your topic is too narrow, try making it broader by asking yourself related questions.

• What foreign languages are taught in South Dakota schools?
• Or where is Chinese taught and why?

Once you've found a different direction in which to move with your topic, you can try narrowing it again.

General Strategies for Narrowing Topics

One of the first things writers do when they realize that they need to narrow the scope of their topic is to ask themselves the "w" questions so familiar to journalists: Who? What? Where? When? and Why? (and oftentimes, How?) These questions can help you locate your specific points of interest within your general topic area. For example, to narrow a topic like "foreign languages," you could begin with the "what" and "when" questions and decide you are interested in "foreign language studies in grades K-12." Asking the "where" question, you might arrive at "foreign language studies in grades K-12 in Oregon." And asking the "who" question might cause you to limit the topic again to "state policy regarding foreign language studies in grades K-12 in Oregon." Each time you add something specific to your topic, you place "restrictors" on it, thereby narrowing it. Then, when you conduct a library or Internet search, you can use these "restrictors" as key words.

Related Information: Looping

Looping is an extended version of freewriting in which you begin with an initial five-minute freewrite on a general topic, then select out of that bit of writing the sentence or idea that interests you the most. You then use that sentence or idea as the basis for your next five-minute round of freewriting. You continue this process of elaborating informally on specific ideas until you come to a point where your topic seems sufficiently narrow, researchable, and appropriate to your writing assignment.

Example of Looping If I am freewriting on the general (and overly broad) topic of "development of small towns in the Rocky Mountain region," I might start with the following initial ideas: Problem: Development of Small Towns in the Rocky Mountain Region When I grew up in Anyoldtown, New Mexico, it was a small town in the smallest sense: no movie theaters, no supermarkets, nothing. We had to go into town for the things we needed. Land sold for $2000 an acre. Now it sells for about $50,000 an acre. Anyoldtown was also primarily hispanic, and the families who lived there had very little. Now the people who live there are mostly white and almost exclusively professionals: doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers, and an endless number of people who have money that seems to have come from nowhere. There are good things to be had there now: good restaurants, good coffee, and all the other things that come along with Yuppie invasion. But those things were had at quite a cost. People who used to live in Anyoldtown when I was a kid can no longer afford to pay property taxes. I can't think of anything else to write now. Oh, yes...these people made a killing off the sale of their land and properties, but they had to give up the places they had lived all their lives. However, by the time they sold, Anyoldtown was no longer the place where they had lived all their lives anyway. Rereading what I have written, I might decide that what interests me the most and seems most appropriate to the writing assignment I have been given is my idea about the property tax dilemma. With this in mind, I would write a second "loop" on this area of my thinking, perhaps even starting my freewriting with the exact sentence I used in the first "loop:" People who used to live in Anyoldtown when I was a kid can no longer afford to pay property taxes. This is unfair, because these people spent their entire lives in this town, and land was all they had. Theoretically, the Yuppie Invasion doesn't drive out the "townies" or "natives" of a small town, but in actuality, land values and property taxes (as well as cultural influences, of course) make it impossible (and oftentimes undesirable) for people to hold onto their own land. People have to sell, because if they don't, they can no longer afford to maintain the standard of living that their town has taken on (in more ways than one). This issue obviously has class implications, but I'm sure it also relates to cultural (ethnic) issues as well. This is where I would need to begin researching, if I wanted to see who was most negatively affected by rising property taxes and land values. In rereading this second loop, I might decide that my ideas toward the end of the paragraph interest me the most. I could write another loop expanding these specific ideas on race, class, and property taxes, or I might decide that I have (as my freewrite suggests) arrived at the point where I need to begin researching.

Related Information: Questioning

Alongside the basic "5 W's" ("who," "what," "when," "where," and "why") can be used more formal, directed questions provided by the classical rhetorical "topics." These questions function in four different ways, and can be categorized as follows:

Example of Questioning If my general topic is "Development of Small Towns in the Rocky Mountain Region," I might try to narrow my focus by applying questions with specific functions to this topic area, thereby discovering which approach interests me most. Here are some of the questions I might ask:

After writing the questions, I would write my responses, deciding which particular questions and responses interest me the most. Perhaps, for instance, I would find myself most interested in the effects of development on the "natives" of small towns, particularly the inevitability of increased property taxes. This process of questioning thus provides me with a specific, narrow, well-defined focus within the vast issue of development of small towns in the Rocky Mountain region.

Related Information: Topic Cross

The topic cross helps you to narrow your topic by using a visual strategy. Just as you would focus a camera or a microscope, you arrange key words and phrases about your topic in such a way that they eventually point to your specific area of interest.

Example of a Topic Cross The first step in the process of using the topic cross is brainstorming. Spend a few minutes listing words and phrases that come to mind when you think about your topic. Then decide which words and phrases are most interesting and arrange them in a hierarchy, moving from general (at the top of the list) to specific (at the bottom of the list). This hierarchy will become the vertical axis of your cross. Demonstration: If my topic is "development of small towns in the Rocky Mountain region," I might generate the following useful ideas in brainstorming (arranged from general to specific).

• The appeal of small towns
• Yuppie invasion
• Overcrowding in cities
• Cost of land
• Effects on town "natives."
• Economic effects on impoverished landowners.
• How John Doe in my home town was affected.
• The new espresso bar in town

I would write this list in an imagined middle column of a piece of blank paper or a computer screen, leaving plenty of space between each item. Then I would scan the list to determine where my real interest lies. Which topics in this list will be too broad to write about, given my writing assignment? Which will be too narrow? In this case, I might choose "economic effects on impoverished landowners" as a workable topic area. Once I had thus identified my area of interest, I would begin listing words and phrases about or relevant to that item, placing them on the horizontal axis of my topic cross. The list I would generate about "economic effects on impoverished landowners" might look like this:

• Increased cost of land
• Temptation to sell
• Rising property taxes
• Higher cost of living
• Zoning issues
• Pressure to maintain property value

Examining this list, I might decide that "rising property taxes" is a sufficiently narrow topic that is not too narrow to develop with my own ideas and research I might do. By using this strategy, I have arrived at a narrow, workable topic.

Research Considerations

If your writing assignment requires research, you will probably find that the research process itself will dictate how broad or narrow your topic should be. We have all had the experience of doing a library search on a word like "environment" and coming up with thousands of sources. Almost as common is the experience of searching a term like "cultural animation" and coming up with only one source that seems useful. The topics we choose are often directly related to our research processes and their results.

Moving from Topic to Thesis

It is important to remember that a narrow topic is not the same thing as a thesis statement. Unlike a topic, a thesis makes a claim of fact, provides a claim of value, or makes a recommendation about a topic under consideration. For example, your narrowed topic might be "the underemphasis on foreign language in U.S. secondary schools." A focused thesis statement making a claim about this topic might read, "U.S. secondary schools should require elementary students to take at least one course in a foreign language sometime during the 4th through 6th grades."

Transforming a workable topic into a possible thesis is really just a continuation of the narrowing process, with an emphasis on what you want to say about your topic. In this way, it is much like the "hypothesis" stage of the scientific method. You arrive at a thesis by attempting to make a statement about the topic you have chosen.

Developing a Working Thesis

A working thesis is a tentative statement that you make about your topic early in the writing process, for the purpose of directing your thinking early. This thesis is likely to change somewhat or to be abandoned altogether as you move through the writing process, so it is best not to become too enamored of it.

There are two components of a working thesis. The first is, quite simply, your topic; and the second is your tentative statement about your topic. For example, if my narrowed topic is

"Rising property taxes in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region..."

I might add the following statement about that topic:

"...cause longtime residents and landowners in those towns not to be able to keep their property."

As I begin whatever research is necessary to support this thesis, I might find that I can't make this much of a claim. Or I might find that there are complexities that I hadn't considered. As I uncover new information about my topic, I will want to alter my working thesis accordingly, until it is workable and supportable.

Arriving at a Possible Thesis for an Essay Requiring Research

A In The St. Martin's Handbook , Third Edition [italics], Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors suggest a process for moving from a topic to a research "hypothesis," by way of examining the "issue" at hand and framing this issue as a "research question." The following is an example of how I might move from topic to hypothesis if my narrowed topic is "rising property taxes in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region."

• Topic: Rising property taxes in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region
• Issue: The effects of these rising taxes on long-time residents and landowners in the small towns
• Research Question: What are the effects of rising property taxes on long-time residents and landowners in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region?
• Hypothesis: Because these taxes are increasingly difficult to pay, small town "natives" find themselves unable to hold onto their property.

This hypothesis, like a working thesis, is simply an early speculation on what I might find when I begin to research. As I read more and more about my topic, I will probably find that I need to make changes to the hypothesis in order to make it a supportable thesis. As I uncover new information about my topic, I will want to alter my working thesis accordingly, until it is workable and supportable.

Arriving at a Possible Thesis for an Essay Requiring You to Take a Position

One of the greatest challenges in written argument is determining what it is that you would like to (and are able to) say about your topic.

Narrowing from Topic to Thesis in Argument

Before you begin drafting an argument paper, you need to decide (tentatively, at least) what it is that you will be arguing about the topic you have chosen. The following prompts should help you focus your argument from a topic to a position on that topic. What is your topic? (e.g.--Rising property taxes in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region) What are three controversies associated with this topic? (e.g.--Rising property taxes make the town affordable only to the wealthy. This changes the flavor the flavor of the town. It forces long-time land owners to sell their land.) What are three questions people might ask about these controversies? (e.g.--Are these rising property taxes, which are the results of development in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region, forcing long-time land owners out of their home towns? Are rising taxes and land values changing the whole cultural and economic foundation of the towns? Given the effects of rising property taxes on impoverished land owners in small towns, is development in this area a good idea?) Decide which of these questions you are most interesting in exploring. (e.g.--Given the effects of rising property taxes on impoverished land owners in small towns, is development in this area a good idea?) Now list several ways people might respond if you asked them your question. (e.g.--No, because impoverished land owners are unable to maintain the new standard of living. Yes, because development is always a good idea. Yes, because development is inevitable, and we can do nothing about it. Perhaps, but city planners and local government must find ways to protect the interests of impoverished land owners when they determine property taxes.) Finally, decide where you stand in this range of responses. Think of a thesis that expresses your view. Write out your thesis and revise it throughout your research process until it is specific and takes a single arguable position. (e.g.--Because impoverished land owners in small towns in the Rocky Mountain region are often badly hurt by the rising property taxes resulting from development, city planners and local government must find ways to protect the interests of these land owners when they determine property taxes.)

Working With Topics in Different Disciplines

Don Zimmerman, Journalism and Technical Communication Professor Writers' understanding of topics and their fields of study allow them to focus on a specific topic. Following a good problem solving process or scientific method can help you select a topic. Whereas on the job, topics emerge from day to day activities. When working, you don't need to look for topics to write about. Your respective field/job responsibilities allow you to find the problems.

The ways that topics are approached and the types of topics that are discussed vary from discipline to discipline. It is important to investigate the types of topics that are discussed (and the ways that they are discussed) in your own discipline. As a writer, it is necessary to determine what topics are talked about and why in your own discipline (or in the discipline for which you are writing). This can be done by way of talking to professionals in the discipline, looking at relevant journals, and conducting Internet and database searches (to name a few possibilities).

Related Information: Browsing Journals Important to Your Discipline

Almost every discipline has journals that are associated with it, and scholars in the discipline depend on these journals in order to remain informed about what topics are being discussed. For example, scholars in the field of psychology rely on psychological journals; doctors rely on medical journals; and English professors rely on literary journals. Because journals are at the center of each discipline's current discussions, it is a good idea to browse them when looking for current topics. If you are unsure of how to go about doing this, talk to a professor in your discipline, a reference librarian in your library, or a librarian in your library's Current Periodicals room. These people can usually provide you with a few titles of important journals relevant to your field. Once you have these titles, you can locate a few issues of each journal in the Current Periodicals room, sit down for an hour or two, and look through the articles to see what is being talked about and what interests you.

Related Information: Online Searches and Databases

One way of getting to the sources which will discuss topics current to your discipline is by searching the various computer databases and search engines related to that discipline. A database is simply an arrangement of information by way of similar subject matter. For example, if you were researching a topic for a Sociology essay on group behavior of Deadheads, you might go to the Social Sciences Index to find sources related to your topic. For information on how to find relevant and useful databases, talk to the reference librarian in your library, or ask an expert in your field which databases he or she uses regularly.

Related Information: Talking to Professionals in Your Discipline

One of the most efficient ways to learn what topics are currently being discussed in your discipline is to talk to the experts: instructors and other professionals working within that discipline. We often forget that these people can be valuable resources to us, and can point us toward books, journals, databases, and other sources of information that scholars in our various fields use often.

Citation Information

Lauel Nesbitt and Dawn Kowalski. (1994-2024). Choosing and Refining Topics . The WAC Clearinghouse. Colorado State University. Available at https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/writing/guides/.

Copyright Information

Copyright © 1994-2024 Colorado State University and/or this site's authors, developers, and contributors . Some material displayed on this site is used with permission.

Topic Ideas

When you’re allowed to choose your own topic for a writing assignment, this freedom is an exciting opportunity to write about a topic you are passionate about, but sometimes having so many choices can be overwhelming. Below are some categories and broad topic ideas that you can pull from the clouds, or maybe you’ll be inspired by related ideas, either of which might get you going in an exciting direction.

Also included in this handout are examples of how to take a broad topic and narrow it, tailoring the idea to the type of assignment you’re writing, such as a narrative, an argument, or a causal analysis (causes/effects).

Topic Examples

Education: Sex education, homeschooling, school bullying, non-smoking campus, learning disabilities, Common Core, affirmative action

Equality/Human Rights: Intolerance, hate groups, sexism/feminism, racism, religious freedom, criminal justice

Community/Social Issues: Urban/suburban/rural, St. Louis versus New Orleans, violence and gangs, The Gateway Arch/Forest Park, volunteerism, poverty, homelessness, materialism/consumer debt

Romantic Relationships: Romantic love, online dating, communication, domestic violence/abuse, marriage/divorce

Family/Friends: Parenting styles, mementos, unconditional love, personal boundaries, forgiveness

Recreation/Hobbies: Fly-fishing, rock climbing, video games/MMORPGs, NASCAR, casinos

Work: Networking, microlending, current or future job/career, customer service, labor unions, leadership

Identity/Appearance: Body modification, tattoo art, standards of beauty, fashion trends, retro styles

Food: Portion size, industrial agriculture, micro-brewed beers, organic food, genetically modified foods, heirloom seeds/gardening

Environmental Issues: “Green” building, single-use plastics, alternative energy, climate change, national parks, biodiversity/extinction, animal rights

Technology: Social networking sites, digital manipulation of photos, open source software, technology's effects on children's social skills, net neutrality, screen time

History: Historical preservation, inventions, nonviolence/disobedience, Martin Luther King, Jr./Gandhi, women's rights/suffrage, World War II

Politics/Government: Political partisanship, terrorism, immigration, anarchy, helmet laws, protests

Sports: Snowboarding, professional sports, Baseball Hall of Fame, martial arts, stadiums

Health: Diseases and conditions, eating disorders, learning disorders, vaccines, health insurance, mental health

Transportation: Mass transit/buses, bicycling, MetroLink/Trains, alternative fuels, Electric/Hybrid cars

Arts/Entertainment/Media: Alternative/Punk/Rap music, reality TV, performance artists, cult/classic movies, celebrity culture, animé

Values: Competition, duty/obligation, persistence/determination, creativity, resilience/perseverance, heroes

Still Stuck?

Think about what makes you feel strong emotions and what you are passionate about. Consider these questions:

• What makes you angry? What do you think is really unfair or wrong?
• What is a problem or solution you’ve been thinking about?
• What are you excited about? What do you like to talk about and do?

Narrowing and Shaping Topic Ideas Based on the Type of Assignment

Below are some examples of broad topics and some ways of writing about the topics based on some specific assignment types.

Broad Topic: Work

• Narrative: Write a story about a work-related event that changed a way you think or behave;
• Observation: Using concrete, sensory language, describe an interesting workplace creating a dominant impression;
• Causes or Effects: Examine what caused the disappearance of unions in the United States and/or the effects;
• Definition: Define and discuss various meanings of “work”;
• Literary Analysis: Analyze a workplace scene (e.g., Sinclair’s The Jungle ; Ellison’s Invisible Man ) from fiction. What does it tell us about the society in which the work is set and the author’s attitude toward the topic?
• Argument: Argue for or against the four-day workweek/NAFTA/unions/crossing strike lines. Broad Topic: Duty/Obligation
• Narrative: Tell the story of a specific event involving your fulfillment of a duty and how it changed you;
• Observation: Using concrete, sensory detail, describe an event that involved the fulfillment of a particular obligation (e.g., a military battle; caring for a sick person; mowing the lawn, etc.);
• Definition: Define and explain various types of duty;
• Cause/Effect: Discuss the actual or possible effects of failing to fulfill a specific obligation (e.g., making child support payments; registering for the draft, perhaps during an unpopular war; keeping up with home repairs; fulfilling commitments to aiding foreign governments);
• Argument: How much do we owe to our parents? Our country? Our religion? Our sorority/fraternity? Our friendships?

Broad Topic: Love

• Narrative: Tell about a specific personal experience involving some aspect of love that changed the way you perceive or relate to the world or other people;
• Observation: Observe couples of different generations in a public place and compare and contrast their generational behaviors and interactions;
• Define and discuss one or two types of love;
• Define “family”;
• Evaluation: Develop some criteria for a loving relationship and evaluate the relationship of two characters in a work of literature;
• Argument: Argue for or against arranged marriage, polyamorous relationships, divorce versus staying married for the sake of the children.

23 Choosing Your Assignment Topic

Regardless of the assignment type, choosing the ‘right’ topic from the outset involves careful thought, research, and planning in advance. While some may recommend choosing the topic that is most appealing to your own interests, this can sometimes lead to biased writing or subjective claims. Nor do you need to choose the most complex topic in order to gain the highest grades. A simple, well-executed topic can often lead to a better grade overall. Weigh all of your options before carefully proceeding.

If the entire class is given the same task question, remember that it is up to you to decide how to approach the question and write your thesis statement. Refer to Chapters 16-18 of Academic Writing Skills  to better understand what the task question is asking you to do. Identify the keyword clues, break the question down, and complete a concept map. While you may have no choice of task question, you may be able to vary your approach to the question, your claims and counter-claims, and your supporting evidence. One hundred essays can be successfully written on the same topic from different perspectives, using alternative supporting evidence.

Few Choices

When your options are limited to a few topic choices, or task questions, read and re-read each question. Do not make your choice based purely on personal interests. Before settling on a topic you will find it helpful to explore academic sources to ensure you will have supporting evidence for the ideas you are formulating about the tentative topic choice. Refer to Chapters 11-12 of Academic Writing Skills to refresh your skimming and scanning techniques, to quickly peruse academic texts, plus remember annotated reading skills. Once you have confirmed your topic choice, begin to map and outline your assignment topic.

Too Many Choices

At times students feel overwhelmed and somewhat stressed when they have too many topic choices or they are directed to use a topic of their own choosing. First, it is important to narrow the field of enquiry. Examine the marking criteria for the assessment and discover what it requires you to achieve. Ask yourself “How must I treat the chosen topic?”, “What must I include/exclude in/from my work?”, “Am I limited to recent academic sources e.g., the past 5 years?”, “How many academic sources are required?”, “What type of writing is required – descriptive, analytical, persuasive, or critical?”, “What is the required word count for the assessment?”

Also, consider what you already know about the topic you are considering. Will your prior knowledge be a hinderance or a help in your writing? Will you be capable of presenting alternative viewpoints without bias or judgment?

Consistency is Key

Once you have chosen a topic, do not waver! Too many students have come unraveled close to assessment deadlines because they have changed their topic too many times throughout the writing process and inevitably the result is an assessment that is neither cohesive nor coherent . Make an informed choice from the outset and plan your assignment carefully, before proceeding to the writing stage. Assignment questions are designed to attract an array of responses from students. Focus less on choosing the ‘right’ topic, as they are ALL right in your lecturer/tutor’s eyes, and more on researching and structuring your assessment correctly and in accordance with the marking criteria. Also worth noting, assessments are designed to evaluate what you have learnt within a course, therefore showcase what you have learnt. This seems obvious, though many students miss the point.

researched, reliable, written by academics and published by reputable publishers; often, but not always peer reviewed

unified or united

logically connected; consistent

Academic Writing Skills Copyright © 2021 by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Definition of assignment

task , duty , job , chore , stint , assignment mean a piece of work to be done.

task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circumstance.

duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

job applies to a piece of work voluntarily performed; it may sometimes suggest difficulty or importance.

chore implies a minor routine activity necessary for maintaining a household or farm.

stint implies a carefully allotted or measured quantity of assigned work or service.

assignment implies a definite limited task assigned by one in authority.

Examples of assignment in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assignment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

see assign entry 1

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing assignment

• self - assignment

Dictionary Entries Near assignment

Cite this entry.

“Assignment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assignment. Accessed 14 Jul. 2024.

Legal Definition

Legal definition of assignment, more from merriam-webster on assignment.

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100 Intersting Definition Essay Topics

Students all over the world look for definition essay topics at some points of their academic lives. The reason for this is simple: they got an assignment and are now worried about getting it done. There are a number of challenges connected with this task, and for doing everything correctly, you have to have a clear idea of what you’re doing. At first, it is important to figure out  what definition essay is . It’s a genre of writing where you present, explain, and elaborate on some idea, concept, or object. If you check any definition essay topics list, you’ll see that it could be anything, from feelings to technical instruments and philosophical concepts.

Why are such tasks important? They give writers a chance to look at a specific subject from a much deeper perspective than they’re used to, and such practice will be useful in their future life. For example, you might have always known what love is, but have you dwelled on all its meanings? Did you know where the word itself came from and how people’s understanding of it differs depending on their circumstances? A paper like this lets you get a definitive answer.  Choice of topic is extremely important, so knowing how to pick it is crucial.

Selecting Extended Definition Essay Topics

Deciding on a topic for an essay could look like a piece of cake, but in reality, it’s a complex process. You must select something interesting, educational, and academic in nature. Can you readily think of such themes? Probably not. With tips outlined below, making a choice will be easier!

• Choose interesting, not boring.  The worst mistake students could do is pick a topic they’ll hate. There are many definition essay ideas, and while some might seem easier than others, it doesn’t mean you should go for them. Be sure you like your topic and want to explore it. This will help you feel inspiration when you’re writing, so the process will not only be interesting to you, but to your readers as well.
• Brainstorm.  Discussing topics with friends or classmates is always a great idea. For one thing, you might find a sense of direction for your own essay. For another, you could make certain that you pick a unique topic. Very often, professors receive works dedicated to identical issues, and while it’s not always frowned upon, this is still a situation that should be avoided. You won’t want to be accused of plagiarism when you’ve put honest efforts into your essay.
• Compare the topic against the word count.  Some definition essay prompts are more substantial than others. Defining the concept of family could take 5 or even 10 pages, but something like a word “table” wouldn’t let you move farther than 1 or 2. So, think carefully. If you were told to write 1200 words, select a topic accordingly.
• Check availability of sources.  Be sure to check instructions or even a template if it’s available: professors often provide them to make their students’ writing easier. Are the number of sources indicated there? Most essays of academic level have to be based on credible support. That includes peer-reviewed articles, scientific books, and official sites with tested information.

100 Best Definition Paper Topics

A way to choose an appropriate topic is to look through different helpful lists. We’ve prepared one specifically for you. If you are in search of inspiration and cannot settle on an idea you’d like, check options below. There are 10 categories with 10 topics in each: think about which appeals to you more and feel free to pick anything that sounds good.

Family Definition Essay Ideas

Love and family often go together, but family life also has numerous problems. Choose any of these definition essay topics for college and explore this concept from the angle you like.

• An Image of a Perfect Family: Define How It Looks From Your Perspective
• Common American Family: What Does This Image Include?
• What Does Being Teenage Parents Mean & How and Why It Happens?
• Stepfather: Who Is He & What Role Does He Play?
• Being a Mother: Concept, Responsibility, and Purpose
• Who Are Abusive Parents and What Criteria Should Be Met to Be Defined as Such?
• How Could Traditional Family Values Be Defined?
• Families with Multiple Children: What Single Definition Unites Them?
• Elaborate on the Concept of Being an Orphan: What Does This Mean?
• In What Cases Does the Word “Dysfunctional” Apply to Families?

Love and Friendship Topics for Definition Essays

Almost every person has or had friends. These good definition essay topics will help you research this term as you see fit.

• Love as Understood in Families Around the World: How Do Religion and Culture Affect Its Definition?
• Romantic Attraction: What Feelings and Experiences Define It?
• How I Understand the Idea of Having a Best Friend
• Friendship Among Politicians as a Unique Phenomenon
• How Would You Define Unhealthy Relationships?
• Co-dependency: What Is It, What Causes It, & What This Leads To
• Romantic Obsession: What Defines This Concept and How It Emerges?
• Understanding Friendship: What Do Different Populations Say About It?
• Parental Love and Its Inherency: How Do People Understand It?
• Friendship between Men and Women: In What Ways Does It Exist?

Freedom Definition Essay Prompts

Who doesn’t want to be free? With these definition essay topics examples, you could make your point known.

• What Freedom Means to Americans vs. the Rest of the World
• How Do People Who Work All Their Lives Define Freedom?
• Freedom for Prisoners: What Features Does This Idea Entail?
• Limitations In School: What Are They?
• Correlation between Concepts of Freedom and Personal Satisfaction
• How Was Freedom Perceived During WW2?
• Breaks at School: Why Have They Been Created?
• Slavery in the Modern World, Its History, & Changing Reasons That Cause It
• Money in the Context of Freedom
• What Is Your Unique Understanding of Being Free?

This category is full of easy definition essay topics because happiness is a very universal concept that most people can understand.

• Provide Your Personal View on What Being Happy Means
• Define Connection between Dreams and Happiness
• How Could Ancient People Perceive Freedom vs. How It is Understood Now
• What Are Expectations in Terms of Happiness?
• Helping Others to Feel Happy: Define This Phenomenon and Provide Explanation
• How Does a Happy American Normally Look Like?
• Suffering from Depression: What Does This Issue Mean in Relation to Happiness?
• Characteristics of Being Unhappy
• Concept of Joy as Understood in Developed & Underdeveloped Countries
• Define Happiness Like It Is Seen by Families as Unites

Business Topics for Definition Essay

There are diverse topics for a definition essay in the sphere of business. If you are interested in learning how the world works and what money making entails, you might like some of these.

• Define the Word Business by Explaining It & Analyzing Its Background
• How Do You Personally Understand the Concept of Business?
• Transition From Being Employed to Losing Job: Define & Explain It
• Good Salary: What Would It Be in Modern America?
• Merging between Companies: Explain What This Process Implies
• What Are Start-Ups & How Is Their Success Defined?
• Explain What Bankruptcy Is
• What Is Definition of Social Packages and Why Do They Exist?
• What Does Being Fired Mean?
• Explain Maternal Leave and Rules That Surround It

Science and IT Definition Prompts

Science and IT are pretty complicated sectors, but they have lots of fascinating definition essay example topics, especially if this is something you have passion for.

• Explain What Windows Is Like You Would to Newbies
• What Concepts and Directions Does Math Include?
• Cell Phones: Their Old & New Versions and How the Concept Has Evolved Over Time
• Artificial Intelligence: What This Phenomenon Means & How It Came to Be
• Internet as One of the Most Complex and Widest Concepts in Modern Times
• Explain the Job of a Programmer: Which Aspects Are Included Into It?
• What Defines Smartphone?
• E-Learning: What Caused This and How You Would Define It?
• Branch of Physics: Talk About Its Meaning
• Define Laptops and Underline How They Differ From Computers

Definition Essay Topics For College Students

College presupposes tasks with a certain level of complexity. These definition argument topics correspond to it.

• What Is Paragraph in Accordance with Academic Standards?
• How Is Education Understood These Days?
• Explain Relevance & Meaning of Part-Time Education
• Role of Literature in Our Technology-Based World
• What Does Having a Degree Mean Today?
• Discuss the Idea Behind Plagiarism: Concept, Dangers, Reasons, & Impacts
• Define Heteronormativity and Share Information about Its Origins
• Brand Loyalty: What Could People Derive From This Concept?
• Reveal the Core & Reasons of Fascism
• Does Nobility Still Exist & How Could It Be Explained?

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Easy Definition Essays Topics

Sometimes students don’t want to spend too much time on their work. In such instances, easy and funny definition essay topics apply.

• Poverty: How Do People From Different Social Classes Perceive It?
• Define Home Along with Everything This Concept Entails
• What Is Art and How Does Modern Concept Differ From the Past?
• How Would You Define Personal & Global Success?
• What Inspired Fanfiction & Who Are People Interested in Writing in This Genre?
• Explain the Concept Behind Your Favorite TV Show
• Most Perfect Teacher in the World: How Should They Look Like?
• How Do Teenagers Perceive Popularity and What Meaning This Understanding Holds for Them?
• Define Your Favorite Piece of Music
• How Should Social Media Be Defined?

Creative Ideas

Some people are bursting with desire to do things differently. If you’d like creative definition essay topics, check these out.

• What Does a Self-Publishing Process Entail & What Meaning Does It Have?
• Talk About Polygamous People & What This Implies
• What Is Wedding & Which Attributes Represent It?
• All Types of Bed-Sharing: Discuss Them with Examples
• Ghosts: What Are They & When Did People Start Talking About Them?
• Good Sleep: How Many Hours Are needed & What Dreams Are Preferable
• What Are Online Trolls?
• Explain Laptop Freezing, Its Causes, & Reactions This Problem Evokes
• Rainbow Flag: Where Did It Come From & What Meaning Does It Hold?
• “Supernatural” Concept: Explain This Idea

Extended Definition Essays Ideas

Some definitions could be extended to cover more complex or general ideas. These definition paragraph topics will show you how it could be done.

• Being Miserable and Committing Crimes: Define Link Between These Concepts
• Pick Any Three Related Concepts and Elaborate On Them
• Life in Abusive Households & Becoming Abusive: What Do They Mean?
• What Is Laziness & Ways of Its Expression
• Define Having a Selfish Nature
• Weak Teachers: How Would You Explain This Occurrence?
• What Is the Best Definition for Coldness as Personal Trait?
• Human Sexuality and All Its Sides
• Phobias: Explain Concept & Define Its Elements
• How Can Segregation Be Understood?

Pick Great Definition Speech Topics and Learn Beauty of Writing

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Definition Essay Topics

But writing an effective definition essay requires exploring the nuances of a word and explaining it from several different perspectives. Confused? Don’t worry, this article will tell you everything you need to know about how to write a high scoring definition essay. 

What is a Definition Essay?

A definition essay is a common writing assignment in schools and universities. Put simply, It asks a student to choose a word and define it in-depth. The common dictionary definition is the first thing to state (in your own words), then the lesser-known meanings of the concept, followed by personal anecdotes and opinions further explaining the word. 

These assignments usually have word limits of up to 500 words. There are two main difficulties, either finding a definition essay topic to write 500 words about or fitting a lengthy and complex definition into the word limit. 

Some words are concrete concepts like clothes, telescope, or computer which may seem simple to write about but are ill-suited topics for a definition essay, while others are abstract like morality, envy, or justice which are much better because they allow for a more nuanced essay.  

Writing a successful definition essay means exploring a word more deeply than just stating its definition. The goal is to show a deep understanding of the chosen word or concept. Choosing the right word is crucial to writing a successful definition essay.

The overall structure of a definition paper is the same as any essay. Just remember that each body paragraph should explain the term in a different way.

How to Choose a Definition Essay Topic

Choosing the right topic can make or break your essay. What is a good topic for a definition essay? Concrete concepts may seem easy to write about, but they often defeat the purpose of the assignment by not letting the writer show their critical thinking and writing skills. 

An abstract concept with disputed meanings or definition essay topics with multiple meanings will give you enough to write about, but choose something specific rather than broad. Paranoia is a better definition essay topic choice than just the concept of fear in general. Remember, you have to find a concept that you know enough to write about, but also one that you can fully explain in about 500 words or so.

Avoid choosing a noun about a place, person, or thing since they are concrete concepts and might not give you enough to write about. An abstract noun, referring to an idea and adjectives are better choices for a definition essay topic. For example, gaming rather than console.

Choose a word that you already have some information about or feel passionate about. The better you know the concept, the easier it will be to write.

Answering some questions will help you understand and decide on a word.

What is the Origin of the Word?

What are the roots of the word? What do the roots mean? How did the modern meaning of the word come to be? Understanding the roots of a word can give you insight into what the word truly means and be excellent research for your essay.

What is the Context of the Word?

Does the word mean the same thing in different contexts? It’s quite possible that the word means different things in different places, or that there are multiple meanings to the word that you aren’t aware of.

What are the Previous Versions of the Word?

The meanings of words tend to change over time. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s drastic. Tracking the previous meaning of the word will give you insight into the evolution of its meaning. 

What is the Common Modern Usage of the Word?

The way the word is used today should be the main explanation. By doing the research you make sure that you aren’t working with an outdated concept of the word.

Just because you now know how to choose a topic for your definition essay doesn’t mean that examples won’t be helpful. Here’s a list of 100 good definition essay topics across several categories.

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Definition Essay Topics List by Category

Extended definition essay topics.

An extended definition essay has essentially the same purpose as a definition essay except it asks you to analyze the term even more deeply and gives you the opportunity to incorporate additional personal opinion. You can pinpoint the exact meaning of a term and explain why other meanings may be incorrect. Analyze the word by identifying its antonym (opposite). Delve deeper into the history and roots of the word to back your interpretations etc. The topic of an extended definition needs to be chosen carefully because there needs to be enough complexity to work with. Have a look at these definition essay topic ideas.

The difference between a “Novel” and other pieces of long-form writing.

Why poverty means different things in different countries

Is beauty really in the eye of the beholder?

My experiments with truth 

Does faith actually require a leap?

The different forms of love

Is there really something as an “Ideal” form of something?

Why a home is more than a house

A stirring inside: Music

When are humans not acting?

Good Definition Argument Essay Topics

There are always going to be people on multiple sides of an issue. An argument definition essay gives you the chance to convince the reader of your perspective on a controversial or ill-defined concept. It lets you state what you feel and what side you’re on. Take a look at these topics for an argument definition essay.

Conspiracy theories are just as valid as mainstream theories

Deep dish versus New York: What makes a pizza a pizza?

Is emotional infidelity as bad as cheating?

Science fiction is the best literary genre

Sports are the ideal hobby

Is corporate social responsibility done for the wrong reasons?

The death penalty: Justice or arrogance?

Does secular mean all-inclusive or completely non-inclusive?

The difference between a freedom fighter and a rebel is which side wins

Patient care: A doctor who’s nice or a doctor who’s effective?

Definition Essay Topics for College

Definition essays assigned in college are expected to be masterfully written with nuance and subtle understanding of the concept being explored. The following are 10 examples of definition essay topics for college.

Is college the best path to upward social mobility?

Does maturity mean different things at different stages of life?

A personal account of personal independence 

The misery of loneliness

How to define success

Bullying doesn’t end in high school, it evolves

Homesick for the very first time

The joy of self-determination 

The importance of time management

Changing concepts of the self 

Funny Definition Essay Topics

A definition essay can be a fantastic opportunity to showcase your wit! You can choose to play with an amusing concept, or explore an idea from an interesting viewpoint. Get inspired by the following topics.

Puppy love: How a dog feels about its master

Why dork is a worse insult than you think

Wrench: A useful tool? Or to take something away?

Lit: Not about candles anymore

I speak sarcasm

Facebook: Social media for old-timers

I think my dads going through a midlife crisis

Jokes for children and why they aren't funny anymore

Why a Lorry is not a truck

French fries weren’t invented in France

Controversial Definition Essay Topics

Writing about things you’re passionate about is a good decision when writing a definition essay. These controversial topics should ignite your passion, just make sure that you don’t get too carried away!

Vaccines have changed the course of humanity

War, what is it good for?

What is the purpose of incarceration?

Is happiness overrated?

Why being sad doesn’t mean being depressed

Gaming doesn’t rot your brain

Is it still addiction without a physical dependency?

Romantic love is a modern concept

Globalist is actually a compliment

Why nationalism is bad

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Abstract Definition Essay Topics

Abstract topics for definition essay can be simple or incredibly complex. They give you the freedom to give your own interpretation (backed by supporting arguments) on words that have a fluid meaning. 

Honor is valued differently by people 

What does freedom mean for a refugee?

Schadenfreude: Pleasure at the misfortune of others

Compassion is the most valuable human trait 

I’m the best at being humble

The speed of thought

Boredom: A state of mind 

Why friendship means more than family 

Humour is the best medicine

Spotting a charismatic person

Easy Definition Essay Topics

It’s completely fine If you don’t want to explore a complicated concept or you just want something easy to write about. Give the words dictionary definition, explain the perception of the word, and then add your personal thoughts. Feel free to use some of these good topics for a definition essay.

What makes a house a home?

Why vacations are important

Laughter is the best medicine

What family means to me?

What is democracy?

Popularity and why it’s important

My connection with worship

What exactly is science?

Why is a beach the perfect place to be?

Dancing is freedom

Definition Essay Topics on Love, Poetry, and Music

A topic that you feel emotional about is always a good choice, and nothing inspires passion more than love, poetry, and music. 

Love: Pleasure through pain

Why plutonic love is the purest form of love

The fascinating ways love is expressed in different cultures

Poetry: Words that pull at the heart

Why poetry has always been admired

Do rap lyrics count as poetry?

Music: A language that every human speaks

Explaining different tastes in music

Music as the first form of human communication

The connection between dance and music

Definition Essay Topics on History, Politics, and Governance

Writing a definition essay about things you’re interested in or studying cut down on a lot of research time and can be more enjoyable. Or maybe your teacher assigned the general topic, in any case, here are some examples!

If history is written by the winners, do we really truly know what happened?

Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

What is personal history?

The perception of politics in different places in the world

The origin of politics in early human civilizations

Politics: One for all or all for one?

Was the feudal system a form of social governance?

The changing role of governance in the 2020s

Governance: Serving the people or feeding one’s ego

The difference between politics and governance 

Definition Essay Topics on Economics, Business, IT, and Commerce

If you’re aspiring to join the business world or want an MBA, you’ll have to know the definitions and complexities of many terms. A lot of concepts in economics, business, IT, and commerce are abstract and ill-defined, which makes them perfect for a definition essay. Have a look at some of these topic examples. 

Is scarcity an artificial construct?

What does economic freedom really mean?

Economics in the middle ages

Business ethics in a globalized world

Is there a connection between busyness and business?

What makes a person a businessman?

The origins of the word “programming’

What information technology meant in the 1980s

Is free-market trade good for the world?

How monetary supply affects day to day life

This list of definition essay topics examples should set you on the right track! 

Things to Keep in Mind

The structure of a definition essay is the same as any other essay. The challenge is in describing a word or concept in a compelling way while showing in-depth understanding. Choosing the right definition essay topics are the most important element of writing a successful definition essay. Here’s a summary of how to make sure you’ve chosen an appropriate topic

• An abstract concept is better than a concrete concept
• Make the term specific rather than broad
• The word should have multiple meanings
• A word with disputed meaning is a good choice
• Choose a word that has a different meaning based on the context
• Select a topic that you already understand well
• Choose a term that you feel passionately about
• Identify the origins of the word
• Look into previous versions of the word
• Track the history of the word

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/əˈsaɪnmənt/.

Other forms: assignments

Whether you’re an international spy with a new mission or a high school student with math homework — when you get an assignment , you’d better do it! An assignment is a task that someone in authority has asked you to do.

The word assignment is just the noun form of the common verb assign , which you use when you want to give someone a duty or a job. When you assign something, that something is called an assignment . The word can also refer to the act of distributing something. If you are distributing new office furniture at work, you might say, “ Assignment of the new chairs will begin tomorrow.”

• noun an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor) see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... school assignment , schoolwork a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher writing assignment , written assignment an assignment to write something classroom project a school task requiring considerable effort classwork the part of a student's work that is done in the classroom homework , prep , preparation preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) lesson a task assigned for individual study type of: labor , project , task , undertaking any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
• noun a duty that you are assigned to perform (especially in the armed forces) “a hazardous assignment ” synonyms: duty assignment see more see less types: show 10 types... hide 10 types... guard , guard duty , sentry duty , sentry go the duty of serving as a sentry fatigue , fatigue duty labor of a nonmilitary kind done by soldiers (cleaning or digging or draining or so on) charge , commission , mission a special assignment that is given to a person or group reassignment assignment to a different duty sea-duty , service abroad , shipboard duty naval service aboard a ship at sea shore duty naval service at land bases fool's errand a fruitless mission mission impossible an extremely dangerous or difficult mission martyr operation , sacrifice operation , suicide mission killing or injuring others while annihilating yourself; usually accomplished with a bomb secondment the detachment of a person from their regular organization for temporary assignment elsewhere type of: duty work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons
• noun the act of putting a person into a non-elective position synonyms: appointment , designation , naming see more see less types: show 6 types... hide 6 types... nomination the act of officially naming a candidate co-optation , co-option the act of appointing summarily (with or without the appointee's consent) delegacy the appointment of a delegate ordinance , ordination the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders recognition designation by the chair granting a person the right to speak in a deliberative body laying on of hands laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination type of: conclusion , decision , determination the act of making up your mind about something
• noun the act of distributing something to designated places or persons “the first task is the assignment of an address to each datum” synonyms: assigning see more see less types: allocation , storage allocation (computer science) the assignment of particular areas of a magnetic disk to particular data or instructions type of: distribution the act of distributing or spreading or apportioning
• noun (law) a transfer of property by deed of conveyance synonyms: grant see more see less types: apanage , appanage a grant (by a sovereign or a legislative body) of resources to maintain a dependent member of a ruling family land grant a grant of public land (as to a railway or college) type of: transferred possession , transferred property a possession whose ownership changes or lapses
• noun the instrument by which a claim or right or interest or property is transferred from one person to another see more see less type of: instrument , legal document , legal instrument , official document (law) a document that states some contractual relationship or grants some right

Vocabulary lists containing assignment

The Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act of 1887, was a law that allowed the U.S. government to take Native American tribal lands and divide them into 40 acre lots for individual Native Americans. The goal was to break up communal tribal lands and speed the assimilation of Native Americans into American society. The Dawes Act caused great suffering with much of the land winding up in the hands of white settlers.

Learn these words from the autobiography by David Lubar (Inside: Level B, Unit 4). Here are our links to the selections of "Every Body Is a Winner": The Human Machine; My Fabulous Footprint , The Beat Goes On; All Pumped Up , Two Left Feet, Two Left Hands , How Coach Told Me; Bionics Here are our links to the units of Level B: Unit 1 , Unit 2 , Unit 3 , Unit 4 , Unit 5 , Unit 6 , Unit 7 , Unit 8 Here are our links to the Inside books: Level A , Level B , Level C Here is our link to a list of academic vocabulary for Inside: Academic Vocabulary

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140 Definition Essay Topics

One of the most complicated essay formats to write for any level of education is a definition essay.

This essay is not only challenging because of the requirement to meticulously choose and analyze specific examples, but this unique format also requires a student to be creative in their writing approach.

With a definition essay, students must choose a word or concept to analyze, explore, and explain. This word or concept is then used as the main topic within the essay.

A definition essay requires students to demonstrate their understanding of a specific concept or word by sharing examples and evidence from their own personal experiences and others.

While writing this type of essay is often rather tricky, choosing a topic to write about can be even tricker.

However, thanks to this handy guide covering 140 definition essay topics and strategies for structuring and writing this type of essay effectively, all students can produce a quality assignment that will earn them the grade they need.

Critical Concepts to Writing a Definition Essay

Before students can begin writing a definition essay, they’ll need to choose a word or concept that:

• Is familiar
• Has textual evidence to support their claims
• Contains enough room for analysis and exploration
• Has a subjective or disputable definition
• Can be supported with relevant examples and evidence from their own lives or the lives of others

Once a student has selected a word or concept that meets these requirements, they can begin researching to create an outline detailing their essay’s overall concept and structure.

How to Write a Definition Essay

A definition essay will need at least five paragraphs to be complete. However, depending on the definition’s complexity or the writing parameters set by the instructor, more extended essays may be necessary.

Introduction

Definition essays start with an introduction that details:

• The dictionary or encyclopedic definition of the term or concept. This should be the first sentence of the introduction and serve as the topic sentence that engages the reader and entices them to learn more. An example of this could start with, “ According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of ‘homework’ is….”
• A bit of background information on what the term is meant to signify. For example, a student may want to start with a statement such as, “In today’s society, the term ‘homework’ signifies a tedious assignment given by a teacher to his or her student.”
• A thesis statement should end the introduction by defining the term or concept in the writer’s personal view. For example, “Homework is something I have always seen as a tedious assignment given by my teacher…”

Remember that whatever the thesis is, the rest of the essay should be supported through factual evidence or anecdotal tales from friends, family, colleges, and peers.

Body Paragraphs

The body of a definition essay should be structured as at least three paragraphs that explain and explore the definition or concept as it relates to the writer and even society as a whole.

As a general guide, body paragraph structure should be designed in the following way:

• 1st paragraph – History and origin of the term or concept, including the root word, how it came into use, and who used it first. For example, “The term ‘homework’ originated from the German language and was brought over to American culture in 1879 by a group of educators led by William Holmes McGuffey.”
• 2nd paragraph – Detailed analysis of the dictionary definition and examination of term or concept from different angles. For example, “In the dictionary, ‘homework’ is defined as a school assignment given to students by their teachers.”
• 3rd paragraph – Personal opinions and comparisons that describe how the term or concept directly relates to the writer’s own life. For example, “In my opinion, homework is a necessary evil that must be done in order to keep up with all of my other classes.”

The conclusion of a definition essay should summarize the main points made in the body paragraphs and reiterate the original thesis statement. In addition to re-stating the thesis, a writer can use this section to discuss how they or society as a whole has progressed over time in relation to the definition or concept. For example:

“Although homework was once something that students and parents alike used to dread seeing on their nightly agenda, today’s youth have found new tactics for completing schoolwork on time and without worry. However, these new methods aren’t fool-proof, and homework will always be necessary as a form of critical thinking and learning.”

Check out these 140 definition essay topics to use with the handy writing guide above.

Definition Essay Topics About Emotions & Feelings

• Tranquility
• Helplessness/Powerlessness
• Frustration
• Humiliation
• Determination
• Perseverance
• Persistence
• Truthfulness

Definition Essay Topics About Social Concepts

• Good versus Evil
• Right versus Wrong
• Consequences of Actions
• Individuality/Dependence
• Cultural Awareness/Ethnicity
• Cyber-Bullying

Definition Essay Topics About Science & Technology

• Artificial intelligence
• Higgs boson Particle
• Global Warming
• Alternative energies
• Carbon footprint
• Conservation of energy
• Metaphysics
• Natural disasters
• Genetics and heredity
• Biodiversity

Definition Essay Topics About Business & Finance

• Entrepreneurship
• Financial Literacy
• Negotiating
• Business models
• Growth of industry
• Finance and investments
• Marketing strategy
• Business ethics
• Corporate responsibility
• Consumerism
• Social Entrepreneurship
• Responsible business decisions
• Stakeholders

Definition Essay Topics About Fine Art

• Movies/Cinema
• Color Theory
• Impressionism
• Abstract Art
• Mixed Media
• Caricatures and Comics
• Architecture
• Performance Art
• Metaphysical Art

Definition Essay Topics About Math

• Trigonometry

Definition Essay Topics About Political Science

• Executive Branch of Government
• Legislative Branch of Government
• Judicial Branch of Government
• Dictatorship
• Immigration
• Right to assemble
• Political parties
• Mock Elections
• First Amendment Rights

Definition Essay Topics About English & Literature

• Writing Techniques
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Alliteration

Definition Essay Topics About History

• The Renaissance

And that concludes the list of 140 definition essay topics sure to help you write an informative and impressive essay.

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Top 200 definition essay topics for all.

April 20, 2021

Essay writing can be hard if you don’t have the right essay topics. Most students need to make sure they choose a topic that they can adequately research, organize, and write about. A definition essay is a type of writing assignment that asks students to define a term, concept, or idea. Students cannot just provide a dictionary definition; students must extend the definition using well-thought examples. This list of definition essay topics covers a variety of areas. The topics are free to use and share with others.

Easy Definition Essay Topics

Students that learning how to write these types of essays should stick with a simple topic for definition essay that they can easily research and write about. Any student at the middle school or high school level should have no trouble working on the following:

• What is trust essay
• What is the definition of hatred?
• What is the meaning of laziness?
• What does it mean to be a first-world country?
• What is the meaning of democracy?
• What does it mean to be a hero?
• What is the definition of a charismatic personality?
• What is the definition of respecting one’s elders?
• What is the definition of friendship?
• What does it mean to be a coward?
• What is the definition of jealousy?
• What is the definition of being academically successful?
• What is the definition of being a good student?
• What is the definition of a good pet?
• What is the bad way of breaking up with a partner?
• What is the easiest way to change the oil on your car?
• What does it mean to have a hit song?
• What is meant by achieving academic success?
• What does it mean to be a good student?
• What do humans need to do to achieve peace?

Good Definition Paper Topics

A great definition essay topic should not pose difficult situations for students. Students can write about something they are familiar with and research what they are most comfortable with:

• What makes a person kind or mean?
• How does one define charisma in the 21 st century?
• What does it mean to have a bad sense of humor?
• What does it mean to love somebody unconditionally?
• When athletes claim a person is a team player, what does it mean?
• What does it mean to be optimistic during a pandemic?
• What does it mean to be pessimistic during a pandemic?
• What is the current definition of natural beauty?
• What was the definition of beauty in the 1960s?
• How does one give respect in the modern world?
• What is the definition of happiness in today’s society?
• What does it mean to have the dedication to succeed?
• What is meant when experts warn of an economic recession?
• What is meant when people achieve academic success?
• What is meant by events that are from an “Act of God”?
• What is meant when people find the perfect relationship?
• How does one offer support to a loved one?
• What is meant by alcoholic dependence?
• What is the definition of entrepreneurship?
• What is the definition of a professional internship?

Argument of Definition Topics

Some of the best topics for definition essay deal with everyday debates. These are the things people talk about often and make for great argumentative assignments:

• What are the likely programming languages of the future?
• What impact has the internet had on communication?
• What are the characteristics of a government bailout?
• What are the pros and cons of online learning?
• What are the characteristics of an economic package?
• What does it mean for a government to buy out a corporation?
• What is the meaning of a good work ethic?
• What are the characteristics managers use to hire employees?
• What is meant by a generational talent in sports?
• What does it mean to be artistic or creative?
• What does it mean to create good art?
• What is the meaning of a good soundtrack?
• What is meant by having good common sense?
• What does it mean to be a good professional athlete?
• What does it mean to pay respect to others?
• What is the definition of a dynasty in professional sports?
• What does it mean to have the latest technology in business?
• How does one provide child support in today’s economy?
• How does one achieve true leadership?
• What does it mean to be a loving parent?

Great Hot Topics Definition

The following topics for a definition essay work well for assignments you have about a week or two to complete. You can find ample information on the web, but you should rely more on academic resources you find at the library:

• What does it mean to be addicted to pain medications?
• How is veritable leadership defined in the workplace?
• How is society progress defined in today’s world?
• What is the meaning of eternal forgiveness in societies?
• How do people exhibit respect and equality toward others?
• What does it mean to be objective to art?
• What does it mean to be loyal to one’s parents?
• How does one explain racism to a child?
• What is the definition of bigotry?
• When can a political system for punishment be called just?
• What is the definition of good parenting?
• When is a child considered well-behaved?
• What is the definition of a patriarchal system?
• How is feminism defined in the 21 st century?
• What does it mean to be a feminist in today’s world?
• What is the difference between masculinity and femininity?
• What does it mean to be a good parent?
• What is the definition of being a good person?
• What does gender equality mean?
• What does it mean to be a third-world country?

Controversial Topics Definition

These topics for definition essays are controversial and will certainly gain a lot of attention. Be sure you commit enough time to find great resources that will back up your definitions:

• What are the responsibilities of a first-world country?
• What makes students lose interest in academic work?
• What is the definition of a fun time at prom?
• What does it mean to be a consenting adult?
• What does it mean to have the perfect body?
• How should the media portray young females on television?
• What is meant by having the perfect relationship?
• What is the meaning of a perfect marriage?
• What is the definition of an extended family?
• What does it mean to be mentally challenged?
• What does it mean to have perfect children?
• What constitutes cheating in a relationship?
• What is the definition of a common-law marriage?
• What is needed to get an annulment in the U.S.?
• What is the definition of an arranged marriage?
• What is the definition of an immediate family?
• What is the meaning of a hit musical record?
• What is the meaning of international diplomacy?
• What constitutes an unfair criminal trial?
• What does it mean to be sexually mature?

Definition Essay Topics for College

As students become more familiar with this type of assignment and as they advance to higher academic levels, they will need to choose good definition essay topics that meet or surpass the standards of their instructors’ expectations. Here is a list targeted toward college-level students:

• What is the definition of academic sabotage?
• What does it mean to cheat on a test?
• What does it mean to develop mental strength?
• What is the meaning of academic stress?
• What does it mean to colonize a foreign territory?
• What is the meaning of good fashion sense?
• What is the meaning of good taste in music?
• What is the definition of a rebellion?
• What does it mean to be heroic in today’s world?
• What is the definition of heroism in a technology-driven world?
• What do people mean when they say gambling addiction?
• What does it mean to have internet privacy?
• What does it mean to protest in the 21 st century?
• What is the meaning of constitutional rights?
• What does it mean to have independence from parents?
• What is meant when the media talks about white privilege?
• What defines a terrorist threat?
• What is meant when people refer to domestic terrorism?
• What does feminism mean in the 21 st century?
• What can be defined as a modern revolution?

Definition Speech Topics

These definition essay topics examples can be used for both speech presentations and written assignments. They are perfect for all academic levels and are relatively easy to research using online and print resources:

• What does it mean to be a good parent in a technology-based world?
• What does it mean to give children their privacy?
• What does it mean to apologize to one’s children?
• What does it mean to give children freedom in today’s world?
• What does it mean to have a cultural history?
• What is the definition of accountability?
• What is meant by the term “teacher’s pet”?
• What does it mean to be connected to one’s heritage?
• What does it mean to have a fair election?
• What does it mean to be a good role model for your kids?
• What does it mean to be a good role model for society?
• What is meant by a morally just act of war?
• What defines a justified military attack on a city?
• What does it mean to be addicted to caffeine?
• What is the definition of an inappropriate teacher-student relationship?
• What are the major causes of global warming?
• What is the reasoning behind human cloning?
• What were the major characteristics of the 60s hippie movement?
• What is the meaning of independent sovereignty?
• What is meant by the perfect poker hand?

Funny Definition Essay Topics

There are many occasions where using humor is a great way of handling definition topics. Students can often write freely without having to do much research. Here is a list that may be suitable for these occasions:

• What is the definition of being a bad tourist?
• What are the characteristics of a poser?
• What is a kind of music you are embarrassed to hear?
• What does it mean to help the upper class?
• Which season is the best one for slacking off?
• Which is the best type of pet?
• What is the hardest subject in school?
• What is the definition of dark humor?
• What can be expected from next year’s television programs?
• What was the hardest part about wearing masks during quarantine?
• Why don’t we feel our planet rotating around the sun?
• Why can’t cough people cough and sneeze at the same time?
• What is the reason we haven’t come into contact with aliens?
• What makes it hard for us to be polite to others?
• What is the meaning of slapstick humor?
• What does it mean to be rich in life?
• What makes for a good television sitcom?
• What does it mean to be a typical tourist?
• What do people mean when people roll their eyes?
• What is the definition of ironic comedy?

Creative Definition Essay Topics

Some of the best essays come from a careful selection of definition paper topics. Creative essay ideas and challenge students is a great way of attracting attention and earning a high score on an assignment:

• What does it mean to be poor?
• What defines a historical figure?
• What is the definition of offensive language?
• What is meant by the term social anarchist?
• What does it mean to live in a monarchy?
• What does it mean to ban free speech?
• How do checks and balances in the United States work?
• What is the purpose of a standardized test?
• What does it mean to Ghostlight somebody?
• What is global capitalism?
• What are the characteristics of a socialist government?
• What does mass media mean to different societies?
• What makes for a good piece of writing?
• What does freedom of the press mean in the U.S.?
• What is the definition of a well-written essay?
• What does it mean to censor offensive language?
• What are the characteristics of a democratic society?
• Who was Nero and why was he important?
• What did Stalin do that was condemned by others?
• What does liberal ideology mean?

Extended Definition Topics

With this type of essay, you may want to include things like etymology and historical context to define an idea. Here is a definition essay topics list that meets these requirements:

• What is meant to have self-respect in today’s world?
• What is meant by showing courage during difficult situations?
• What is the definition of contempt in court?
• What is the meaning of greatness in society?
• What is the definition of emotional abuse?
• What is the meaning of a manslaughter charge?
• What does it mean to be pessimistic about climate change?
• How is one’s legacy defined by his successes?
• What is the meaning of higher education?
• What is the meaning of unconditional love?
• What is the definition of statutory rape?
• What is the meaning of being loyal?
• What is the definition of a good university?
• What is the meaning of the term argument?
• What is the definition of an avid reader?
• What is the meaning of greatness in sports?
• What is the meaning of a plea bargain?
• What is the meaning of spousal abuse?
• What does it mean to be knowledgeable of world events?
• What does it mean to be patriotic in today’s world?

All the definition essay topics from our professional writer service can be shared and modified to fit assignment requirements. The topics definition can be sued for long and short projects. Students should try to choose a topic that interests them so that the process of researching and forming arguments will be less challenging.

Take a break from writing.

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How to Research

Define a topic.

• Library Resources
• Web Resources
• Evaluate for Quality
• Research Tips & Search Strategies
• Academic Integrity
• Citation Styles
• Annotated Bibliography

• Understand assignment requirements .
• Select a topic for their research paper.
• Formulate a research question.
• Narrow or broaden a research question.
• Determine keywords and brainstorm search terms .

   If you are unsure about what is expected about your assignment, consult with your instructor.

Step 1: Understand Your Assignment

Understand your assignment.

Before setting out to complete an assignment, get to know what is required. Parts of the assignment description students should look for include:

• Due date. Plan out an adequate amount of time to learn about your assignment, conduct research, create citations, and write.
• Length. The length of an assignment will give you an idea of how much research you will need to do.
• Citation Style. It will give you an idea of how to format your assignment (e.g., single-spaced, double-spaced, font, etc.) and create references (e.g., APA Style). If this information is not present in your assignment description, check your course outline.
• Sources. This includes the number of sources and types of sources you will need to complete the assignment sufficiently (e.g., scholarly sources).

Assignment descriptions also provide useful context or background information that will help you with identifying a topic.

Source: Niagara College Libraries + Learning Commons Information Skills Online Handbook

Step 2: Select a Research Topic

• a) Topic Selection
• b) Background Research
• c) Research Question
• d) Assess Your Topic

Select a Topic

Carefully read over your assignment description.

• Have you been provided with options for topics or do you need to come up with your own topic?
• Is there something that is happening in the news that interests you?
• Is there something you have learned about in your studies that you would like to explore further?
• If you have any questions, ask your professor for clarification.

When selecting your topic, ask yourself these questions:

• WHY did you choose the topic? What interests you about it? Do you have an opinion about the issues involved?
• WHO  are the information providers on this topic? Who might publish information about it? Who is affected by the topic? Do you know of organizations or institutions affiliated with the topic?
• WHAT are the major questions for this topic? Is there a debate about the topic? Are there a range of issues and viewpoints to consider?
• WHERE is your topic important: at the local, national, or international level? Are there specific places affected by the topic?
• WHEN is/was your topic important? Is it a current event or an historical issue? Do you want to compare your topic by time periods?

Content reproduced from  MIT.edu   under a  Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License

Background Research

Start researching your topic.

This process helps give you some background information about your topic prior to formulating your research question.

• Review your lecture notes and/or course readings for background information.
• You can use Wikipedia for your preliminary research - it often provides a concise overview of the topic with helpful links to open access (freely accessible) journal articles and resources. Do not cite Wikipedia articles in your final paper; however, sources cited on Wikipedia pages are free game (use our evaluation criteria before you cite!).
• Library subscribed  databases .
• A reputable encyclopedia: Encyclopedia Britannica or Funk and Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia .
• A major article on the topic.
• Library research guides .
• Books (and eBooks) on the subject.

Develop a Research Question

Once a topic has been selected and you have performed some background research, you can start developing a research question. 

Why Create a Research Question?

Research questions "help writers focus their research by providing a path through the research and writing process. The specificity of a well-developed research question helps writers avoid the 'all-about' paper and work toward supporting a specific, arguable thesis" (The Writing Center) .

Creating a Research Question

A good research question will require you to analyze an issue or problem. Developing a research question that asks about how or why tends to be more useful than a research question that asks what or describe questions (Monash University) .

You have already asked yourself the 5Ws in step a (Why, Who, What, Where, and When), next ask yourself:

• Is my research question clear and focused? Does your research question clearly state what you intend to research?
• Is my research question complex? Your question should not be able to be answered with a 'yes' or a 'no', but it also should not be too difficult to answer.
• Is my research question researchable? Are there enough resources available to answer your research question?

Sample Research Questions

Sample Research Questions from Indiana University Library

Assess Your Topic

Narrow your topic.

• If your topic is too broad, there will be too many resources for you to sift through.
• Limit your topic to a particular approach to the issue.
• Consider only one piece, or sub-area, of the subject.
• Limit the time span you examine.
• Limit by age, sex, race, occupation, species, or ethnic group.
• Limit by geographical location.

Content reproduced/adapted from  MIT.edu   under a  Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License

Broaden Your Topic

• Broadening the scope of your topic by generalizing what you are looking for.
• Adjusting your topic to something that has been extensively written about if your topic is very new.
• Broadening the scope of language used in search terms. A great way to accomplish this is to include commonly used words (keywords) from your background research. Also, consider using a thesaurus to find synonyms to represent your topic.

Content reproduced/adapted from    under a  Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License

Step 3: Create Keywords, Search Terms, & Thesis

• a) Determine Keywords
• b) Brainstorming Search Terms
• c) Searching
• d) Reassess Research Question

Determining Keywords

It will be easier to find information if you define your topic and identify the key concepts.

Step A) Take a look at your research question and ask yourself, what are the main concepts? These main concepts will become your keywords. 

The research question:

Keywords that describe this topic could include:

From this example, we have highlighted just the key words:

• Today's youth 
• Parents 
• "Better life" (this concept is a bit tricky. You will need to determine what you mean by "better life", such as economic status, healthcare, area of the world, etc.)

We have left out all other words and punctuation (do, have, a, than, their, ?) from our key words.

Brainstorming Search Terms 

Step B) Think of all the words, or synonyms , you can use to describe these keywords. By definition, synonyms are words that have a similar meaning and are interchangeable. To make this process easier, use a thesaurus to find synonyms.

To show this process, we have mapped out several synonyms and related terms to our three main terms we pulled from our research question. Related terms are a little different from synonyms as they do not always mean the exact same thing as the keywords, but are useful for broadening the scope of your search. We have also broken several terms into narrower and broad terms.

Synonyms & Related Terms

• Today's youth = teenagers = adolescents = young adults = Generation Z
• Parents = caregivers = mother = father
• "Better Life" = education = healthcare = finances = socioeconomic status = technology

Narrower Terms

• Education level < Education 
• Financial well-being < Finances

Broad Terms

• Finances > Debt
• Wealth > Income

Step C) Now that we have identified our main keywords, synonyms and related terms, as well as narrower and broad terms, we can start our background research by  searching on the web or in  library databases for resources related to our topic.

Often, a simple Google search will help you define your topic further.

Typing in our research question:  Do today's youth have a better life than their parents?  into the search bar of Google, we come across a very helpful resource put out by Pew Research Center .

[click on above image of a Google search to be sent to the Google results page]

Using resources such as the report from Pew Research Center, we can flesh out more of our research question with new knowledge of the factors that make life different between generations, including education level, income and wealth, housing, etc.

Reassess Research Question & Formulate Thesis

Step D)  Research is an ever-evolving, iterative process. After searching, you may find information that informs your research question and/or resulting search terms. At this point, you may wish to revisit the first two steps: Determining Keywords and Brainstorming Search Terms.

Alternatively, you may also choose to adapt your research question  into a thesis to fit this new information.

Example: 

Our original research question was: 

Based on some of our introductory research we conducted in Step C, it may be more valuable to narrow our research question to focus on a more specific topic, such as access to education. We can rework our research question into a thesis to reflect these changes:

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Definition Essay Writing

Definition Essay Topics

150 Best Definition Essay Topics For Students

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Definition Essay Writing: Format, Tips, and Examples

Definition Essay Outline - Writing Guide With Examples

Ever struggled to pick a good topic for your definition essay? You're not alone; it can be a real challenge.

Choosing the right topic isn't just about finding something random. It's about picking one that gets you excited and grabs your reader's attention.

But don't worry! We have got you covered. 

In this blog, you’ll get some great definition essay topics and useful tips on how to choose a definition essay topic. All you have to do is give this article a good read and pick an amazing topic of your interest.

• 1. A Closer Look at Definition Essay
• 2. Definition Essay Topics Ideas
• 3. Funny Definition Essay Topics
• 4. Creative Definition Essay Topics 
• 5. Easy Definition Essay Topics 
• 6. Good Definition Essay Topics
• 7. Extended Definition Essay Topics
• 8. Random Definition Essay Topics
• 9. Definition Argumentative Essay Topics
• 10. Controversial Definition Essay Topics
• 11. How to Choose a Definition Essay Topic?
• 12. Tips on How to Write a Definition Essay

A Closer Look at Definition Essay

A definition essay is a type of academic writing that defines or explains a word, term, concept, or idea. There are some words that have literal meanings and they are very easy to explain i.e. pencil, table, chair, etc. 

There are some terms that have abstract meanings and are difficult to explain i.e. love, care, emotion, and feelings.

This type of essay includes both the official meanings of the word and the writer's interpretation. This interpretation is supported by examples.

A good definition essay will not exceed one page in length, and it should include 250-500 words. The goal is for the student to expand on a word’s usage. This can be done by explaining other possible concepts of what they are analyzing - this makes them more interesting!

Definition Essay Topics Ideas

When you search over the internet you’ll get plenty of definition essay topics. Having a lot of ideas in hand can make the topic selection process difficult. That is why we have compiled a list of some effective and interesting definition essay topics. 

Check out these creative definition essay topics lists below and choose the best one for your essay.

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Definition Essay Topics for High School Students

• Identity in the Digital Age
• Empathy in a Diverse World
• Global Citizenship
• Intellectual Curiosity
• Civic Engagement
• Environmental Stewardship
• Ethical Leadership
• Cultural Fluency
• Mindfulness in Education
• Critical Thinking

Definition Essay Topics for College Students

• What is the meaning of optimism?
• What does sincerity mean?
• Love at first sight
• The true meaning of respect
• The actual definition of family
• Define Buddhism
• Who is a strong leader?
• What is the actual meaning of ambitions?
• Define racism in your own words
• How will you define success?

Definition Essay Topic on Mass Media

• The evolution of 'news' in the digital age: redefining journalism.
• The true meaning of 'media bias': navigating perspectives.
• The influence of 'social media': defining modern connectivity.
• The power of 'advertising': shaping perceptions and desires.
• Reality TV: a new definition of 'entertainment'?
• The impact of 'fake news': deconstructing information manipulation.
• The definition of 'clickbait': balancing engagement and misleading content.
• Streaming services: redefining 'television' in the 21st century.
• The role of 'podcasts' in modern communication: beyond radio.
• Citizen journalism: broadening the scope of 'media.

Funny Definition Essay Topics

• Awkward Dancing
• Chaos Theory
• Social Media Stalking
• Mismatched Socks
• Infinite Scroll
• Bad Hair Days
• Pajama Fashion
• Fast Food Gourmet
• Napping Olympics
• Pencil Tossing

Creative Definition Essay Topics 

• The Essence of Wanderlust: Defining the Spirit of Adventure
• Epic Fails: The Art and Science of Learning from Mistakes
• Digital Detox: Navigating Life in the Age of Screens
• Ambition Redefined: Pursuing Dreams in the Real World
• Friendship in the Digital Age: The Modern Definition of 'BFF'
• Mindfulness Unveiled: Embracing the Present Moment
• Nostalgia: Journeying into the Past Through Rose-Tinted Glasses
• Resilience: Bouncing Back from Life's Unexpected Twists
• The Art of Simplicity: Finding Beauty in the Basics
• Silence Speaks: Exploring the Power of Quiet Moments

Easy Definition Essay Topics 

• Privacy 
• Humanity 

Good Definition Essay Topics

• Describe laziness
• Define attitude
• What is magnetism?
• How do you define attraction?
• Define human rights
• What is the meaning of responsibilities?
• Time management
• Define health
• Define class
• What is the meaning of wealth

Unique Definition Essay Topics

• The quirkiness of 'fam': exploring unconventional family structures.
• The essence of 'chill': beyond a relaxing vibe.
• Defining 'awkward': navigating social discomfort.
• The true meaning of 'indie': beyond music and film.
• The 'vibe' culture: capturing the unspoken atmosphere.
• Decoding 'meme culture': more than just humor.
• The complexity of 'cool': an ever-changing definition.
• The 'hacktivist' movement: merging hacking and activism.
• Retro: nostalgia or a timeless definition?
• The art of 'hygge': coziness in a single word.

One Word Definition Essay Topics:

• Sustainability

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Classification and Definition Essay Topics

• Types of friendship: defining bonds beyond acquaintanceship.
• Genres of literature: from mystery to science fiction.
• Learning styles: understanding varied approaches to education.
• Personality types: navigating the landscape of traits.
• Cuisine categories: exploring the world through food.
• Forms of government: beyond democracy and authoritarianism.
• Music genres: from classical to experimental.
• Social media users: the diverse landscape of online presence.
• Educational philosophies: from Montessori to Waldorf.
• The world of gaming: classifying video game genres.

Simple Definition Essay Topics:

• Friendship: what does it truly mean to be a friend?
• Happiness: beyond smiles and laughter.
• Home: defining the heart of comfort.
• Success: navigating achievements and fulfillment.
• Courage: facing fear with grace.
• Kindness: the power of small acts.
• Respect: cultivating dignity in interactions.
• Family: beyond blood ties.
• Trust: the foundation of genuine connections.
• Wisdom: gained through experience and reflection.

Extended Definition Essay Topics

• What does the term freedom mean?
• Define ownership in your own words
• What is the meaning of the term character?
• The current American dream
• The evolution of the definitions
• Define experience in your own words
• What is common sense?
• Explore the term science
• What role does a degree play in a student’s life?
• Time: The Elusive Concept That Shapes Our Lives

Random Definition Essay Topics

• Small business
• Masculinity
• Artificial Intelligence
• Individuality

Definition Argumentative Essay Topics

• Democracy vs. Dictatorship
• Meaning of two sides of a coin
• Classical music vs. Pop music
• Friendship vs. Love
• The Fluid Concept of 'Justice'
• Equality vs. Equity
• The Definition of 'Art'
• Security in the 21st Century
• Defining 'Fake News' in a Post-Truth Society
• The Definition of 'Heroism'

Controversial Definition Essay Topics

• Defining Patriotism: Where Loyalty Ends and Extremism Begins.
• Freedom of Speech: Navigating the Thin Line Between Expression and Harm.
• The Slippery Slope of Political Correctness: Balancing Respect and Censorship.
• The Fluid Boundaries of 'Cultural Appropriation' in Art and Fashion.
• Gender Identity: Beyond Binary – The Controversy of Pronouns.
• The Definition of 'Addiction': Disease or Personal Responsibility?
• Euthanasia: Dignity in Death or Slippery Moral Slope?
• The Controversy of 'Trigger Warnings': Protecting or Censoring?
• Defining 'Fake News' in a Post-Truth Era: Information or Manipulation?
• The Line Between 'National Security' and Invasion of Privacy.

How to Choose a Definition Essay Topic?

The success of your essay majorly depends on the topic. A good topic is a key element in writing a good essay. So when you choose a topic for your essay, keep the following things in mind.

• Choose a topic that has a broad meaning rather than a literal meaning.
• Make sure you understand the topic completely.
• Make sure that the subject should be interesting for you.
• The topic should be interesting for the reader as well.
• Choose a word, idea or term that is fresh for the audience.
• Avoid picking any common topic that the reader is already familiar with.
• Choose an idea that connects with your target audience.

Choosing a controversial topic is quite easier than choosing a common definition essay topic. As you have a few options to choose from and a little space to write about it. But if you keep the instructions given above in mind, you can easily choose an amazing topic for your essay.

Tips on How to Write a Definition Essay

Here are some tips that you should learn before writing your essay. These steps will help you structure your essay in a proper format.

• Pick an interesting and unique paper topic.
• Research the topic thoroughly and collect detailed information about it.
• Create a definition essay outline , it will help you follow the essay pattern. Without an outline, it is really difficult to craft a good essay according to the format.
• Tell the exact meaning of your subject in the introduction part. Present the thesis statement that provides a detailed meaning of the essay topic. Your introduction should be able to grab the reader’s attention and make them read the complete essay.
• In the body paragraphs, provide evidence that supports your personal and dictionary definitions. Elaborate on the topic with the help of your personal experience examples.
• In the conclusion section, just sum up all the explanations and descriptions. This is akin to closing remarks, so do not provide a fresh idea over here. Provide your close remarks and finish the essay.
• After writing the essay, spare some time for the proofreading and editing process. Check your essay for spelling and grammatical mistakes. Remove all the errors from the essay to make it flawless.

Definition Essay Structure

Your final definition paper may have a structure similar to this:

• A copy-pasted or paraphrased definition from the dictionary.
• Writer’s personal understanding and interpretation of the word. 
• An example of the usage of the word in a real context. 
• Supporting evidence justifying the writer’s interpretation of the word.
• Conclusion summarizing each point briefly. 

In conclusion, our exploration into the world of definition essays has been a journey of discovery. We've dived into the meanings of words, navigated through controversies, and embraced creativity. Words are more than just letters; they have the power to shape thoughts and connect us in unique ways.

This essay writing guide will help you a lot in writing your essay. Make sure you follow the procedure so that you don’t make any mistakes.

Found a topic but don’t have time to write an essay?

Well, fret no more, we have got your back!

Hire a professional definition essay writer from MyPerfectWords.com . We are a professional writing service that provides high-quality academic papers and essays at reasonable prices.

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Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.

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Meaning of assignment in English

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• It was a plum assignment - more of a vacation really.
• He took this award-winning photograph while on assignment in the Middle East .
• His two-year assignment to the Mexico office starts in September .
• She first visited Norway on assignment for the winter Olympics ten years ago.
• He fell in love with the area after being there on assignment for National Geographic in the 1950s.
• act as something
• all work and no play (makes Jack a dull boy) idiom
• be at work idiom
• be in work idiom
• housekeeping
• in the line of duty idiom
• join duty idiom
• undertaking

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

assignment | Intermediate English

Assignment | business english, examples of assignment, collocations with assignment.

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something that you say by accident when you intended to say something else

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CPS Online Library Research Guide (UNH Manchester Library): Define the Topic

• Different Types of Information
• The Savvy Information Consumer
• Primary & Secondary Sources
• Periodical Literature
• Peer Review
• Research Glossary
• Business Research Databases
• Understanding the Assignment
• Preliminary Considerations
• 7 Steps to Completing a Research Assignment
• Define the Topic
• Find & Evaluate Your Sources
• Research Integrity & Citing Your Sources
• Searching for Information
• Evaluating Information
• How to Read an Academic Journal Article This link opens in a new window
• Evaluating Social Media Sources
• Writing Your Research Paper
• Create a Literature Review
• Summarize an Article
• How to Write an Abstract
• How to Write a Book Review
• How to Do an Annotated Bibliography
• Finding Professional Organizations
• Find Key Journals in Your Field of Study
• Find Peer-Reviewed Articles
• Write a Research Paper Proposal
• Research a Company This link opens in a new window
• Citing Your Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• NHCUC Libraries
• Other Types of Research
• Academic Libraries in NH
• Government Documents
• Using Google for Academic Research
• Information Literacy
• Developing Effective Library Research Assignments
• Using Permalinks
• Primary Source Websites

Explore Your Topic

How to begin.

It might be that you have an idea or have been given a topic to research. But, what do you really know about your topic? There are several very effective ways to being doing a little background research. One approach is to do an information scan.

The Information Scan

Completing an information scan on a topic provides a superficial view of your topic. Using an information scan technique will help you refine your topic, identify the most relevant sources of information, and where to find the information. By using some of the tools described below you can get a broad overview of your topic, an idea of where researchers might be focusing their efforts, and some ideas on what aspects of your topic should be emphasized. You are in the exploring stage.

Create a Thesis Statement

Start with a statement of purpose.

A Statement of Purpose is a sentence that you write, which states, in some detail, what you want to learn about in your research topic. The statement guides you as you work so that you will read and take notes only on what’s needed for your project. Writing a statement of purpose will do 4 things to help you:

• You will get more interested in your project.
• It will keep you from getting overwhelmed and panicky at all the information you may find.
• It will help you develop a strong thesis statement, which comes later on in the research process.
• It saves you valuable time and effort.

What Is a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is a strong statement that you can prove with evidence. It is not a simple statement of fact. A thesis statement should be the product of your own critical thinking after you have done some research. Your thesis statement will be the main idea of your entire project. It can also be thought of as the angle or point of view from which you present your material.

A thesis statement:

• tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion.
• is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper.
• directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
• makes a claim that others might dispute.
• is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

If your assignment asks you to take a position or develop a claim about a subject, you may need to convey that position or claim in a thesis statement near the beginning of your draft. The assignment may not explicitly state that you need a thesis statement because your instructor may assume you will include one. When in doubt, ask your instructor if the assignment requires a thesis statement. When an assignment asks you to analyze, to interpret, to compare and contrast, to demonstrate cause and effect, or to take a stand on an issue, it is likely that you are being asked to develop a thesis and to support it persuasively.

You will develop a thesis statement about your research topic after you have written a statement of purpose (see above) and done some actual research into the topic. You will then present your thesis statement in your introduction, prove it with evidence in the body of your paper, project, or presentation, and finally restate it along with a summary of your evidence in your conclusion.

Developing a Thesis Statement

A thesis is the result of a lengthy thinking process. Formulating a thesis is not the first thing you do after reading an essay assignment. Before you develop an argument on any topic, you have to collect and organize evidence, look for possible relationships between known facts (such as surprising contrasts or similarities), and think about the significance of these relationships. Once you do this thinking, you will probably have a “working thesis,” a basic or main idea, an argument that you think you can support with evidence but that may need adjustment along the way.

Writers use all kinds of techniques to stimulate their thinking and to help them clarify relationships or comprehend the broader significance of a topic and arrive at a thesis statement.

• Look again at your Statement of Purpose
• Look at the kinds of information you have been finding while taking notes.
• Decide what kind of statement you have enough evidence to prove. (Be sure that you have done enough research to make a strong argument. You may be challenged.)
• Write that as your thesis statement.

There are many ways to approach writing a thesis statement.

Just make sure that it is not simple a fact and that you can support it with good evidence from reliable sources.

Here are some ways to approach it:

• Define a problem and state your opinion about it
• Discuss the current state of an issue or problem and predict how it might resolve
• Put forth a possible solution to a problem
• Look at an issue/topic from a new, interesting perspective
• Theorize how the world might be different today if something had/had not happened in the past
• Compare two or more of something similar and give your rating about them (cars, authors,computers, colleges, books)
• Put out your ideas about how something was influenced to be the way it is or was (music, art, political leadership, genocide)

Some Examples

Here are some Statements of Purpose developed into possible thesis statements

You can see that there is more than one way to write a thesis statement, depending on what you find out in your research and what your opinion is.

Is Your Thesis Statement Strong?

If there’s time, run it by your instructor or make an appointment at the Writing Center to get some feedback. Even if you do not have time to get advice elsewhere, you can do some thesis evaluation of your own. When reviewing your first draft and its working thesis, ask yourself the following:

• Do I answer the question? Re-reading the question prompt after constructing a working thesis can help you fix an argument that misses the focus of the question.
• Have I taken a position that others might challenge or oppose? If your thesis simply states facts that no one would, or even could, disagree with, it’s possible that you are simply providing a summary, rather than making an argument.
• Is my thesis statement specific enough? Thesis statements that are too vague often do not have a strong argument. If your thesis contains words like “good” or “successful,” see if you could be more specific: why is something “good”; what specifically makes something “successful”?
• Does my thesis pass the “So what?” test? If a reader’s first response is, “So what?” then you need to clarify, to forge a relationship, or to connect to a larger issue.
• Does my essay support my thesis specifically and without wandering? If your thesis and the body of your essay do not seem to go together, one of them has to change. It’s okay to change your working thesis to reflect things you have figured out in the course of writing your paper. Remember, always reassess and revise your writing as necessary.
• Does my thesis pass the “how and why?” test? If a reader’s first response is “how?” or “why?” your thesis may be too open-ended and lack guidance for the reader. See what you can add to give the reader a better take on your position right from the beginning.

From the Thesis Statement you can then begin to develop an outline for your research paper.

Modified from Cambridge & Latin School Research Guide , and the University of North Carolina Writing Center .

Steps to Defining Your Topic

Think About Your Topic

There are two scenarios possible when considering a topic for your research paper. Your instructor may give you the topic, or more commonly you will be asked to develop your own topic. Before you begin your research assignment, you need to spend some time thinking about and planning your topic. This will save you a LOT of time once you begin researching and writing your paper.

How to Select a Topic

Don’t choose a topic that is too broad or too narrow. Your instructor can give your guidance on how narrow or broad your topic should be. In general narrowing your topic generally leads to a more in-depth and well-researched paper. Very broad papers, particularly when short, merely gloss over a topic.

Ask open-ended questions.Research topics are generally open-ended, i.e. you want to discover something through researching the subject. You are actively looking for differing opinions and research on an idea.

Avoid topics that are too speculative:   Good research topics allow you to find facts, evidence, and objective discussions. While you may add your own opinion, unless asked for in a research paper. it is best to stick with reporting what the experts think.

Select topics that are of interest to you: Choose a topic that will be interesting and intellectually challenging  to you. If you are bored by your topic the reader will be too!  

Your topic should have at least 2 main ideas or concepts: A well-formulated research question will always contain at least two aspects or main ideas. Think about connecting these concepts with a joining word such as "on," 'in," or "led to."

Example: what was the effect of [concept 1] on [concept 2]

Key Questions to Consider as You Finalize Your Topic

What topic are you researching?

What do you know about this topic?

What? What is your topic about? Provide a 2-3 sentence explanation: b. Where? Does this topic fit into a local, regional, or global scheme? Is there a particular physical environment for this topic?

When? Is there a certain time frame when this topic became important or experienced change? Do you want to research the current or historical view of this topic?

Who? Specific names or groups of people involved; consider gender, ethnicity, age groups, occupations, etc. Who does this topic affect?

Why? Why is this topic important? Why are you interested in researching this topic? f. How? How do aspects of this topic affect one another? How does this topic affect you and  others? If this topic involves a process, how do aspects of this topic function?

What would you like to find out about this topic? What questions do you have?

Create a Concept Map

" Example Concept Map " by Hamlett and Lacy is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

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• Last Updated: Jun 11, 2024 12:08 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.unh.edu/CPSonlineLibraryResearch

Essay Assignment: Argument of Definition

Writing assignment.

Definition is a challenging rhetorical mode.  Writing definitions, one might be asked to challenge a widely accepted definition, create a controversial definition, or try to figure out if something fits an existing definition.  For this assignment, I will require you to find at least two outside sources.

Using at least two library database, book, or ebook sources other than reference works or dictionaries, write a three-page (not counting the Works Cited) definition of a term or phrase in one of the following topics:

A) How has Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm altered the meaning of the Star Wars franchise?

B) Since Babilonia’s essay “The Celebrity Chef” has been written, argue for an expanded definition of the celebrity chef. With what added duties, concerns, activities does the contemporary celebrity chef concern herself?  (Don’t use my last sentence’s wording in your essay.)

C) Using several examples, define the ideal video game protagonist (hero or heroine). You may not reuse any sources, ideas, or examples from Essay 1.

D) Write an essay analyzing how conventional definitions of good and evil are called into question in O’Connor’s story “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”

E) Write an essay explaining how a group of workers you have observed, blue-collar or otherwise, appeared to understand and define some important aspect of their work. Refer in detail to individual members of the group and what they had to say. (Their ideas can be cited as personal interviews.)

F) Write a definition of Voodoo outlining the origins and traditional beliefs of this religion or cult. (Which is it, by the way? A good definition should explain.)  Remember that facts which aren’t common knowledge would get cited, and so would used patterns of source thinking.

Narrow your focus so your definition is more specific than “defining chefs.”  Include a thesis claim about the word being defined.

Write to argue, since you’re redefining a term readers believe they know.  Convince us that your claims about the definition are valid.  Your readers have a familiarity with the topics.  Do not retell them.  We’re not “proving” how _____ works, either!  Avoid the pitfall of writing an editorial or summarizing blandly.  What does the word argue?

Your instructor and classmates are your audience, as with Essay 1.

Additional Information

You may not use dictionary.com definitions in your introduction.  (Also, any cited definitions need quotes around used words—something a lot of writers neglect.)  No wikis are allowed.

Decide whether your essay will expand, reduce, or alter the meaning of a term .  You can adopt a surprising number of strategies for an argument of definition.  You will argue that your definition is the most valid one.  This means you are competing with other definitions.  Some writers try and expand our accepted definition while others attempt to limit a definition’s applications.

Here are some techniques you might use:

• Illustration
• Comparison and contrast
• Negation (saying what something is not)
• Explanations of a process (how something is measured or works)
• Identifications of causes or effects
• Simile, metaphor, or analogy
• Reference to authority
• Reference to the writer’s or others’ personal experience or observation
• Etymology (word origins)

Don’t Forget. . .

• Avoid the overuse of I or you .
• Only papers in MLA format are accepted. Arial and Times are accepted fonts.
• Anticipate problems when you narrow the topic. Sharpen your focus so that you can do a three-page paper on the topic—it’s not a book or a one-page essay, either.  A paper that floats around in a topic too big for it receives a poor grade.
• Focus on connotations (readers would bring) and denotations (dictionary definitions). These often clash or reveal boundaries of definitions.
• Close non-examples are ways of bringing focus to an argument of definition.
• If you use examples, make sure they connect to the definition and aren’t just used for shock effect.
• Essay Assignment: Argument of Definition. Authored by : Joshua Dickinson. Provided by : Jefferson Community College. Located at : http://www.sunyjefferson.edu . Project : Arguing Through Writing. License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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Glossary of Task Words

Understanding the meaning of words, especially task words, helps you to know exactly what is being asked of you. It takes you halfway towards narrowing down your material and selecting your answer.

Task words direct you and tell you how to go about answering a question. Here is a list of such words and others that you are most likely to come across frequently in your course.

Maddox, H 1967, How to Study , 2nd ed, Pan Books, London.

Marshall, L., & Rowland, F 1998, A guide to learning independently , Addison Wesley Longman, Melbourne.

Northedge, A 1997, The good study guide , Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.

Essay and assignment writing guide

• Essay writing basics
• Essay and assignment planning
• Complex assignment questions
• Glossary of task words
• Editing checklist
• Writing a critical review
• Annotated bibliography
• Reflective writing
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Study Hacks Workshops | All the hacks you need! 28 May – 25 Jul 2024

• Using Planning Central

Data Collection Sequence

This topic explores the sequence that you should follow for data collection.

Data collection involves collecting entities in a predefined sequence. The collected entities form the basis for supply planning calculations. To have accurate data, you must ensure to collect the entities in a proper sequence. You cannot collect some entities without collecting their precursor entities. The data collection sequence is very crucial when you collect data from an external source system using CSV files.

If you run targeted collections for all entities, you can ignore the sequence for collections because targeted collections automate the collection sequence for all entities within a single collections request. If you collect many entities in a single request, collections will process them according to the sequences shown in this topic. If you collect only a few entities, then you must be aware of the collections sequence information. For example, you should not collect work orders before you collect items or resources.

To make the workflow simple, the collection sequence is divided into two parts - Part A and Part B. The collection entities in Part B are dependent on the collection entities in Part A. You must collect the entities in Part A before you collect the entities in Part B. Also, the collection entities are grouped together for easier presentation. The data groups in Part A are:

Collections Sequence Part A for Item Data

Collections sequence part a for region, location, and customer data, collections sequence part a for currency, calendar, demand class, and uom data.

The data groups in Part B are:

Collections Sequence Part B for Sales Order and Assignment Sets

Collection Sequence Part B for Work Orders, Work Definition, and Item Structure

Every collection sequence in Part A starts with defining a source system where the collected data will reside. If you are collecting data to the same source system, you define the source system only once. Then, use the same source system to collect all the entities.

The following figure provides an overview of the data collection sequence. The overview shows how Part A and Part B fit together to form a complete data collection flow.

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow while collecting Item data from external source systems. This image represents only half of the entities for collecting Item data.

When you collect the data described here, continue to the collection sequence Part B described in the following subsections.

Collection Sequence Part B for Sales and Order and Assignment Sets

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow while collecting Regions and Customers data from external source systems. This image represents only half of the entities for Item data.

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow while collecting Currency, Calendar, Demand Class, and UOM data from external source systems. Also, ensure that you collect Location before collecting Supplier Site.

Collection Sequence for Calendar Data

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow for collecting the Calendar data. Calendar data is a part of the data collection in Part A. You collect the Calendar data in the following subsection: Collection Sequence Part A for Currency, Calendar, Demand Class, and UOM Data.

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow while collecting Sales Order and Assignment Sets data from external source systems. The data entities in Part B are dependent on Part A. So, you must collect entities listed in Part A before you collect the entities in Part B.

Collection Sequence Part B for Work Orders, Work Definition, and Item Structures

The following image shows the collections sequence to follow while collecting Work Orders, Work Definition, and Item Structure data from external source systems. The data entities in Part B are dependent on Part A. So, you must collect entities listed in Part A before you collect the entities in Part B.