Informative Essay Topics: 12 Topic Ideas for Students

Are you looking for informative essay topics for your next assignment? Here are 12 writing prompts to get you started.

High school and college students are often given research papers to write as their school assignments. These papers are lengthy and informative essays, digging into facts around a topic and proving a topic sentence or thesis statement using those facts. If you have been assigned to write an informative paper or essay, you may be looking for ideas.

An interesting, informative essay topic for high school or college is appropriate for students’ age. It has enough information that they can write on their academic level and with the number of words the project requires. Getting started is the hardest part, and having a list of writing topics on hand can help.

As you consider topics for your essay or paper writing assignment, this list of informative essay topics is a good starting point.

For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers

1. The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children

Children living in homes where domestic violence occurs suffer from severe trauma, which results in mental health issues. Even if it is not against them, witnessing domestic violence causes long-term psychological effects. Your essay could touch on this serious social issue and explore the long-term effects of domestic violence on the children in these homes.

After exploring the effects, you could take your essay further by discussing potential solutions to the problem. Include ways to help the children overcome their challenges to be healthier adults in these situations.

2. How Does Social Media Impact High School Students?

The amount of time students spend on social media is increasing dramatically year after year, with the average currently sitting at around nine hours of media use per day. The pandemic significantly increased this, as social platforms became the primary way students could stay in contact during the lockdown. Your essay can explore how social media impacts adolescents.

Keep in mind that there may be some positive impacts to counter any negatives you find. While social media opens the door to cyberbullying and self-esteem issues, it can also give students a platform to discuss the social issues that are important to them and to connect remotely with friends who do not live nearby. Provide a balanced view in your informative essay.

3. What Initiatives Have the Best Impact on Global Warming?

Global warming is one of the most severe environmental concerns of our time, and many government initiatives aim at fixing the problem. However, not all of these work well. Your essay could look at the data to see which initiatives work and do little to help the problem.

As you look at this essay topic idea, thoroughly research to get to the heart of the matter. Be honest about what you see that works and what is not working to make a difference.

4. Does Plastic Surgery Improve Body Image and Self Esteem?

In 2020, 1.54 million people will undergo plastic surgery in the United States. This number was significantly more than in 1997, indicating a steep increase in the number of cosmetic procedures done. Your essay could explore whether or not these surgeries helped patients enjoy better self-esteem and an improved body image.

If you come into this topic with a preconceived notion, consider that statistics show cosmetic surgery improves does improve body image for a large percentage of patients. After discussing that fact, you could further look at what makes someone a good candidate for effective, image-boosting cosmetic surgery.

5. Is Caffeine Addiction a Serious Problem?

Every day in America, around 90% of adults will consume caffeine. Is this an addiction, and if it is, does it represent a serious problem? Answering these questions in your essay could make for an engaging report.

Caffeine is a stimulant, and it can be addictive. Look at the statistics and the effects of caffeine addiction in writing your essay. Then, decide whether or not this is a serious issue, and if it is, decide what you will do about it.

6. Do Video Games Help or Hurt Academic Performance?

A lot of published work writes about the negative impact of video games on higher education and overall academic performance. Still, some recent research indicates that it is not as damaging as once thought. This essay looks at the pros and cons of video game use for students. Highlight what needs to happen to make video games helpful and not harmful to student academic performance. For instance, you may find that time limits and game choice directly correlate to video games being helpful to students, so write about that.

7. What Allowed Hitler to Commit Genocide During World War II?

When you look back at the atrocities during World War II, it is easy to wonder how Hitler could deceive people so fully and kill millions of his enemies in concentration camps, but exactly how did this happen? In your essay, research and dissect the propaganda, political scene, and media use of the era to determine how the dictator gained the general population’s trust and gained the ability to carry out these heinous acts.

This is a great informative essay topic because it has many different areas to explore. You will look at the society of the day and the political aspirations of the Hitler regime.

8. The Health Benefits of Vegetarianism

Many people choose to follow a vegetarian diet because of ethical and moral beliefs about eating meat, but are there health benefits to this lifestyle? This idea is a great topic to explore in an informative essay, especially if you do not personally follow this lifestyle. You can research the health benefits and then conclude for yourself.

Around 10% of Americans follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, so discuss why that is in your essay. If you determine there are health benefits to vegetarianism, make sure you talk about how to avoid any potential problems with the lifestyle, such as lack of protein.

9. Do School Uniforms Help or Hurt Student Self Image?

Schools that adopt a school uniform policy often help keep students on a level playing field, avoiding problems with bullying due to clothing choices, but does a school uniform improve student self-image? You can look into this as you write about this interesting topic.

Uniforms can reduce bullying and promote healthier friendships amongst students. However, they may not be a perfect solution, as bullies who are determined to bully will find a way to do so. Explore both sides of this issue as you discuss the topic.

10. Is Illegal Immigration Helping or Hurting the US Economy?

Illegal immigration is another hot social issue, and many people think that the influx of illegal immigrants is hurting the U.S. economy. Yet if you look at the research surrounding this topic, you will find that it is less impactful than you might think. Some people argue that immigrants, even illegal ones, are helping the economy.

This topic is a good informative essay topic because it is controversial. The controversy makes it engaging. Be sure to back your thesis statement with plenty of facts and research because you are writing an informative essay, not a persuasive one.

12. Does Gun Control Work?

Many initiatives are in place to curb gun violence in the United States, which contribute to good ideas for essay writing. One thing you can consider is whether or not these rules work. Do criminals follow gun laws, or does limiting the number of guns in the community impact rates of violence?

This essay or research paper topic needs to have plenty of facts, especially because it is controversial. Research the truth behind gun control laws to come to a conclusion that serves as your thesis statement, then back that statement up with facts.

Tip: If writing an essay sounds like a lot of work, simplify it. Write a simple 5 paragraph essay instead.

If you’re still stuck, check out our available resource of essay writing topics.