topics for humanities research paper

220 Best Humanities Research Topics to Get Started

Table of Contents

Humanities is a broad academic discipline that deals with the various facets of culture and human society. It mainly involves the study of languages, philosophy, literature, religion, art, history, law, archaeology, and anthropology. If you are a humanities student, then as a part of your course, you will have to submit a research paper on any interesting topic related to the subject. In case, you are unsure what topic to choose for your humanities research paper, then check this blog post. For your convenience, here, we have presented a list of the great humanities research topics in various categories. Also, we have shared a few significant tips for selecting a good humanities research topic.

Without wasting your time, explore this blog post and get more ideas for humanities research paper writing.

Tips for Selecting a Good Humanities Research Topic

Before jumping into the humanities research topics list, first, let us take a look at how to select a good humanities research topic.

Usually, when it comes to research paper writing assignments, your professors will share some writing prompts for you to choose from. But, at certain times, they will allow you to select a topic on your own. In such a scenario, you may get confused about what topic to choose.

If you are given a chance to select the humanities research topic of your choice, follow the below-mentioned tips. It would help you identify an ideal humanities research topic.

Pick a practical research topic.
Choose a topic that belongs to your area of interest.
Go with a topic that is related to both the current and historical perspectives.
Give preference to the topic that is impactful to society.
Never pick a topic with no or less research scope.
Select a topic that is matching to the research methodology of your choice.
Consider a topic that is interesting and informative to your readers.
Choose a research topic that has extensive information and credible sources for reference.
Select a topic that contains valid facts, evidence, or examples supporting your major points of discussion.

Besides all these steps, before finalizing your research topic, check whether the topic you have identified stands in line with the writing guidelines of your professor or university. Once you have chosen a perfect humanities research topic, start writing the research paper by using your writing skills, after conducting deep research.

List of the Best Humanities Research Topics

To write a humanities research paper, you can choose a topic from any discipline such as arts, religion, philosophy, medicine, etc.

Especially, to make your topic selection process simple and help you save time, below we have added a list of outstanding humanities research paper ideas on various categories. Go through the entire list carefully and pick any topic that is convenient for you to research and write about.

Basic Humanities Research Paper Topics

Assess the best strategies for negotiations during wars.
How do body image issues change with age?
Does book reading make people more social?
How does economic prosperity affect the feeling of patriotism?
Explain the effects of gender-based violence on children’s personalities.
Explain how social media affect America’s political decisions.
What are the social changes in developed nations?
Research the effectiveness of the UN in fostering global peace.
Discuss the negative impacts of teen pregnancies.
What is the role of America in Europe’s restoration after WWII?
Discuss the role of artists in a time of war
Application of the views of Socrates to western democracy in the 21 st Century
Evaluation of Appalachian language and its academic power
Critical analysis of the role of conflicts in violence
Why building resilience is important for ensuring environmental sustainability?
Perspective pathways to greater human flourishing
Regional Identity and Appalachian Language
The 18th Century Conventions of Feminism and Jane Austen
How can the theories of Socrates be applied to 21st-century Western Democracy?
Briefly discuss the historical tension between religion and science with examples

Excellent Humanities Project Ideas

Compare human and animal sacrifice in religion.
Are fast foods spoiling traditional food cultures?
What are the pros and cons of studying gender issues in school?
How photography is framing public opinion in the 21st century?
Investigate the role of the justice system in advancing equality.
Compare African socialism in the 1950 and 1970s.
Discuss the environmental foundations necessary for humanities.
Explain the pros and cons of studying humanities.
Discuss how cultural stereotypes are developed by superstitions.
Why is it hard to stop bullying in school?
Research why language is essential for any society to thrive.
What impact do graphic novels have on literacy?
Assess human communication and behavior.
How oral history has affected modern culture?
How science fiction has invaded the mainstream culture around the world?
How do intersectionality and gender bias affect inclusion and diversity in the workplace?
Describe the current status of transgender and other sexual minority communities in Canada
Discuss some common social justice issues across every country in the world
Humanity is the best religion and the essence of human existence: Explain
Impact of the feminism movement on society

Great Humanities Research Paper Topics

Discuss the link between bureaucracy and the law-making process.
Write about the executive power in the US.
What are the ethical issues involved in media advertising?
Explain the connection between Italian fashion and Chinese culture.
Discuss the impact of dual nationality on political views.
Analyze the effects of poverty in rural communities.
How Twitter has transformed into a powerful political platform?
Is capitalism the best system?
What is the impact of the Neolithic revolution on people’s cognitive abilities?
Discuss the effects of daily family routines on a child’s development.
How to differentiate the humanities from the social sciences?
Explain the role of capitalism and communism in the study of humanities.
What are the global political and economic issues that affect the study of humanities?
Discuss the effects of irresponsible teenage behavior in society.
Discuss the pros and cons of early marriages.
Analyze the humanities curriculum in the U.S.A.
Write about the origin of humanities in Classical Greek.
What are the factors that inhibit the study of anthropological linguistics?
Explain the factors that modify the behavior of individuals and society.
Explain the impact of the Me Too movement on the girl-child.

Captivating Humanities Research Topics

What are the effects of Consumerism on sustainability?
Write about the fashion trends in society.
Research the social problems faced by people who are with disabilities.
Why does cultural appropriation always result in political contests?
Should poverty be treated as a social issue?
What are the benefits of countercultures in society?
How to prevent the fight for resources in families using the conflict theory?
What is the role of the bible in the development of US democracy?
Explain the major differences between interstate conflicts and wars.
Using the critical race theory analyze the Black Lives Matter activist movement.
Analyze the impact of different class systems on associations.
What are the various clashes between different social classes in the world?
Discuss the effect of various social movements in advocating for change.
What is the ultimate cause of criminal organizations in different societies?
Explain the effect of technology on preserving historical facts.
Explore the reaction of people towards social policies.
Discuss the differences between sects and cults.
What is the impact of the separation of humanities from the realm of the divine?
Discuss the role of critical thinking and effective communication in humanities.
What is the role of early Middle Ages Church Fathers in humanities?

Humanities Research Topics in Philosophy

Discuss election ethics.
What are the main causes of war?
Prepare a case study of Europe in the 20th century based on the application of socialism.
Discuss the inference of learning philosophy for the growth of a society.
Discuss the implications of scientific realism on judgment by scientists.
How to eradicate corruption in society?
Explore mind philosophy and problems with dualism.
Discuss the main challenges involved in regulating the environment using laws.
Are morals relative to society or culture?
Using Aristotle’s perspectives define a perfect government.

Humanities and Arts Research Paper Topics

How does art education make people think differently?
Discuss the effect of music on modern culture and society.
Explain the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese art.
Compare the themes in modern and traditional Caribbean music.
What is water puppetry in Vietnamese tradition?
Analyze the Mayan art and society.
Explain the music and political propaganda in the 20th century.
Compare the role of liberal arts education in the 20th and 21st centuries.
What is the use of totem masks in Papua New Guinea art?
Discuss the causes of the decline of art in medieval Europe.
Explain how Japanese art influenced that country’s clothing.
How the modern art is related to American suffering?
What is the effect of the printing press on the wide-scale spread of art?
What is the influence of ancient art on current artistic trends?
Describe the ancient Greek and Roman motifs in modern architectural works.
Discuss the effects of social media on digital art and the spread of ideas.
Explain the K-pop music style and subculture.
Explain the impact of mythology on the sculptures of Ancient Greece.
Depict war in 20th-century art.
Should advertisements be seen as a form of modern art?

Medical Humanities Research Topics

Can exercise ruin a person’s health?
Should a doctor be allowed to offer medical help against the desires of the guardian?
Discuss the impact of various medical and technological advances.
Explain how to deal with end-of-life issues in medicine.
How are medical addictions portrayed in literature?
Where the people with mental issues should be treated- in or outside their communities?
Explain the history of abortion throughout the 20th century.
What is the relationship between medicine and humanities?
Examine the practice of medicine across different cultures.
Is it ethical to use animals for testing drugs?
Discuss the ethics of medical advances.
Explain the medical practices in the field of battle.
Discuss the criminal charges for medical malpractice throughout the 21st century.
How do humanities affect the use of alternative medicines?
Discuss the religious impact on the medical community.

Digital Humanities Research Paper Topics

Why do social media make people feel lonely as opposed to connecting them?
How to incorporate digital technologies in archiving archaeological data?
Discuss the history of computing in the humanities.
Explain the effect of Modern devices and technology on people’s relationships.
Evaluate the nature and extent of the digital revolution.
What are the effects of video games on violence in society?
Have a closer look at humanities studies and the age of information technology.
Discuss the history of the printing press and its role in spreading ideas.
How do modern gadgets affect people’s mental health?
Should we adopt a scientific approach to the problem of alcoholism?
Does digital technology offer a better life?
Explore the potential of digital academic data.
Discuss the future of digital communication.
Explain how data visualization tools are changing people’s opinions.
Discuss the change in people’s jobs because of technological developments.

Humanities Research Topics on Religion

Discuss the conflict between religion and social order.
Compare the two most ancient religions in society.
What is the role of religion in contemporary society?
Explain the concept of reincarnation in different religions.
What is the major reason for the emergence of new religions?
What is the importance of the church in the well-being of society?
Compare funeral rituals in two religions of your choice.
Explain the difference between new and older religious movements.
Discuss the positive changes that can be achieved through religious practices.
Analyze the concept of Goddess and God in religion.
Explain the similarities between religions around the world.
What is the effect of sacrificial traditions in ancient religions on today’s society?
Discuss female clergy in religions.
What is the relationship between religion and science?
Explain the role of religion and mythology in the study of humanities.

Amazing Humanities Research Ideas

What are the effects of cultural assimilation?
Explain why the topic of abortion is a live wire in most societies.
What is the role of poverty in facilitating violence and civil unrest?
Why has online dating twisted the necessity of marriage?
Why is pop music gaining acceptance among the general population?
Is cultural segmentation a good thing?
Prepare a case study of mass media and fear during terrorist attacks.
How to handle the institutional crisis?
Why social theories are significant in the field of humanities?
What is the role of gender in determining leadership positions in society?
Explain the social issues that affect students in colleges and universities.
Analyze the effects of the great migration.
Why are primarily teenagers and youths resistant to their parents?
Explain the consequences of intersectionality and discrimination in any society.
Compare pop music and classical music

Read more: Great Human Rights Topics For Writing Academic Papers

Outstanding Humanities Research Topics

Write about Western humanities in the 21 st
Discuss symbolism in television sci-fi shows.
Explain the evolution of socialist movements throughout the world.
Write about humanities in the computer age and mass information.
How does online publishing affect humanities?
Describe the Bible’s representation of humanities and culture.
Write about community volunteer programs and their impact on youths.
Discuss the influence of science on humanities over the centuries.
Present the different definitions of freedom from around the world.
Why the tools for cultural analysis are essential for humanities?
Alternative dispute resolution mechanism for the settlement of environmental disputes in Nigeria: A Study of Ojodu Community, Lagos State
Describe the scarily lucrative business model of human trafficking
Technical Change And Productivity in the Manufacturing Industry in Imo State of Nigeria
How the military force of a nation can promote human security in conflict situations?
Analyze the governance and service delivery of the local government in the Kiruhura District of Uganda

Top-rated Humanities Dissertation Topics

What are the challenges faced by adult graduates with learning technologies?
Explain the impact of the internet on the emotional maturity of the students.
How do the qualities of family life affect parent-child relationships?
Assess the link between classroom quality and learning results in kindergarten.
Is creativity a type of fantasy?
What are the major causes of the Cold War?
Discuss the effect of adoption on parent-child relationships.
Investigate how racism affects a family unit.
What are the political and social implications of design?
Explain the future of humanity in an extraterrestrial world.
Examining the most effective tactics for wartime negotiations: Utilize three 20th-century example studies.
When should kids start receiving sex education?
Offspring of multinational marriages facing identification challenges.
Who is responsible for defending human rights on a global scale? A study of the International Criminal Court’s efficacy.
The major reason for misunderstandings in social media communication is a lack of face-to-face encounters.

Read more: Interesting Dissertation Topics to Consider for Academic Writing

Informative Humanities Research Ideas

Answering the challenging inquiries What is the main reason for the conflicts between Israel and Palestine? Can it or it be dealt with?
How Twitter has become a potent political tool.
Do gender and spirituality go together?
Should the United States be held accountable for the severe harm that its use of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki caused to Japan?
Should social media use be controlled to lessen the risk of addiction and other adverse effects?
Discuss the role played by NGOs and free-of-cost education service delivery organizations to develop underdeveloped nations
Participation motives and competitive orientation of football players in the Kenyan Women’s Premier League
Analyze the central idea of marriage in African Religio-Culture with reference to the Maasai of Kajiado County, Kenya
Critical analysis of women’s political participation: a case of Bomachoge constituency in Kenya (1963-2013)
Association between paternal illicit drug and alcohol consumption, complementary feeding and children’s nutrition status

Awesome Humanities Research Topics

A critical look at the different branches of anthropology
Explain the various changes in human societies through time.
How to propagate a self-sufficient system of human values in the society
What is the impact of breaking down humanities into other majors?
Discuss the notion of different societies concerning aging
Elaborate on the impact of the myths and misconceptions about coronavirus
Discuss the political aspects that relate to social interactions
Explore the field of Geography and its relationship to humanities
A systematic review of the issues affecting rational arguments
Evaluate the process that led to the unification of Germany

Out of the different ideas suggested in this blog, select any topic of your choice and draft a brilliant humanities research paper. In case, you need help with humanities research paper topic selection and writing, get in touch with us immediately.

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243 amazing humanities topics for research.

Humanities is an academic discipline that deals with studying the different aspects of culture and human society. This field has a rich historical background that distinguishes it from other empirical approaches to the natural sciences.

The different fields in humanities include archaeology, classics, philosophy, religion, linguistics, and languages. You will encounter methods such as hermeneutics and source criticism in the course of your study. It is crucial to understand that scholars in humanities significant to questions rather than answers.

What Are Humanities Topics?

These are topics that major in interpreting the known facts and look at them from a fresh perspective. Unlike sciences and other fields, there are no restrictive rules – you can create them in the form of art.

Humanities topics involve the study of human society and social relationships. Such titles are analytical and deal with the philosophical questions of what makes us human. Since they trace their origin from ancient Greece, these topics take a more historical turn.

When coming up with humanities topics, it is essential to consider the following:

They should be practical
They should impact society as a whole
Should relate the historical and current perspectives

Humanities students have the rare opportunity of understanding ancient and modern events that shape human life. You can learn all things from the romantic era’s poetry to the rise and fall of empires in the 15th century. It thus widens your understanding of the historical perspectives of almost every aspect of life.

In humanities topics, college students get strengthened in their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. But what are the best topics in humanities that you can present and score an A+?

Look at the topics below for inspiration.

Best-Rated Anthropology Humanities Paper Topics

How different aspects of the social sciences relate with humanities and human biology.
Reproducible and verifiable experiments in human anthropology
Local traditions that shape the structure and functioning of human life
Scientific methods to understand social phenomena in the society
Why do humanities use nuanced descriptions rather than general laws?
A critical look at the different branches of anthropology
Factors that inhibit the study of anthropological linguistics
Why cultural anthropology receives a cold shoulder among most undergraduate students
Describe a case study that properly illustrates sociocultural anthropology
Why is it difficult to provide a holistic account of humans and human nature?
Why do anthropologists only specialize in one sub-field?
Explain the importance of the biological, linguistic, historical, and cultural aspects of any problem.
Describe the impact of anthropology arising as a science in Western societies
Major industrial trends associated with anthropology research
Effectiveness of methodological drives in studying peoples in communities with more simple social organization
Why non-western cultures are least accepted in most countries?
The quest for holism in the study of humanities
How to use the biogenetic, archaeological, and linguistic data in humanities

Professional Topics For Humanities Classes

Factors affecting the proper record keeping of archaeological data
The role of architecture, biofacts, and Eco facts in human archaeology
Using culture history to reconstruct past lifeways in ancient culture
Explain the various changes in human societies through time.
Describe the origin of humanities in the Classical Greek
How the general education dating from the Sophists in the mid-5th century influenced humanities
The role of early Middle Ages Church Fathers in humanities
Describe the role of 15th-century Italian humanists to denote secular literary
How ancient Greek and Latin studies have helped advance research in humanities
The impact of the separation of humanities from the realm of the divine
Methods of the maturing physical sciences in the scholarly arena
Discuss the contemporary conceptions concerning the study of humanities
Conduct a complete analysis of the humanities curriculum in the U.S.A.
How to propagate a self-sufficient system of human values in the society
How to distinguish the humanities from the social sciences

High-Quality Topics For Humanities Research Papers

How different countries vary in the way of their social interactions
What is the impact of breaking down humanities into other majors?
Global political and economic issues affecting the study of humanities
Using sociology to draw a complete picture of how the world works
How to reinvent the best ideas from the past occurrences effectively
The role of critical thinking and effective communication in humanities
Which set of abilities should students have for humanities?
Discuss the factors that affect the behavior of individuals and society
Why are humanities papers on marriage among the most relevant nowadays?
Is it true that focusing on the family is vital for one’s self-development?
Discuss the notion of different societies concerning aging
Why is the world still struggling with the problem of inequality to date?
Factors affecting changes in social interactions among communities
The role of social media in shaping the perspectives of different people
Evaluate the factors affecting teenagers in the 21st century

Impressive Topics For Humanities Research Paper

Discuss the impact of various social movements in advocating for change
Why is child abuse still a pertinent issue in the 21st century?
The role of social backgrounds in contributing to conflicts at workplaces
What is the main challenge facing racial movements?
An analysis of the reaction of people towards social policies
Elaborate on the trends and impacts of irresponsible teenage behavior in the society
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of early marriages
Why should parents not restrict their children from accessing the internet?
Analyze the different class systems and their impact on associations
What is the primary cause of criminal organizations in different societies?
A case study of cliques among high school and college students
The risk of delaying early childhood education among children in the U.S.A.
Discuss the various clashes between different social classes in the world
What is the place of the marginalized in society?
Discuss the impact of the Me Too movement on the girl-child

Hot Humanities Research Topics

What are the leading causes of drinking among a majority of the population?
Discuss the various means of dealing with institutional crisis
The role of capitalism and communism in the study of humanities
What are the impacts of immigration into the U.S. from Mexico?
The role of gender in determining leadership positions in the society
Theoretical foundations of humanities in different institutions
Discuss the significant differences between sects and cults
Elaborate on the impact of the myths and misconceptions about coronavirus
The role of poverty in facilitating violence and civil unrest
Is cultural segmentation a good thing?
The effect of technology on preserving historical facts
Why social theories are essential in the field of humanities
Discuss the origin of the discrimination against African-Americans
An overview of the effects of cultural assimilation
Is it possible to eliminate healthcare disparities among the LGBT community?

Interesting Humanities Topics

Discuss the role of video games in advancing violence in societies
Why fashion is becoming a distraction for many in the society
Discuss why the topic of abortion is a live wire in most societies
A case study of mass media and fear during terrorism attacks
Discuss the social role of mass media in communities
Why has online dating distorted the necessity of marriages?
Discuss the evolution of lifestyles from the 15th century to date
The part of body images in appealing to emotions
Why are most college students victims of poor time management?
The effects of the social, cultural engagements in the development of societies
Discuss the political aspects that relate to social interactions
Why are primarily teenagers and youths defiant to their parents?
Why people from different nationalities differ from each other
Why can’t the millennial live without updates of any event?
Social issues affecting students in colleges and universities

Latest Humanities Project Ideas

Discuss the different branches of humanities concerned with creative audio-visual pursuits
Conduct an in-depth analysis of the human communication and behavior
Critically examine the role of the justice system in advancing equality
Current issues facing societies about the coronavirus prevention protocols
The part of statistical data relating to population
Explore the environmental foundations necessary for humanities
Look at the gender divide in society and how to address it
Discuss the cultural construct of the masculine and feminine identity
Explore the field of Geography and its relationship to humanities
How people interact with different physical features
What are the challenges when it comes to relations between nations?
Examine why language is essential for any society to thrive
The role of multi-cultural and regional dimensions to humanities
Why the study of beliefs, histories, values, and geographic backgrounds is necessary
A systematic review of the issues affecting rational arguments

Top-Tier Humanities Topics Ideas

Examine the role of religion and mythology in the study of humanities
Why is pop music gaining acceptance among the general population?
Investigate the relationship between society and social relationships
Explore how the politics and government of the United States has evolved over the ages
Study the implications of studying philosophy to the growth of a society
Dive into the impact of peer-reviewed humanities papers
The role of diversity in making the world a better place
The importance of intersectionality and discrimination in any society
Why differences can also advance peace and harmony
Discuss the social relations between Islam and Christians
Evaluate the process that led to the unification of Germany
How did the Vietnam War affect the relationships of different countries?
Outline the impacts of the great migration
Impact of the Women’s Suffrage movements in championing for female rights
How did the Ottoman Empire contribute to socialization?

World-Class Topics in Humanities

Discuss the conflict between religion and social order
What is the best disciplinary action for employees’ misconduct outside work
The role of sales tax on internet purchases
Why it is essential to understand the history of Europe in understanding humanities
Why are human beings anatomically similar?
The part of Greek and Latin texts and language in the study of humanities
Why are the classical-era scholars in important in humanities?
Discuss the role of humanities in institutions of higher learning
Why do humanities and liberal studies make up the bulk of specialization for college students
Give a substantive analysis of the renaissance-era humanists
The place of a balanced curriculum in fostering critical humanist skills
How humanities help students achieve analytical and problem-solving skills
Why do most universities require multiple humanities courses?
Discuss the events that led to the French revolution
The implications of William Shakespeare’s plays

Medical Humanities Research Topics

Discuss the ethical and humanistic dimensions of medicine
Analyze the impact of various medical and technological advances
The growing interest of researchers in the field of neuro-ethics
Discuss the relationship between medicine and humanities
How has the history of medicine varied with that of the humanities sector?
Critical issues of healthcare access and public health policy
What are the factors facing doctor-patient relationships?
Discuss how to deal with end-of-life issues in medicine
How does the media impact the study and progress of medicine?
Analyze the relationship between medicine and society
Who are the most significant scholars in medical anthropology?
A critical analysis of empathy and experience of illness
Choices available for doctors in the neonatal intensive care unit
How the issues of limited resources impact access to medical care
Analyze the ethics of medical advances

Good Research Topics For Humanities

Informed consent issues for the matter of terminal diseases
Why is humanities a rich interdisciplinary concentration?
The vital importance of diversity in any society
The state of empathy and sympathy during the COVID-19 pandemic
Explore the different aspects of poetry
Is it practical for anyone to work late in the night?
How modern literature writers find meaning and inspiration in the works
Ethical issues involved in the dialysis of the obese, homeless, and diabetic
Why motivational interviewing was preferred for patients with diabetes?
Discuss the effects of stigma among leaders
The role of technology in reshaping the future of social interactions
An innovative approach on the psychological aspects students
Discuss the essentials of a practical counseling session
Why do there exist disparities between the likeness of children to their parents
The effects of becoming a counseling psychologist

Unique Topics For Humanities Research Paper

Personal and professional reflections on the 9/11
How parents can handle children with disabilities
The impact of social media on the freedom of speech: A case of Facebook
The role of the international criminal court in maintains world law and order.
Analyze the economic context of a novel
Emergent property and consciousness in the study of philosophy
Discuss the effectiveness of the theories of punishment
Are we likely to experience a third and fourth wave of feminism?
What are the factors that are likely to cause philosophical anarchism?
Discuss the growth and spread of Pentecostalism in Latin America
Evaluate the impact of the Great Awakenings in the U.S. history
Conduct an overview of the Shia minorities in the Middle East
What are the social and cultural implications of the Religious Freedom Act?
Do atheists honestly believe that there is no God?
How to foster relationships among the Catholics and Evangelicals

College Humanities Essay Topics

The necessity of teaching children the gender issues
What is the origin of the discussions for and against gay marriages?
Is it correct to say that everyone is a stereotype by default?
An overview of the international marriages and globalism
The impact of spending more time on social networking sites
The role of social norms and cultures in a given society
Why do most people experience challenges shifting from one culture to another?
Discuss the relationship between a class and a student’s performance
Are unconventional families essential for the growth and development of any child?
Why do most students prefer foreign education over any other?
Discuss the concept of the right to privacy
Why do some studies need to engage in patriotism students?
The role of economic prosperity in influencing patriotism
Discuss the relationship between social media and addiction
A case study of WhatsApp as the best social media group in the U.S.A.

Topics in Digital Humanities

Discuss the various tools and methods for nineteenth-century American literature
Understanding how the media is involved in human interactions
Why digital communications technologies are the new norm
Analyze the nature and extent of the digital revolution
The history of computing in the humanities
A humanistic critique of the computational methods
Why most practitioners are opting for digital communication
The role of the computer as a continual tool of innovation
The process of using and building digital projects
Incorporating digital technologies in archiving archaeological data
Discuss the connection between traditional and digital textual scholarship
Large-scale digital literary analysis
Explore the potential of the digital academic data
The broader context of the digital humanities
How to computationally research and teach in humanities

Humanities And Arts Research Topics

Home-schooling
Literacy levels in America
The role of prayer in schools
Programming and advertising
The portrayal of women by media
Physical attention techniques
Affirmative action programs in the U.S.A.
What is the way forward on gambling?
Race relations
Learning disabilities
Family values
Intelligence tests
Distant learning
White-collar jobs
Morals and values

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233 Great Humanities Topics For 2023

Picking a great paper topic is the first step you need to put together a great assignment. In humanities classes, this is very important because you need to consider topics that will explore new areas in the subject but also be topics that can be thoroughly researched given the limitations of an assignment. If you ask, “what are humanities topics I can use to write a great research paper?” you can refer to the list of free humanities paper topics below:

Humanities and Arts Research Topics

These humanities research paper topics are great for students interested in art history and other related fields that take a close look at the impact art has had on society:

Impact of Middle Eastern art on Western civilization.
American art influences democracy.
The Romantic period and modern art techniques.
Depictions of war in 20 th -century art.
Defining the European distress in modern art forms.
Racist depictions in early global maps and the impact on societies.
The ways that medicine has impacted how we view cultural expression.
Human flourishing and different perspectives in modern art.
Religious influence in 19 th -century European art.
The African American experience during the Harlem Renaissance.
The influence of music on modern culture and society.
Political propaganda in 20 th century American and European art.
The Beat Generation and its influence on modern art.
Ancient art and its influence on current artistic trends.
Mayan and Aztec artistic influence on current Latino cultures.
The Reformation Period and its impact on the art of the 20 th century.
Social media’s impact on digital art and the spread of ideas.
The impact of the printing press on the widescale spread of art.
The impact that modern warfare has had on artistic expression.
The stolen art of WWII and how it relates to cultures.
Early cave paintings and the understanding of human culture.
Racism and negative ethnic depictions in 20 th -century art.
Explain the ways Japanese art influenced the country’s clothing.
Popular music is an artistic form of expression among youth.
The censorship of specific artforms and the impact on culture.
The most famous architectural works from around the world.
How architecture was influenced by foreign cultures.
Ancient Greek and Roman motifs in modern architectural works.
The influence of 20 th -century art on 21 st -century culture.
How music influences youth culture in the 21 st century.

Topics in Digital Humanities

This is a relatively new field that offers a lot of opportunities for exploration. Just be sure you consider your topic carefully, as you may have some trouble finding information in your research:

Social media’s impact on third world countries.
The impact social media has had on international relations.
The ways digital humanities is changing the educators teach children.
Explain how digital access to information affects culture.
Metadata and scholarship processing in the 21 st century.
Language processing with the use of digital tools.
Linguistics and the role digital humanities has on the future.
The study of migration using technology.
Digital tools and their role in mapping underground structures.
Digital communication creates a bigger gap between generations.
The study of ancient texts through digital technologies.
Digital humanities and the mapping of our ancestral histories.
Linked open data and the challenges it faces in gathering data.
The ways digital archiving has helped people embrace ancestral cultures.
Researching art using digital technologies.
The impact digital humanities will have on higher education.
The media’s use of digital communication can affect the way we identify culturally.
Digital humanities in the developing world.
Machine learning and its impact on the discipline of humanities.
Implementing digital tools and resources into education.
Forensic study in the search for hidden meaning in texts.
Encoding U.S. documents to improve the legal process.
Digital communication and how we view military conflicts.
Access to digital information helps people learn more efficiently.
Removing discrepancies in translations of ancient works.
Recognizing patterns in historical literature.
Digital archives and analysis of the written word.
The ways data visualization tools are changing people’s opinions.
Digital humanities change the way we view our cultural past.
The ways digital humanities have helped us visually recreate ancient cities.

Medical Humanities Research Topics

These ideas are great to write about because many discussions are occurring on the internet. Writing about medical issues is a great way to get the reader’s attention. Here are some great topics to consider for a humanities research paper:

Humanities studies impact doctor-assisted suicide cases.
The history of abortion throughout the 20 th century.
Cultural influences and prenatal genetic testing in developed countries.
The evolution of medical costs in the United States.
The ways that medical theories have been represented in art.
Informing families of patients’ illnesses throughout literature.
Wearing a mask after Covid-19 and its effects on culture.
Social distancing and the connections made through social media.
Creating a culture of social distancing to avoid future pandemics.
Giving doctors the right to work extra hours without pay.
How literature influences the use of marijuana for medical regions.
Robotics replacing the roles of nurses and doctors in the medical field.
Medical depictions in art versus religious depictions in art.
How are medical addictions portrayed in literature?
The practice of medicine across different cultures.
Medical ethics is involved in deciding who lives and dies.
Medical practices in the field of battle.
Medical care for people from low-income areas.
The impact art has had on growing the medical community.
Medical records and the development of treatments.
How humanities influence the use of alternative medicines.
How religion impacts the way patients agree to treatments.
Criminal charges for medical malpractice throughout the 21 st century.
Representation of the medical profession through the 20 th century.
The rise of confidentiality agreements in the medical field.
Questions and concerns regarding abortion in the modern age.
The decision to vaccinate or not for the safety of the greater population.
Religious impact on the medical community.
The rights of patients when religion prevents certain procedures.
Medical depictions in the art are against religious principles.

Good Research Topics for Humanities

If you don’t have a lot of time to conduct in-depth research, you may want to write about any of these topics in humanities. You will have no trouble finding information on the web, just be sure you use trustworthy sources when making your argument:

The impact television has had on modern culture.
Political commentary in modern music.
The role humanities will play on future generations.
The ways humans flourish through different shared perspectives.
The need to promote the study of humanities in schools.
The application of philosophy in western democracy.
Artistic influence during the times of war.
The ways the Depression of the 1930s influenced culture.
Broadening the mind through international travel.
Literature and the increasing rate of illiteracy in adults.
The impact music has on political propaganda.
Fair treatment of immigrants in the U.S.
Western humanities in the 21 st century.
The ways culture is shaped by modern photography.
Eastern philosophy and its influence on western cultures.
Cults and modern religious movements in American society.
Eastern religion and its influence on western beliefs.
The importance of studying philosophy in humanities.
International trade routes and the spread of cultures.
The impact of social media in modern culture.
Social media and the dissemination of international news.
The impact that media has on modern culture.
The Ottoman Empire and its role in shaping the Middle East.
The impact the 20 th migration movement had on international policy.
The lost Native-American languages and the country’s culture.
The influence that African music has had on American culture.
The impact Joe Hill had on the country’s early labor struggles.
The influence of the Beat Generation on modern culture.
The unification of Germany and its impact on international policy.
Gender expectations in American modern fiction.

Humanities Project Ideas for High School

When writing any assignment, you always want to make sure you choose a good topic. These humanities topics ideas are great for students that are still learning skills in researching and writing. Students should have no trouble finding information:

Sacrificial traditions in ancient religions and their impact on today’s society.
The impact the printing press had on spreading religion.
Theatre of the absurd and its impact on modern culture.
The protection of traditions when they are considered unethical.
Questions that arise from space exploration efforts.
The impact the IRA has had on international relations.
Interpreting Sigmund Freud’s theories in the 21 st century.
Cultural differences between Latin American countries.
The Chinese Communist Revolution and its influence on global culture.
Fairy tales and the influence they have had on modern cinema.
Symbolism in television sci-fi shows.
How the gothic genre has captured new readers.
The history of nationalism in the United States vs. European countries.
Speakeasies in the 1920s and the role they had in shaping culture.
The Sit-down strike of the mid-1930s and its impact on the 21 st century.
The impact graphic novels have had on literacy.
The United States’ Woman’s Suffrage Movement and its influence around the world.
The war protests of the 1960s and 1970s and modern American politics.
How African culture has influenced modern American culture.
The decisions that are made by public policy committees.
The Dust Bowl and how the U.S. was shaped into different regions.
How eco poetry has changed our understanding of the environment.
Folklore’s influence on how we interact with others.
How science fiction has entered the mainstream culture around the world.
Community volunteer programs and their impact on youth.
How oral history has influenced modern culture.
The impact television has had on America’s youth.
Explain the history of human violence in the U.S.
The human family unit and its role in racism.
Human interaction over social media outlets.

Humanities Essay Topics for College

The humanities research topics listed below don’t require a lot of in-depth academic research and can be dealt with by doing some easy background research on the web and then some research at the library:

Animal rights and their impact on American culture.
The effect that Third Wave Feminism has had on Europe.
The influence the Islamic religion has had on American culture.
The meaning of moral philosophy in the United States.
Similarities between religions around the world.
Political obligation at the federal level versus the state level.
How humans think about the future of the world.
The definition of the human condition is described in the Bible.
Events that led to the study of humanity at a scholarly level.
The negative effects of the temperance movement in the U.S.
The quest for happiness in modern society.
The ways theology contradicts our knowledge of medicine.
The industrial revolution’s impact on human identity.
The impact modern photography has on European and American culture.
Color and the impact it has had on the human experience.
Different definitions of freedom from around the world.
The major religious ideologies in humans and their impact on societies.
The role gender definitions play in the educational experience.
Development of new languages in today’s society.
Diverse human behaviors and cultural characteristics.
The Bible’s representation of humanities and cultures.
Humans and the root of modern society.
Possessions humans have learned to live without.
Global warming and its impact on different cultures around the world.
The evolution of violence among humans.
The reason why humans will become extinct.
The ways subcultures have developed over the decades.
Science and its influence on humanities over the centuries.
The way Roman and Greek civilizations educated themselves.
The evolution of social interactions among humans.
The way Western Civilizations developed over the centuries.
The negative impact humans have on the earth’s environment.
Music and its impact on human psychology.
The ways our environmental surroundings affect our cultures.
Present a detailed overview and analysis of global humanities.
The characteristics that separate humans from all other animals.
The importance of mistakes to improve a person’s development.
The impact war has on children in devastated areas.
How humans became the dominant species on earth.
The reasons humans have decided to procreate less.

Topics for Humanities Research Paper

Many young students find this area of study interesting. So, we have gathered several humanities research project topics that will inspire them to explore the field further without being too overwhelming:

The ways different world cultures perceive and handle death.
The role of holidays in bringing people together and strengthening the family unit.
Relationships with domesticated pets and inclusion into family life.
The cultural meaning behind family names and how they bring people together.
The role a nation’s economy has had on human development.
The evolution of socialist movements throughout the world.
The tension between religion and science throughout the centuries.
The ways humanity will change in the next century because of our current state.
An exploration of the way humanity was represented in the art of the Renaissance.
The Enlightenment Period and its impact on human development.
The Harlem Renaissance and its influence on African American culture.
Humanities in the computer age and mass information.
Human identity and the role of the Industrial Revolution in our development.
The relationship between the environment and human beings.
The impact WWI and WWII had on our understanding of humanity.
Holidays and the different ways we celebrate them.
Cultural diets from around the world and our relationship with food.
The ways different cultures define democratic freedom.
Education in liberal arts and its current role in education.
The course of American politics over the last century.

Interesting Humanities Topics for Grad School

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

The impact that genocides have had on groups of people.
Comic books and graphic novels and their influence on America’s youth.
Super-hero movies in the 21 st century and how they are affecting culture.
The influence the media has on our understanding of society.
The most fascinating aspects of European and American culture.
Different cultures and our beliefs about the human soul.
The ways Asian literature has entered American culture.
Slavery across the centuries and the ways we still discriminate.
Early civilizations and the evolution of human societies.
Human interactions with nature and wild species.
The political divide is caused by different parties and ideologies.
World Travel and its ability to broaden our thinking of other cultures.
The influence villains in movies have on human behavior.
The ways people mistreat natural environments.
Violence in television and the ways it affects young adults.
The impact racism has had in American society.
The ways society is influenced by the media.
Diversity and inclusion among different ethnic groups.
Professional sports and their ability to bring people together.
Cultural identification and the way it affects the way we look at history.
The definition of social Darwinism in modern society.
The portrayal of women in 20 th -century European literature.

If you need more humanities research papers, we can put you in contact with one of our academic experts trained in the subject. He or she can provide you with a custom list you can apply to any kind of assignment. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Send us an email or call us by phone, we are always glad to help.

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110 Fascinating Humanities Research Topics and Ideas

Table of Contents

Humanities research is essential to understand different cultures, explore human behavior, and improve society. Typically, humanities is a broad academic discipline that focuses on the various aspects of human society and culture including philosophy, literature, art, history, languages, and religion. So, it might be difficult to identify one perfect topic to successfully perform humanities research. However, this problem can be fixed easily. In this blog, we have published a list of the latest humanities research topics and ideas. Additionally, we have shared certain tactics to find a good topic for humanities research.

If you struggle to spot an appropriate humanities research topic, take a look at this blog. Here, you will get exclusive ideas for humanities research.

Tips for Selecting a Humanities Research Topic

With the right humanities research topic, you can engage and impress the target audience. In case, you are confused about how to choose a perfect humanities research topic, follow these tips.

Pick a topic that is related to your passion. Some humanities areas to examine include philosophy, anthropology, political science, sociology, and others.
Choose a topic that is feasible to investigate within the allotted time and has a broad research scope.
Find out gaps in the existing literature on a topic. This will provide your research with a unique perspective and enable you to make a valuable contribution to the field.
Concentrate on a topic that contains a variety of reliable sources to gather references and data.
Select a topic that aligns with your research methodology. It can be either qualitative or quantitative.
Think about the importance of the topic you select. When you choose a topic with a broader scope and significance, you can make your research more meaningful.
Consult your academic advisor, mentor, or professor for assistance and advice. They can provide useful insights into new research topics , feedback on your ideas, and recommendations for further investigation.

List of the Best Humanities Research Topics

The following are some excellent humanities topics that you might research and write about.

Interesting Humanities Research Topics

When it comes to writing a humanities research paper, always take into consideration a topic interesting to you so that you may enjoy the study process. Listed below are some humanities topics that might be exciting for you to analyze and write about.

Explore the role of women in the French Revolution.
Discuss the philosophy of art and aesthetics.
Explain the influence of postmodernism on literature.
Discuss the impact of language on thoughts and perception.
Examine the link between environment and culture.
Explore the use of technology in archaeology.
Discuss the cultural significance of Jazz Music.
Explain the role of gender and sexuality in popular culture.
Examine the relationship between religion and politics.
Discuss the cultural significance of tattoos.
Explain the cultural importance of food.
Explore the role of art in social justice movements.
Discuss the history and cultural significance of street art and graffiti.
Analyze the role of museums in shaping cultural identity.
Examine the impact of colonialism on indigenous cultures.

Captivating Humanities Research Ideas

To grab the attention of the target audience and make them read your humanities research paper, it is essential to select an engaging topic. These are some captivating humanities research ideas for you to get started.

Discuss the impact of the Cold War on American Society.
Explore the concept of Justice in political philosophy.
Conduct a comparative study of world religions.
Analyze the impact of globalization on cultural identity.
Examine the impact of music on emotional and cognitive processes.
Explore communication in an intercultural context.
Discuss the influence of globalization on local cultures and traditions.
Describe the use of music in cultural and religious rituals.
Explore the art of storytelling in various cultures.
Analyze how racism affects a family unit.
Discuss the influence of Eastern philosophy on Western cultures.
Explore the conflict between social order and religion.
Discuss the impact of television on modern culture.
Explain how modern photography has changed the culture.
Examine the impact of the theater of the absurd on modern culture.

Also Read: 190 Unique Philosophy Research Topics

Popular Humanities Research Ideas

You may also craft your humanities research paper on any of the frequently discussed study ideas that were shared below. But while you deal with a popular research topic, examine the topic from various angles and generate fresh insights for your readers.

Discuss the cultural importance of the Renaissance.
Explain how race is represented in literature.
Examine the link between media and culture.
Discuss the role of film in shaping cultural identity.
Explore the process of reincarnation in different religions.
Determine the cultural differences between Latin American countries.
Analyze the impact of graphic novels on literacy.
Discuss the impact of animal rights on American culture.
Present the representation of humanities and culture in the Bible.
Explain how environmental surroundings affect the culture.

Unique Humanities Research Paper Topics

If you are curious to make your humanities research paper stand top in your class, then work on any of the new topics from an unexplored research area of humanities. The following are some unique humanities research topics that might be helpful for you in crafting a brilliant academic paper and filling the knowledge gaps.

Analyze the social and economic impact of the Industrial Revolution.
Explain how women are portrayed in media and popular culture.
Examine the impact of community volunteer programs on youth.
Analyze the influence of the Islamic region on American culture.
Present the different definitions of Freedom across the world.
Examine the influence of science on humanities over the centuries.
Explain how different cultures across the world perceive and handle death.
Explore how humanity was represented in the art of the Renaissance.
Discuss the interesting aspects of European culture.
Discuss the political and social implications of design.

Latest Humanities Research Ideas

In your humanities research paper, you may write about any of the current issues that exist in society. Listed below are a few trending humanities topics that will be useful for you in writing a well-structured research paper.

Discuss the ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
Examine the impact of social media on self-expression.
Present the history of computing in the humanities.
Explore the future of humanity in the extraterrestrial world.
Explain how the Gothic genre has captured new readers.
Discuss the influence of the Harlem Renaissance on African American culture.
Explain how the instability present within the political system affects the movie industry
Discuss the factors that cause philosophical anarchism.
Analyze the effects of cultural assimilation.
Explain how humanities influence the use of alternative medicines.

Research Topics on Humanities and Arts

In case, you are curious about conducting humanities research on any topic related to art, then the list suggested here might be useful to you. To make the research topic selection easier for you, here, we have published a list of outstanding research ideas on humanities and arts.

Examine the influence of the avant-garde on modern art.
Explore the cultural significance of ancient art.
Examine the impact of technology on contemporary art.
Discuss the influence of music on modern culture and society.
Explain how artists influence the war.
Examine the influence of the Beat Generation on modern art.
Explain how Japanese art influenced the country’s clothing.
Explore the influence of ancient art on current artistic trends.
Analyze the impact of the printing press on the spread of art.
Study religious influence in 19 th -century European art.

Digital Humanities Research Topics

Digital humanities refer to the study of humanities with computing. It involves studying digital technologies and their effects on culture and society as well as the humanities using digital tools and methodologies. The following are some digital humanities topics you may investigate about.

Examine the impact of digital technology on the humanities.
Discuss the ethics of digital humanities research.
Take a look at text mining and computational analysis in the humanities.
Explain how digital access to information affects culture.
Study ancient texts through digital technologies.
Explain how digital technologies help to archive archaeological data.
Explore the extent of the digital revolution in human society.
Examine the potential of digital academic data.
Analyze the future of global communication in the global world.
Explore the role of digital tools in mapping underground structures.

Also Read: 100 Excellent Medical Research Topics and Ideas

Medical Humanities Research Topics

Medical humanities combine medicine, humanities, and social sciences. It is a broad field of study that provides several opportunities for exploration. Here is a collection of medical humanities research topics that might be convenient for you to study and prepare a detailed dissertation.

Explore the use of humanities-based interventions in medical education.
Explain how medical theories have been represented in art.
Explore the role of narrative medicine in healthcare.
Evaluate how literature influences the use of marijuana for medical regions.
Explain how medical addictions are portrayed in literature
Investigate the rise of confidentiality agreements in the medical field.
Analyze Religious impact on the medical community.
Examine the impact art has had on growing the medical community
Compare Medical depictions in art versus religion.
Explore medical practices in the field of battle.

Informative Humanities Research Paper Topics

The humanities research paper that you compose should widen the knowledge of your readers. So, for your research purpose, give significance to any topic with an educational value. Listed below are some excellent humanities topics that will be helpful for you in drafting an informative research paper.

Analyze the representation of mental illness in literature and film.
What is the impact of social media on political activism and social movements?
Examine how environmental degradation affects cultural heritage and identity.
Evaluate the impact of technology on the music industry.
Curate an art exhibit examining the intersection of art and science.
Create a documentary on a historical event.
Explain how disability is represented in art and literature.
Examine the influence of architecture on social behavior.
Explore the relationship between fashion and identity.
Discuss the applications of queer theory in gender studies.

The Bottom Line

Humanities research will help you learn about yourself, your communities, and the world around you. Typically, humanities involve several impactful research topics and ideas related to fields such as art, philosophy, music, literature, and more. In your humanities research paper, you may explore any topics ranging from historical events and cultural traditions to modern social issues. When it is troublesome for you to identify a potential humanities research topic, explore the list of humanities research ideas suggested above, and from it pick any topic of your interest. You may also approach our humanities assignment experts for assistance with research paper topic selection, writing, and proofreading. As per your needs, our professionals will offer you excellent academic support and help you achieve the desired results.

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128 Unique Humanities Topics For Your Research Papers

Many students struggle to find humanities topics worth researching. That’s because most students think the humanities are only about ancient cultures and dead languages. However, social science and humanities explore how humans document and process different experiences. These study fields enable learners to understand intellectual and personal scales, such as culture, heritage, and identities. When studying humanities, students explore past self-exploration and philosophy to political views, economic issues, culture, and religion.

What Are Humanities?

The humanities are educational disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, “humanities” referred to the studio humanitatis, a Medieval Latin phrase meaning “liberal arts or studies.” In the medieval curriculum, the seven liberal arts were grammar, rhetoric, and logic (the trivium); and arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music (the quadrivium). Academicians chose these subjects because they considered them essential for a free person—a citizen—to know so that they can actively participate in civic life, voting, holding office, serving on juries, and so forth.

Today’s humanities definition includes all those original seven subjects plus literature, history, philosophy, archaeology, anthropology, jurisprudence, comparative religion, and ethics. Topics in humanities help us understand aspects of our culture and others, how people lived in the past, what they believed, how they worked and played, what kinds of governments and social structures humans developed, and the type of art and technology they created. In other words: How did we get to be where we are today?

How To Improve A Bad Paper

Perhaps, you’ve chosen a topic and written an essay. Unfortunately, you might not like your paper because you feel it doesn’t meet your educator’s quality standards. In that case, follow these tips to improve it.

Make your description, anecdotal details, and sensory and imagery details more specific.
Make your paper more concise to convey ideas with few words
Use transition phrases or words
Make your thoughts understandable and clear to the reader
Check the organization to ensure ideas flow logically
Proofread and edit your paper.

Writing a research paper for a high grade is not an easy task. It’s better to hire a research paper service and get your papers complete on time.

Interesting Humanities Topics

Do you love writing about exciting topics? If so, here’s a list of interesting ideas to explore in your humanity paper.

Investigating changes in gender roles in modern society
Exploring the differences between wars and interstate conflicts
Texas case study- How poverty affects tertiary education
Examining the illegal immigrants’ implications on host countries in Europe
How conflict theory can help prevent the fight for family resources
Is poverty a social issue?
Detailed analysis of the problems faced by people living with disabilities
Contemporary music and political commentary
The bible’s role in the US democracy’s development
Exploring labour struggles in Europe and their effects on global and local politics in the 19th century
Investigating the essence of studying humanities
Exploring the enlightenment age- What does it mean?
Examining the Appalachian regional identity
The race problem in the US- Exploring its causes
Analyzing the Black Lives Matter movement and its role in the race theory
How consumerism affects sustainability
A closer look at the counterculture’s benefits in society
A critical view of the differences between cults and sects
Analysing gender studies- What are the emerging issues?
Cultural appropriation- Investigating why it causes a political contest
Fashion trends in modern society- Examining their connection with cultures
Should governments legitimize prostitution?
The influence of oral history on modern culture
How graphic novels affect literacy
Discuss the pros and cons of studying humanities
How bullying is challenging to prevent in schools
Investigating the environmental foundations for humanities
Explore cultural stereotypes and how superstitions shape them
Compare animal and human sacrifice in religion
Analyzing human behaviour and communication

These are exciting topics to consider in this academic field. Nevertheless, take sufficient time researching your preferred title to write a winning paper.

Good Humanities Paper Topics

High school, university, and college students need good topics to impress teachers and earn top grades in their classes. Here are such ideas.

How the law-making process relates to bureaucracy
Why public choice awareness is vital
A historical analysis of the Indian migrant workers
How the Neolithic revolution affects cognitive abilities
Should America implement more restrictive laws about gun ownership?
Ethical issues surrounding media advertising
Why youth culture is complex for older generations to understand
LGBT people and straight people’s rights- How do they compare?
The absence of face-to-face interactions- Does it cause misunderstanding in communications on social media?
Why democracy fails- Iraq case study
What causes the Israel-Palestinian wars?
Spirituality and gender- Is there a connection?
Is the world hauling toward a Third World War?
Discuss relevant anthropology issues
Hinduism- Does it affect Indian socio-political development?
Factors affecting the 21st-century teenagers
Social media’s role in shaping people’s perspectives
Factors affecting social interactions and their changes among communities
Why the world struggles with the inequality problem to date
Discuss the ageing notion among different societies

Pick a title in this category and develop it via research. Nevertheless, ensure it enables you to answer the question your educator poses.

Humanities Project Ideas

Did the educator ask you to pick a topic for your humanities project? If so, here are humanities topics for research projects to consider.

The role of funding in education
What limits collision admission policies?
Is doping prevalent in sports?- Explain why
Investigating prisoners’ life and prisons
Macroscopic trends- Analysis of cultural change
Digital archives- A textual analysis
Why pedagogy lacks a focus
Information access issues in society
How online publishing affects humanities
Tools for cultural analysis- Why they are vital for humanities
Doctors’ role in assisted suicide
Violence perpetrators and administrators’ role in campus
Capital punishment and its ethical downside
Legal drinking age- Who should determine it?
Why achieving modesty is difficult nowadays.
Crisis- When international intervention is justified
African socialism- How it compares between the 1950 and 1980s
Lessons learned from Europe and US immigrant crisis
Comparing and contrasting foreign policies in the UK and China
Should governments ban alcohol and beer advertisements?

Please choose a topic from this list and develop it via extensive research. Ensure that your paper has relevant information to impress the educator.

Easy Humanities Topics Ideas

Maybe you’re searching for an easy idea to explore in your paper. In that case, consider these ideas for your essay.

Investigating age and changes in body image
How social environment prompts people to relocate to cities
Deviance development among urban youths
Does reading more books make people less or more social?
Illegal immigrants- Should governments make them legal citizens?
How does gender-based violence affect kids’ personalities
Sociological perspectives of child development and interracial adoption
Parental control limits on child’s personality
Investigate the adverse effects of teenage pregnancies
Analyze war negotiations strategies- Provide 20th-century case studies

These are relatively easy topics to consider for academic papers. Nevertheless, they still require some research.

Arts and Humanities Research Topics

Are you interested in humanities and arts research topics? If so, this list has some ideas worth exploring.

Contemporary art and the feminist movement
Art education- Why it helps learners think differently
Advertisements- Should the audiences view them as modern art?
Mythology’s impact on Ancient Greece’s sculptures
Government accountability and democracy in the US
How did the cultural revolution affect the Chinese art
The second migration- How it affects Harlem Renaissance’s art
Sharing pieces of art and music online- Is it a legal practice?

Consider these titles if you want to write about art and humanities. However, prepare to spend sufficient time researching your topic before writing.

Medical Humanities Topics

Do you want to explore medical humanities in your research? If so, here are some interesting titles to consider for your essay and help you take the first step toward a good research paper done for you.

Does global warming cause tropical diseases?
Child vaccination- Should the government make it mandatory?
How exercising can affect a person’s life negatively
Is using animals in drug tests a good idea?
Should governments limit drug tests on humans?
Is the world ready for another pandemic?
How the world managed the COVID-19 pandemic
Medical research- The threats and their mitigation
Should hospitals test individuals with mental issues in or outside their immediate communities?
Doctors should provide medical assistance against the guardian’s wishes
Parents should regulate social media use to prevent or reduce the addiction impacts
How the COVID-19 pandemic prompted society to rethink global healthcare coordination

These are good humanities research topics that touch on the medical field. Nevertheless, they also require some research to write high-quality papers.

Topics in Digital Humanities

Digital humanities are also worth exploring in academic papers. Here are exciting titles to consider in this category.

Printing press history and its role in information dissemination
Art presentation in America during the digital age
The information technology age and humanities studies
How video games contribute to violence in modern society
Is digital technology a bane, or does it provide an improved life?
The influence of modern gadgets on individuals’ mental health
Social media and its impact on people’s lives
Technology and modern devices- How they affect relationships

After extensive research, these are some of the best topics worth writing humanities papers about in college. However, every student should choose a title according to guidelines from their teacher or professor.

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Full-text access to the archives of core scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and science, plus full text ebooks and open access content.

Mostly 3-5 years & older full text. African American studies, anthropology, botany, business, ecology, economics, education, general science, geography, history, language & literature, mathematics, philosophy, political science, sociology, statistics. Dates of coverage vary by journal title. All go back to the very first issue published, but most have a "moving wall" embargo that excludes issues from the most recent X years (where X can be anywhere from 0 up to 10 years, depending on the particular journal; most are in the 3 to 5 year embargo range). Hint: Use documents to find useful keywords and concepts, and retrieve matching JSTOR content, via JSTOR Text Analyzer .

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Birthright citizenship
Civil forfeiture
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Maritime piracy in the 21st century
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120 Original Humanities Topics To Write Best Essay

There are several interesting humanities topics for students to explore. Suppose you’re studying anthropology, cultural studies, or anything in history, you will need humanities project ideas that could boost your creativity while searching for research ideas or writing your paper or project. Topics in humanities are also essential depending on your career interest as a lawyer.

Finding the creativity needed to spur project humanity essay topics for your work is often difficult. You need to think in-depth, refer to your notes, and spend hours online for original topic ideas. Whether you’re a high school, college, MBA, or Ph.D. student, this article is for you.

How To Write Good Humanities Essay

Sometimes, even as a writer, it’s hard to make your paperwork the best at one go. You need the best strategies to create an excellent essay or report, even after gaining humanities essay topics ideas.

If you need to finalize if you’ve done right by what you’ve written, ask these questions after reading your draft:

Is my topic broad enough? You need to consider this if you have a broad topic. You’d want to break it down into smaller parts and simplify it. For example, suppose your essay is about how technology has affected communications, break the topic into two subtopics: traditional communication methods and the role of major social media platforms.
Is my topic too narrow? If your topic is too narrow, ask yourself if there are other ways of looking at your subject from other perspectives and include them.
Is my paper organized in the most logical order? Now is the time to look at the overall organization of your paper if you’ve read through your rough draft and gained feedback from an editor. A good way to do this is by using a topic sentence for each paragraph which leads to the next question:
Does each paragraph have a clear topic sentence? Topic sentences are an essential part of any paragraph. They let the reader know your main point and guide them through each sentence, ensuring that it fits in with your topic. A good topic sentence is clear, concise, and specific and comes in the first paragraph. It also states the main idea of a paragraph.
Proofread your essay: Proofread your essay for capitalization, grammar, and spelling errors. If you’re unsure how to spell a word, use a dictionary or a spell checker. It will help if you consider using synonyms in place of common words where appropriate. This can help to create more interesting sentences.
Take a break and reread your essay: The best way to improve your essay is by taking a break and then rereading it with fresh eyes. Take some time to rest, do something else, take a walk — whatever helps you clear your head and come back to your essay with a new perspective.
Reread it as a reader would: If you still don’t know how to fix the issues in your essay, try “rereading” it as if you were an outside reader. This will allow you to see any inconsistencies you may have missed earlier.
Ask someone else for help: If none of these suggestions worked for improving your essay and making it better than before, ask someone else for help. Let this person read because they might spot things you’ve never discovered before. Take this feedback and see how you can implement the suggestions.

You can use or rephrase any of these topics for your next thesis. You will also learn how you can improve a bad essay at the end of these original humanities topics ideas:

Humanities Essay Topics

You may have already guessed that humanities is an interdisciplinary field. There are many disciplines within the humanities, each with a specific focus. You can brainstorm with the following ideas:

Examine the challenges that lead to migration
Does reading more books reduce socialization?
Argue why immigrants should be legalized as citizens?
What are the consequences of domestic violence on children?
How does domestic violence between couples affect a conservative environment?
Discuss why domestic violence is a norm in many Muslim societies
With reference to three wars, what is the core agenda of war?
How does childhood influence a child’s personality?
Explain when teachers and parents should teach sex education
Discuss the challenges of child marriages and examine if poverty is a core reason.
Analyze the best ways to tell kids about sex
Explain why people around the world should care about Ukrainians
Explore the arguments in support of isolating a country because they’re insistent on keeping nuclear weapons
What are the factors responsible for social and political backwardness in developing nations?
Comment on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing and what should’ve happened to the US
Comment on whether or not any country or body can check the US government’s excesses
What is your comment on UN peacekeeping missions in Africa and Asia in the past decade?
What are your thoughts about US withdrawal from Afghanistan a year ago
Would you say the UN has failed in the Palestine Question?
Would you say the world wars and the Cold War brought global order or challenged existing systems?

Humanities Argumentative Essay Topics

Humanity is a course that requires an argument, opinions, and creativity banters. You also need to be knowledgeable to be capable of presenting controversial topics in the best ways. You can source inspiration for your next paper from these humanities paper topics:

Is war a prerequisite for peace in modern societies?
Are humans responsible for climate change?
Elon Musk once said that his money could not solve world hunger; what do you think are the intricacies affecting the resolution of global hunger?
Men don’t deserve paternity leave: here is why.
Freelancers should be placed on pension in the companies they work with
The tax system is unfair and corrupt.
Should people adopt cryptocurrency to avoid taxes?
Is automation a tragic invention?
Is it ethical to use animals in research?
Are smartphones a desperate invention, and do they endanger us?
Should the government keep tracking and monitoring humans?
Should torture to considered a norm for criminals?
Should citizens be allowed to own guns, especially in societies with an active police force?
Are artists the mirrors of their countries?
Should developing countries be kept in debt?
Is the death penalty an effective judgment?
Gun violence is a consequence of popular access to guns: discuss
Men should use condoms: discuss
Those that don’t support abortion want to control women.
Beauty pageants and shows are exploitative, and they’re right to be so: discuss.

Humanities Research Topics

You need to let your mind wander and muse around various humanities topics to find the best for your next essay. As a required field that deals with humans and how the world works, here are research topics that may pique your interest and challenge your beliefs:

An in-depth assessment of polygamy in America
An in-depth assessment of polyandry in (country of your choice)
What do religions say about the afterlife, and what do atheists say?
Examinations are more of a trap than an intelligence assessment
Rationalize the heat toward the LGBTQ community
Marginalized people will remain marginalized, and here is why
Euthanasia is a human right and should not be questioned: discuss
Why there should be restrictions on what teachers teach students in school
Here is how to reduce healthcare costs in the US
The main challenges of pandemics
Do NGOs play a major role in developing countries or contribute to destroying them?
Statement: rich countries are not obligated to help developing countries
Organ transplant services: an examination on how crime has infiltrated the industry
Reasons why college athletes deserve compensation
How a reduction in childbirth will not (or will) end the climate crisis.

Interesting Humanities Topics

Humanity essay topics are also expected to be interesting and not necessarily humorous. They must be insightful and smart in the delivery too. Here are original humanities essay topics to impress your teachers, professors, and colleagues in class:

Comment on music and criticism
A comment on the study of humanities
The science field is better than the humanities
Obesity should be a problem for any thinking parent
What is the Enlightenment Age all about?
The role of predictions in how the world works
The impact of labor on politics
The most active members of the societies are the busiest and play less role in their politics
Comment on the black lives matter movement
Prostitution should be made a job
Prostitutes are endangered species, but they’re humans
Laws protect some people yet endanger some who are not even criminals
An opinion on the case of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
Are activists the true voice of their movements?
How fashion trends affect rationality in the world.

Humanities Project Ideas

Humanity is a vast subject, and you need to be informed before embarking on any projects. You can source ideas from these 15 humanities topics ideas:

How does social media affect society and vice versa?
Bullying is like terrorism: discuss
Relationship between food and culture
Relationship between food and religious beliefs/biases
Is social media activism effective?
Account for the start and finish of the #MeToo movement
Examine the nature of human and animals sacrifice
Discuss cultural stereotypes and the role of superstitions
Lessons about migration and its effects
How suicide is becoming a culture
Sexist advertisements and how they shape gender narratives
India and its popular sexual violence culture
China and its popular human rights abuses
The role of the US in human rights abuse in Libya
The role of the World Bank in the poverty of selected developing countries.

Topics In Digital Humanities

Digital humanity is a growing field that is constantly evolving and changing. It’s a way to learn about technology and discover how it affects or helps people. Here are a few research topics around digital humanities:

Technology and its influence on the study of humanities
How technology controls the future
The role of online casino games in socialization
The role of gaming in creating an idle American youth population
The challenges of remote work and productivity
An overview of the printing press and present technology
The destructive power of America, thanks to technology
An in-depth look into how technology shapes the century
How humans interact with technology or robotics
The perspectives of Elon Musk on technology
Communications and how technology could make the world unsafe in the future
Videogames and violence: a critical review
A critical review of the effect of online gaming and people’s health
Identify why millennials fear missing out on technology
How significant is TikTok in modern marketing strategies?

Humanities And Arts Research Topics

Exploring the history of humanities is a fascinating subject. Both music, art, and culture contributed to the growth witnessed, and here are a few topics that might pique your interest when you begin your custom essay writing :

An overview of afrobeat in the international music industry
How music is being used as propaganda
The role of Caribbean music in understanding the history
What’s the relationship between art and mystery
Books with objectionable words should be banned: discuss
Liberal laws are not liberal because they don’t protect some people: discuss
The influence of cultural revolutions in selected countries
The impact of advertisement on people’s perception of the world
The role of popular media in advocating feminism
The role of music in promoting violence.

Medical Humanities Essay Topics

The medical part of humanities is sensitive and can sometimes be controversial. This is because you’ll attempt debating what’s ethical and what should be done. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Doctors support patient request for euthanasia out of pity
Nurses and the concept of sympathy
Medical ethics and practices triumph racial and religious differences: discuss
Should doctors report their clients to authorities for putting their health in jeopardy?
Doctors are responsible for drug abuse: discuss
The vulnerabilities of healthcare software and why they shouldn’t be used
Should drug prices increase because demand increases?
Every medical practitioner should be unique with their treatments: discuss
An overview of different medical beliefs in three countries
An analysis of unethical beliefs and bias in global health care.

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How to Write a Good Humanities Research Paper

Writing in humanities and sociology requires a unique approach that goes beyond traditional research papers. These academic disciplines are vital to the understanding of our rapidly evolving and progressing world, which makes it important to convey your research in a clear, easy-to-understand way. While the goal remains to communicate your findings effectively, the writing style, structure, and presentation differ significantly from other disciplines. To do this, researchers must possess a firm grasp of the subject’s nuances and be aware of how audiences view the world and evaluate information. In this article, we provide valuable tips specially tailored for researchers writing in humanities and sociology, enabling them to produce clear, compelling, and impactful research papers with the best chances of publication.

Understand the essence of academic writing in humanities

Academic writing in humanities and sociology involves exploring complex human experiences, societal structures, and cultural phenomena. It demands a nuanced approach, encouraging researchers to embrace diverse perspectives and demonstrate critical thinking. Keep the following points in mind:

Develop a clear research question: Frame your research question carefully to guide your exploration and keep your writing focused.
Engage with existing literature: Thoroughly review relevant literature to contextualize your research and build a strong theoretical foundation.
Humanize your research: Use storytelling and real-life examples to connect with readers emotionally and make your work relatable.

Craft a cohesive structure for your humanities research paper

Academic writing in humanities and sociology requires a well-organized structure. You can refer to the following humanities research paper example to structure your work clearly and coherently.

The introduction section: The introduction of your humanities research paper should present your research question and its significance, provide a brief overview of the existing literature and its gaps, and state your thesis statement clearly.
Comprehensive literature review: This is an important step in any research journey. Summarize key works related to your research topic, identify the common themes and controversies, and highlight the relevance of your research in filling the existing gaps.
Research methodology: Describe your research approach and methods, justify why these methods are suitable for your study, and address potential limitations in your humanities research paper.
Findings of the study: Present your research findings systematically, use relevant evidence and examples to support your arguments, and clearly connect your findings to the research question.
The discussion section: Interpret your results and explain their implications, compare your findings with existing literature, and address any limitations and suggest future research directions. Be sure not to repeat the results in this section.
A neat conclusion: Recapitulate the main points of your paper, emphasize the importance of your research and its contributions, and leave the reader with a thought-provoking final statement.

Humanities research paper style and language

When writing in humanities and sociology, the writing style should be engaging, yet maintain academic rigor. Here are some essential tips:

Choose clarity over complexity. Use straightforward language and sentence structures to ensure your humanities research paper can be read and understood by global audiences. Avoid technical jargon and convoluted expressions that may confuse the reader.
Favor conciseness. Be concise in your writing, focusing on conveying your message without unnecessary wordiness. Try to use crisp, short sentences or visuals (infographics, graphs, charts, etc.) to communicate complex themes clearly.
Opt for active voice. Prefer using the active voice to enhance readability and add a sense of authority to your statements.
Ensure smooth transitions. Employ transitional phrases to create seamless connections between paragraphs and ideas.

Citing sources and referencing correctly

Properly citing sources is crucial when writing in humanities and sociology to acknowledge the contributions of other researchers and strengthen the credibility of your work. Follow the citation style recommended by your institution or journal (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago). Double check to ensure all in-text citations are accurate and complete and you’ve provided a comprehensive bibliography or reference list at the end of your paper.

To conclude, knowing how to write a good humanities research paper requires you to achieve a delicate balance of creativity, critical thinking, and adherence to academic conventions. By following the steps outlined in this article, researchers can elevate their writing and make a lasting impact in their field of study. Be sure to read the critical dos and don’ts when writing in humanities to create a compelling humanities research paper, open the door to new avenues of exploration, and enrich scholarly discourse.

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What is a Thesis Statement and How to Write It (with Examples)

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WashU Libraries

Conducting research.

The Process
Step 1: Exploring an idea
Step 2: Finding background info.
Step 3: Finding Print/E-Books
Step 4: Finding Articles (Current Research)
Step 5: Evaluating your sources
Step 6: Citing your sources
FAQs This link opens in a new window
Library Vocabulary
Research in the Humanities
Research in the Social Sciences
Research in the Sciences

Researching in the Humanities

The fields in the Humanities discipline generally include the visual and performing arts, philosophy, literature, religion, history, languages, art history, and classics. Although research methods differ among the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Sciences, any research project in any discipline starts with curiosity and a hypothesis. Often research topics are interdisciplinary and may include multiple subject areas and methods from more than just one discipline.

When beginning a research project in the humanities, you must develop a deep knowledge base in a subject area, choose original sources to examine, locate and evaluate sources that also explore your areas of interest, and then come to your own original conclusions. Libraries can help you find the material you need to get started. The research guides listed on the right are created by WUSTL Subject Librarians. Subject Librarians have expertise in both searching techniques and academic fields, and their online guides suggest resources for the different phases of the research process: 1) Use background sources to establish your knowledge base. These could be subject encyclopedias, key works in a field, bibliographies, etc. 2) Select original sources, commonly referred to as primary sources, for your analysis. Primary sources are simply original works, e.g., novels, photographs, diaries, correspondence, advertisements, eyewitness accounts. 3) Find articles, reviews, and books that analyze primary sources. These are known as secondary sources. Then, synthesize all this information with your own thinking and draw your original conclusions, thus creating new research in the field.

If you need additional assistance, please reach out to one of the Subject Librarians.

Find a Subject Librarian This is a list of the Subject Librarians by academic subject.

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HumSS Research Topics – Humanities & Social Sciences Topics

Humss (Humanities & Social Sciences) is an interesting field of study featuring college courses like Journalism, Communication Arts, and Education. Research projects for humss revolve around intellect, change, societal issues, and human conditions. Finding humss research topics is not as hard as it seems. For instance, you should know that research topics for humss differ from science topics because scholars are more interested in questions than answers. Also, your topics should be interesting and controversial to capture your readers. Choosing the right research topic about humss will simplify finding content and buy research paper .

Exciting Research Topic about Humss Strand

Interesting research topic related to humss strand, good research topics for humss students, quality research title about humanities and social science, topics on research problem about humss strand, topics on quantitative research for humss students, quantitative research title examples for humss students, qualitative research topics for humss students, awesome research topics related to humss, best research topics for humss students, perfect humss strand research topics, topics on social issues about humss strand, research topic ideas for humss students, key topics related to humss, research titles for humss students, concept paper topics about humss, humss background design topics, quantitative humss research topics.

Humss strand is one of the courses offered to students who want to pursue college degrees in education, liberal arts, or other social sciences. Choose any of the exciting topics below for your high school humss research project:

The impact of aging on social interactions
Anti-vaccination is the latest trending social movement
Remote working is the latest trend in the corporate world
What is the root cause of social media addiction?
Is there a valid connection between social class and success?
How much control should parents have over their kid’s social life?
What is the appropriate age to start teaching students about gender studies?
The impact of single parenting on a child’s social connection

Choosing interesting research about humss strand will help you stand out from the rest and impact the quality of your paper. Below are some thought-provoking humss research topics you can explore:

Feminism in the corporate place: a critical analysis
Does parental control influence a child’s social personality?
Conventional families: how do they impact a child’s development?
Growing up in an LGBTQ family: How does it influence a child’s sexual identity?
The effects of social media on teens and youths
The outcomes of social networking
Are unconventional families beneficial for child development?
Young motherhood: How does it impact a child’s wellbeing?

Are you a humss student looking for good topics for your research paper about the humss strand? Below are some ideas worth considering:

The impacts of foreign education on professional growth
The link between economic prosperity and the feeling of patriotism among citizens
The right to privacy: a critical analysis in the digital era
Social media preferences among different age and social groups
Does social media increase or reduce loneliness among individuals?
Is there a link between social media addiction and age?
How important is adding food education to the modern education curriculum?
A case study on the correlation between food and national identity

Whether you specialize in education, media, communication, liberal arts, or other social sciences, your humss research topic will influence your grade. You can choose an example of a research title about humss strand from the suggestions below:

The changes that feminism has bought on gender roles at home
The social perception of vegetarianism in different cultures
Spirituality and raw food diets: what is the connection?
Factors that affect students’ productivity during their free time
Social media activism: is it as effective as old-fashioned street protests?
Why you should take body language seriously during online interviews
Twitter: How it shifted from an ordinary social media platform to a political platform
Gender bias: concept definition

You can make your essay or research paper stand out and earn good marks by selecting quality topics. Pick a topic about humss strand from the ideas below:

How has the digital era negatively influenced the social concept of morality?
The impact of social media on people’s ability to understand others’ feelings
Justice and wars: Who is the right person to judge?
The influence of the mass media on political attitudes and statistics
Awareness of public choice: Why is it so important?
Framing: What is its role in the political sector?
The root cause of reduced voter turnout: A case study of the United States
What impact do advertisements have on political views?

Quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing data from deductive approaches like questionnaires while focusing on testing a specific theory. Finding a good top quantitative research topic about humss strand can make your study easier and more effective. Here are some noteworthy ideas:

The electoral process in Michigan (specify location): A quantitative analysis
The cultural practices related to childbirth rates in third-world countries
An evaluation of the factors promoting teenage pregnancies in the 21 st century
The rate of teenage pregnancies in third-world countries Vs. first-world countries
Mass Media: Its impact on political statistics and voter behaviors
How critical are self-defending networks?
A critical analysis of the voter turnout in the recent elections in (state country or state)
Can technology upgrades influence relationships?

Quantitative research involves data collection using questionnaires, interviews, and online or offline surveys. Below are some interesting topics you can write about in this area:

How can cyber-crimes affect human lives?
Racial bullying on social media: a critical analysis
Drug testing in the workplace: is it necessary?
How practical are modern components of sex education in High Schools?
The impacts of the government controlling women’s reproductive rights?
The root cause of stereotypes in society
How gambling feels to an addict
Group social education: What are its benefits?

Qualitative research depends on data obtained through first-hand observation, recordings, or focus groups. You can pick a good qualitative research topic about the humss strand from the following examples:

Why do many students perform poorly in sciences?
The rate of college acceptance in developing nations
Academic preparedness of university students in the United States
Victims of bullying in schools: a case study of (state a specific school or location)
The relationship between android and apple products
Online digital marketing: what is it all about?
Virtual reality worlds: their role in transforming society
Should kids under four years get a preschool education?

Humss is a vast field with thousands of research topic options for students with various specialties. Choose a research topic related to humss from the following option:

The cultural construct of the masculine and feminine identity
How individuals interact with various physical elements
Inter-nation relationships: what challenges hinder healthy relationships between nations?
The value of language in societal success
How has the political sector in the United States evolved in the past century?
The implications of philosophical studies for the growth of a society
Diversity: how does it make society better?
Peace and harmony: why are differences vital for peace and harmony?

Choosing a research title about humss can be challenging if you have not done one before. For this reason, we prepared the following title ideas:

Religious discrimination in the digital era
The conflict between religion and the digital era
Social relations between Islam and Christianity
The unification of Germany: a look at the process
The great migration: a critical analysis
Feminism movements and their impacts on society
Does studying social sciences give you a better chance of success?
The impact of the Ottoman Empire on socialization

When choosing the perfect research topics for humss, you should consider your specialization and research type (qualitative or quantitative). Here are some examples to consider:

The impact of the pandemic on people’s social media behaviors
Internet purchases: how sales taxes affect them
The significance of understanding history in studying humanities
Are all human beings anatomically similar?
The role of humanities in higher learning institutions
Do humanities help students achieve higher analytical and problem-solving skills?
Why do universities require multiple humanities courses?
The influence of William Shakespeare’s plays on modern literature

Focusing on a social issue is the best way to get a unique and interesting research topic for humss students. Here are some examples:

The beginning of the feminist era
How has the pandemic influenced the education sector?
The implications of social media on religion and culture
The impact of healthy doctor-patient relationships on the healthcare sector
The relationship between social media interaction and personality development
How is the digital era affecting the elderly in society?
Modern inter-nation wars: implications of the war between Ukraine and Russia
Is the United States still the most powerful country in the world?

Writing a research paper is as easy or hard as the topic you choose. Here are some humss research title ideas:

The relationship between empathy and the experience of illness
The impact of media on the study of medicine
The relationship between social media and education
Is diversity vital in society?
The impact of gun violence on school attendance
Modern aspects of poetry: a critical analysis
The COVID-19 pandemic’s influence on social media addiction
Social media addiction and age: what is the correlation?

Below are some key ideas on the topic about humss you can focus your research on:

How do parents influence their children’s social behaviors
Social education: how it helps students develop
How do teachers include their student’s course choices?
Boarding schools for boys Vs. boarding schools for girls
How has social media influenced people’s views of celebrities?
The role of social influencing in purchasing behaviors
When is military force justifiable
Should community service be mandatory for all students?

Your research title for humss will help you determine your paper’s outline and research methods. Below are some incredible topics you should consider:

Do advertisements still influence people’s purchasing behaviors?
Social media marketing Vs. conventional advertising
Dual nationality: its impact on political views
The implications of personality on political attitudes
The correlation between collective action and public policies
Do changes in public policies influence public opinions?
The correlation between law-making and bureaucracy
The influence of public policy on innovation

A concept paper provides your research’s purpose, background, and outline. Therefore, choosing the perfect topic is vital. Below are some ideas to look into:

The US-Mexico Border Dilemma: an analysis
Perfectionist policy: concept definition
Why are more people turning to digital work in the 21 st century?
Ethical issues in the dialysis of homelessness
Effects of stigma among leaders
How is technology reshaping the future of social interaction?
Importance of practical counseling sessions for Psychology students
How can parents cope with their kids’ disabilities

A good humss research paper should have a background research topic. Here are some great examples:

The root cause of international cyber-attacks
The history of Europe and its importance in humanities studies
The root of punishment in households
Should religious freedom be granted to kids under 18 years?
The growth and spread of Islam in African nations
How missionaries shaped Africans’ views on religion
The impact of the Great Awakenings on US history
The growth of Pentecostalism in Latin nations

Quantitative research is a dominant research technique in social sciences, where students can focus on topics like politics and elections. Here are some good ideas:

The effectiveness of home care against nursing homes
The development of telehealth in the 21 st century
How effective are cardiovascular treatments?
The link between mortality rates and gender
The changes in critic ratings and their impact on equity returns
Do people’s decision-making processes depend on their subconscious?
Impact of racism on mental health
Social anxiety triggers in youths

Let’s Help You

The humss strand is so vast that you can easily find a topic depending on your area of specialization. You can also pick a topic based on interesting social issues . Also, you must be keen on selecting a quality research title that stands out and makes your writing easier. If you feel overwhelmed choosing a title or writing a humss paper, we are here to help you. Talk to us now!

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Helping Grad Students Become Better Writers

Systematic Strategies for Humanities Research-Paper Writing: Part One

By Sørina Higgins, Consultant

Hello, fellow grad students in the humanities! It’s just about time to start thinking about those big end-of-term papers you’ll write for most of your grad classes, those 20- to 30-pagers that hover somewhere between an exhausting school assignment and the draft of a professional article. Well, here are some suggestions for you to consider applying to the process of researching and writing those seminar papers. Hopefully these ideas will be useful for you whether you’re about to write your first one or your last one ever. Either way, congrats! This is a big deal; you’re about to produce some original research to add to the scholarly conversation, and it’s a chance to really dig into doing what you love, the thing you came to grad school for. I’ll try to help smooth the way here so that you don’t have to figure out the research process for yourself. And feel free to add additional strategies in the comments below!

First, plan ahead. Set aside a day well before the deadline (at least a month; six weeks or two months is better) in order to start preliminary research and order books. Don’t panic; you needn’t begin writing the paper at this point, but you do need to provide enough lead time for getting materials through interlibrary loan , and you probably want to at least glance over the most relevant and/or recent scholarship to make sure someone else hasn’t done exactly what you want to do. At this point, you can do a few of the steps below. You don’t need to do all of them now, and you can probably get away with never doing some of them, but the more of this background research you complete early on, the smoother the writing process will be and the better the final product.

Choose authors, texts, themes, time periods, events, or issues of interest, as relevant to the project and your field. Make sure to read and reread the assignment prompt carefully and ask your professor for clarification if needed. But here’s something to consider: I don’t think “choosing a topic” really works for serious research. Instead, I recommend picking a field of interest, narrowing it down considerably, and honing your focus until you develop a Research Question .
Crafting your Research Question is an important step that many inexperienced scholars omit or rush past. The better your initial Research Question, the more successful and less stressful the whole process will be. There are lots of reasons for this: Your question guides the type of research you’ll do, what sources you’ll investigate, the kind of research design or method you’ll employ, even the scope and structure of the paper. So don’t “pick a topic”; take the time to develop a truly workable question instead. There is lots of advice available about the characteristics of good and bad Research Questions ; here are a few I’ve found particularly helpful. The question must be researchable by you and must fit into the rest of this semester—so there probably isn’t time for extensive field work or archival research. It must be a fact-finding question, not an ethical or interpretive question at this stage. It must be a question to which you do not currently know the answer, but which has high stakes for your field. Take your time on this step, consulting with faculty or advanced students and browsing around in publications in your field.
Okay, once you’ve drafted a solid Research Question, it’s time to start the initial research. See if there is a recent “state of the field” article, bibliography, or some other resource that covers what’s being published right now in your area. If you don’t readily find such a thing, ask the professor to recommend one. The more focused this can be on works that potentially answer your Research Question, the better. Even just reading through the titles of the most recent articles and books in your field can give you a sense of what’s being done now and what the current concerns are.
For studies involving literature and other print-heavy fields (English, Theatre, History, Religion, American Studies, Music, etc.) it’s a good idea to find the best, most recent bibliography of your target authors’ works and to find out which are the official editions of these authors’ works. You can usually discover this by looking in the latest issues of the top journal(s) in this field. If you don’t readily find out, ask the professor which ones are currently the most acceptable. It would be a shame to write your whole Thomas Malory paper, say, using Vinaver only to find out that your target journal—or worse yet, your professor!—favors Field. Horrors.
Now you might want to compile a list of the relevant primary sources in chronological order. Hopefully this already exists, in the form of a handy bibliography. But if not, make one yourself—then narrow it down. There’s no way you’re going to read all that in the next few weeks. No, seriously. You won’t.
Similarly, compile a list of the relevant secondary sources, but in reverse chronological order. While you’re at it, do a quick check to find out what your professor has written (if they haven’t already assigned their Complete Works to you in their seminar. Yup. It happens). Do they have anything relevant on the subject? If so, be sure to read it and cite it if possible. Anyway, back to this reverse chronological order thing. See, the idea is that you’ll want to have a general sense of both what’s hot in your field and also what the classic, game-changing, most-cited academic works are. If you start reading (skimming, really, or maybe even just reading abstracts) with the newest stuff, you’ll accomplish that first goal of seeing what’s hot right away, and pretty soon you’ll start seeing certain Names repeated over and over. Those are the Founding Folks of your field; get their works. Have a glance inside. Cite them a teeny bit. That’s cocktail party cred right there.
Take a breath. What have you learned? Do you get a sense of the most pressing concerns in your field right now? Do you need to revise your Research Question at this point? Take a break. Let it all settle for a while. Then come back and cut your lists in half. For real. You still won’t read all of that, so cut out whatever is not absolutely necessary, and then some of what’s left. Now acquire the rest of it. Check books out of the library, order things via ILL, download or print articles, and that sort of thing. Somewhere in this initial researching phase, make an appointment with your subject-area’s liaison librarian to get assistance with locating anything you’ve missed or with filling in gaps.
As you work on this initial research process, put everything in a Zotero folder. Researching, writing, and citing are one integrated activity, so always keep track of sources and citations as you go.

TL;DR: Read, read, read! Come up with a research question , rather than a research topic; the narrower, the better. Know the foundational texts related to your question. Check out the bibliography of related article from a journal that you really like. Compile a list of primary texts you need, then narrow to the essentials. Do the same with secondary texts, but prioritize by the most recent scholarship. Do preliminary searches and skims, then revise your lists again. Keep track of everything in a Zotero folder.

Tune in next week when we talk about actually beginning to write!

2 thoughts on “ Systematic Strategies for Humanities Research-Paper Writing: Part One ”

Thanks for sharing the strategy. what is the appropriate strategy for writing the next paper part two?

Hey! Check out our blog; part two has been posted!

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100+ Captivating Humanities Research Topics and Ideas

Table of Contents

Humanities research is carried out to understand various cultures, take a close look at human behavior, and strive for the advancement of society. Humanities generally is a broad field representative of an academic discipline focused on various aspects of human society and culture, such as philosophy, literature, art, history, languages, and religion. So, it might be pretty hard to choose one perfect topic to successfully conduct humanities research. However, this can be easily solved. Below is the list of topics and ideas for the latest humanities research that we have picked for this blog. We have also included specific tactics to find a good topic pertaining to humanities research.

If you are struggling to spot appropriate humanities research topics for your essay, take a look at this blog. Here, you will get exclusive ideas.

How to Choose a Topic for a Humanities Research Paper?

The selection of specific topics in any humanities research needs to strike a balance between interest, relevance, and scope. You can narrow down the choices that best fit your needs by following the steps below:

Identify Your Interest: Start with what interests you. If there is something you are really interested in regarding some period in history, a literary genre, or a philosophical debate, you will stay engaged in your research.
Literature Review: Conduct a preliminary review of the literature to see what research has already been conducted on your topic of interest. As you review, be on the lookout for gaps in research that you can fill with your work.
Identify and Focus: Broad topics now must turn into specific issues or questions. Instead of researching “Renaissance Art ,” focus on “The Influence of Renaissance Art on Modern Architecture .”
Consider Scope and Resources: Make sure the topic is such that it can be kept within your resources: in particular, you should take account of such things as your available time, access to primary sources, and literature.
Consult Advisors: Talk about ideas with professors or mentors who will give you important feedback on how to adapt your topic to the project requested and lead you to materials you may not have thought about.
Instead of going with “The Role of Women in Literature ,” it’s better to go with “The Representation of Female Protagonists in 19th Century British Novels”
Instead of “Cultural Impacts of Colonization ,” narrow this down to “The Influence of Spanish Colonization on Indigenous Languages in South America”

Check this Humanities Research Paper Topics Examples

View Sample

Issues You Can Encounter by Selecting Narrow and Broad Topics

Narrow Topics:

Inadequate Resources : If your topic is too narrow, you might find it hard to collect enough primary and secondary sources for your study.

Lack of Interest: An excessively narrow topic might not intrigue a large audience or might not even be interesting enough for your peers and professors.

Difficulty in Analysis: You will find it difficult to analyze and reach meaningful conclusions from a very narrow scope.

Examples of Narrow Topics:

“The Use of Color in the Poetry of a Single 18th Century Poet”
“The Influence of a Specific Myth in a Single Novel”

Broad Topics:

Too Much Information: A very broad topic gives you too much information, from which you cannot focus and arrive at a mission for your research.

Superficial Analysis: You can end up doing a superficial analysis on a topic that is too broad, and this analysis may not be deep and may lack critical insight.

Difficulty in Formulating a Thesis: You will face some difficulty in formulating a clear and concise thesis statement on a broad topic. This will then affect the coherence of your research.

Examples of Broad Topics:

“The History of Human Civilization”
“The Impact of Technology on Society”

Perfect Types of Topics to Choose

One of the ideal humanities research topics should be specific enough to be analyzed using broad resources and interests. Following are some of the characteristics of perfect topics:

The topic chosen should be relevant to the pre-published existing issue, debate, or trend in the subject area of humanities.

Originality

Go for a topic in which an entirely different perspective opens up or something that covers a missing part of existing research.

Interest and passion

Choose a topic in which you are really interested and have the passion to go deeply into it.

Feasibility

Ensure that the topic is feasible within your timeframe and available resources for executing the project.

Examples of Good Topics:

“The Role of Social Media in Shaping Modern Identity”
“The Interplay of Art and Politics in 20th Century Europe”

Before you finally settle on a specific, interesting, and manageable topic, skim through the humanities research topics mentioned below and follow these guidelines so that you can set a good base for a successful and informative research project.

List of 100+ Best Humanities Research Paper Topics

Captivating Human Research Ideas

Analyze the Effect of the Cold War on American Society
Define Understanding of Justice in Political Philosophy
Comparative Study of World Religions
How Globalization Affects Cultural Identity?
How Does Music Affect Emotional and Cognitive Processes?
Exploring Intercultural Communication
Globalization and its Effects on Local Cultures and Traditions
Role of Music in Cultural and Religious Ceremonies
The Art of Storytelling across Different Cultures
Examine how Racism Affects a Family Unit

Unique Humanities Research Paper Topics

Discuss the Social and Economic Impact of the Industrial Revolution
Explain How Women Are Portrayed in Media as well as in Popular Culture
Examine the Effect of Community Volunteer Programs on Youth
Analyze How the Islamic Religion has Influenced American Culture
Describe What the World Thinks of Freedom
Examine How Science Influenced Humanities Over the Centuries
Explain How Various Cultures Around the World Perceive and Handle Death
Describe the Expression of Humanity During the Renaissance
What is Exciting about European Culture?
What Are the Political and Social Implications of Design?

Top-Tier Human Research Ideas

Describe the Cultural Significance of the Renaissance
Outline the various ways that Race is Represented within Literature
Examine the Relationship between Media and Culture
Make a Case for Each Movie Function Playing Its Role in Establishing Cultural Identity
Research the Reincarnation Process in Different Religions
Define Which Aspects of Latin American Countries are Culturally Distinct
Examine the Graphic Novel Influence on Literacy
Based on History, Describe How the Animal Rights Movement has Impacted the Way of Life
Provide Examples of How the Humanities/Culture are Represented within the Bible
Explain How Environmental Surroundings Impact the Culture

Latest Topic Ideas for Humanities Research

The Morality of Artificial Intelligence
What Has Social Media Done for Self-Expression?
Outline the Progress of Computing in the Humanities
What Does the Future Hold for the Human Race in the Alien World?
Explain How the Gothic Genre has Gained New Readers
How has the Harlem Renaissance Added to the African American Culture?
How Does Instability Within the Political System Contribute to the Movie Business?
What Are the Causes of Philosophical Anarchism?
Analyze the impact of the Assimilation of Cultures.
Explain How the Humanities Impact the Application of Alternative Medicine

Simple And Easy Humanities Research Topics

The Cultural Significance of Food
Board Games and Their Social Impact: A History
The Use of Music in Religious and Cultural Rituals
The Role of Dance in Cultural Expression
The Effect of Technology on Language and Communication
The Influence of Fairy Tales on Children’s Literature
The Role of Sports in Society
The Cultural Significance of Traditional Festivals
Portrayal of Heroes in Popular Culture
The Role of Social Media in Modern Communication

Digital Humanities Research Topics

Research How Digital Technology Has Affected Research in the Humanities
The Ethics of Digital Humanities Research
What Do You Mean by Text Mining and Computational Analysis in the Humanities?
Explain How the Culture Has Been Affected by Digital Access to Information
How Ancient texts Are Studied by Using Digital Technologies?
Explain Archaeological Data Archiving with the Help of Digital Technologies
Discuss How much the Digital Revolution has Influenced the Human Society
Examining the Potential of Digital Academic Data
Describe the Future of Global Communication in the Global World
Use of Digital Tools to Map Underground Structures

Medical Humanities Research Topics

Analyze the Use of Humanities-Based Interventions in Medical Education
Describe How Medical Theories Have been Represented in Art
Discuss the Role of Narrative Medicine in Healthcare
Assess the Contribution that Literature has to the acceptance of Weed Use in Medical Regions
Explain how Literature Represents Medical Addictions
Discussion on the Rising Behavior of Confidentiality Agreements within the Medical Community
Analyze Religious Influence on the medical community
Examine the Contribution of Art in Expanding the Medical Community
Contrast Medical Portrayals in Art vs. Religion
Examine Practices of Medicine on the Battlefield

College Humanities Research Paper Topics

The Impact of Spending More Time on Social Networking Sites
The Role of Social Norms and Cultures of People in a Certain Society
What Can be the Reason Behind People Struggling to Shift from One Culture to Another?
What is Meant by the Correlation Between a Class and a Student’s Performance?
Are Non-Traditional Families Necessary for the Growth and Development of any child?
What Can be the Reason that Most of the students Prefer Foreign Education?
What is Meant by the Right to Privacy?
Why Does Some Research Need to Involve Patriotic Students?
The Role of Economic Prosperity in Causing Patriotism
How Social Media Leads to Addiction?

Film Study Humanities Research Topics

History of Cinema and Film Technology
The Evolution of Film Genres
Explain The Auteur Theory
Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Films
The Potential of Films to Change Cultural Identity
Theory of the Film and Its Impact on Film Criticism
International Cinema and Its Influences
The Impact of Technology on Filmmaking
Independent vs. Mainstream Cinema
The Techniques of Cinema and Their Effects

Humanities Research Topics on Religion

Elucidate the Conflict between the Social Order and Religion in Society
Which Are the Two Oldest Religions of the World?
What Role Has Religion Played in the Shaping of Contemporary Society?
What Are the Differences in Religions in Relation to Reincarnation?
What are Some of the Possible Causes that May Lead to the Formation of New Religions Around the World?
How Does the Church Help in Improving the Well-Being of the Society?
The Role of Religion in Politics
The Influence of Religion on Art and Literature
Sacred Texts and Their Interpretations
Study How Migration Affects Religious Identity

Conclusion

Pick any topic or idea that appeals to you from the above list and go ahead to write a commendable humanities research paper that can fetch you A+ scores. In case you have not yet found the appropriate humanities research topics or you need humanities research help from an expert, don’t hesitate to contact MyAssignmentHelp . We have a team of expert writers who can help you quickly master the ins and outs of delivering a successful and informative research project.

Alexander Andeerson

Hi, my name is Alexander Anderson. I am 30, and I am an English writing expert based in Melbourne. I started writing and blogging from a young age, and most of my write-ups are based on real experiences and self-taught. Currently, I write Academic Blogs for Students all across the Globe at MyAssignmenthelp.com. In addition to guiding students on their writing projects, I have also written on the topics of modern and contemporary art. If there’s something that I love more than Literature and art, it’s my Hungarian furry bud “Amos”. When I am not working, I am spending time with this greatest blessing in my life.

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Home » Humanities Research – Types, Methods and Examples

Humanities Research – Types, Methods and Examples

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Humanities Research

Definition:

Humanities research is a systematic and critical investigation of human culture, values, beliefs, and practices, including the study of literature, philosophy, history, art, languages, religion, and other aspects of human experience.

Types of Humanities Research

Types of Humanities Research are as follows:

Historical Research

This type of research involves studying the past to understand how societies and cultures have evolved over time. Historical research may involve examining primary sources such as documents, artifacts, and other cultural products, as well as secondary sources such as scholarly articles and books.

Cultural Studies

This type of research involves examining the cultural expressions and practices of a particular society or community. Cultural studies may involve analyzing literature, art, music, film, and other forms of cultural production to understand their social and cultural significance.

Linguistics Research

This type of research involves studying language and its role in shaping cultural and social practices. Linguistics research may involve analyzing the structure and use of language, as well as its historical development and cultural variations.

Anthropological Research

This type of research involves studying human cultures and societies from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective. Anthropological research may involve ethnographic fieldwork, participant observation, interviews, and other qualitative research methods.

Philosophy Research

This type of research involves examining fundamental questions about the nature of reality, knowledge, morality, and other philosophical concepts. Philosophy research may involve analyzing philosophical texts, conducting thought experiments, and engaging in philosophical discourse.

Art History Research

This type of research involves studying the history and significance of art and visual culture. Art history research may involve analyzing the formal and aesthetic qualities of art, as well as its historical context and cultural significance.

Literary Studies Research

This type of research involves analyzing literature and other forms of written expression. Literary studies research may involve examining the formal and structural qualities of literature, as well as its historical and cultural context.

Digital Humanities Research

This type of research involves using digital technologies to study and analyze cultural artifacts and practices. Digital humanities research may involve analyzing large datasets, creating digital archives, and using computational methods to study cultural phenomena.

Data Collection Methods

Data Collection Methods in Humanities Research are as follows:

Interviews : This method involves conducting face-to-face, phone or virtual interviews with individuals who are knowledgeable about the research topic. Interviews may be structured, semi-structured, or unstructured, depending on the research questions and objectives. Interviews are often used in qualitative research to gain in-depth insights and perspectives.
Surveys : This method involves distributing questionnaires or surveys to a sample of individuals or groups. Surveys may be conducted in person, through the mail, or online. Surveys are often used in quantitative research to collect data on attitudes, behaviors, and other characteristics of a population.
Observations : This method involves observing and recording behavior or events in a natural or controlled setting. Observations may be structured or unstructured, and may involve the use of audio or video recording equipment. Observations are often used in qualitative research to collect data on social practices and behaviors.
Archival Research: This method involves collecting data from historical documents, artifacts, and other cultural products. Archival research may involve accessing physical archives or online databases. Archival research is often used in historical and cultural studies to study the past.
Case Studies : This method involves examining a single case or a small number of cases in depth. Case studies may involve collecting data through interviews, observations, and archival research. Case studies are often used in cultural studies, anthropology, and sociology to understand specific social or cultural phenomena.
Focus Groups : This method involves bringing together a small group of individuals to discuss a particular topic or issue. Focus groups may be conducted in person or online, and are often used in qualitative research to gain insights into social and cultural practices and attitudes.
Participatory Action Research : This method involves engaging with individuals or communities in the research process, with the goal of promoting social change or addressing a specific social problem. Participatory action research may involve conducting focus groups, interviews, or surveys, as well as involving participants in data analysis and interpretation.

Data Analysis Methods

Some common data analysis methods used in humanities research:

Content Analysis : This method involves analyzing the content of texts or cultural artifacts to identify patterns, themes, and meanings. Content analysis is often used in literary studies, media studies, and cultural studies to analyze the meanings and representations conveyed in cultural products.
Discourse Analysis: This method involves analyzing the use of language and discourse to understand social and cultural practices and identities. Discourse analysis may involve analyzing the structure, meaning, and power dynamics of language and discourse in different social contexts.
Narrative Analysis: This method involves analyzing the structure, content, and meaning of narratives in different cultural contexts. Narrative analysis may involve analyzing the themes, symbols, and narrative devices used in literary texts or other cultural products.
Ethnographic Analysis : This method involves analyzing ethnographic data collected through participant observation, interviews, and other qualitative methods. Ethnographic analysis may involve identifying patterns and themes in the data, as well as interpreting the meaning and significance of social and cultural practices.
Statistical Analysis: This method involves using statistical methods to analyze quantitative data collected through surveys or other quantitative methods. Statistical analysis may involve using descriptive statistics to describe the characteristics of the data, or inferential statistics to test hypotheses and make inferences about a population.
Network Analysis: This method involves analyzing the structure and dynamics of social networks to understand social and cultural practices and relationships. Network analysis may involve analyzing patterns of social interaction, communication, and influence.
Visual Analysis : This method involves analyzing visual data, such as images, photographs, and art, to understand their cultural and social significance. Visual analysis may involve analyzing the formal and aesthetic qualities of visual products, as well as their historical and cultural context.

Examples of Humanities Research

Some Examples of Humanities Research are as follows:

Literary research on diversity and representation: Scholars of literature are exploring the representation of different groups in literature and how those representations have changed over time. They are also studying how literature can promote empathy and understanding across different cultures and communities.
Philosophical research on ethics and technology: Philosophers are examining the ethical implications of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology. They are asking questions about what it means to be human in a world where technology is becoming increasingly advanced.
Anthropological research on cultural identity: Anthropologists are studying the ways in which culture shapes individual and collective identities. They are exploring how cultural practices and beliefs can shape social and political systems, as well as how individuals and communities resist or adapt to dominant cultural norms.
Linguistic research on language and communication: Linguists are studying the ways in which language use and communication can impact social and political power dynamics. They are exploring how language can reinforce or challenge social hierarchies and how language use can reflect cultural values and norms.

How to Conduct Humanities Research

Conducting humanities research involves a number of steps, including:

Define your research question or topic : Identify a question or topic that you want to explore in-depth. This can be a broad or narrow topic, depending on the scope of your research project.
Conduct a literature review: Before beginning your research, read extensively on your topic. This will help you understand the existing scholarship and identify gaps in the literature that your research can address.
Develop a research methodology: Determine the methods you will use to collect and analyze data, such as interviews, surveys, archival research, or textual analysis. Your methodology should be appropriate to your research question and topic.
Collect data: Collect data using the methods you have chosen. This may involve conducting interviews, surveys, or archival research, or analyzing primary or secondary sources.
Analyze data: Once you have collected data, analyze it using appropriate methods. This may involve coding, categorizing, or comparing data, or interpreting texts or other sources.
Draw conclusions: Based on your analysis, draw conclusions about your research question or topic. These conclusions should be supported by your data and should contribute to existing scholarship.
Communicate your findings : Communicate your findings through writing, presentations, or other forms of dissemination. Your work should be clearly written and accessible to a broad audience.

Applications of Humanities Research

Humanities research has many practical applications in various fields, including:

Policy-making: Humanities research can inform policy-making by providing insights into social, cultural, and historical contexts. It can help policymakers understand the impact of policies on communities and identify potential unintended consequences.
Education: Humanities research can inform curriculum development and pedagogy. It can provide insights into how to teach critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and communication skills.
Cultural heritage preservation: Humanities research can help to preserve cultural heritage by documenting and analyzing cultural practices, traditions, and artifacts. It can also help to promote cultural tourism and support local economies.
Business and industry: Humanities research can provide insights into consumer behavior, cultural preferences, and historical trends that can inform marketing, branding, and product design.
Healthcare : Humanities research can contribute to the development of patient-centered healthcare by exploring the impact of social and cultural factors on health and illness. It can also help to promote cross-cultural understanding and empathy in healthcare settings.
Social justice: Humanities research can contribute to social justice by providing insights into the experiences of marginalized communities, documenting historical injustices, and promoting cross-cultural understanding.

Purpose of Humanities Research

The purpose of humanities research is to deepen our understanding of human experience, culture, and history. Humanities research aims to explore the human condition and to provide insights into the diversity of human perspectives, values, and beliefs.

Humanities research can contribute to knowledge in various fields, including history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and more. It can help us to understand how societies and cultures have evolved over time, how they have been shaped by various factors, and how they continue to change.

Humanities research also aims to promote critical thinking and creativity. It encourages us to question assumptions, to challenge dominant narratives, and to seek out new perspectives. Humanities research can help us to develop empathy and understanding for different cultures and communities, and to appreciate the richness and complexity of human experience.

Overall, the purpose of humanities research is to contribute to a deeper understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our world. It helps us to grapple with fundamental questions about the human experience and to develop the skills and insights needed to address the challenges of the future.

When to use Humanities Research

Humanities research can be used in various contexts where a deeper understanding of human experience, culture, and history is required. Here are some examples of when humanities research may be appropriate:

Exploring social and cultural phenomena: Humanities research can be used to explore social and cultural phenomena such as art, literature, religion, and politics. It can help to understand how these phenomena have evolved over time and how they relate to broader social, cultural, and historical contexts.
Understanding historical events: Humanities research can be used to understand historical events such as wars, revolutions, and social movements. It can provide insights into the motivations, experiences, and perspectives of the people involved, and help to contextualize these events within broader historical trends.
Promoting cultural understanding : Humanities research can be used to promote cross-cultural understanding and to challenge stereotypes and biases. It can provide insights into the diversity of human experiences, values, and beliefs, and help to build empathy and mutual respect across different cultures and communities.
Informing policy-making: Humanities research can be used to inform policy-making by providing insights into social, cultural, and historical contexts. It can help policymakers understand the impact of policies on communities and identify potential unintended consequences.
Promoting innovation and creativity : Humanities research can be used to promote innovation and creativity in various fields. It can help to generate new ideas, perspectives, and approaches to complex problems, and to challenge conventional thinking and assumptions.

Characteristics of Humanities Research

Some of the key characteristics of humanities research:

Focus on human experience: Humanities research focuses on the study of human experience, culture, and history. It aims to understand the human condition, explore human values and beliefs, and analyze the ways in which societies and cultures have evolved over time.
Interpretive approach: Humanities research takes an interpretive approach to data analysis. It seeks to understand the meaning behind texts, artifacts, and cultural practices, and to explore the multiple perspectives and contexts that shape human experience.
Contextualization : Humanities research emphasizes the importance of contextualization. It seeks to understand how social, cultural, and historical factors shape human experience, and to place individual phenomena within broader cultural and historical contexts.
Subjectivity : Humanities research recognizes the subjective nature of human experience. It acknowledges that human values, beliefs, and experiences are shaped by individual perspectives, and that these perspectives can vary across cultures, communities, and time periods.
Narrative analysis : Humanities research often uses narrative analysis to explore the stories, myths, and cultural narratives that shape human experience. It seeks to understand how these narratives are constructed, how they evolve over time, and how they influence individual and collective identity.
Multi-disciplinary: Humanities research is often interdisciplinary, drawing on a range of disciplines such as history, literature, philosophy, anthropology, and more. It seeks to bring together different perspectives and approaches to understand complex human phenomena.

Advantages of Humanities Research

Some of the key advantages of humanities research:

Promotes critical thinking: Humanities research encourages critical thinking by challenging assumptions and exploring different perspectives. It requires researchers to analyze and interpret complex texts, artifacts, and cultural practices, and to make connections between different phenomena.
Enhances cultural understanding : Humanities research promotes cross-cultural understanding by exploring the diversity of human experiences, values, and beliefs. It helps to challenge stereotypes and biases and to build empathy and mutual respect across different cultures and communities.
Builds historical awareness: Humanities research helps us to understand the historical context of current events and social issues. It provides insights into how societies and cultures have evolved over time and how they have been shaped by various factors, and helps us to contextualize current social, political, and cultural trends.
Contributes to public discourse: Humanities research contributes to public discourse by providing insights into complex social, cultural, and historical phenomena. It helps to inform public policy and public debate by providing evidence-based analysis and insights into social issues and problems.
Promotes creativity and innovation: Humanities research promotes creativity and innovation by challenging conventional thinking and assumptions. It encourages researchers to generate new ideas and perspectives and to explore alternative ways of understanding and addressing complex problems.
Builds communication skills: Humanities research requires strong communication skills, including the ability to analyze and interpret complex texts, artifacts, and cultural practices, and to communicate findings and insights in a clear and compelling way.

Limitations of Humanities Research

Some of the key limitations of humanities research:

Subjectivity: Humanities research relies heavily on interpretation and analysis, which are inherently subjective. Researchers bring their own perspectives, biases, and values to the analysis, which can affect the conclusions they draw.
Lack of generalizability : Humanities research often focuses on specific texts, artifacts, or cultural practices, which can limit the generalizability of findings to other contexts. It is difficult to make broad generalizations based on limited samples, which can be a challenge when trying to draw broader conclusions.
Limited quantitative data : Humanities research often relies on qualitative data, such as texts, images, and cultural practices, which can be difficult to quantify. This can make it difficult to conduct statistical analyses or to draw quantitative conclusions.
Limited replicability: Humanities research often involves in-depth analysis of specific texts, artifacts, or cultural practices, which can make it difficult to replicate studies. This can make it challenging to test the validity of findings or to compare results across studies.
Limited funding: Humanities research may not always receive the same level of funding as other types of research. This can make it challenging for researchers to conduct large-scale studies or to have access to the same resources as other researchers in different fields.
Limited impact : Humanities research may not always have the same level of impact as research in other fields, particularly in terms of policy and practical applications. This can make it challenging for researchers to demonstrate the relevance and impact of their work.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

Historical Research – Types, Methods and Examples

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Humanities Research Paper Topics & Ideas

Use our essay topics suggestions to impress your reader.

Argumentative Essay Topics About Humanities Research
Persuasive Essay Topics About Humanities Research
Essay Examples on This Topic

The discipline of the humanities is considered more rational than the study of the social sciences. The humanities are a scientific discipline that includes the customs, heritage, culture, and values of the community and call into question the factors that make a person human. It includes topics such as religion, primitive languages, history, modern languages, performing arts, law, and philosophy.

The humanities offer general knowledge about the greatest achievements of individuals in history. The humanities include the study of Shakespeare, Plato, and Beethoven. Humanities are a way to educate someone, but not necessarily for a specific profession.

How to Choose Essay Topic on Humanities?

1. choose a topic that you are passionate about..

You will be more engaged in your work, and it will show in the quality of your writing.

2. Choose a topic that interests you and/or connects with your personal experience.

Your reader will be more interested in what you have to say if they can relate to your experiences or interests, so choose something that matters to you!

3. Choose a topic that relates to the course’s focus or themes.

Your teacher may ask you to write an essay based on one of these topics, so make sure it fits into their requirements!

Tips on How to Write Humanities Essay

Writing a humanities essay is no easy feat. You’re going to have to do some research, and you’re going to have to come up with an argument that’s both convincing and compelling. But with these five tips, you’ll be on your way to writing a great essay in no time!

Read your topic carefully: Before you start writing, make sure you understand exactly what your prompt is asking for. If it’s not clear, ask your teacher or TA for clarification before moving on.
Do your research: The best way to show off your knowledge of the subject is by using examples from real life situations in your essay—but don’t just copy-and-paste text from other sources! Make sure all of your sources are credible and relevant; if you can’t find anything useful online, try looking at books or articles from reputable journals instead (or even going into the field yourself).
Ask questions: What is the author trying to prove? Why does this particular piece of evidence support their point? What would happen if we were to ignore this claim completely? These are all questions worth asking yourself when reading through an academic article or book chapter about a topic in humanities (or any other field for that matter).

✒️ Argumentative Essay Topics About Humanities Research

Are Humanities Relevant to the 21St Century
Art and Humanities
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humanities in the Early, High, And Late Middle Ages
The Humanity Of Our Hero, Jose Rizal
Of Mice & Men – Personal Relevance Humanities Literature
Statue of Liberty – Humanities
Finding Aristotle’s Golden Mean: Social Justice and Academic Excellence
The Importance of Arts and Humanities (Response Paper)
Progressive Era Through the Great Depression
Religious Liberty Should Do No Harm
Great Awakenings in American History
Humanities and Human Sciences
Conscientious Objection to Military Service
The Real Birth of American Democracy

✍ Persuasive Essay Topics About Humanities Research

Racial Justice in the 21st Century
Human Flourishing And Public Health
Are Zoos Good or Bad For Animals
Power of Women in the Media
Ethical Problems of Abortion
Of Mice ; Men – Personal Relevance Humanities Literature
Science and the Humanities: Still “Two Cultures”?
21st Century Civil Rights Movement
How Does Gender Affect Educational Opportunity
The Printing Revolution in Renaissance Europe
The Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment

Informative Essay Topics About Humanities Research

Are humanities relevant to the 21st century
A Huge Change in my Life Since Entering College
Jose rizal humanities
The Golden Mean Humanities
The Death and the Maiden Book Analysis
Humanities in the Early, High And Late Middle Ages
Statue of Liberty – Humanities
The importance of arts and humanities (response paper)
Using Context to Understand Content
Humanities and Arts
Personal Narrative Essay On The Power Of Written Words
Your Personal Narrative Should be Written in the First Person
The Worst Things in Life are Free
The Impact of a Gradual and Cautious Approach to Social Change
Ancient Societies: Were Primitive Societies Truly Primitive
Why Should We Legalize Marijuana?
Should the US government end the use of private prisons?
Most Common Humanities Essay Topics
Teenage Pregnancy Awareness essay
Shakespeare is the greatest poet ever.
Should Abortion be Legal?
Animal Testing – Does it really save human lives?
Is the current educational system in America achieving its goals?
Why Having A Pet is Good for Your Health
How to Write an Argumentative Essay
How to Write an Essay on The Secret For Success (The Secret)
Gender Inequality in the Workplace

Humanities Essay Topics for College Students

Humanity Should Receive Money for Crime Committed
How to Become A Healthier Person
Policy Makers Should Listen to the People for The Betterment of the World
9 Facts That Will Make You Love Shakespeare Even More
3 Tips to Help You Get through the Harsh Winter Weather
Team America – True Patriotism
How Respectable Was The Roman Empire In Its Golden Age?
Love, loyalty, and community are three values that make great leaders. How they can lead a community
Writing My Humanities Essay
The Ideal College Acceptance Essay
Humanities Essay Topic: The Role of Animals in Human Society – Essay UK
Humanities Essay Topic – Why You Should Use Your Money Wisely
Why the World Needs the Humanities
Definitive List of Top 10 Literary Genres
3 Books That Changed The World
The Impact of Religion in the Lives of Americans
7 Reasons Why Post Secondary Education is a Waste of Time
The Great Gatsby Movie Vs. Book
Why I Got Rid of My Smartphone
Write An Essay To Promote Child Labor: Support Propaganda
The Definition of a Man
The Importance of Social Media
Why American Education Needs To Be Improved

Humanities Essay Topics for High School Students

Recent Films are Ruining The Pressing Cinematic Art
For something as important as marriage, it should not be taken lightly and a person should take their time
Ultimately, the greatest sacrifices come not from the soldier wearing the uniform but from their family.
The Reign of Terror is a perfect example of Robespierre’s inability to see the difference between “
Honor, Winning, Excellence
The Leading Cause Of Death
An Introduction to Sufism
Even though this is a fairly easy topic to write about, there are still several choices in front of
Why Studying In a Christian University is Important
Titanic is a benchmark for ‘movie musicals’
The Debate on the “Humanities”
Humanities essays are an integral part of a individual’s life. Most students feel humanities essay writing is
Arts And Crafts Essay – Propaganda During World War Ii
I Want to Travel the World
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Benefits of Engaging in Daily Yoga Practice
Could Interest for Loans be a Bad Things

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Doing Research

In the humanities, as in the sciences, research begins with formulating a hypothesis about a subject and “testing” it out by engaging with evidence. But the nature of the evidence, the method of testing, and the kind of knowledge produced in humanities research differ from those in the sciences.

Rather than using quantitative or qualitative evidence as researchers do in the sciences, humanities researchers rely for evidence on their own close readings of primary and secondary texts. Whereas research in the sciences is grounded in the empirical method, humanities research uses a diverse array of methodologies, sometimes combining historical, conceptual, and/or critical methodologies in a single study. And instead of attempting to “prove” their hypotheses once and for all, humanities researchers develop arguments using their hypotheses in order to contribute and extend to ongoing critical conversations. These conversations themselves, one might say, constitute knowledge in the humanities.

Doing research into what has already been written about on your topic will allow you not only to situate your hypothesis within these conversations, but also to come up with questions that haven’t yet been asked. Through critical reading, you can identify gaps in previous writing on your topic and orient your own project to address these gaps if they seem like meaningful oversights. Your aim as a humanities researcher, then, is to develop a fuller understanding of your subject matter in dialogue with other scholars, and thus to move this ongoing conversation forward.

To develop a research question, you might start by making a bulleted list of topics or issues that you might want to pursue, based on your interests and the concerns of your course. When making this list, you should be expansive. Don’t limit yourself: your goal at this stage is to generate ideas, not evaluate them.

Next, you could try free-writing on the themes you see emerging from your list of potential topics. Are there any areas of interest that seem to repeat or echo? Can you start to create umbrella terms? Are you noticing friction within or between some of these concerns? These are just a few of the questions that may lead to a more focused line of investigation.

Then, see if you can reframe your topic or theme as a research question by asking “How?” or “Why?” Keep in mind that your research question should be debatable and defendable : you may find that other scholars have very different points of view on this question or its answer. This is a good sign, and an invitation for you to step in and contribute to the scholarly discussion.

Here are some helpful suggestions for broadening, narrowing, or otherwise tweaking a preliminary research topic so that you will be poised to write a well-focused essay.

And here is a concise overview that will guide you on the road to finding your research question .

To engage fully with your secondary sources, you will need to read critically. But reading sources critically doesn’t necessarily mean disagreeing with them or reading them in a negative way. Rather, it means analyzing the details of an argument-driven piece of popular or scholarly writing that you may ultimately use towards fashioning your own argument. It means asking how these details reflect the assumptions, values, and stakes of the writer’s argument. Reading critically means navigating between doubting and believing what you read.

When reading critically, we treat what we read less like objective, self-evident data and more like evidence being presented to persuade us of something. Sometimes it’s obvious that what we’re reading is trying to persuade us of something—think of an editorial that takes an explicitly controversial stance or a scholarly article that clearly signposts its position using phrases like “here I argue…” Other texts may make their arguments more subtly or indirectly. But either way, reading critically involves considering how the components and structure of the argument contribute to its actual or intended effect upon the reader.

One approach to reading critically is to investigate a text’s “ way of thinking .” Rather than reading simply for comprehension or information, you can also attend to a text’s claims, contexts, kinds of reasoning, and evidence in order to evaluate the effectiveness of its argument and to think about what you might add to the discussion or redirect it.

Another approach involves asking questions about the relationship between the parts and the whole of an argument. These questions might address the role of pattern, process, sequence, causality, and other elements of argumentation and structure.

Here are some tips for reading secondary sources and some step-by-step exercises for reading critically.

Since you can’t write an interesting research paper without engaging with other scholars’ ideas, you’ll have to find secondary sources that are accurate and pertinent to your argument.

You’ll almost certainly want to start online, but the internet is an enormously complex—and just plain enormous!—compendium of resources. You can use Wikipedia to check out some basic facts and get some rough background information, but it’s not a reliable, scholarly source–see What’s Wrong With Wikipedia . Likewise, Googling, even using Google Scholar , can only get you so far, since there are valuable scholarly resources out there that are discoverable only by using humanities-specific Web directories ( Voice of the Shuttle , started in 1994, is the granddaddy of all online humanities research directories) and databases ( JSTOR , Project Muse , and the MLA International Bibliography , among others), along with the Berkeley library’s online catalogue .

Before you begin searching in a library catalog or journal database, familiarize yourself with using advanced search functions , such as “Boolean operators” (the basic ones are AND, OR, and NOT), truncation and wildcards (*, !, ?, or #), and keywords and subject headings. Here are some suggestions for coming up with searchable keywords .

You can read many of the sources (especially the articles) that you find through databases entirely online; you’ll need to track down other sources (like most books and book chapters) in the library. Once you’ve found a book in the library, take some time to scan nearby shelves for other books on the same topic that might not have come up in your catalog search. Also scan the bibliographies and footnotes of books and articles you’ve already found: these are great places to find more sources on your topic.

“Good” here means two different things: “good” as in relevant to your topic and useful for the kind of argument you’re making, but also “good” as in scholarly, reputable, and current.

To determine the usefulness and relevance of a secondary source, begin by skimming it . If the source at hand is an article, read the abstract. If it doesn’t have an abstract, read the opening paragraph, the section headings, and/or first sentences of a few of the body paragraphs, plus the concluding paragraph. If it is a book, read the blurb on the back cover, the table of contents, and the beginning and ending of the introduction and/or conclusion. From this quick but strategic dip into a secondary source, you should be able to glean something about its overall argument and whether it provides useful material for your own project.

Remember: don’t discard a scholarly source just because it contradicts what you want to say. Do you disagree with its premises, its use of evidence, or its conclusions? Any of these points of disagreement might provide a foothold for advancing your own argument. Or if a secondary source does not address your primary text directly, does it put forth a theory or provide information that will help you to analyze your text?

Your quick dip into a source may also give you a feel for the quality of its scholarship. But there are also many concrete questions you can ask about a source to evaluate its reliability. What are the credentials of the author? Who is the publisher and the intended audience? When was it published? What sources does it cite? For a more detailed breakdown of ways to evaluate print and online sources, consult one or more of the following (reliable!) resources:

Evaluating Resources (UC Berkeley Library) Quality of Sources (Dartmouth College) Critically Analyzing Information Sources (Cornell University Library) Evaluating Web Pages (Cornell University Library) Evaluating Print vs. Internet Sources (Purdue OWL) Interpreting Sources (University of Michigan)

Skimming is a valuable reading technique. It can give you a general sense of what a text is about, and it can help you to locate key arguments and passages relevant to your own research and writing. Skimming is also useful when you’re short on time. Let’s be honest: skimming is sometimes the only reading you have time to do!

But skimming does not mean speed-reading an entire text; zooming through a whole story or story at breakneck speed is, generally speaking, a waste of your time. Instead, skim strategically. Read the first and last pages of the whole work, and then read the beginning and ending of each chapter. Look for words, especially names, which appear repeatedly, dipping selectively into the text to get a sense of the style and “texture” of the writing.

Scholarly and critical texts, typically used as secondary sources, often have abstracts that give a summary of their main argument, and they also often have section headings, topic sentences, and transitions to guide readers through their discussion. Introductions are good places to look for roadmaps and thesis statements, while conclusions often summarize the whole argument. Focusing on these signposts will help you get the gist of an article or book without reading the whole thing in depth. These techniques are especially useful when your research turns up multiple secondary sources and you need to select the ones most relevant to your own topic.

You can find some pointers on skimming in this very thorough set of instructions on How to Read a Book .

Taking notes is an essential part of doing research. Obviously, the notes you take should provide a clear record of what you’ve read. But the very act of note-taking can help you to develop your thinking about your research question and ultimately to use evidence to support your argument.

To help yourself read secondary sources critically, you should take thorough but not overly detailed notes . Make sure to record key terms but don’t write out everything word for word; paraphrase whenever possible to make sure you have a grasp of relevant points; and don’t highlight or underline without also making marginal notes about the significance of the marked words or passages and any questions you might have about them.

Make sure to include complete bibliographic data with your notes on each source so that you can retrace your steps if you end up needing to go back for more information or to check that you are quoting accurately. There are many different formats for note-taking—in the margins of the text or on Post-Its; on paper or in a Word document—and you’ll need to experiment to figure out what works best for you. You will also need to work out a good system for organizing and reviewing the notes you take. If you are juggling multiple sources, for example, consider using index cards or a citation management software ( Zotero and Mendeley are two popular ones) to organize and annotate your sources. You can even use these programs to generate properly formatted endnotes and Works Cited lists.

You can use your notes as the basis for an annotated bibliography ; here are some additional resources on writing annotated bibliographies. Even if your instructor does not require you to produce a formal bibliography as a preliminary phase of your research paper, your own notes will still serve as the basis for situating and differentiating your own argument within a field of existing literature. Your notes should help you to take a strong, well-informed, and original stance in your writing.

Research, like writing, is not a linear process. You will probably begin with a broad topic that will gradually become more focused over the course of your research and writing. You’ll then have to do additional research on this more focused and developed version of your original topic. Remember that the evolution of your topic depends not only on your reading but also on your writing throughout the research process. Such preliminary writing might include producing an annotated bibliography and/or a prospectus, as well as in less formal modes such as freewriting, mind mapping, outlining, and drafting.

The process of researching and refining, and researching and refining again, could go on endlessly, but don’t let it. You have to strike a balance between your responsibility as a researcher—citing and integrating the sources most relevant to your topic (not just the first three sources you find!)—and what is humanly possible. You can’t read every source ever written on your topic, and you shouldn’t. Remember that your goal is to develop and answer your specific research question. When you have a good sense of how your argument fits into the existing conversation, you can stop.

How do you know when enough is enough? Here are some diagnostic questions to help you answer the question: “When Can I Stop Researching?”

It’s not enough to use secondary sources merely for factual or historical information, although this is certainly one thing that sources can do for you. It’s also not enough to simply say “I agree” or “I disagree” with what other scholars have written, although this can be a starting place for developing a tentative research question and even a tentative thesis. Through thoughtful selection of and engagement with secondary sources, you can participate in ongoing critical conversations and even propel them in new directions. (Of course, the initial phases of your attempt to enter one of these conversations might reveal to you that you need to find different or additional sources!)

You might begin by considering how your sources are using their own sources . They probably cite other research to support their own claims (“Yes, and…”), to make a new claim instead (“No, because…”), or acknowledge other arguments in order to show a critical “gap” in the conversation, which their own argument will fill (“Although X and Y, nonetheless Z…”). In turn, you can use the specifics of their critical positioning to situate yourself in the discussion.

There are any number of ways of navigating secondary sources effectively , most of them involving either limited alignment or partial dissent. Some of these modes of engagement include adopting a term, adapting a theory, and changing the question, using moves that might be described as “picking a fight,” “drawing battle lines,” “piggybacking,” “leapfrogging,” and “matchmaking.” Here are two overviews of basic maneuvers and fundamental strategies for using secondary sources to develop an argument.

In order to effectively use your secondary sources to develop an argument, you need to clearly and gracefully integrate material from those sources into your sentences. Whether you paraphrase, quote, or summarize this material, you must fully signpost its relation to your argument, whether via limited alignment or focused dissent. As when you are making an argument about a primary text , you need to ensure that you are analyzing your source rather than leaving it undigested for your reader. Toward that end, there are a few things you should consider when integrating sources:

Evaluate whether you need to quote, paraphrase, or summarize . Here are some tips on when and how to summarize effectively. And here is some advice for determining whether paraphrasing or quoting will best serve your purposes.
When paraphrasing, be sure to do so accurately and fairly . You can practice this skill by doing this quick paraphrasing exercise . Just as when you quote word-for-word from a text, it is crucial to avoid plagiarizing when paraphrasing . For more information on avoiding plagiarism when quoting and paraphrasing, jump to the next section, “How do I responsibly cite my sources and avoid plagiarism?”
Always be sure to Introduce, Cite, and Explain (“ICE,”for short) your evidence! Another way that you can ICE your evidence is by “sandwiching ” it between a claim and analysis, much as you would introduce and analyze a primary text.
Familiarize yourself with guidelines about when quoting is most effective rhetorically and how to avoid quoting extraneous material . Determine which type of quotation —a block, spliced, or signaled quote—best suits your purposes.
Before you submit your essay, be sure to review the nuts and bolts of integrating source material into your prose, i ncluding using proper punctuation. Bonus: here’s a list of signal verbs and phrases to help you synthesize the words and ideas of other scholars.

Whenever you use language, ideas, or arguments from others, you need to cite them. The Berkeley Campus Student Code of Conduct frames improper citation as a form of academic misconduct —failure to cite one’s sources properly constitutes the theft of intellectual property. Plagiarism can make you subject to penalties ranging from failing an assignment to failing a course. Under some circumstances, suspension or even dismissal from the university may be imposed as a sanction.

Correct citation is not only a matter of personal and scholarly integrity. There’s another important reason to cite the arguments of other scholars who have written on your topic: citing them accurately and fully allows other scholars to track down those sources themselves . . . and it also allows you to check your own work. This practice might be compared to writing a detailed account of your experimental method in the sciences—citation is what gives research in the humanities its “replicability.” In sum, citation allows the scholarly conversation to continue moving forward.

What counts as plagiarism? It can take a wide variety of forms, not just the act of submitting the work of another person as your own. Copying language directly from a source, like “patch-working” together sentences or paragraphs or ideas from multiple sources, is also plagiarism. And paraphrasing or rewording of sources without attribution can also be considered plagiarism. Even if you discover that a source makes the same point that you made first on your own, you still have to cite it!

The easiest way to avoid plagiarism? If you’re in doubt about whether or not you should cite something, cite it! Accidental plagiarism is still considered plagiarism and is subject to the same repercussions. Keeping scrupulous notes throughout the research and writing process will help you to remember which ideas and phrasings are your own and which came directly from your sources.

There are several different formats for citing sources; your instructor will tell you which style—MLA style, Chicago, style etc.—to use. For more details on MLA style, the most common citation format in the humanities, try the Purdue OWL or The MLA Style Center .

There is a wealth of resources–guides, grants, mentoring, awards, and more–for undergraduate research across the humanities at UC Berkeley. Here are some of the best-known ones, though you may be able to find others under the auspices of specific departments or programs.

You can begin searching for materials through the Library Guide to Research , which is organized by discipline or area of study. You can also find here the contact information for the particular UC Berkeley librarian who is an expert on research offerings in each subject area, and who can guide you to these resources. There are many research databases and subject-specific guides listed here under each heading. One that you won’t find listed there, A Guide to the Archive Resources of the Bay Area , lists some of the primary research offerings at UC Berkeley’s Bancroft Library and other university archives around the Bay.

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarships (OURS) is a clearing house for information about university-wide research grants and mentoring programs across the disciplines including the Haas Scholars Program , Student Mentoring and Research Teams (SMART), Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF), Underrepresented Researchers of Color (UROC), and Undergraduate Research Apprentices Project (URAP). They have databases with information about many other internal and external grants and programs, as well as offering help with finding and applying for these. Don’t forget to check with individual departments for major-specific prizes. UC Berkeley’s English Department, for example, offers travel grants for undergraduates to attend conferences and to do research at archives elsewhere in the U.S. and abroad.

When your research is done or close to being finished (the submission deadline is in mid-April!), you should consider applying for the Library Prize for Undergraduate Research .

For additional materials, go to Teaching Research in the For Instructors section of this website.

General Humanities Paper Topics

“The humanities can be described as the study of how people process and document the human experience” according to Stanford University (2015). As a result of the broad spectrum of analysis, it can be stated that by its very nature the humanities are an interdisciplinary approach to examining phenomena. Within this spectrum, the study of humanities includes but is not limited to English, History, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Theater, Languages and Culture. Rather than a singular lens, however, the scope of analysis would be from two or more of these various perspectives. Knowledge of the humanities gives humans better insight into those who have come before them and how this relates to the present human experience.

The professional staff at PowerPapers.com is well versed in general humanities paper topics and are equipped to help students select suitable frames of inquiry for their humanities exploration. In addition, the staff can examine problems from the necessary interdisciplinary lens required for humanities based analysis. This includes not only critical thinking but also the proper selection and reflection on primary and secondary resources. Whether your project is an informal paragraph response to a humanities topic or a completed Doctoral thesis on a humanities subject, PowerPapers.com has a proven track record of satisfied clients. For your general humanities paper topic needs , PowerPapers.com staff members can be reached by email for questions regarding scopes of inquiring or for placing an order from our secure server. The success and satisfaction of our clients is our primary concern at PowerPapers.com.

Interesting General Humanities Topics for a Research Paper

Much different than mathematics, biology, chemistry or science, the humanities are largely interpretive and contain with them an innate fallibility as a result of their connection to human exploration of the human experience. Though perhaps inexact, the field examines questions that inspire critical thinking and posit as many questions as they do answer. This element generally either instantly attracts or repels individuals to or from the humanities based on their own perspectives. In terms of hemispheric analysis of the human thought process, the humanities are more of a right brained field of exploration while the sciences attract more left brained style thinkers.

Part of the balance in selecting humanities research paper topics is having a clear research aim and selecting the proper interdisciplinary perspectives from which to examine it. For example, a humanities based exploration of Japan could include examination of history, writings, language, philosophy, religion, art and outside perspectives of the culture. Elements like geography and biology, though important to human development in the region, would not be a focal point in a humanities based analysis. Below is a list of some topics that would fall within the spectrum of general humanities paper topics. This list can be employed as a literal selection tool for a topic or it can just as effectively be used as a tool to facilitate ideas in a direction that is interesting to the respective student. The nature of humanities is so diverse that it would not be an understatement to conclude that there would have to be some element of it that would be of interest to the student.

Perspective Pathways to Greater Human Flourishing
Artists in Times of War
Contemporary Music and Political Commentary
The Application of Socrates to 21st Century Western Democracy
Appalachian Language and Regional Identity
The Harlem Renaissance in the African American Experience
The Beat Generation: Kerouac, Miller and Burrows
Music and Political Propaganda
Mao Tse Tung and Manufacturing Consent
Joe Hill and Early Labor Struggles
The Bible and the Development of US Democracy
The Koran and Middle Eastern Politics
The Religions of Abraham: Modern Political Implications
Cults and Modern Religious Movements
Mayan Art and Society
Jane Austen and 18th Century Conventions of Feminism
Dystopian Exploration: Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange and Fahrenheit 451
Western Humanities
The Importance of Studying Humanities
Humanities Versus The Sciences
Humanities and the Age of Information
The Role of Liberal Arts Education in the 21st Century
The Humanities and Definitions of Freedom
The Age of Enlightenment
The Reformation in Art
American Distress and Contemporary Art
Theology and Medicine
Social Darwinism
Historical Tension Between Science and Religion
Human Subcultures
Gender and the Education Experience
Color and the Education Experience
The Industrial Revolution and Human Identity
Photography in Shaping Public Opinion
Social Media and Modern Human Interactions
The Printing Press and Dissemination of Ideas
Racism and the Human Family Unit
Human Beings and Violence
Human and Animal Sacrifice in Religion
The Odyssey and Gender Expectations

Do you have any additional ideas or would like to further discuss your projects needs, simply email us here .

Click for more great research paper topics listed by discipline .

References

Stanford Humanities Center. (2015). What are the humanities? Stanford. Retrieved from .

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Dynamic and playful london: community development and social change, dialogue: language and culture in contemporary france, dialogue: economic development in rwanda, spanish language and peruvian history and culture, food and culture in vietnam and cambodia, the geopolitics of borders: from security to solidarity in sicily, diversity and unity – politics and migration in the netherlands, ethnic identity and conflict in croatia and bosnia, greece, serbia, bosnia: from balkan wars to economic & security promises of european union, prague-warsaw-krakow-gdans, italian language and culture, ireland, literature and film, the twenty-first century city: tokyo and kyoto, language and culture in spain, experiencing the old and new middle east, the united nations in geneva – diplomacy from ai to global public health and climate, spanish language and culture in pamplona, bibao, and madrid, holocaust and genocide studies, new england and old england: coast, country, city.

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Review Article
Open access
Published: 22 August 2024

Geopolitics and energy security: a comprehensive exploration of evolution, collaborations, and future directions

Qiang Wang ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8751-8093 1 , 2 ,
Fen Ren 2 &
Rongrong Li 1 , 2

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume 11 , Article number: 1071 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

236 Accesses

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Development studies
Environmental studies
Politics and international relations

The intersection of geopolitics and energy security is a critical area of study that has garnered increasing interest from scholars around the globe. This paper employs bibliometric theory and methodologies to explore the research trajectory concerning the influence of geopolitical dynamics on energy security. Our findings, derived from both quantitative and qualitative analysis of relevant literature, reveal several key insights. Firstly, there is a notable upward trend in publications on this topic, reflecting a widespread recognition of the intricate link between geopolitics and energy security. This growing body of research aligns with the exponential growth law observed in scientific literature, showcasing a novel pattern of geographical distribution centered around energy issues. Secondly, an examination of collaboration networks at the national, institutional, and individual levels identifies China as the leading country in terms of research partnerships, positioning Chinese institutions and scholars at the forefront of this field. Lastly, our analysis delineates the research evolution within this domain through three distinct phases—pre-, mid-, and post-development stages. It highlights the shifting focus of global researchers towards the energy transition process, energy policy formulation, the stability of energy markets, and the environmental impacts of energy production and consumption. This study not only maps the current landscape of research on geopolitics and energy security but also signals the critical areas of interest and collaboration that shape this vital field of inquiry.

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Introduction.

Energy, as a productive resource, is essential to ensuring the productive lives of the country’s citizens, it is also a strategic and politically attributed resource and plays an important role in ensuring national security and socio-economic stability (Yang et al., 2022 ). As the world’s industrialization process accelerates, technological advances and industrial expansion continue to drive social development, the extensive demand for energy resources has triggered global concerns about energy security. The concept of energy security is initially concerned with ensuring an uninterrupted and reliable supply of energy to meet a country’s or region’s production needs. However, despite the importance of this issue, there is still no consensus among academics on a definition of energy security. This is because the concept depends on the contextual background and the different national settings (Kruyt et al., 2009 ). The scope of energy security is not limited to energy supply but also encompasses the stability of energy markets, the connectivity of global energy supply chains, and the sustainability of energy resources. Energy security is of paramount importance to the economic stability and growth of countries and regions. A stable energy supply is the foundation for sustaining industrial production, transportation, and daily life. Any disruption in energy supply or sharp price fluctuations will result in higher production costs and increased inflation, thereby affecting economic growth and social stability. In addition, energy security is an important component of national security. Disruptions or shortfalls in energy supplies can lead to social unrest and affect national security (Sivaram and Saha, 2018 ). Therefore, energy security is the key to sustaining economic growth, ensuring political stability, and promoting social well-being (Lee et al., 2022 ). The factors affecting energy security are multifaceted, among which the impact of geopolitical risks on energy security cannot be ignored. Geopolitics is defined as the risks associated with war, terrorism, and inter-State tensions that affects the normalization of international relations and the peace process (Lee and Wang, 2021 ). First of all, the political stability of energy-supplying countries has a direct impact on the reliability of their energy exports. Factors such as political instability, civil unrest, and war can lead to disruptions in energy production and transportation, thus threatening the stability of the global energy supply chain. For instance, instances of political unrest and conflict in the Middle East frequently resulted in disruptions to the oil supply, which in turn gave rise to pronounced fluctuations in the price of oil on the international market (Ben Cheikh and Ben Zaied, 2023 ). The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has also resulted in significant fluctuations in the prices of oil and gas (Zhao et al., 2023 ). Secondly, the establishment and maintenance of diplomatic relations between countries also have a significant impact on energy security. International sanctions, trade disputes, and diplomatic conflicts may restrict energy imports or exports, thereby exposing countries that are dependent on imported energy to the risk of supply shortages and price increases (Zhang et al., 2024 ). The relationship between Russia and the West served as an illustrative example of the manner in which geopolitical tensions can give rise to increased uncertainty regarding the supply of gas, which in turn affected Europe’s energy security (Slakaityte et al., 2023 ). In addition, geopolitical risks include the security of energy transportation corridors, such as security threats to maritime transportation routes (Desogus et al., 2023 ). A significant disruption to the global energy market would result from the threat or actual blocking of important transportation corridors, such as the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Malacca (Meza et al., 2022 ). Furthermore, in the global transition to renewable energy, the deployment of renewable energy is also influenced by geopolitical risks. Countries experiencing geopolitical turmoil exhibited lower levels of domestic consumption and reduced government investment in renewable energy-related infrastructure and technology (Alsagr and van Hemmen, 2021 ). Despite research suggesting that geopolitics contributes to the deployment of renewable energy competition for fossil energy sources, such as oil, leads countries to seek out alternative energy sources (Ben Cheikh and Ben Zaied, 2023 ). The intrinsic link between geopolitics and energy security needs to be urgently addressed as countries grapple with the complexities of conserving energy resources in an environment of uncertainty.

Researches on geopolitical risk and energy security in global studies are multifaceted, and most studies used different empirical methods to shed light on the complex relationship between them. Using panel GMM and VAR models, Bin Zhang et al. empirically analyzed the impact of geopolitical risk on China’s energy security from 1994 to 2021. Their findings explained the dynamic relationship between geopolitical risk and energy security, geopolitical risk didn’t necessarily harm energy security and confirmed the existence of a bidirectional causal relationship between the two. In this context, the establishment of stable and fluid international relations was essential for the maintenance of national energy security (Zhang et al., 2023a ). Similarly, in a recent study, Chien-Chiang Lee et al. also identified a two-way impact of geopolitical risk on energy security (Lee et al., 2024 ). Khalid Khan et al. investigated the causal relationship between geopolitical risk and energy security using a full-sample analysis of time series. They assessed the interaction between the two in the time dimension in conjunction with graphs of changes in geopolitical risk indicators, demonstrating that geopolitical risk was inextricably linked to energy security (Khan et al., 2023 ). Geotao Hu et al. used the natural discontinuity grading method to classify 102 countries around the world into energy security levels and studied the game relationship between energy security and geopolitical risk, and their study revealed the focus of the game between them (Hu et al., 2022 ). Indra Overland et al. addressed the geopolitical impacts that countries around the globe were likely to experience as a result of their energy transitions, proposing indicators to measure the geopolitical gains or losses of countries after the transition, and predicting the geopolitical impacts of countries after they have realized their energy transitions (Overland et al., 2019 ). Since the emergence of the topic of energy security and geopolitics, a considerable number of research studies have been conducted, and the number of literature reviews synthesizing the research findings has gradually increased. Early in the publication, Benjamin K. Sovacool et al. discussed definitions and metrics for energy security (Sovacool and Mukherjee, 2011 ). And definitions, dimensions, and metrics of energy security were examined by B.W. Ang et al. Their study identified 83 definitions of energy security that have emerged from previous literature as well as seven major themes in the field of energy security, which need to be further constructed to provide an in-depth measure of energy security (Ang et al., 2015 ), similarly, Abdelrahman Azzuni and colleagues conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the definition and dimensions of energy security. Their analysis identified and categorized 15 distinct dimensions and related parameters of energy security (Azzuni and Breyer, 2018 ). C.J. Axon and colleagues approached the subject from the standpoint of sustainability versus risk in their examination of the role of risk in energy security assessments (Axon and Darton, 2021 ), Mathieu Blondeel et al. attempted to consider the energy system transition through a “whole-system” perspective, encompassing both the “high-carbon energy transition” and the “low-carbon energy transition”. They also addressed geopolitical considerations pertinent to the energy system transition (Blondeel et al., 2021 ). The findings of research on the two subjects failed to yield consistent results. The current research lacks a structural understanding of the overall research topic. The research sub-directions are diverse and dynamic, and it is not possible to grasp the future direction of research and the emerging trends. Therefore, it is crucial to grasp the main lines of this research direction among the many studies and to reveal the focus between the different studies, this requires a systematic review of published scholarly work using a comprehensive study. The bibliometric approach is based precisely on the cross-citation relationships between literature, through emergence detection, spectral clustering, and other techniques, the conceptual trends, thematic evolution, and future development trends of the research field can be further analyzed and the pioneering achievements and key research groups in the research field can be objectively identified. Academic papers are scarce in the subject area that use bibliometric methods to explore hotspot preambles, Wei Zhou et al. conducted a bibliometric analysis of publications on energy security from 2000 to 2017, and their findings revealed the composition of research at the time, identified early features of research in the field, and suggested future research directions (Zhou et al., 2018 ). In a recent study, Yuyan Jiang and colleagues employed data from 2005 to 2023 to ascertain the present state and projected trajectory of recent research in the field of energy security (Jiang and Liu, 2023 ). Their study critically examined the content structure of scholarly publications on energy security over the timeframe of their research, and although energy security often appeared alongside geopolitical risk, their study didn’t explicitly include geopolitical risk in the framework of their research, but evaluating scholarly movements following the linkage between the two. Therefore, our research employed a systematic methodological paradigm aimed at comprehensively integrating and analyzing scientific publications related to energy security and geopolitics. It was not limited to traditional bibliometric analysis, but the systematic integration and analysis of a large amount of literature through data retrieval and deep text mining techniques. Specifically, the innovations and contributions of this study are as follows. Firstly, we collected and organized scientific publications on energy security and geopolitics globally, establishing a sample literature database closely related to the research topic. Based on this sample database, we conducted a compositional analysis of the research content in this field, deeply exploring the level of scientific contributions of different research subjects (such as academic institutions, countries, research teams, etc.). This analysis revealed the research focus and academic influence of each subject in this field. Secondly, we conducted a detailed analysis of topic flows and citation networks in the literature through the use of advanced text mining and topic modeling techniques. This analysis revealed important knowledge sources and core literature within the field of energy security and geopolitics, as well as demonstrating the process of knowledge iteration. By analyzing current research trends and the dynamic changes in the citation network, it is possible to scientifically foresee the new research directions and hot issues that may emerge in the field, which provides a reference for academics and policymakers and helps to guide future research and policy development.

The remaining parts of this study are organized as follows. Section “Research method” and section “Research design” provide the research methodology and research framework of the study, which focuse on the theories used in the study along with the important steps of the study. Section “Results” analyzes the results of the study, and Section “Conclusions, implications, and limitations” summarizes the full text, pointing out the shortcomings of the study and making suggestions for future research.

Research method

Bibliometrics.

Bibliometrics is a comprehensive analytical technique that combines various disciplines such as statistics, informatics, and mathematics (Andrade-Valbuena et al., 2019 ), and it has been widely used to assess the social and intellectual roots of disciplines (Wang et al., 2021 ). It has been argued that, if used properly, bibliometrics can determine research funding allocations, set research priorities, map scientific developments, and reward performance. Lotka’s Law, Bradford’s Law, Zipf’s Law, Price’s Law, the law of literature aging, and the law of literature citation laid the theoretical foundations for the bibliometric development (Venable et al., 2014 ). This study mainly applied the six basic laws of Price’s Law, Lotka’s Law, and Bradford’s Law to explore trends in literature growth, core author productivity, and core journals in the field.

Performance analysis

Performance analysis in bibliometric research examines the important contribution of research components to the field of study (Donthu et al., 2021 ). Performance evaluation of individuals, institutions, and countries by counting the number of publications owned by different subjects. The number of publications measures scientific productivity, and a high number of publications maps to high scientific productivity (Caputo et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, to assess the quality of publications, the total number of citations received by a publication is employed as a measurement indicator. Publications with a high number of citations are deemed to be widely recognized within the industry and to exert a considerable influence. This study first summarized the publication production patterns of geopolitical studies on energy security by calculating the annual distribution of publication levels and predicting the growth trajectory of future publications, then followed by computational analysis of trends in the geographical distribution of national publications, institutional publications and authors’ publications, evaluating the research contributions to the field from macro, meso, and micro perspectives.

Collaborative network analysis

Collaborative research is an important form of scientific research, a behavioral activity undertaken by researchers to achieve the goal of producing new scientific knowledge, it facilitates cross-fertilization of different disciplines and promotes the generation and development of new knowledge (Lee and Bozeman, 2016 ). Collaborative research is usually presented in the form of co-authored papers, where researchers affiliates with different countries and institutions work together to produce knowledge (He et al., 2021 ). Scientific collaboration enhances the quality of research outputs, as evidenced by studies indicating that collaborative publications are cited more often than those created alone, especially for highly internationalized research papers (Adams et al., 2018 ; Gorraiz et al., 2012 ). In other words, a research paper will be more widely recognized in the field if it is co-authored by multiple countries and multiple authors. This study examined the structure of research based on the static attributes of the research scholars, which reflected the identity attributes of the researchers within the academic field, including the researchers’ institutions and countries (Liu et al., 2024 ). Consequently, both national and institutional collaboration are founded upon the basis of author collaboration, which represents the most fundamental unit of collaboration. The visualization of collaboration between research scholars, research institutions, or countries is presented through the collaboration network. Collaborative network is an undirected network used to describe inter-subjective collaborative relationships and patterns based on collaboration conducted by different researchers, nodes in a network represent research individuals, such as nodes in a country collaboration network represent country attributes. Node size represents the number of publications, and the connecting lines of the nodes usually indicate the collaboration between different subjects, and the thickness of the connecting lines correspondingly indicates the intensity of collaboration, if the collaboration between two subjects is more frequent, then it is represented as a thicker connecting line (Jin et al., 2020 ). The process by which scientific research collaboration is formed is illustrated in Fig. 1 .

This figure shows the process of collaboration formation: on the far left is the number of authors in the article, followed by the authors’ affiliations, then followed by a collaboration matrix based on the authors’ collaborations in the article, and on the far right is the collaboration network based on the matrix.

This study mapped country collaborative networks, institutional collaborative networks, and author collaborative networks to explore whether differences in geographic location played a role in international collaborative behavior, as well as to reveal the number and characteristics of institutional and author collaborative groups in the area.

Keywords analysis

In bibliometric studies, article keywords are often used to identify the main research and hot topics, for keywords are important textual elements that summarize the main research content of a scholarly publication (Li et al., 2016 ), the frequency of occurrence of a keyword reflects the importance of the word in the text, high-frequency keywords often represent important topics. The distance between keywords reflects the relevance of different keywords, with higher-relevance keywords clustered closer to each other and forming keyword clusters (Huang et al., 2019 ). Different clusters of keywords map different topics in the research field. Therefore, to identify the distribution of core themes in the study of geopolitical impacts on energy security and their evolutionary paths, we used the keyword co-occurrence method to analyze the co-occurrence of keywords from all the collected literature and explored the resulting keyword clusters in depth to identify future research directions and research focus in the field.

Science mapping analysis

Data visualization can intuitively express important node information such as group structure in a network, and is an important characterization method for processing large amounts of data. VOSviewer provides visualization of the similarity of node distances, allows users to create networks of countries, institutions, and author collaborations, and provides three network graph representations: clustering view, time view, and density view (van Eck and Waltman, 2010 ), and it can handle large amounts of literature data (Van Eck and Waltman, 2007 ). In this study, we used VOSviewer to map collaborative network, literature citation network, and keyword co-occurrence network, during the threshold setting process, we chose the full-count method, in which a paper co-authored by two subjects is attributed to each author in the paper, and the smallest unit in the network was also set to be 1, which can fully demonstrate the structure of knowledge collaboration and actors in the research field of this topic, and then clustering view and temporal view of collaborative network were formed. Gephi was used to map the performance networks of institutions and journals, it offers several layout methods to display network graphs according to their weights (Bastian et al., 2009 ). In addition, we used a bibliometric package in the Rstudio programming (Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017 ) to obtain accurate information on the distribution of literature. Also, the statistical analysis of this study was calculated by Microsoft Excel.

Research design

Data sources and processing.

In this study, the basic bibliographic information was obtained from the core collection of the Web of Science (WOS), Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Science Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Conference Proceedings Citation Index (CPCI-S), and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) are included in the core collection, which is widely used in bibliometric studies. The definition of energy security is of great importance in identifying search terms, as it delineates the crucial aspects of energy security and its scope. However, the definition of energy security is context-dependent and subject-dependent and has not yet resulted in a concept that is uniformly used in the industry (Kruyt et al., 2009 ). The historical definitions of energy security have initially focused on the stability of access to fossil fuels, particularly oil (Strojny et al., 2023 ). The increased use of natural gas and other fuels, such as coal, has also expanded the scope of energy security. The distribution of fossil fuels has led to the gradual inclusion of economic attributes in the attributes of energy security, as oil has become a globally traded commodity (Jenny, 2007 ; Wang et al., 2022 ). Energy prices, energy trade, and the stability of energy markets all play a crucial role in energy security. Secondly, the energy trading process is susceptible to the risk of supply chain disruptions due to the inherent vulnerability of energy supply chains to transportation risks, particularly given the considerable distances over which energy is transported (Scheepers et al., 2006 ; Spanjer, 2007 ). Security of energy supply has also become an important part of energy security concerns. Finally, in the process of energy transition, the transition from fossil energy to clean energy requires ensuring the stability and continuity of clean energy supply. At the same time, based on geopolitical considerations of energy security, energy cooperation may be effective in minimizing geopolitical conflicts due to the competition for energy resources and in ensuring the security of energy supply. Accordingly, the selection of keywords in this section was comprehensive and aligned with the fundamental elements of the conceptual framework of energy security, including “energy security”, “energy risks”, “energy supply risks”, “energy cooperation”, “energy transition”, “energy transportation”, “energy markets”, “energy price”, “energy trade” as search keywords. Subsequently, we broke down the term “energy” in “energy security” according to the nature of the energy source, subdividing it into “coal”, “oil”, “natural gas”, “electricity”, “wind”, “nuclear”, “water energy”, while adding “renewable energy” and “clean energy” on this basis. The combination of these two subsections of keywords constituted a searchable formula for the retrieval of academic results that were closely related to the topic of “energy security”. The second section concerned subject words related to geopolitical risk, as investigated by Jiangli Yu and Ahmet Faruk Aysan et al. (Aysan et al., 2023 ; Yu et al., 2023 ), the keywords of geopolitical risk were set as “geopolitical risk”, “geopolitics”, “international conflict”, “international geopolitics”, and “geopolitics”. To retrieve data, the search field designated as “Topic” was utilized, which means a topic search is conducted within the article’s title, abstract, keywords, and keywords plus. Data was accessed on January 7, 2024, and the period was set to all years. To obtain a high-quality data source, we first restricted the publication types, conference papers, editorial materials, letters, notes, book chapters, and book review types of articles were excluded, and only articles and review articles were included in the study, followed by restricting the language to English. Then we analyzed the titles and abstracts of the retrieved papers, and in some cases, even the entire contents of some papers, to determine whether each paper focused on the topic. It’s worth mentioning that even though we tried to find the most relevant papers through the search strategy described above, there were still some irrelevant papers because different authors have their own styles to highlight their articles. Ultimately, we obtained 429 papers for the bibliometric analysis.

Research framework

The occurrence of geopolitical events has had a significant impact on global energy activities, economic trade, and cooperative exchanges. This study utilized data from literature titles included in the Web of Science core collection to examine the impact of geopolitical risk on energy security. Breaking away from the traditional method of organizing a literature review, this study provided an in-depth analysis of the impact of the presence of geopolitical risks on the research field of energy security in terms of the historical development of publications, the geographical distribution, the scientific collaboration, the evolution of the knowledge base and research hotspots in this research field.

The traditional literature review is a method of summarizing and evaluating the existing literature in a particular field of study. This is typically conducted by a researcher who selects, reads, and summarizes relevant literature based on their research experience and expertise (Cronin, 2011 ). Its purpose is to provide background information on a research topic, demonstrate the progress of research in the field, and identify major research findings, theoretical perspectives, and problems, thereby providing references and insights for further study (Li and Wang, 2018 ; Rozas and Klein, 2010 ). The absence of strict procedural constraints in a systematic and standardized process may result in the researcher’s subjective bias influencing the selection and evaluation of literature, thereby reducing the reliability and comprehensiveness of the results of the review. In contrast, the bibliometric method is founded upon the external characteristics and internal connections of the literature. It is based on a series of rigorous procedures for the inclusion and exclusion of literature, as well as general research steps, which are employed to study the temporal distribution, quantitative characteristics, and patterns of change of a given topic. It incorporates a greater quantity of literature, employing mathematical and statistical methods to analyze the research profile of a given topic at a macro level (Kirby, 2023 ). Furthermore, bibliometric offers a significant advantage in the analysis of citation relationships among literature, which is not feasible within a limited timeframe with a traditional literature review. The bibliometric builds citation-coupling networks, co-citation networks, collaborative networks, and co-occurrence networks in the literature, which can predict future research directions in the forward direction, analyze the knowledge base underlying the subject area in the backward direction, and dynamically present the thematic evolution of the research field, as well as identify outstanding contributors and important literature in a particular field (McBurney and Novak, 2002 ; Ninkov et al., 2022 ). In conclusion, the traditional literature review is concerned with the analysis of the research content and findings presented in the literature, to summarize and analyze previous research and identify future research directions. Instead, bibliometric is more concerned with the analysis of the distribution and change of research results in a given field. The research results in a certain field can be assessed regarding the number of research and citation relationships. This allows for the impact of academic research to be evaluated, the academic frontiers and hotspots to be discovered, and research management and decision-making to be facilitated. Therefore, this paper referred to the methodology of F. De Felice et al. using hierarchical analysis for the analysis and discussion of the bibliometric study (De Felice et al., 2018 ), specifically, structured modeling was carried out according to the following four steps:

First, identify the research objectives and the research questions to be addressed. During this stage, the research perspective was further focused on the field of energy security through extensive reading on the impact of geopolitical risks on global economic trade, energy activities, education, and scientific research cooperation.

Second, select the research methodology. By breaking down the research questions and research objectives, the appropriate research methodology was selected, along with the time and scope of the study.

Third, identify keywords and construct a search formula. In this stage, by discussing with experts and scholars and reading the basic research about the field, we extracted the representative key phrases of the research field, constructed the search formula, searched in the database, and de-weighted and cleaned the data.

Fourth, data visualization and analysis. After data collection and data cleaning, the data were calculated, and through various data visualization tools, the collected literature data were visually characterized and analyzed to visualize and understand the development trend, distribution range, and research status of the research field. The roadmap of the research conducted in this study is shown in Fig. 2 .

This figure depicts the research roadmap of this paper. The right side of the figure illustrates the research content of this paper while the left side depicts the research process corresponding to the research content of this paper.

Descriptive statistics of literature information

The basic information about the literature data used in this study is given in Table 1 . The study period runs from 2003 to 2023 and involves a total of 429 publications from 135 journals, with an average half-life of publications of 4.04 years, 19,847 references are cited in these publications. In addition, the author’s keywords and keywords plus used to conduct topic exploration are identified 1136 and 732 respectively, through which the article analyzed the main research trends in this research area. In publications studying the impact of geopolitics on energy security, 1001 authors are involved in the process of knowledge creation, of which 73 authors conducte their research independently.

Publication trend

Thomas Kuhn in The nature of scientific revolutions proposed that the process of scientific development is a “primitive science” to “conventional science” transformation, as well as the transition from one “conventional science” to another “conventional science” process. It was divided into several stages: the scientific development of the pre-scientific, conventional science, scientific crises, scientific revolutions and the new conventional science. The formation of a discipline has undergone a theoretical accumulation of the formation of the paradigm to the paradigm of paradigm change, and then produce a new paradigm of the process of the entire process of scientific development under the impetus of scientific revolutions, the entire scientific development process of the continuous cycle of development (Kuhn, 1970 ). Price’s proposed literature growth curve is consistent with Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific development, he believed that the growth of the literature shows a logical growth trend of the “S” curve, but the growth of the literature is not endless and will eventually stop at a certain K (Price, 1963 ). The mathematical expression for the theoretical model of the literature growth by the logistic curve is shown below:

where $F\left(t\right)$ is the literature accumulation for the year, $t$ is the time, $k$ is the literature accumulation when the time tends to infinity, and is the maximum value of the literature accumulation, and $a,{b}$ are the conditional parameters.

To examine trends and forecast future developments in the growth of publications related to geopolitics and energy security, and to test whether the growth of the literature in this area conforms to a logistic growth curve, we fit a logistic to the annual cumulative publications. The trend in annual cumulative publication growth was first fitted using Excel, and it was found that the cumulative literature was optimally fitted according to the exponential, which got ${R}^{2}=0.9873$ . Subsequently, according to the curve trend to take k = 90,000, to determine $a=1.9$ when the most consistent with the cumulative curve, at this time to get $b=0.2576$ , and ultimately got the logistic growth curve as shown in Fig. 3 , the cumulative annual growth in the number of publications in the field of research in line with $y=1.9{{\rm {e}}}^{0.2576t}$ . Comparison with the logistic growth curve reveals that the growth of literature in the field is currently in the pre-growth phase of the logistic curve and may reach the horizontal phase of the logistic curve after the next few decades. In the pre-growth phase, the annual number of publications increases significantly in 2022–2023, from 65 to 135, probably due to the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict in 2022, which has redirected people’s attention to the study of geopolitics and energy security.

This figure illustrates the growth trend of literature in the study area, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis indicating the cumulative number of publications. The smaller part of the graph depicts the detailed trend of annual and cumulative numbers of articles published.

Geographical spatial distribution

Spatial analysis of geographic distribution can reveal collaborative networks related to the geographic distribution of publications. Therefore, Scimago and VOSviewer were combined to map the geographic collaborative network of national issuance volumes. A geo-visualization network of the distribution of publications and the collaboration between countries is shown in Fig. 4a and b . The area of the circles in the graph indicates how many publications there are, with larger circles representing more publications, and the connecting lines between the nodes of the different circles indicating the collaboration between countries. In terms of the geographical distribution of publications, countries in Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas make the greatest contribution to this field. Among Asian countries, China coveres 168 publications and have the highest number of publications in this field, followed by the United Kingdom (60), the United States of America (43), Germany (26), and Turkey (24). Most of the countries in Europe are involved in research outputs in this area, in addition to countries in the Middle East, which may be attributed to the increased interest in research related to oil security in the region due to resource abundance.

a Global geographic distribution of publications and collaboration networks. b Localized zoomed-in view of the collaboration network. c Chord map of the intensity of country collaboration. This figure illustrates a geographic network of collaboration in the field of geopolitics and energy security. Nodes indicate countries, with size indicating the number of country postings. Connecting lines indicate collaborations between countries. a indicates the global collaboration network of countries, b indicates the detailed collaboration networks in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, and c indicates the country collaboration chord map.

Nevertheless, an exclusive emphasis on the number of national publications to assess a country’s scientific output is inadequate. The quantity of publications in a country merely reflects its quantitative capacity, without incorporating the quality of these publications into the evaluation. Therefore, considering the availability of data, we counted the total number of citations of the countries through VOSviewer, ranked the two indicators, the number of publications of the countries and the total number of citations by entropy-weighted TOPSIS, and evaluated them using SPSSAU (project. T S, 2024 ), which evaluates the 67 countries that participated in the publications. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS initially identifies the positive and negative ideal solution values (A+ and A−) for the evaluation indexes. Thereafter, the distance values D+ and D− are calculated for each evaluation object concerning the positive and negative ideal solutions, respectively. Finally, the proximity of each evaluation object to the optimal solution ( C ) is determined, and the C is ranked. The final ranking of the top 10 countries is presented in Table 2 .

As illustrated in the accompanying table, the composition of the top ten countries differes when considering both the quantity and quality of publications. China retains its position at the top of the list, with 168 publications garnering 3608 citations from scientists across the globe. The reasons may be explained in the following ways. Firstly, as the world’s largest energy consumer, China’s rapid economic growth has led to an ever-increasing demand for energy, which has driven a significant number of studies and publications on energy security and geopolitics. Secondly, the Chinese government attached great importance to energy security and geopolitics and has formulated a series of policies and strategies, as well as provided strong support and funding to promote research and development in related fields. Furthermore, China is a highly active participant in international collaboration and academic exchanges. With the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s influence in the global energy market is increasing, which has led to a significant increase in the international attention and citation value of its research results. The second-ranked country is the United Kingdom, which has a total of 60 publications with a total of 2139 citations, and the third-ranked country is Pakistan, which has 22 publications with a total of 1407 citations.

In the national collaboration on publications, the study of geopolitics on energy security involves a total of 67 countries around the world, of which 59 countries have collaborative relationships. From the chord diagram of international research collaboration, the depth of the color of the connecting lines between countries indicates the intensity of their collaboration. In Fig. 4c , the color of the connecting line between China and the United Kingdom, the United States, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Spain, and Vietnam is red, which indicates that the intensity of collaboration between China and these countries is higher than that between other countries and that China has more partners and higher collaboration credits in this field of research. In addition, it is found that the geographic distribution of articles in studies of geopolitics and energy security shows a clear energy-oriented country or geopolitical risk-oriented country, unlike previous academic research, the main geographic distribution of publications in this subject area is concentrated in energy-rich or geopolitically risk-intensive areas, gradually moving away from the geographic distribution trend where the level of economic development leads to the distribution of scientific research.

Contribution of institution

In terms of meso-institutional collaboration, a total of 686 institutions around the world are involved in the research, forming a large network of institutional collaboration. The number of publications and the collaboration between them is shown in Fig. 5 . As can be seen from Fig. 5 , Qingdao University (China) has an outstanding research performance in this field, with 23 publications and a total of 782 citations. Meanwhile, Qingdao University has formed collaborative relationships with 33 domestic and foreign organizations, and the intensity of collaboration is 53. These institutions include the Lebanese American University, the Central University of Punjab, and the University of Southampton. The organizations within China are Qilu University of Technology, Southwest Jiaotong University, and Anhui University of Finance and Economics. The study of geopolitical impacts on energy security has resulted in 27 collaborative groups, which have worked together on a wide range of research topics.

This figure depicts a collaborative network of institutions. Nodes represent institutions, and lines between nodes indicate collaborative relationships between institutions. Nodes of the same color indicate similar research content.

Contribution of author

Core author distribution.

Lotka’s Law describes the distribution of the frequency of scientific productivity: in a given field of study, the number of authors writing $n$ papers are approximately $\frac{1}{{n}^{2}}$ of the number of authors writing 1 paper. The proportion of all authors writing 1 paper to the total number of authors is approximately 60% (Lotka, 1926 ; Tsai, 2015 ). To test whether Lotka’s Law applies to this field of study, we analyzed it using Lotka’s Law and verified the reliability of the law using nonparametric hypothesis testing. The K–S test is a useful nonparametric hypothesis testing method that is primarily used to test whether a set of samples comes from a certain probability distribution. We followed the following steps to test.

Firstly, the data used for the calculations were prepared according to Table 3 , which shows the number of authors with $x$ publications, the total number of publications, the cumulative number of publications and the cumulative number of authors, as well as the cumulative percentage.

Secondly, the data in Table 4 were used to calculate the exponent of Lotka’s Law, which was calculated from the least squares formula:

Thus, the absolute value of the exponent $n$ is between 1.2 and 3.8, in accordance with Lotka’s Law.

Subsequently, $c$ and critical value were calculated by the following equation:

Calculated to get c = 0.7907, ${{\rm {critical}}\; {\rm {value}}}=0.3781$ .

Finally, a nonparametric hypothesis test K–S test in Table 5 was conducted to test the reliability of Lotka’s Law.

Therefore, the absolute value ${D}_{\max }=0.0839\, < \,0.3781$ was calculated by the above steps, and hence it can be concluded that Lotka’s Law is valid in this subject area.

Co-author network

From the above analysis, it is clear that the author-output pattern of geopolitical impact on energy security is consistent with Lotka’s Law, to further explore patterns of author collaboration in this area, we used VOSviewer to map the network of author collaborations.

As shown in Fig. 6 , there are 13 author collaborations in academic publications that examine the impact of geopolitics on energy security. One of the outstanding contributing authors in the field is Su Chi-Wei, who has contributed 14 scholarly publications and forms a collaborative cluster with 40 other authors. This is followed by Khan, Khalid (11 publications) with collaborative links with 32 authors, Umair, Muhammad (10 publications) with academic collaborations with 28 authors, and Qin, Meng, and Ma, Feng who have the same number of publications, both contributing 7 articles to the academic community. But Ma, Feng has more collaborations with other researchers, collaborating with 23 researchers, while Qin, Meng has collaborations with 21 authors. As shown in (a) of Fig. 6 , among the top 5 authors in terms of number of publications, three authors are from China. In addition, from the time plot of the authors’ publication volume and collaborative networks, the node colors are dark to light indicating that the authors published their research papers from far to near. The collaborative cluster of authors led by Ma, Feng has a long-standing interest in this research area, with their research focusing on the market impact of uncertainty in geopolitical risk and volatility in crude oil prices. Su chi-wei, Khan, Khalid, Umair, Muhammad, and Qin, Meng are late researching this area. Their team published papers between 2021 and 2023 that examined the interactions between renewable energy, the energy transition, oil prices, and geopolitical risks. These contributions have helped to advance the field. It can also be seen in Fig. 6 that in the fringe group of the author collaboration network, the fringe authors tend to be publishers of recent publications and have not yet formed larger collaborative clusters and these fringe authors may be transformed into center authors in future studies.

a Collaboration network of the top 5 authors in terms of number of publications. b Author collaborative evolutionary networks. This figure depicts the authors’ collaborative network and its temporal evolution. Nodes represent authors, and connecting lines between nodes indicate collaborative relationships between them. Nodes of the same color indicate similar research content.

Contribution of journals

The geopolitical impact on energy security cuts across multiple disciplinary areas and has been analyzed from multiple publications, with the contribution of journals to the field assessed through the number of articles published in them. Information on the types of journals that ranks among the top 10 by the number of articles published in the field is shown in Table 6 . Resources Policy has the highest focus on the topic of geopolitical influences on energy security, publishing 66 articles, and as can be seen from Fig. 7 , Resource Policy shows a sharp increase in the number of articles published after 2022, possibly due to the increased global energy risks resulting from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has become a popular topic of choice for the journal. This is followed by Energy Policy (33 articles), Energy Economics (27 articles), Energy Research & Social Science (17 articles), and Energy (16 articles). Among the top 5 journals, journals in the field of energy and resources receive more attention than other fields. In addition, the co-citation network of journals (Fig. 8 ) shows the common citation relationships between publications published in different journals, with the thickness of the connecting line indicating the strength of the citation. Resources Policy and Energy Economics are the journals with the highest strength of connectivity, and articles in these two journals have the highest number of citations, suggesting that the content of articles published in Resources Policy and Energy Economics are highly similar in terms of research direction.

This figure illustrates the annual publication trend for the top 10 journals in terms of the number of articles published. The horizontal axis represents the year while the vertical axis depicts the number of articles published by the journal.

This figure depicts the journal citation network, where nodes represent journals, and connecting lines indicate citation relationships between papers published in the journals.

To further clarify the distribution of core journals in this subject area of geopolitical impact on energy security, the Bradford distribution of core journals was mapped using the Rstudio. Bradford’s Law describes the uneven distribution of scientific articles across journals due to differences in closeness between specialized disciplines (Bradford, 1934 ). Journals can be classified into three categories based on the number of articles published. The ratio of the number of journals in each group is $1:a:{a}^{2}$ (Yang et al., 2016 ), which indicates that a large number of specialized papers are first concentrated in a few core journals, with some papers appearing in other journals related to the specialty. Bradford’s Law has been widely used to study different subject trends. Based on the information provided in the data in Table 7 , the journals are categorized into three regions, each of which carries approximately the same number of articles. As can be seen in Fig. 9 , the core journals in this subject area are mainly Resources Policy , Energy Policy , Energy Economics , Energy Research & Social Science . Journals in the core zone account for 2.96% of all journals and publish 33.33% of the articles in the field. Journals in the relevant journals account for 14.07% of the total number of journals and publish 33.8% of the articles in the field, while journals in the discrete journals account for 82.96% of the total number of journals and publish 32.87% of the articles in the field as shown in Table 8 . The four journals, Resources Policy , Energy Policy , Energy Economics , and Energy Research & Social Science , are more concerned with geopolitics and energy security. Researchers engaged in this field may therefore consider these journals as a source of knowledge.

This figure illustrates the distribution of core journals within the field of study. The horizontal axis represents the journal category, the vertical axis represents the number of journal publications, and the shaded area represents the range of core journals.

Contribution of core literature

We used VOSviewer to map the literature coupling network of geopolitical impact studies on energy security to explore the most influential academic literature in the field, as shown in Fig. 10 , where the node size indicates the total number of citations to the article and the connecting lines indicate the coupling relationships. Concurrently, the academic literature that has been cited the most is highlighted, and the detailed information of the top 10 most cited articles is listed in Table 9 , including the title of the article, the first author, the country of affiliation, publication year, the total number of citations, the journal of publication, and the DOI of the literature. As illustrated in it, the literature with the greatest number of citations is Lynne Chester’s article Conceptualizing Energy Security and Making Explicit Its Polysemic Nature , published in Energy Policy in 2010. This article has been cited a total of 310 times since its initial publication, and it is widely recognized within the industry as a highly cited document in this subject area. This article presented an early research explanation of the conceptualization of energy security. It addressed the multifaceted connotations of energy security, the market paradigm, and its multidimensional nature from a theoretical perspective that informed subsequent studies (Chester, 2010 ). The second most frequently cited article is Renewable Energy and Geopolitics: A Review by Roman Vakulchuk, published in 2020. This review article presented a comprehensive analysis of the geopolitical literature related to renewable energy. The study revealed that many publications on renewable energy and geopolitics employed limited research methodologies, failed to delineate geopolitical periods, and lacked in-depth discussions. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that most relevant articles focused on oil-producing countries, while ignoring coal-dependent countries (Vakulchuk et al., 2020 ). Moreover, it is notable that almost half of the top 10 cited literature originates from China, which serves to corroborate China’s research production level in this area.

This figure represents the literature coupling network, the nodes represent the literature, the node size represents the number of citations, the node connecting lines represent the coupling relationship of the literature, and the node color represents the time distribution.

Thematic distribution

Thematic keywords.

Keywords can provide information about the core content of the article (Wang et al., 2024b ). The frequency of keyword occurrences over time can reflect research trends in the field of study. We used Rstudio programming techniques to draw keyword heat maps and cumulative keyword heat maps in the research area of geopolitical impact on energy security. As shown in Fig. 11 , which demonstrates the top 20 high-frequency keywords in the study of geopolitical impact on energy security. From the keyword heat map and the cumulative keyword heat map, it can be seen that “Natural gas” and “Oil” are the first to appear in the heat map, and both of them have a significant heat in 2006, and the heat lastes for a long time. It shows that the geopolitical impact on energy security is first and foremost reflected in the impact on natural gas and oil and that geopolitics has a significant long-term impact on hydrocarbons. In addition to “natural gas” and “oil” having significant heat in the keyword heat map, other keywords that appear earlier and have significant heat include “Russia” and “China”. In addition, in terms of sudden heat, “Climate change” receives huge attention in 2016. “Energy policy”, “Energy”, “Uncertainty”, “Natural gas” and “Oil” have a sudden increase in heat in 2021. The following is an in-depth analysis of the featured keywords.

This figure depicts the distribution of keyword frequency and cumulative keyword frequency. The horizontal axis represents the year, the vertical axis represents the keyword category, and the color represents the heat value of the keyword.

Natural gas and oil

The co-occurrence mapping of natural gas and oil linked to other keywords is shown in Fig. 12 . “Natural gas” co-occurs with several keywords such as “energy security”, “consumption”, “market”, “crude oil”, “oil”, “policy”, “risk”, “China”, “Russia”, “EU”, and so on. “Oil” co-occurs with several keywords such as “energy policy”, “renewable energy”, “market”, “natural gas”, “vulnerability”, “return”, “price”, “cooperation”, “consumption”, “China” and “Russia”. Natural gas and oil are important energy components and occupy a prominent place in the global energy landscape. Natural gas is a vital source of electricity generation, and natural gas-fired power plants can provide backup and grid stability for intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power (Baldick, 2014 ; Mac Kinnon et al., 2018 ), their ability to increase or decrease rapidly complements the variability of renewable energy production. Natural gas is highly efficient, flexible, and low-emission compared to other fossil fuels, and natural gas produces fewer carbon emissions and less pollution when burned (Safari et al., 2019 ). At the same time, natural gas is an important source of energy to support industrial production and social life. Oil is a key feedstock for the petrochemical industry (Keim, 2010 ). It provides raw materials for the production of a wide range of products, including plastics, synthetic rubber, solvents, fertilizers, and chemicals, and is an important driver of global trade and economic activity. The geopolitical impact on energy security is the first thing that prompts global scientists to discuss natural gas and oil, given their wide-ranging and important international status, for geopolitical factors play a crucial role in determining the global distribution of natural gas reserves and oil. Countries with rich hydrocarbon reserves often have important strategic advantages that influence regional political alliances, trade relations (Gu and Wang, 2015 ). And geopolitical tensions could disrupt oil and gas supplies and affect global oil and gas markets. Armed conflict and political instability in natural gas regions increase the risk of gas supply disruptions and hinder the construction of projects such as gas pipelines.

This figure shows the co-occurrence network for the keywords “natural gas” and “oil”, where different nodes represent different keywords and the lines between the keywords represent co-occurrence relationships.

Russia and China

The connection between Russia and China in the keyword co-occurrence diagram is shown in Fig. 13 . Russia has co-occurring relationships with the keywords “energy security”, “gas”, “oil”, “cooperation”, “Ukraine”, “Europe”, “renewable energy”, “China”, “policy”. In the co-occurrence mapping of the keyword China, there are co-occurrence relationships for several keywords such as “economic growth”, “energy security”, “energy transition”, “oil price”, “cooperation”, “return”, “demand”, and “consumption”. Russia has the world’s largest natural gas reserves and is one of the largest producers of crude oil, as well as being the world’s largest producer and exporter of natural gas (Karacan et al., 2021 ). In view of the geographical advantages, a number of European countries have formed close energy cooperation with Russia, and the rich energy reserves have become an important tool for Russia’s strategic negotiations and energy diplomacy (Bilgin, 2009 ). Russia is located in a geopolitical risk zone, with armed conflict with Ukraine in 2022 having a huge impact on Russian and global energy markets (Rokicki et al., 2023 ). Several European countries have restricted Russian energy imports, leading to an energy supply crisis in Europe (Kuzemko et al., 2022 ). China is the world’s largest energy consumer, and the diversification of China’s energy mix has made it more concerned about global energy security conditions (Boute, 2019 ). This is because China’s energy demand is fueled by rapid economic growth and accelerated industrialization. Whereas China is heavily dependent on energy imports, the impact of regional conflicts and political tensions on global energy supplies could also affect China’s energy import trade. China actively engages in energy cooperation with countries in Central Asia (Zhou et al., 2020 ) and Africa (Bradshaw, 2009 ), putting forward the “Belt and Road” initiative, and significant investment in global energy infrastructure was done to increase China’s influence in major energy-producing regions, ensure access to key resources and enhance the country’s energy security (Duan and Duan, 2023 ).

This figure shows the co-occurrence network for the keywords “Russia” and “China”, where different nodes represent different keywords and the lines between the keywords represent co-occurrence relationships.

Climate change

As shown in Fig. 14 , climate change is closely related to the keywords “environment”, “energy security”, “energy transition”, “carbon emissions”, “renewable energy”, and “cooperation”. Climate change has been an important global issue, and its involvement in the discussion of geopolitical influences on energy security is notable. On the one hand, geopolitical factors have led to changes in global energy consumption patterns, and the deterioration of inter-State relations could re-exacerbate dependence on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. The “Escalation effects” of geopolitical risks reduce renewable energy consumption and lead to higher carbon emissions (Anser et al., 2021 ). Geopolitical decisions related to the development of energy infrastructure may affect the integration of renewable energy into national or regional energy systems, slowing down clean energy deployment plans and increasing global greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, favorable geopolitical policies and international cooperation can drive investment in clean energy technologies and increase opportunities for international R&D cooperation. In conclusion, the implications for climate change under the geopolitical discussion of energy security are complex.

This figure shows the co-occurrence network for the keywords “Climate change”, where different nodes represent different keywords and the lines between the keywords represent co-occurrence relationships.

Energy policy and uncertainty

As shown in Fig. 15 , energy policy is closely related to the keywords “renewable energy”, “price”, “oil”, “climate change”, and “country”. In the keyword co-occurrence mapping of “uncertainty”, the terms “market,” “price,” “return,” and “economic growth” appear more frequently. Energy policy and uncertainty are key themes influencing the discussion of geopolitical implications for energy security. Government intervention is an important response to energy security issues, and governments around the world develop energy policies as a strategic framework to address the complex interplay of domestic and international factors that seek to enhance energy security and reduce uncertainty in the energy sector (Youngs, 2009 ). The formulation of energy policy is influenced by factors such as national energy structure and energy consumption (Li et al. 2024 ). Uncertainty about geopolitical risks also affects national energy policies, and it is important for national policymakers to combine measures to address geopolitical risks with the maintenance of national energy security and to reduce the vulnerability of global energy prices, energy trade, and energy supply to geopolitical risks. Uncertainty in the geopolitical landscape poses a challenge to energy policymakers. Sudden geopolitical events, changes in international relations, or changes in the dynamics of energy markets can threaten energy security, and the development of effective energy policies has become an important tool for addressing geopolitical threats to energy security.

This figure shows the co-occurrence network for the keywords “Energy policy” and “Uncertainty”, where different nodes represent different keywords and the lines between the keywords represent co-occurrence relationships.

Thematic evolution path

This section mapped the timeline of keyword co-occurrence from the perspective of the temporal evolution of keyword co-occurrence. As shown in Fig. 16 , the transition from cold to warm indicates the time from far to near, and the average occurrence time of keywords can be identified by the time color band in the graph. The research phases can be categorized into three distinct phases according to the average year in which the keywords appeared. The average year of emergence of the first stage is 2018–2020, with a focus on the energy sector, which means objects that geopolitics may threaten. The main objects of energy security risks that can be extracted from typical words are “natural gas”, “oil”, “power”, “hydropower”, “nuclear power”, “fossil fuels”, “energy trade”, and they form the core of the global energy infrastructure. The identified energy security risks are multifaceted, encompassing not only traditional concerns related to fossil fuels but also reaching into the complex dynamics of the “energy trade”. The interconnected nature of energy resources and their global distribution necessitate a thorough review of trade relationships to assess potential vulnerabilities in energy supply chains. In the geopolitical area, certain countries play a pivotal role, directly affecting or being affected by developments in the energy sector, “China”, “Russia”, “EU”, “United States”, “India”, “Germany”, “Japan”, “Turkey”, “Central Asia”, “Middle East”, “Ukraine”, “Pakistan”, “Poland” are in the spotlight at this stage. Each of these countries faces a unique set of challenges and opportunities in terms of energy security. As mentioned previously, China is a rapidly growing consumer and producer of energy, influencing the global energy market (Odgaard and Delman, 2014 ). Russia is rich in energy reserves and plays an important role in regional and global energy dynamics. The EU, as a collective entity, plays a central role in the development of energy policies and in promoting cooperation among its member States. India’s economy is booming and it seeks to ensure a stable and continuous supply of energy to support its growth trajectory (Kumar and Majid, 2020 ). Germany, Japan, and Turkey represent industrialized countries with special energy needs and dependencies (Cherp et al., 2017 ; Kilickaplan et al., 2017 ). A comprehensive look at countries and regions provides a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected network of energy security issues, including supplier and consumer countries in the global energy landscape. As the research continues, it aims to unravel the intricate relationships, dependencies, and potential hotspots that will shape the future of global energy security.

This figure depicts the temporal evolution of keyword co-occurrences, with colors ranging from cool to warm to indicate time from far to near.

The average year of occurrence of the second stage is 2020–2022, which is a light warm color on the clustered time plot. During this period, the keywords “geopolitical risk”, “renewable energy”, “energy transition”, “crude oil”, “price”, “crude oil price”, “uncertainty”, “return”, “demand”, “policy uncertainty”, “growth”, “oil price shocks”, “volatility”, “price volatility”, “markets”, “gold price”, “stock market” are found to be more frequent. Popular keywords provide a comprehensive overview of key themes and concerns in the energy industry and related markets. The emergence of the term “geopolitical risk” as a focal point indicates an acute awareness of the impact of geopolitical events on energy markets and the wider global economy, as well as a heightened sensitivity to geopolitical tensions, conflicts, and geopolitical strategies that could disrupt energy supplies and markets. “Renewable energy” and “energy transition” continue to feature prominently, highlighting the growing emphasis on sustainable and clean energy. This period has been characterized by growing interest and discussion around the global shift to renewable energy, reflecting a concerted effort to address environmental concerns and reduce dependence on traditional fossil fuels. The constant references to “crude oil”, “price” and “crude oil price”, together with terms such as “oil price shocks”, “volatility”, “price fluctuations”, “market”, “gold price” and “stock market”, highlight the energy industry’s continued interest in and scrutiny of the intricate relationship between geopolitical risks and global energy markets. Conflicts, political tensions, or disruptions in the oil supply chain in the world’s major oil-producing regions could lead to unpredictable and dramatic fluctuations in oil prices. Such sharp fluctuations create uncertainty for both producers and consumers, affecting investment decisions and market dynamics (Mei et al., 2020 ). In conclusion, this stage of research focuses on the fluctuations of geopolitics in the energy economy market and the financial market, and it is gradually recognized that geopolitics produces dramatic fluctuations in the energy economy market, while the sensitivity of the crude oil price, oil price to geopolitical risks promotes the exploration of measures to resist the geopolitical risks.

The average year of occurrence of the third stage is 2022–2023, which appears in red on the clustered time plot. “GDP”, “financial development”, “natural resources”, “green finance”, “determinants”, “empirical analysis”, “utility testing”, “regression analysis”, “impulse response analysis”, “time series”, “wavelet correlation”, and other keywords frequently appear. It is worth noting that the interconnection between the financial system and the energy market has received extensive attention from researchers and scholars in the context of the geopolitical impact on energy security, as indicated by keywords such as “GDP”, “financial development” and “green finance”. The keywords “determinants,” “empirical analysis,” “utility testing,” “regression analysis,” “impulse response analysis,” “time series,” and “wavelet correlation” collectively indicate a methodological shift toward rigorous quantitative analysis at this stage. Researchers seem to have employed advanced statistical tools and econometric techniques to explore the determinants and effects of various factors on energy-related phenomena. The methodological shift suggests that the field is moving toward evidence-based policymaking and a desire to build a solid empirical foundation. The diversity of keywords in this phase implies a multidimensional exploration, integrating economic, financial, and environmental factors, in addition to multiple keywords on research methodology suggesting that research is moving towards more advanced analytical tools and empirical frameworks.

Thematic clustering

Keyword clustering analysis is able to explain the main hotspots in the research field, which was mapped by VOSviewer and Scimago. As shown in Fig. 17 , hotspot clusters are distributed in a two-dimensional rectangular coordinate system, and different colors indicate different clusters. The distribution of colors and the legend in Fig. 17 show that the main hotspots in this research area are distributed in six clusters. We obtained cluster labels from the keywords contained in the clusters and discussed with experts to determine the keyword labels that best summarize the nature of the clusters and labeled them in Fig. 17 . The size of a clustering cluster is determined by the number of keywords contained in the cluster. The cluster with the largest number of keywords is the green cluster, which focuses on keywords such as “fossil energy”, “clean energy”, “renewable energy” and “energy transition”, it is therefore reasonable to name the green cluster “energy transition”. And then the purple cluster, which is identified through keyword analysis as being closely related to the natural environment, and is therefore identified as being labeled “natural environment”. Similarly, based on the keyword categories, the blue cluster is labeled “energy policy”, and the red and pink clusters, which cover a sparse number of keywords and tend to be similar in nature to the orange clusters, are combined and labeled “energy market”. It is worth noting that the horizontal and vertical axes in the 2D cartesian coordinate system have no obvious data meaning, but merely indicate the relative positions of the keywords and their clusters in the 2D space. Subsequently, our study further explored for the identified keyword clusters.

This figure illustrates keyword clustering, wherein nodes represent keywords and different nodes are colored to indicate distinct clusters. The horizontal and vertical axes represent the relative positions of the nodes.

Green cluster: energy transition

Energy transition refers to a change in the way energy is utilized, a reduction in the share of fossil energy in the energy mix, and a transition from traditional fossil energy consumption to clean energy consumption (Rasoulinezhad et al., 2020 ). Geopolitical risk works both ways for energy transition, with major changes in international energy markets under the Russia–Ukraine conflict. European countries, opposed to Russia’s military conflict over Ukraine and determined to reduce energy trade with Russia, have resumed coal- and oil-fired power generation amid gas shortages (Wang et al., 2023 ), higher geopolitical risk also increases the cost of renewable energy deployment (Shirazi et al., 2023 ), slows down the energy transition and inhibits the transition to renewable energy. Meanwhile, “high-risk” countries at geopolitical centers may face obstacles in seeking foreign investment, inhibiting the development of renewable energy infrastructure (Fischhendler et al., 2021 ). On an optimistic note, studies have demonstrated the positive contribution of geopolitical risk to the development of renewable energy, with high geopolitical risk spurring countries to consume more renewable energy (Sweidan, 2021 ), which could be an important tool to facilitate the clean energy transition (Liu et al., 2023 ). The complex relationship between geopolitical risk and renewable energy has been subjected to multiple argumentative studies, and thus energy transition is one of the important research directions for researchers and scholars in various countries in the context of geopolitical risk affecting energy security.

Purple cluster: natural environment

The three themes of geopolitical risk, energy security, and climate change have become popular topics for researchers and scholars around the world. Geopolitical tensions not only bring political and economic uncertainty but also harm the natural environment (Acheampong et al., 2023 ). The direct impact of geopolitical risk on the environment is manifested in the control of and access to valuable natural resources, such as oil, gas, minerals, and water, competition for which can lead to overexploitation, environmental degradation, and ecosystem destruction (Li et al., 2023 ). International conflicts and armed struggles also have a greater impact on the surrounding environment, and conflicts can lead to increased air pollution and destruction of green facilities in the region, and the production and manufacture of military equipment can increase atmospheric carbon dioxide (Ullah et al., 2020 ). Furthermore, geopolitical risks act on the natural environment by affecting the consumption structure of the energy sector. The previous analysis showed that the process of energy transition was negatively affected by geopolitical risks, the decline in the consumption of renewable energy sources, and the reduction of clean energy infrastructure were not conducive to the suppression of carbon emissions. In addition, unfriendly relations between countries can hamper global cooperation in addressing climate change and environmental issues, and prolonged hostilities can impede the conclusion of bilateral or multivariate agreements, which in turn affects sustainable development (Zhao et al., 2021 ).

Red, pink, and orange cluster: energy market

Geopolitical risks have historically played an important role in influencing global energy prices. One study summarized three channels through which geopolitical risk affected energy prices: the threat of conflict acting on energy conversion resulting in lower oil prices, the impact on energy prices of rising negative investor sentiment due to the threat of conflict, and the role of geopolitical uncertainty on energy supply and demand (Li et al., 2020 ). Additionally, geopolitical tensions and conflicts in major oil- and gas-producing regions could disrupt the production and transportation of energy resources. For example, conflicts in the Middle East involving major oil-producing countries such as Iraq or Saudi Arabia had the potential to result in supply disruptions and subsequent increases in oil prices (Cunado et al., 2019 ; Su et al., 2019 ). Then, geopolitical events have affected national foreign trade policies, leading to the imposition of sanctions or embargoes on certain countries, restricting their ability to export or import energy resources, and reducing the global supply of oil and natural gas, resulting in higher prices. Thus, the complex relationship between geopolitical risks and global energy markets has led to a strong interest in this direction among researchers and scholars in various countries.

Blue cluster: energy policy

As Governments grapple with the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demand and addressing climate issues, the energy policy landscape has changed significantly and is often influenced by geopolitical risks. Energy policy is an integrated strategic framework for managing the production, consumption, and sustainability of a country’s energy resources and plays an important role in economic development, national security, and environmental stability (Chen, 2011 ). The multidimensional objectives of energy policy underscore its centrality to national interests: ensuring reliable and affordable energy supplies, promoting economic growth, reducing environmental impacts, and enhancing energy security (Doukas et al., 2008 ). Energy policy is undergoing transformative changes in the contemporary geopolitical landscape, driven by an intricate interplay of technological advances, environmental imperatives, and geopolitical risks (Wang et al., 2024 ). The geopolitical landscape brings a layer of complexity to energy policy, as countries must navigate an intricate web of alliances, rivalries, and resource dependencies. Geopolitical risk manifests itself in the energy sector in a variety of ways, including disruptions in the global energy supply chain due to conflicts in major oil-producing regions, and trade disputes affecting energy trade (Golan et al., 2020 ; Zhang et al., 2023b ). In the face of these risks, there is a need for a nuanced energy policy that requires a comprehensive understanding of how global geopolitical dynamics can affect energy markets and, in turn, a country’s energy security. Therefore, as the world faces continued geopolitical uncertainty, energy policy will continue to evolve, reflecting the need to balance energy security, economic development, and environmental sustainability in an increasingly interconnected and dynamic global environment.

Conclusions, implications, and limitations

Geopolitics has a profound impact on the energy sector, and the threat in particular is global energy security. Using a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis, we analyzed more than 400 articles published in the Web of Science core collection qualitatively and quantitatively, and identified the historical development trend, the distribution of research power, the overview of the international collaboration, the research hotspots, and the evolution path of the research. The main findings of this study are as follows:

Researches in geopolitics and energy security is under development, the subject area has moved away from economic factors in the distribution of scientific research to a greater reliance on the global distribution of energy sources. In other words, the distribution of literature output in this subject area no longer follows the trend of distribution between developed and developing countries but is distributed in energy-rich countries or regions, such as oil and gas resources.

The macro-, meso- and micro-networks of scientific collaboration show a more connected group of collaborators, with China as an important research force in the field, and strong links with a number of countries in the Americas, the Middle East and Europe. A total of 27 collaborative groups are generated globally in the institutional collaborative network (ICN). Among them, Qingdao University (China), which has formed the largest collaborative network with a number of institutions at home and abroad, represents the collaborative institutions of the center. Chi-Wei Su is identified as an important co-occurring author in the author collaboration network (ACN), with a large number of collaboration clusters center on him. The K–S test verifies the validity of Lotka’s Law for the distribution of authors in this field and the application of Bradford’s Law identifies the core journals in this research area as Resource Policy , Energy Policy , Energy Economics , Energy Research & Social Science .

The keyword heat map of the thematic analysis shows that the first keywords to be hit in this area are natural gas and oil, and that there is a long-term impact on hydrocarbons, and keywords such as climate change, energy policy, and uncertainty have received sudden attention additionally. The evolutionary path of the thematic analysis shows the three main stages of the development of this research topic, while the keyword clustering shows that the research on this topic focuses on the areas of energy transition, energy markets, energy policy, and the natural environment.

Our research prompts global policymakers to pay further attention to the uncertain risks posed by geopolitics to energy security, and endeavor to promote scientific research collaboration and international goodwill among countries to solve practical problems together. Concurrently, it is imperative to rectify the principal research direction, accelerating the transformation of the country’s energy structure, maintaining the stability of the energy market, and formulating rational energy policies, while paying attention to the impact on the natural environment. In addition, our research has certain advantages in terms of identifying overall trends and future directions of a research topic, however, there are still some limitations in data collection, data processing and tool application. First, our data were obtained from the Web of Science core collection, and by manually reading the titles, abstracts, and bodies, we screened the academic papers that best fit the topic for inclusion in the subsequent analysis, but we still failed to immune to omissions. The homogeneity of the database selection may result in the omission of gray literature in the field, as we initially focused on high-quality literature published in high-quality journals. Second, in addition to academic papers, which can represent a country’s research priorities, other categories of academic activities such as research projects, conference papers, and books can also reflect research trends to a certain extent, however, our paper data excluded this information, and it is possible for future research to collect and process the results of the different academic categories to enrich the field’s research. Finally, the systematic limitations of the bibliometric approach may have produced errors in the results of the statistical and bibliometric analysis of the articles, and future research could further improve the research methodology to reduce systematic errors.

Data availability

The datasets publicly available should be through https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.7910/DVN/DYCRUR .

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This work is supported by the “Youth Innovation Team Project” of the Higher Education Institutions under the Shandong Provincial Department of Education (No. 2023RW015), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71874203).

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Wang, Q., Ren, F. & Li, R. Geopolitics and energy security: a comprehensive exploration of evolution, collaborations, and future directions. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1071 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03507-2

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