popular research papers

Nature | News Feature Sharing Nature explores the most-cited research of all time. Article tools The discovery of high-temperature superconductors, the determination of DNA’s double-helix structure, the first observations that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating — all of these breakthroughs won Nobel prizes and international acclaim. Yet none of the papers that announced them comes anywhere close to ranking among the 100 most highly cited papers of all time. Citations, in which one paper refers to earlier works, are the standard means by which authors acknowledge the source of their methods, ideas and findings, and are often used as a rough measure of a paper’s importance. Fifty years ago, Eugene Garfield published the Science Citation Index (SCI), the first systematic effort to track citations in the scientific literature. To mark the anniversary, Nature asked Thomson Reuters, which now owns the SCI, to list the 100 most highly cited papers of all time. (See the full list at Web of Science Top 100.xls or the interactive graphic, below.) The search covered all of Thomson Reuter’s Web of Science, an online version of the SCI that also includes databases covering the social sciences, arts and humanities, conference proceedings and some books. It lists papers published from 1900 to the present day. The exercise revealed some surprises, not least that it takes a staggering 12,119 citations to rank in the top 100 — and that many of the world’s most famous papers do not make the cut. A few that do, such as the first observation1 of carbon nanotubes (number 36) are indeed classic discoveries. But the vast majority describe experimental methods or software that have become essential in their fields. The most cited work in history, for example, is a 1951 paper2 describing an assay to determine the amount of protein in a solution. It has now gathered more than.
By definition a research paper requires the writer to learn a great deal about their subject, so it is always a good practice to select a topic that truly interests you before you begin gathering sources.  If you are interested in your topic, learning about it will be more pleasurable and you will write with greater passion, so choose your topic thoughtfully.  Use the following list of 101 research paper topics as a starting point for your paper.  As you begin learning and writing about your topic, you should revise or amend your research question or thesis statement to better match the information that you are interpreting, analyzing, and expressing.  Let your interest guide you.  If you’re not having fun learning and writing about your topic, perhaps you should pick one that interests you more. Download this list in RTF format Download this list in PDF format By: Mr. Morton  Why do we sleep? How do GPS systems work? Who was the first person to reach the North Pole? Did anybody ever escape Alcatraz? What was life like for a gladiator? What are the effects of prolonged steroid use on the human body? What happened during the Salem witch trials? Are there any effective means of repelling insects? How did trains and railroads change life in America? What may have occurred during the Roswell UFO incident of 1947? How is bulletproof clothing made? What Olympic events were practiced in ancient Greece? What are the major theories explaining the disappearance of the dinosaurs? How was the skateboard invented and how has it changed over the years? How did the long bow contribute to English military dominance? What caused the stock market crash of 2008? How did Cleopatra come to power in Egypt what did she do during her reign? How has airport security intensified since September 11th, 2001? What is life like inside of a beehive? Where did hip hop originate and who were its.
Below is a chart developed by the USC Libraries instruction team that can help you distinguish between a scholarly [a.k.a., peer-reviewed or academic] journal and a popular, general interest publication. Feature SCHOLARLY JOURNAL POPULAR MAGAZINE BUSINESS TRADE PUBLICATION NEWSPAPER Author Scholar or researcher in field with stated credentials and affiliations Staff writer, journalist, often a generalist Staff writer, journalist often with expertise in field Staff writer, journalist, columnist Sources and Documentation All references cited; extensive bibliographies and/or footnotes No formal list of references; original sources may be obscure May refer to reports; no formal list of references May refer to reports; no formal list of references Editorial Process Peer-reviewed by subject experts; often blind reviewed [reviewers do not know who the author is] Reviewed by a single editor Reviewed by a single editor Reviewed by a single editor Purpose To present research findings and expand knowledge in a discipline or field of study To inform about current or popular events, issues or popular culture; to entertain To identify trends in a specific field or commerce; report on an industry and its related products To inform about current events and issues internationally, domestically, and locally Structure of Articles Long [10+ pages] articles; often organized using headings and sub-headings Mix of short with in-depth articles on a variety of subjects Industry specific articles of varying length Brief articles, unless a feature investigation Frequency of Publication Annually, semi-annually, quarterly, or monthly Monthly or weekly Monthly or weekly Weekly or daily Titles May contain the words Journal of , Review or Annals ; may contain the name of a discipline or field; may be lengthy Straightforward; may address a general theme or subject Usually short and catchy; may.