How to choose a research topic that isn't too broad or too narrow? 🎯

I have to write a 15-page research paper and I can't choose a topic. Everything I think of is either "the entire Cold War" (too broad) or "what one soldier ate for breakfast on June 3, 1952" (too narrow).

My professor said to start with something I'm curious about, then narrow it down. I like World War II, but that's still huge.

She suggested adding: time period, location, specific angle. So instead of "World War II" → "women factory workers in Detroit during WWII." That feels doable.

How do you guys choose topics? I'm stuck!

I do the "question storm." Take your broad topic and write down every question you can think of. For WWII: What did women do? How did it change things? Where did they work? What happened after? Then pick ONE question that actually interests you. "How did wartime factory work change women's expectations about careers?" That's a real argument now. Topics aren't topics, they're questions you're trying to answer.

Mind maps work for me. I put "WWII" in a circle, then draw branches: home front, battles, leaders, technology, aftermath. Then each branch gets smaller branches. Home front → women → factories → Detroit → Rosie the Riveter → postwar employment rates. By the time I'm at the tiny branches, I've got a specific topic. It's like zooming in on Google Maps until you see the actual street. Start satellite view, end street view.