year 6 research project ideas

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 great research paper topics.

General Education

One of the hardest parts of writing a research paper can be just finding a good topic to write about. Fortunately we've done the hard work for you and have compiled a list of 113 interesting research paper topics. They've been organized into ten categories and cover a wide range of subjects so you can easily find the best topic for you.

In addition to the list of good research topics, we've included advice on what makes a good research paper topic and how you can use your topic to start writing a great paper.

What Makes a Good Research Paper Topic?

Not all research paper topics are created equal, and you want to make sure you choose a great topic before you start writing. Below are the three most important factors to consider to make sure you choose the best research paper topics.

#1: It's Something You're Interested In

A paper is always easier to write if you're interested in the topic, and you'll be more motivated to do in-depth research and write a paper that really covers the entire subject. Even if a certain research paper topic is getting a lot of buzz right now or other people seem interested in writing about it, don't feel tempted to make it your topic unless you genuinely have some sort of interest in it as well.

#2: There's Enough Information to Write a Paper

Even if you come up with the absolute best research paper topic and you're so excited to write about it, you won't be able to produce a good paper if there isn't enough research about the topic. This can happen for very specific or specialized topics, as well as topics that are too new to have enough research done on them at the moment. Easy research paper topics will always be topics with enough information to write a full-length paper.

Trying to write a research paper on a topic that doesn't have much research on it is incredibly hard, so before you decide on a topic, do a bit of preliminary searching and make sure you'll have all the information you need to write your paper.

#3: It Fits Your Teacher's Guidelines

Don't get so carried away looking at lists of research paper topics that you forget any requirements or restrictions your teacher may have put on research topic ideas. If you're writing a research paper on a health-related topic, deciding to write about the impact of rap on the music scene probably won't be allowed, but there may be some sort of leeway. For example, if you're really interested in current events but your teacher wants you to write a research paper on a history topic, you may be able to choose a topic that fits both categories, like exploring the relationship between the US and North Korea. No matter what, always get your research paper topic approved by your teacher first before you begin writing.

113 Good Research Paper Topics

Below are 113 good research topics to help you get you started on your paper. We've organized them into ten categories to make it easier to find the type of research paper topics you're looking for.

Arts/Culture

• Discuss the main differences in art from the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance .
• Analyze the impact a famous artist had on the world.
• How is sexism portrayed in different types of media (music, film, video games, etc.)? Has the amount/type of sexism changed over the years?
• How has the music of slaves brought over from Africa shaped modern American music?
• How has rap music evolved in the past decade?
• How has the portrayal of minorities in the media changed?

Current Events

• What have been the impacts of China's one child policy?
• How have the goals of feminists changed over the decades?
• How has the Trump presidency changed international relations?
• Analyze the history of the relationship between the United States and North Korea.
• What factors contributed to the current decline in the rate of unemployment?
• What have been the impacts of states which have increased their minimum wage?
• How do US immigration laws compare to immigration laws of other countries?
• How have the US's immigration laws changed in the past few years/decades?
• How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected discussions and view about racism in the US?
• What impact has the Affordable Care Act had on healthcare in the US?
• What factors contributed to the UK deciding to leave the EU (Brexit)?
• What factors contributed to China becoming an economic power?
• Discuss the history of Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies  (some of which tokenize the S&P 500 Index on the blockchain) .
• Do students in schools that eliminate grades do better in college and their careers?
• Do students from wealthier backgrounds score higher on standardized tests?
• Do students who receive free meals at school get higher grades compared to when they weren't receiving a free meal?
• Do students who attend charter schools score higher on standardized tests than students in public schools?
• Do students learn better in same-sex classrooms?
• How does giving each student access to an iPad or laptop affect their studies?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Montessori Method ?
• Do children who attend preschool do better in school later on?
• What was the impact of the No Child Left Behind act?
• How does the US education system compare to education systems in other countries?
• What impact does mandatory physical education classes have on students' health?
• Which methods are most effective at reducing bullying in schools?
• Do homeschoolers who attend college do as well as students who attended traditional schools?
• Does offering tenure increase or decrease quality of teaching?
• How does college debt affect future life choices of students?
• Should graduate students be able to form unions?

• What are different ways to lower gun-related deaths in the US?
• How and why have divorce rates changed over time?
• Is affirmative action still necessary in education and/or the workplace?
• Should physician-assisted suicide be legal?
• How has stem cell research impacted the medical field?
• How can human trafficking be reduced in the United States/world?
• Should people be able to donate organs in exchange for money?
• Which types of juvenile punishment have proven most effective at preventing future crimes?
• Has the increase in US airport security made passengers safer?
• Analyze the immigration policies of certain countries and how they are similar and different from one another.
• Several states have legalized recreational marijuana. What positive and negative impacts have they experienced as a result?
• Do tariffs increase the number of domestic jobs?
• Which prison reforms have proven most effective?
• Should governments be able to censor certain information on the internet?
• Which methods/programs have been most effective at reducing teen pregnancy?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of the Keto diet?
• How effective are different exercise regimes for losing weight and maintaining weight loss?
• How do the healthcare plans of various countries differ from each other?
• What are the most effective ways to treat depression ?
• What are the pros and cons of genetically modified foods?
• Which methods are most effective for improving memory?
• What can be done to lower healthcare costs in the US?
• What factors contributed to the current opioid crisis?
• Analyze the history and impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic .
• Are low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
• How much exercise should the average adult be getting each week?
• Which methods are most effective to get parents to vaccinate their children?
• What are the pros and cons of clean needle programs?
• How does stress affect the body?
• Discuss the history of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
• What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
• Who was responsible for the Iran-Contra situation?
• How has New Orleans and the government's response to natural disasters changed since Hurricane Katrina?
• What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire?
• What were the impacts of British rule in India ?
• Was the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary?
• What were the successes and failures of the women's suffrage movement in the United States?
• What were the causes of the Civil War?
• How did Abraham Lincoln's assassination impact the country and reconstruction after the Civil War?
• Which factors contributed to the colonies winning the American Revolution?
• What caused Hitler's rise to power?
• Discuss how a specific invention impacted history.
• What led to Cleopatra's fall as ruler of Egypt?
• How has Japan changed and evolved over the centuries?
• What were the causes of the Rwandan genocide ?

• Why did Martin Luther decide to split with the Catholic Church?
• Analyze the history and impact of a well-known cult (Jonestown, Manson family, etc.)
• How did the sexual abuse scandal impact how people view the Catholic Church?
• How has the Catholic church's power changed over the past decades/centuries?
• What are the causes behind the rise in atheism/ agnosticism in the United States?
• What were the influences in Siddhartha's life resulted in him becoming the Buddha?
• How has media portrayal of Islam/Muslims changed since September 11th?

Science/Environment

• How has the earth's climate changed in the past few decades?
• How has the use and elimination of DDT affected bird populations in the US?
• Analyze how the number and severity of natural disasters have increased in the past few decades.
• Analyze deforestation rates in a certain area or globally over a period of time.
• How have past oil spills changed regulations and cleanup methods?
• How has the Flint water crisis changed water regulation safety?
• What are the pros and cons of fracking?
• What impact has the Paris Climate Agreement had so far?
• What have NASA's biggest successes and failures been?
• How can we improve access to clean water around the world?
• Does ecotourism actually have a positive impact on the environment?
• Should the US rely on nuclear energy more?
• What can be done to save amphibian species currently at risk of extinction?
• What impact has climate change had on coral reefs?
• How are black holes created?
• Are teens who spend more time on social media more likely to suffer anxiety and/or depression?
• How will the loss of net neutrality affect internet users?
• Analyze the history and progress of self-driving vehicles.
• How has the use of drones changed surveillance and warfare methods?
• Has social media made people more or less connected?
• What progress has currently been made with artificial intelligence ?
• Do smartphones increase or decrease workplace productivity?
• What are the most effective ways to use technology in the classroom?
• How is Google search affecting our intelligence?
• When is the best age for a child to begin owning a smartphone?
• Has frequent texting reduced teen literacy rates?

How to Write a Great Research Paper

Even great research paper topics won't give you a great research paper if you don't hone your topic before and during the writing process. Follow these three tips to turn good research paper topics into great papers.

#1: Figure Out Your Thesis Early

Before you start writing a single word of your paper, you first need to know what your thesis will be. Your thesis is a statement that explains what you intend to prove/show in your paper. Every sentence in your research paper will relate back to your thesis, so you don't want to start writing without it!

As some examples, if you're writing a research paper on if students learn better in same-sex classrooms, your thesis might be "Research has shown that elementary-age students in same-sex classrooms score higher on standardized tests and report feeling more comfortable in the classroom."

If you're writing a paper on the causes of the Civil War, your thesis might be "While the dispute between the North and South over slavery is the most well-known cause of the Civil War, other key causes include differences in the economies of the North and South, states' rights, and territorial expansion."

#2: Back Every Statement Up With Research

Remember, this is a research paper you're writing, so you'll need to use lots of research to make your points. Every statement you give must be backed up with research, properly cited the way your teacher requested. You're allowed to include opinions of your own, but they must also be supported by the research you give.

#3: Do Your Research Before You Begin Writing

You don't want to start writing your research paper and then learn that there isn't enough research to back up the points you're making, or, even worse, that the research contradicts the points you're trying to make!

Get most of your research on your good research topics done before you begin writing. Then use the research you've collected to create a rough outline of what your paper will cover and the key points you're going to make. This will help keep your paper clear and organized, and it'll ensure you have enough research to produce a strong paper.

What's Next?

Are you also learning about dynamic equilibrium in your science class? We break this sometimes tricky concept down so it's easy to understand in our complete guide to dynamic equilibrium .

Thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner? Nurse practitioners have one of the fastest growing careers in the country, and we have all the information you need to know about what to expect from nurse practitioner school .

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We've got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

Student and Parent Forum

Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com , allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Ask questions; get answers.

Ask a Question Below

Have any questions about this article or other topics? Ask below and we'll reply!

Improve With Our Famous Guides

• For All Students

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points

How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 800 on Each SAT Section:

Score 800 on SAT Math

Score 800 on SAT Reading

Score 800 on SAT Writing

Series: How to Get to 600 on Each SAT Section:

Score 600 on SAT Math

Score 600 on SAT Reading

Score 600 on SAT Writing

Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests

What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For?

15 Strategies to Improve Your SAT Essay

The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points

How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer

Series: How to Get 36 on Each ACT Section:

36 on ACT English

36 on ACT Math

36 on ACT Reading

36 on ACT Science

Series: How to Get to 24 on Each ACT Section:

24 on ACT English

24 on ACT Math

24 on ACT Reading

24 on ACT Science

What ACT target score should you be aiming for?

ACT Vocabulary You Must Know

ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score

How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League

How to Get a Perfect 4.0 GPA

How to Write an Amazing College Essay

What Exactly Are Colleges Looking For?

Is the ACT easier than the SAT? A Comprehensive Guide

Should you retake your SAT or ACT?

When should you take the SAT or ACT?

Stay Informed

Get the latest articles and test prep tips!

Looking for Graduate School Test Prep?

Check out our top-rated graduate blogs here:

GRE Online Prep Blog

GMAT Online Prep Blog

TOEFL Online Prep Blog

Holly R. "I am absolutely overjoyed and cannot thank you enough for helping me!”

• Research Skills

50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

Please note, I am no longer blogging and this post hasn’t updated since April 2020.

For a number of years, Seth Godin has been talking about the need to “ connect the dots” rather than “collect the dots” . That is, rather than memorising information, students must be able to learn how to solve new problems, see patterns, and combine multiple perspectives.

Solid research skills underpin this. Having the fluency to find and use information successfully is an essential skill for life and work.

Today’s students have more information at their fingertips than ever before and this means the role of the teacher as a guide is more important than ever.

You might be wondering how you can fit teaching research skills into a busy curriculum? There aren’t enough hours in the day! The good news is, there are so many mini-lessons you can do to build students’ skills over time.

This post outlines 50 ideas for activities that could be done in just a few minutes (or stretched out to a longer lesson if you have the time!).

Learn More About The Research Process

I have a popular post called Teach Students How To Research Online In 5 Steps. It outlines a five-step approach to break down the research process into manageable chunks.

This post shares ideas for mini-lessons that could be carried out in the classroom throughout the year to help build students’ skills in the five areas of: clarify, search, delve, evaluate , and cite . It also includes ideas for learning about staying organised throughout the research process.

Notes about the 50 research activities:

• These ideas can be adapted for different age groups from middle primary/elementary to senior high school.
• Many of these ideas can be repeated throughout the year.
• Depending on the age of your students, you can decide whether the activity will be more teacher or student led. Some activities suggest coming up with a list of words, questions, or phrases. Teachers of younger students could generate these themselves.
• Depending on how much time you have, many of the activities can be either quickly modelled by the teacher, or extended to an hour-long lesson.
• Some of the activities could fit into more than one category.
• Looking for simple articles for younger students for some of the activities? Try DOGO News or Time for Kids . Newsela is also a great resource but you do need to sign up for free account.
• Why not try a few activities in a staff meeting? Everyone can always brush up on their own research skills!

• Choose a topic (e.g. koalas, basketball, Mount Everest) . Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic.
• Make a mindmap of a topic you’re currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an online tool like Bubbl.us .
• Read a short book or article. Make a list of 5 words from the text that you don’t totally understand. Look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary (online or paper).
• Look at a printed or digital copy of a short article with the title removed. Come up with as many different titles as possible that would fit the article.
• Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google (e.g. Which country in Asia has the largest population?) Circle the keywords in each question.
• Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for these words using a tool like  Thesaurus.com .
• Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (this could be done by the teacher or students). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word.

• Explore how to search Google using your voice (i.e. click/tap on the microphone in the Google search box or on your phone/tablet keyboard) . List the pros and cons of using voice and text to search.
• Open two different search engines in your browser such as Google and Bing. Type in a query and compare the results. Do all search engines work exactly the same?
• Have students work in pairs to try out a different search engine (there are 11 listed here ). Report back to the class on the pros and cons.
• Think of something you’re curious about, (e.g. What endangered animals live in the Amazon Rainforest?). Open Google in two tabs. In one search, type in one or two keywords ( e.g. Amazon Rainforest) . In the other search type in multiple relevant keywords (e.g. endangered animals Amazon rainforest).  Compare the results. Discuss the importance of being specific.
• Similar to above, try two different searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. For example, Origin of “raining cats and dogs” and Origin of raining cats and dogs . Discuss the difference that using quotation marks makes (It tells Google to search for the precise keywords in order.)
• Try writing a question in Google with a few minor spelling mistakes. What happens? What happens if you add or leave out punctuation ?
• Try the AGoogleADay.com daily search challenges from Google. The questions help older students learn about choosing keywords, deconstructing questions, and altering keywords.
• Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out by typing in various queries (e.g. How to draw… or What is the tallest…). Discuss how these suggestions come about, how to use them, and whether they’re usually helpful.
• Watch this video  from Code.org to learn more about how search works .
• Take a look at  20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know  by Eric Curts to learn about “ instant searches ”. Try one to try out. Perhaps each student could be assigned one to try and share with the class.
• Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer (e.g. “What is a parallelogram?” or “What is the highest mountain in the world?” or “What is the population of Australia?”). Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results — dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.

• Watch the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me?  by Scientific American. Discuss the PageRank algorithm and how Google uses your data to customise search results.
• Brainstorm a list of popular domains   (e.g. .com, .com.au, or your country’s domain) . Discuss if any domains might be more reliable than others and why (e.g. .gov or .edu) .
• Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results  (i.e. right-click > open link in new tab or press control/command and click the link).
• Try out a few Google searches (perhaps start with things like “car service” “cat food” or “fresh flowers”). A re there advertisements within the results? Discuss where these appear and how to spot them.
• Look at ways to filter search results by using the tabs at the top of the page in Google (i.e. news, images, shopping, maps, videos etc.). Do the same filters appear for all Google searches? Try out a few different searches and see.
• Type a question into Google and look for the “People also ask” and “Searches related to…” sections. Discuss how these could be useful. When should you use them or ignore them so you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent? Is the information in the drop-down section under “People also ask” always the best?
• Often, more current search results are more useful. Click on “tools” under the Google search box and then “any time” and your time frame of choice such as “Past month” or “Past year”.
• Have students annotate their own “anatomy of a search result” example like the one I made below. Explore the different ways search results display; some have more details like sitelinks and some do not.

• Find two articles on a news topic from different publications. Or find a news article and an opinion piece on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
• Choose a graph, map, or chart from The New York Times’ What’s Going On In This Graph series . Have a whole class or small group discussion about the data.
• Look at images stripped of their captions on What’s Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times. Discuss the images in pairs or small groups. What can you tell?
• Explore a website together as a class or in pairs — perhaps a news website. Identify all the advertisements .
• Have a look at a fake website either as a whole class or in pairs/small groups. See if students can spot that these sites are not real. Discuss the fact that you can’t believe everything that’s online. Get started with these four examples of fake websites from Eric Curts.
• Give students a copy of my website evaluation flowchart to analyse and then discuss as a class. Read more about the flowchart in this post.
• As a class, look at a prompt from Mike Caulfield’s Four Moves . Either together or in small groups, have students fact check the prompts on the site. This resource explains more about the fact checking process. Note: some of these prompts are not suitable for younger students.
• Practice skim reading — give students one minute to read a short article. Ask them to discuss what stood out to them. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.

All students can benefit from learning about plagiarism, copyright, how to write information in their own words, and how to acknowledge the source. However, the formality of this process will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.

• Watch the video Citation for Beginners for an introduction to citation. Discuss the key points to remember.
• Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources (dictionary, video, Wikipedia etc.). Create a definition as a class.
• Find an interesting video on YouTube (perhaps a “life hack” video) and write a brief summary in your own words.
• Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to verbalise or write their friend’s recount in their own words. Discuss how accurate this was.
• Read the class a copy of a well known fairy tale. Have them write a short summary in their own words. Compare the versions that different students come up with.
• Try out MyBib — a handy free online tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly and easily.
• Give primary/elementary students a copy of Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Citation that matches their grade level (the guide covers grades 1 to 6). Choose one form of citation and create some examples as a class (e.g. a website or a book).
• Make a list of things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy text from a website, use any image from Google images, paraphrase in your own words and cite your source, add a short quote and cite the source. 
• Have students read a short article and then come up with a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not be considered plagiarism. These could be shared with the class and the students asked to decide which one shows an example of plagiarism .
• Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising . They could create a Venn diagram that compares the two.
• Write a list of statements on the board that might be true or false ( e.g. The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. The rhinoceros is the largest land animal in the world. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they’re true or false by sharing their citations.

Staying Organised

• Make a list of different ways you can take notes while researching — Google Docs, Google Keep, pen and paper etc. Discuss the pros and cons of each method.
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.). Perhaps students could all try out the shortcuts and share their favourite one with the class.
• Find a collection of resources on a topic and add them to a Wakelet .
• Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote ideas. Sylvia Duckworth has some great tips about live sketchnoting
• Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.) .

All teachers know it’s important to teach students to research well. Investing time in this process will also pay off throughout the year and the years to come. Students will be able to focus on analysing and synthesizing information, rather than the mechanics of the research process.

By trying out as many of these mini-lessons as possible throughout the year, you’ll be really helping your students to thrive in all areas of school, work, and life.

Also remember to model your own searches explicitly during class time. Talk out loud as you look things up and ask students for input. Learning together is the way to go!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

How To Evaluate Websites: A Guide For Teachers And Students

Five Tips for Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information

Typing Tips: The How and Why of Teaching Students Keyboarding Skills

8 Ways Teachers And Schools Can Communicate With Parents

10 Replies to “50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills”

Loving these ideas, thank you

This list is amazing. Thank you so much!

So glad it’s helpful, Alex! 🙂

Hi I am a student who really needed some help on how to reasearch thanks for the help.

So glad it helped! 🙂

seriously seriously grateful for your post. 🙂

So glad it’s helpful! Makes my day 🙂

How do you get the 50 mini lessons. I got the free one but am interested in the full version.

Hi Tracey, The link to the PDF with the 50 mini lessons is in the post. Here it is . Check out this post if you need more advice on teaching students how to research online. Hope that helps! Kathleen

Best wishes to you as you face your health battler. Hoping you’ve come out stronger and healthier from it. Your website is so helpful.

Comments are closed.

Post-Sats projects for Year 6 classes

Tes resources team.

Reward your hard-working pupils with these project ideas, selected to make your post-Sats lessons stimulating, enjoyable and memorable

After months and months of hard work, stress-levels can return to normal as both you and your class enjoy the rest of the summer term. These weeks are a great opportunity to inject an element of fun, creativity and imagination into core subjects, as well as those subjects that may have received less attention this year. 

To get you started, we’ve selected a handful of subject-specific and cross-curricular projects, designed to keep learners engaged, challenged and motivated until the end of term.

Rockets Teacher Guide

Free The Pencil Project

Zootropolis: The Case of the Missing Mammals

Design a destination shoe project

Fun with a Ruler - Collaborative Art Project using Parabolic Curves

Art Lesson and Worksheets Silhouette Sunsets

Learn at Chester Zoo - Sing for Songbirds - Origami Collection

DT- Mechanisms -Sliders and Levers -Design a greetings card

Design a ride! Fairground / Theme Park

How to Create a Fun Research Project Idea for Your Classroom

A good research project idea can engage your students and increase learning quickly. There’s no need to always have students complete the same informational reports each and every time they do a research project. Teaching students to write informational reports and complete research projects can be fun for both you and your students. Boring projects are no longer!

Are you looking for additional ways to engage your students? I have created a guide just for you! In this guide, you will find 20 student engagement strategies that you can easily implement in your classroom today! Simply drop your name and email below, and I will send this Student Engagement Guide straight to your inbox.

Give Students Voice and Choice

One way to engage students in a research project is to give your students voice and choice . This can be done in several ways, but student voice and choice will almost always increase the engagement of a lesson or project.

Choice of Topics for Research Project

Depending on the purpose of your research project, you can have students choose what they will be researching. If the purpose of your research project is to have students write an informational essay based on your grade-level standards, students can choose what they will be researching. Think about it, if your purpose is a writing standard, the topic doesn’t necessarily matter. Let your students choose their topic and you will find that engagement increases. 

Now, sometimes just having an open topic selection is too much for students. The age and maturity level of your students can determine how wide the choice of topics should be. Some students are not ready to be told just to choose what they will research. Many need a guide of some sort. In some cases, it may be appropriate to give students only two choices. This can scaffold students who are not as strong of writers, or students who have a hard time coming up with ideas of what to write. Other times, it may be beneficial to have more choices. Maybe students have a choice of 5 animals that they can study. Generally, even this little bit of choice increases engagement and creates a research project that is fun for students. 

Choice of Product to Complete

Choosing what to research is not the only choice that you can give students. Sometimes a research project is content specific. For example, if your students were completing a research project on a grade-level science standard, they will most likely all be researching the same concept. It may feel like you can’t provide a choice in a case like this, but the truth is, you can! This is one of my favorite ways to provide choice for students. 

Students do not all have to complete the same type of product for a research project. Similar to what we discussed above, think about your purpose. If your purpose is for students to understand specific content, they can show their understanding in many different ways. Let your students choose a final product that speaks to them, and interests them. You will be amazed at the end results when students are interested in what they are creating. We will talk about different products that can be done later in this post. 

Give Students a Choice in the Learning

Students often like to learn in unique ways. Some students prefer a video. Others may prefer to read an article or book about a topic. There may even be students that like to learn through graphics. Give students the option to learn how they like. Help them find videos, articles, graphics, etc. that fit their learning style. The freedom to learn how they please will create a high level of both learning and engagement. 

Use a Variety of Topics for Research Project

There are so many good research project topics. The trickiest part is deciding what would be best for your students while also hitting your standards and content. There are a few ways to narrow down the best topics for informational reports or research projects. 

Connect to Your State Standards

It is hard to teach every grade-level state standard that you are given. It can almost feel impossible. A great way to choose a topic is to dive into your standards. What content needs to be taught? What content can students learn about by doing their own research? 

A great place to start is to look at your social studies and science standards. These standards are often full of content. Content-rich standards are a great place to find topics for a research project. 

Use Current Events for a Research Project Idea

There is always a lot going on in the world. Use this to your advantage. Kids are highly engaged by current events in the classroom. These current events could be something related to government or politics. Other current events often revolve around technology or social media. Social media is always an interesting topic for kids! Maybe there was a natural disaster. Let students dive deep and research the causes and effects of this. The moral here is to pay attention to what is happening and use these events to create an amazing research project idea. 

What are Your Students Interested In?

Are you ready to really spark student engagement? Find out what your students are interested in! Is there a particular song your students are obsessed with? There is a research project idea! Research the lyrics and the meanings behind them. Maybe students can research the artist and write a biography about them. The possibilities are almost endless. 

Do you have students who are athletes? Let them complete a research project on their favorite sport. They could learn about the history of the sport. How it came to be. They may even learn that rules have changed over time. 

Students have so many interests. Capitalize on those and create a research project that is fun and engaging for students to complete. They may even ask for more projects after this. 

Use More Than Essays for Informational Reports

When we think of an informational report, most of us probably think of a traditional written essay. I would dare say this is the most common type of product that comes out of any research project idea. There are many reasons for this, that we won’t get into today. I do not believe that a written informational report is bad by any means. They are necessary! They are crucial to developing good writers that are successful both now and in the future. What I am saying is that not every research project has to result in a written informational report. There are other ways for students to demonstrate their learning. 

3D Projects or Models

This is something that I have seen students have a lot of fun with. Students love to create with hands-on materials. From the youngest of learners to high school seniors, many students love creating with their hands. There are so many research project ideas that can incorporate 3D models.

One option for 3D models is to have students create something out of clay. I have seen students create models of animals, complete solar systems, and even models of Native American homes. 

Students can also create dioramas to demonstrate their learning of specific content. For this, students can use a wide range of materials to create a diorama. These dioramas work great for geography, animal habitats or ecosystems, landforms, or even architecture. Your students may have some creative ideas for research project dioramas.

My favorite 3D project that my students have done was parade floats . These aren’t the size of floats in an actual parade, but rather a smaller replica. We used our parade floats to demonstrate our knowledge about specific Utah counties . Students researched the county that they chose, given specific parameters of what information was needed for the project. After their notes were taken and their information was compiled, they created their county floats. They had a blast creating them, but the best part was parading them and displaying them for the rest of the school to see.  

Technology-Based Informational Reports

With technology changing and expanding every day, there are an endless amount of products that can be completed using technology for research reports. I’ll share a few of my favorites here. The first is to have students create a series of social media posts. These could each use a paragraph from a written informational report. This way you are still incorporating the writing, but students are having fun creating, also. 

Students can use video to create different types of projects. There are many possibilities including a movie trailer, a stop-motion production, an iMovie, a video presentation, etc. A benefit of having students record themselves reading their writing… they notice their errors, creating a much better piece of writing.

There is always the option of a digital presentation. Digital presentations can be done in many different formats including PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, or Canva. Let your students’ creative juices flow using technology.

High student engagement is critical to achieving high levels of learning. A good research project idea can increase engagement, encourage students to want to learn more, and in turn provide more opportunities for success. You can find additional ways to engage students in this post . 

Meanwhile, for even more student engagement strategies, drop your name and email below. I will send my Student Engagement Guide packed with 20 strategies that you can implement today straight to your inbox!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

1000+ FREE Research Topics & Title Ideas

If you’re at the start of your research journey and are trying to figure out which research topic you want to focus on, you’ve come to the right place. Select your area of interest below to view a comprehensive collection of potential research ideas.

Research Topic FAQs

What (exactly) is a research topic.

A research topic is the subject of a research project or study – for example, a dissertation or thesis. A research topic typically takes the form of a problem to be solved, or a question to be answered.

A good research topic should be specific enough to allow for focused research and analysis. For example, if you are interested in studying the effects of climate change on agriculture, your research topic could focus on how rising temperatures have impacted crop yields in certain regions over time.

To learn more about the basics of developing a research topic, consider our free research topic ideation webinar.

What constitutes a good research topic?

A strong research topic comprises three important qualities : originality, value and feasibility.

• Originality – a good topic explores an original area or takes a novel angle on an existing area of study.
• Value – a strong research topic provides value and makes a contribution, either academically or practically.
• Feasibility – a good research topic needs to be practical and manageable, given the resource constraints you face.

To learn more about what makes for a high-quality research topic, check out this post .

What's the difference between a research topic and research problem?

A research topic and a research problem are two distinct concepts that are often confused. A research topic is a broader label that indicates the focus of the study , while a research problem is an issue or gap in knowledge within the broader field that needs to be addressed.

To illustrate this distinction, consider a student who has chosen “teenage pregnancy in the United Kingdom” as their research topic. This research topic could encompass any number of issues related to teenage pregnancy such as causes, prevention strategies, health outcomes for mothers and babies, etc.

Within this broad category (the research topic) lies potential areas of inquiry that can be explored further – these become the research problems . For example:

• What factors contribute to higher rates of teenage pregnancy in certain communities?
• How do different types of parenting styles affect teen pregnancy rates?
• What interventions have been successful in reducing teenage pregnancies?

Simply put, a key difference between a research topic and a research problem is scope ; the research topic provides an umbrella under which multiple questions can be asked, while the research problem focuses on one specific question or set of questions within that larger context.

How can I find potential research topics for my project?

There are many steps involved in the process of finding and choosing a high-quality research topic for a dissertation or thesis. We cover these steps in detail in this video (also accessible below).

How can I find quality sources for my research topic?

Finding quality sources is an essential step in the topic ideation process. To do this, you should start by researching scholarly journals, books, and other academic publications related to your topic. These sources can provide reliable information on a wide range of topics. Additionally, they may contain data or statistics that can help support your argument or conclusions.

Identifying Relevant Sources

When searching for relevant sources, it’s important to look beyond just published material; try using online databases such as Google Scholar or JSTOR to find articles from reputable journals that have been peer-reviewed by experts in the field.

You can also use search engines like Google or Bing to locate websites with useful information about your topic. However, be sure to evaluate any website before citing it as a source—look for evidence of authorship (such as an “About Us” page) and make sure the content is up-to-date and accurate before relying on it.

Evaluating Sources

Once you’ve identified potential sources for your research project, take some time to evaluate them thoroughly before deciding which ones will best serve your purpose. Consider factors such as author credibility (are they an expert in their field?), publication date (is the source current?), objectivity (does the author present both sides of an issue?) and relevance (how closely does this source relate to my specific topic?).

By researching the current literature on your topic, you can identify potential sources that will help to provide quality information. Once you’ve identified these sources, it’s time to look for a gap in the research and determine what new knowledge could be gained from further study.

How can I find a good research gap?

Finding a strong gap in the literature is an essential step when looking for potential research topics. We explain what research gaps are and how to find them in this post.

How should I evaluate potential research topics/ideas?

When evaluating potential research topics, it is important to consider the factors that make for a strong topic (we discussed these earlier). Specifically:

• Originality
• Feasibility

So, when you have a list of potential topics or ideas, assess each of them in terms of these three criteria. A good topic should take a unique angle, provide value (either to academia or practitioners), and be practical enough for you to pull off, given your limited resources.

Finally, you should also assess whether this project could lead to potential career opportunities such as internships or job offers down the line. Make sure that you are researching something that is relevant enough so that it can benefit your professional development in some way. Additionally, consider how each research topic aligns with your career goals and interests; researching something that you are passionate about can help keep motivation high throughout the process.

How can I assess the feasibility of a research topic?

When evaluating the feasibility and practicality of a research topic, it is important to consider several factors.

First, you should assess whether or not the research topic is within your area of competence. Of course, when you start out, you are not expected to be the world’s leading expert, but do should at least have some foundational knowledge.

Time commitment

When considering a research topic, you should think about how much time will be required for completion. Depending on your field of study, some topics may require more time than others due to their complexity or scope.

Additionally, if you plan on collaborating with other researchers or institutions in order to complete your project, additional considerations must be taken into account such as coordinating schedules and ensuring that all parties involved have adequate resources available.

Resources needed

It’s also critically important to consider what type of resources are necessary in order to conduct the research successfully. This includes physical materials such as lab equipment and chemicals but can also include intangible items like access to certain databases or software programs which may be necessary depending on the nature of your work. Additionally, if there are costs associated with obtaining these materials then this must also be factored into your evaluation process.

Potential risks

It’s important to consider the inherent potential risks for each potential research topic. These can include ethical risks (challenges getting ethical approval), data risks (not being able to access the data you’ll need), technical risks relating to the equipment you’ll use and funding risks (not securing the necessary financial back to undertake the research).

If you’re looking for more information about how to find, evaluate and select research topics for your dissertation or thesis, check out our free webinar here . Alternatively, if you’d like 1:1 help with the topic ideation process, consider our private coaching services .

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

• Request new password
• Create a new account

The Essential Guide to Doing Your Research Project

Student resources.

Examples of Student Research Projects

• STEM Ambassadors
• School trusts
• ITE and governors
• Invest in schools
• STEM careers inspiration
• Benefits and impact
• Our supporters
• Become a STEM Ambassador
• Request a STEM Ambassador
• Employer information
• Training and support
• STEM Ambassadors Partners
• Working with community groups
• Search icon
• Join the STEM Community

Learning Projects: Year 5 and 6

This collection of Learning Projects have been created as a result of the nationwide shut down of schools due to the Covid 19 outbreak across the UK. They are designed as projects based on themes, but linked to the curriculum areas that your child would be learning about at school. They aim to provide a broad and balanced learning experience for your child based on a combination of offline and online learning. Themes are designed to be followed in order, but can also be used out of sequence if you would prefer. The same themes are available for all ages of children within a primary school, so families can learn using the same theme at the same time. 

These projects have been created by teachers from The Robin Hood MAT, with the STEM activities developed by STEM Learning.

PDF versions of these documents can be found below,  but if you would like access to editable Word versions then please visit the  Robin Hood MAT website .

Show health and safety information

Please be aware that resources have been published on the website in the form that they were originally supplied. This means that procedures reflect general practice and standards applicable at the time resources were produced and cannot be assumed to be acceptable today. Website users are fully responsible for ensuring that any activity, including practical work, which they carry out is in accordance with current regulations related to health and safety and that an appropriate risk assessment has been carried out.

Show downloads

Share this resource, did you like this resource.

Five KS2 projects to start with your class after SATS

FIND FREE LEARNING RESOURCES HERE

Once SATS are done and dusted, we know that striking that elusive balance of ‘fun’ and ‘focus’ in the classroom is no easy feat for a Year 6 teacher, especially with a timetable peppered with production rehearsals, sports events and transition days.

If you’re looking for a project to maintain pupils’ interest that can be taught flexibly around all those end-of-year commitments, you’re in the right place.

Below are 5 digital literacy projects aimed at Key Stage 2 that inspire super writing and culminate in the production of a short film (the perfect addition to any leavers’ assembly!). Each project contains structured lesson plans, IWB slides and video resources – downloadable at the click of a button .

1.  Pupil Prime Minister (10 lesson project): What better time to inspire the next generation of leaders? Pupil Prime Minister challenges children to form their own political parties, create manifestos, draft speeches and produce their own public broadcasts. The resource has been created alongside former Defence Minister Peter Kilfoyle. Find out more about his motivation for getting involved here .

2.  Plastic Times (15 lesson project): Plastic Times is an eye-opening environmental project, supported by CNN and Surfdome, that enables children to explore the significant issue of plastic pollution by producing a news report to highlight the damage caused to oceans and wildlife.

“What began as a filmmaking project, developed far beyond our expectations,” says teacher Laura Venn.’ Find out more about Laura’s experience of the Plastic Times  here .

3.  Film School (15 lesson project): What better way for pupils to celebrate their time at primary school than to write, direct and produce a video prospectus promoting their school to the world? Film School is a 15-hour project that provides all the resources pupils need to do just that

Watch the Sheriffhales School prospectus for a great example of what you could make.

4.  Movie Trailers (5 lesson project):  “Best week of my career!” said Year 5 teacher Carla Reeves, after her pupils filmed and watched their own Mythical Movie trailers.

Our shortest projects offer an ideal introduction to filmmaking, allowing you to choose from several possible trailer types – from historical narratives to Frightful Films. Read more about Carla’s filmmaking experience here .

5.  Action Adventure Movies (35 lesson project): For a lengthier project that your class can really get their teeth into, the action and adventure resources encompasses 6 genres of writing, resulting in a thrilling class movie like no other.

“The class fell in love with the project from day one,” says teacher Tom Keene, “The huge smiles across their faces as they watched themselves back were a joy to behold. This is what teaching is all about.”

For instant access to all our digital literacy projects (over 400 hours of KS1 and KS2 literacy plans, IWB resources and stimulus videos spanning every writing genre) access full membership here.

Top 4 resources for remote literacy...

Darker themes and young readers, 5 steps to build a reading culture, our partners.

Find out why teachers and school leaders love PlanBee

• 📚 Cross-Curricular Topics
• ✂️ Design & Technology
• ♻️ Education for Social Responsibility
• 🌍 Geography
• ⛪️ Religious Education
• 🎉 Special Days
• 🦸‍♀️ Special People
• 🏫 Whole School CURRICULUM PACKS
• Vision and Principles
• Our Curriculum Offer
• Whole School Curriculum Packs
• Become a Whole School Member
• FREE Schemes of Work
• Sample Packs
• Learn at Home
• Objective Checker
• How does it work?
• Special Offers
• BECOME A MEMBER 🧡

Year 6 Topics

Year 6 topics are created with teachers in mind, and provide time-saving, enjoyable cross-curricular learning experiences that can be delivered over half a term or longer. Every topic includes detailed lesson planning, slides, printable PDF resources and a range of exciting and varied creative learning activities.

The World at War Y5/6 Topic

This World War Two KS2 cross-curricular topic for Year 5 or Year 6 is the perfect way to teach your class about the global events and significance ...

Ancient Greece Topic

This fun and engaging KS2 Ancient Greece Topic for Year 5 and Year 6 will take your class back to one of the most fascinating civilisations in hist...

Extreme Earth Topic

Introduce your class to the wilder side of the world with this ready-to-teach natural disasters topic for Year 5 and Year 6! Download a series of e...

Victorians Topic

This Victorians KS2 topic will introduce your class to one of the most important and fascinating periods in British History. Covering various aspec...

Titanic Topic

This Titanic planning pack for KS2 children investigates and explores the famous Titanic through a variety of curriculum areas, including History, ...

Space Topic

This creative cross-curricular Space KS2 topic has lessons across a variety of subject areas, and provides a wealth of learning opportunities as yo...

Mountains Topic

Explore some of the highest and most famous mountains in the world with this cross-curricular 'Mountains' scheme of work for KS2 Year 5 and 6, cont...

The Aztecs Topic

The Aztecs KS2 planning pack from PlanBee provides a wealth of lesson planning that's completely ready for you to download and teach to help immers...

Vikings Topic Bundle

Download this Vikings KS2 Topic Bundle to help you deliver informative, engaging and creative Vikings lessons to your Year 5 or Year 6 class! Conta...

Early Islamic Civilisation Topic

This KS2 early Islamic civilisation topic has everything you need to explore one of the most incredible and advanced civilisations the world has ev...

Amazing Africa Topic Bundle

If you're planning to teach 'Africa' as a cross-curricular topic, why not download this Amazing Africa Topic Bundle to help you out? It contains co...

China Topic Bundle

If you're teaching a China topic, why not download this China Topic Bundle for KS2, containing four complete PlanBee schemes of work? Perfect as th...

Me, Myself and I Topic Bundle

If you're planning a cross-curricular topic on children's individuality and uniqueness, why not use this great 'Me, Myself and I Topic Bundle' for ...

Brilliant Britain Topic Bundle

Help put the 'great' into Great Britain in your classroom with this topic bundle for upper KS2. With four complete schemes of work (one each for Sc...

• Best selling
• Alphabetically, A-Z
• Alphabetically, Z-A
• Price, low to high
• Price, high to low
• Date, old to new
• Date, new to old

Added to your cart:

What's Your Email?

Liquid error (snippets/flits_custom_snippet line 48): Array 'customer.orders' is not paginateable.

Let customers speak for us

I’d been looking for a map with cities and mountains of the UK and, not only was this one perfect but I also got it free!

We're so pleased to hear that you found this FreeBee useful, Katy!

FREE Mini-Scheme: Ocean Animals

Thanks, Jo!

Love PlanBee. Amazing site and very useful resources available. Will definitely recommend to others.

Thank you for your comments, Mrs Lampard! We are a small team of five ex-teachers, so we really appreciate your feedback :-)

Super content matched to our school’s knowledge progression maps. I liked the embedded videos and QR code opportunities to view sources independently on tablets. I think the choice to buy individual lessons could be made clearer on the website. I liked the option to only buy the history content. The planning considered requirements of the NC eg thinking like historians and handling sources. Great unit of work. Thank you!

Hi Elaine, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review - we're so pleased to hear that you like our resources. We are just a small team of five ex-teachers, so we really appreciate your feedback :-)

Attractive , good quality resources.

Thanks, Kate!

Ohio State navigation bar

• BuckeyeLink
• Find People
• Search Ohio State
• Search  

Ohio State nav bar

The Ohio State University

Public Health Buckeyes: Angela Falconi

BSPH student combines passions for health care, policy

Falconi has been involved in CPH research and is an active member of Ohio State's Pilipino Student Association.

Meet Angela Falconi, a fourth-year student specializing in  environmental public health who aspires to advocate for others through public health policy.

What inspired you to pursue a public health education?

Growing up, I was surrounded by both medicine and public policy because of my parents. Since I was six, my father, a politician and elected official, had me act as his unofficial campaign staff—knocking on doors with him to speak to voters, sitting in on city council meetings and accompanying him to various events. My mother, a pediatric physician, inspired me to pursue a career in medicine by showing me the impact that she’s made on her patients and always encouraging me to learn more about the health care field. When choosing my major, it felt natural to me to combine policy and health into public health.

What public health topics are you passionate about?

“Your zip code determines your health.”

This is one of the most important phrases I have learned in my public health courses, and as a volunteer at Helping Hands Health and Wellness Center, a free clinic which provides health care services for the uninsured and underinsured. I see the realities of this phrase in the patients who I work with. 

As an aspiring elected official, I want to create health care reform which helps individuals the health care system has failed to provide with affordable service.

You spent last summer in Washington, D.C. interning in the U.S. Senate. What was that experience like?

I worked (there) through the IMPACT program, created by the US-Asia Institute in coordination with the Embassy for the Philippines for Filipino students interested in public policy. Working and living in D.C. was one of the best experiences I have had in my undergraduate career because I was able to learn about and research health care policy on the national stage, which is exactly what I hope to do in my future career.

What have you enjoyed most about being involved in research as a student?

I am a research assistant for the Consumer Access Project which utilizes a secret shopper survey of Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplace plan networks to study these barriers and inequities, including disparities related to race. I have loved getting to work with  Wendy Xu as she has helped me learn more about the research process as well as how everyday Americans experience the health care system.

What kind of extracurricular activities are you involved in?

The Pilipino Student Association (PSA) has been my home away from home since the start of my time at Ohio State. It has not only allowed me to learn more about my Filipino culture, but I met my best friend through this organization. I have been involved in PSA in numerous roles: culture night coordinator, vice-president internal, president and now dance leader. 

As dance leader, I lead PSA’s tinikling team. Tinikling is a dance which involves two people beating, sliding, and tapping two bamboo poles on the ground while two people dance above the sticks, trying not to get caught in between them. Our latest performance from PSA’s culture show “Barrio” was in October. I choreographed, taught and performed the modern part of this dance!

What are your goals for the future?

I hope to not only assist individual patients as a physician, but I also hope to help others on the national scale by being an advocate as an elected official. I hope to apply the experiences and lessons that I have learned from my time at Ohio State into my future career in the field of health policy.

More news stories

Public Health Buckeyes: Carson Richardson

Public Health Buckeyes: Jamie O’Leary

*****      

About The Ohio State University College of Public Health

The Ohio State University College of Public Health is a leader in educating students, creating new knowledge through research, and improving the livelihoods and well-being of people in Ohio and beyond. The College's divisions include biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, and health services management and policy. It is ranked 29 th  among all colleges and programs of public health in the nation, and first in Ohio, by  U.S. News and World Report. Its specialty programs are also considered among the best in the country. The MHA program is ranked 8 th , the biostatistics specialty is ranked 22 nd , the epidemiology specialty is ranked 25 th and the health policy and management specialty is ranked 17 th .

• CEPH Report for Accreditation 2017-2024
• CPH Competencies Surveys

Faculty and Staff

• Faculty and Staff Resources
• Emergency and Safety Information

News and Communications

• News and Events
• Website Feedback

© 2024 College of Public Health            250 Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Ave.            Columbus, OH 43210            Phone: 614-292-8350            Contact Admissions             Request an alternate format of this page             Privacy Policy

• Dean's Message
• Mission, Vision and Values
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusive Excellence
• Strategic Plan
• Undergraduate Programs
• Graduate Programs
• Office of Academic Programs and Student Services
• Biostatistics
• Environmental Health Sciences
• Epidemiology
• Health Behavior and Health Promotion
• Health Services Management and Policy
• Health Outcomes and Policy Evaluation Studies
• Center for Public Health Practice
• Information Sessions
• BSPH + MPH in 5 years
• Dual/Combined Degrees
• Minors/ Specializations/ Certificates
• Bachelor of Science in Public Health
• Master of Public Health
• Master of Health Administration
• Master of Science
• Doctor of Philosophy
• Student Forms and Resources
• Minors / Specializations / Certificates
• Competencies
• Course Descriptions
• Scholarships
• Student Organizations
• Advising and Student Services
• CPH Graduate Student Handbook
• Curriculum Guides
• MPH Applied Practice Experience
• MPH Integrative Learning Experience
• MHA Administrative Residency
• CPH Undergraduate Student Handbook
• Internships and Research
• Education Abroad
• Career Development
• Public Health Career Paths
• Career Events
• Career Resources
• Employer Resources
• Dean’s Thought Leader Series
• Public Health Buckeyes
• Media Requests

Earth and Environmental Sciences

Department newsletter: 04-16-2024.

EES NEWSLETTER

WEEK OF APRIL 16, 2024

EES 5010 Geoscience Seminar - 4/19/2024

This week’s planned seminar with guest Dr. Jessica Oster (Vanderbilt) has been rescheduled for October 18, 2024. 

There is no seminar this week.

• Early registration - fall 2024: 4/8 - 4/26/24
• last day to drop a course - undergrad/grad: 4/15/24
• last day to withdraw without collegiate approval - undergrad/grad: 4/15/24
• final exam reports due - grad - 4/16/24
• single thesis deposit (5PM CST) - 4/23/24 
• close of classes: 5/3/24
• final exam week: 5/6 - 5/10/24
• Commencement: 5/9 - 5/12/24
• First Day of Summer classes - 5/13/24

End of semester gathering

Everyone - students, grad students, faculty, and staff - is invited to an end of semester celebration on Wednesday, May 1st, at 5:30PM. Please join us in 115B TH for food and drinks. We’ll have tables and chairs set up in the hallways. 

Please join in celebrating one another’s accomplishments this past academic year!

Student awards

Congratulations to PhD candidates Ryan Shanks, Joshua Laird, and Nathan Platt, who all received Karl Hirsch Memorial Grants from the Western Interior Paleontological Society. Ryan and Josh are students of Dr. Jonathan Adrain, and Nathan is a student of Dr. Christopher Brochu. Congratulations to all three!

Graduate student defenses - SPring/Summer 2024

STUDENTS AND FACULTY ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND EACH STUDENT’S PRESENTATION (FIRST 30 - 45 MINUTES)

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

PROFESSIONAL/POST-GRAD

Geologic Mapping Lab Manager - University of Idaho   - Moscow, Idaho

The Idaho Geological Survey (IGS) is looking for a motivated and enthusiastic Geoscience Manager to join our team and lead and manage the Geologic Mapping Lab.

This position oversees a staff of GIS analysts and cartographers to guarantee operations of a nationally renowned geologic mapping lab; collaborates with geologic staff on federal, state, and industry-funded research projects; advises the IGS Director on scientific and technology needs to continue IGS’s tradition of excellence in geologic mapping and digital publications; and supports the development of the next generation of geologic data products.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Broad geoscience background.

• Experience supervising staff to achieve team objectives.

• An ability to take on large, multi-faceted projects.

• Innovative problem-solving skills.

• Ability to communicate information and ideas clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing.

• Leadership qualities that motivate others.

• Ability to navigate and manage competing deadlines.

The position is housed on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, ID ( https://visitmoscowid.com ), a family friendly community that merges the progressive vibes of the university with the classic and outdoor feel of the beautiful Palouse ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse ).

For a more comprehensive list of job duties and responsibilities, please visit https://www.uidaho.edu/research/about/jobs

To apply, please visit https://uidaho.peopleadmin.com/postings/44139

Stable Isotope Laboratory Manager - The University of Kansas - Lawrence, Kansas

The W. M. Keck Paleoenvironmental and Environmental Isotope Laboratory (KPESIL) in the Department of Geology at the University of Kansas invites applications for a laboratory manager with experience in low temperature stable isotope geochemistry. The successful applicant will be responsible for the daily function of KPESIL and ensures smooth operation of the laboratory that includes two Thermofinnigan MAT 253 isotope ratio mass spectrometers and peripherals including Kiel IV carbonate device. The successful applicant will report directly to the lab director and in consultation, will responsibility and autonomy for day-to-day decisions on laboratory management, including training, supervision and scheduling of GRAs, and student hourly employees.

Field Geologist - Montana Technological University   - Butte, Montana

The successful candidate will join a team of geologists with diverse backgrounds who share a love of fieldwork and geologic mapping in Montana, a state renowned for its complicated geology with a stunning backdrop of rugged mountains, pristine river valleys, and expansive plains. The position may entail several weeks of field mapping annually, working alone or with other geologists in remote areas of Montana. The successful candidate will work with MBMG’s geologists, GIS specialists, cartographers, and laboratory technicians to produce and publish geologic maps, analytical data, and associated databases. The candidate will participate in writing proposals, managing projects, disseminating geologic information, and interacting with MBMG’s stakeholders, including the public, members of industry, and the research community. The candidate will also participate in applied projects involving geologic hazards, glacial geology, economic geology, or hydrogeology investigations. The position is based in Butte, Montana, a historic mining city that offers many exceptional recreational opportunities, festivals, and affordable housing. The position is supported by and contingent upon grant money administered by the U.S. Geological Survey’s STATEMAP program. . Visit www.mtech.edu/employment for more information and to apply. EEO/AA

Instructor in Geology - UCCS - Colorado Springs, Colorado

$50,000 Per Year - Full Time

The Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (GES) at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) invites applications for an Instructor in Geology , to begin in August 2024. Primary responsibilities include teaching geology courses for the geology minor ( https://ges.uccs.edu/academics/geology-minor ). Instruction will comprise teaching 24 credit hours per year of introductory and advanced geology courses, such as Physical Geology, Historical Geology, Paleontology, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, or other classes. Minimum of a Master’s degree in Geology or relevant geoscience field required.

We are especially interested in individuals who demonstrate excellence in teaching and have a strong commitment to in-person learning, a passion for field work and field-based teaching, knowledge of the diverse geology of the Rocky Mountain West, and skills in geological field mapping.

Applicants should submit a cover letter, a curriculum vitae that clearly details teaching experience, three references, and a concise teaching philosophy statement. Please submit materials through this link at CU Careers: https://cu.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=33237&lang=en

Position is open until filled. Applications received by April 24, 2024 will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted through email or surface mail will not be considered. Please contact search committee chair Eric Billmeyer ( [email protected] ) if you have questions.

This is a non-tenured 9-month, academic year (August - May) position, expected to be renewed annually. Starting salary is $50,000. The University of Colorado offers a comprehensive benefits package. Information on benefits programs can be found at: https://www.cu.edu/employee-services/benefits .

Fish and Wildlife Biologist - US Fish & Wildlife Service - DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR - East Orland, ME

Opening & Closing Dates: 4/9 - 4/22/2024

As a Fish and Wildlife Biologist your duties will include but are not limited to the following:

• Representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) in fish passage settlement negotiations and hearings with agency/tribal entities and industry;
• Working with agency/tribal entities and industry to design and review fish passage and other aquatic and riparian species studies;
• Working with agency/tribal entities and industry to implement adaptive management strategies;
• Coordinating with other Ecological Services field offices, Service programs, and the Regional Hydropower Coordinator on landscape-scale fish passage and recovery strategies for endangered and at-risk species (e.g., Atlantic salmon, American eel, American shad, river herring, etc.);
• Preparing, filing, and maintaining all associated license documents for the FERC administrative record in coordination with the Solicitor's Office.

Qualifications

Only experience and education obtained by 04/22/2024 will be considered.

In order to qualify for this position you must possess both the Basic Requirement and Minimum Qualification.

Basic Requirement:

• Degree in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR
• A combination of education and experience that includes courses equivalent to a major in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, PLUS appropriate experience or additional education. This combination of education and experience sufficiently demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform work in the 0401 occupational series and is comparable to completion of a full 4-year course of study with a major in an appropriate field as described previously.
• Minimum Qualification [GS-11]One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service performing work in or directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience includes (1) assisting with the preparation of written documents, participating in internal discussions, and delivering oral presentations regarding impacts of hydropower projects or other development projects on fish, wildlife, and plant resources; (2) providing technical assistance on and implementing policies and procedures specific to hydropower or other natural resource-related issues and opportunities; (3) reviewing and summarizing available scientific literature relating to aquatic organism passage at hydropower facilities, as well as methods to mitigate impacts and minimize habitat destruction; (4) supporting planning efforts with public and private groups and other agencies (federal, state, tribal, local) to achieve organizational goals; (5) coordinating with senior staff to inspect projects for compliance with organizational policies, standards, and plans, followed by recommendations to support compliance. OR
• Three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree -OR- possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with major study in or related to the work of the position to be filled (e.g., fish and/or wildlife biology, ecology, conservation science, etc.). OR
• A combination of education and experience as described in 1 and 2 above which together equals 100% of the requirement.
• Minimum Qualification [GS-12]One year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service performing work in or directly related tot he position to be filled. Qualifying experience includes (1) preparing objective and complete written documents, leading internal discussions, and delivering oral presentations regarding impacts of hydropower projects or other development projects, reviews, or investigations on fish, wildlife, and plant resources; (2) serving as a technical expert on fish/aquatic organism passage, hydropower, and other natural resource-related issues, providing assistance on related issues and opportunities, and developing guidance on proper implementation of policies and procedures; (3) providing recommendations to support aquatic organism passage at hydropower facilities, mitigate impacts, and minimize habitat destruction; (4) participating in diverse, complex, and multi-disciplinary planning efforts with public and private groups, and agencies (federal, state, tribal, local) to achieve organizational goals; (5) inspecting projects for compliance with policies, standard, and plans, and providing recommendations to ensure compliance.

Required Documents

• college transcripts
• cover letter

agency contact information

human resources staffind division - [email protected]

INTERNSHIP, RESEARCH, SCHOLARSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, & GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

Fully Funded Summer Field Camp Opportunity - Univ of Texas, Permian Basin - Odessa, Texas

Few spots are still available in the Advanced Field Geology Course at UT-Permian Basin. Come join us as we study the fascinating world-class geology of the western United States. The course includes field lessons in the following locations: Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands National Monument, Petrified Forest National Park, Meteor Crater Natural Landmark, Grand Canyon, Carrizozo Valley of Fires (volcanic lava flows), and the Arches of Utah. Best of all, Texas students’ tuition and fees are fully covered through a scholarship. We will leave May 13th and come back June 2nd. Contact Dr. Mohamed Zobaa ( [email protected] ) to sign up or for more information. 

Promotional Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzuQ-w-NfA8

Graduate Research Assistantships in Urban Hydrology - Marquette University Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Closing date: May 11, 2024

Dr. Walter McDonald in the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at Marquette University is seeking Masters or PhD students for two graduate research assistantship positions.

Position 1: Evaluating PFAS in stormwater systems. The goal of this project is to evaluate the extent of PFAS in stormwater systems using stormwater monitoring methods. This student will be tasked with developing a monitoring program to evaluate the presence of PFAS in different stormwater systems in Wisconsin. Preference will be given to candidates with background in urban stormwater management and or environmental engineering.

Position 2: Monitoring green stormwater infrastructure. The goal of this project is to monitor the pollutant mitigation of newly installed green infrastructure practices to treat stormwater runoff from a highway overpass. The student will be responsible for installing and maintaining monitoring equipment, collecting stormwater runoff samples, testing those samples in the lab, and developing reports. 

We are seeking highly motivated individuals with the ability to work across disciplinary boundaries. In addition to the desired project-specific qualifications, the successful candidates will have a Bachelors or Masters degree in civil and environmental engineering or other related field, and excellent written and oral communication skills.

The positions have an anticipated start date of Summer or Fall of 2024 or Spring 2025. Interested candidates should send a statement of interest and a resume to Dr. Walter McDonald ( [email protected] ), as well as complete a graduate school application at  http://www.marquette.edu/grad/future-apply.php/ .

MSc studentship - BETY Lab - Winnipeg (City), Manitoba

Closing date: May 8, 2024

The recently funded NSERC Discovery Grant proposal entitled OCEANic organic carbon dynamicS IN the PhanerozoiC (OCEAN SINC) is a multi-year hypothesis-driven approach to understanding ancient oceans and Earth system processes and feedback to climate and environmental change. Our lack of comprehension of how oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) interacts with the atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere severely limits our understanding of how oceans influence climate and environments at timescales of 100’s to 10,000’s of years. Furthermore, our poor grasp of paleo-DOC dynamics makes it difficult to forecast how carbon cycle dynamics will change at civilizational timescales.

Dr. Ricardo L Silva from the University of Manitoba and Dr. Jamie Wilson from the University of Liverpool (UK) are searching for a highly motivated MSc student to conduct a research study on oceanic organic carbon dynamics during several Mesozoic carbon cycle perturbations. The successful MSc student will work on problems related to the processing of oceanic organic carbon and DOC in oceans and assess global paleoenvironmental constraints on regional to global oceanographic processes.

The successful candidate has a 4-year Bachelor's degree in Geology, Earth Sciences, or Oceanography (or equivalent experience) and a solid background in sedimentology and paleoceanography. Experience with Earth system modelling (or awareness of its uses in a paleoceanographic context) and an Honours thesis on these topics is an asset. The successful candidate should have a GPA > 3.0 out of 4.5 (University of Manitoba scale). The position is fully funded via an NSERC Discovery Grant awarded to Dr Silva, and the student will integrate the BETY Lab of the PaleoSed+ Research Group at the Department of Earth Sciences, Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources, University of Manitoba.

Duties and responsibilities

Fieldwork, laboratory work, data analysis, thesis writing, course work, and dissemination (conference participation).

Skills and benefits

The student will be trained in sedimentology and computational Earth system modelling, and the mix between these two components will be flexible and dependent on the successful candidate's skills. The student will also gain experience in project management, report and manuscript preparation, and oral presentation. Graduates from this program are trained for careers in industry, government, or further academic studies.

To apply, please send a CV and a letter outlining your interest in this position to Dr. Ricardo L. Silva at [email protected] . Applications will be reviewed starting May 1st and will continue until the position is filled.

For more information:  https://umanitoba.ca/environment-earth-resources/earth-sciences/graduate-programs-earth-sciences

UPCOMING EVENTS

CAMPUS EVENTS

UNIVERISTY OF IOWA EARTH MONTH EVENTS

April is Earth Month. Discover an exciting lineup of activities on the  UI Earth Month Hub ! From nature hikes and litter cleanups to clothing swaps and sustainability lectures, there's something for everyone to celebrate Earth Month.

• Join EES in Trowbridge Hall on Saturday, April 20th, from 1 - 4PM for our Earth Day Open House!

WORKSHOPS/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

4TH ANNUAL RESILIENT SUPPLY OF CRITICAL MINERALS WORKSHOP - AUGUST 7 - 8, 2024, MISSOURI S&T

Missouri S&T is excited to host the fourth annual workshop on “Resilient Supply of Critical Minerals.” The workshop series brings together interdisciplinary stakeholders from academia, industry, and government. Our goal is to provide a long-term collaborative platform to help implement action and disseminate research on critical minerals.

Registration opens April 2024

2024 Topical Sessions including: 

• The Critical Mineral Potential of the US: Evaluation of existing and exploration for new resources
• Critical Minerals Workforce Development: How to grow the US critical minerals workforce
• Mineral Processing & Recycling: Maximizing critical mineral recovery from existing production streams
• Policy & Supply Chain Economics: Reshoring critical mineral production

Workshop sponsor: National Science Foundation

Iowa Groundwater Association Spring Meeting - APRIL 30TH - INDIAN CREEK NATURE CENTER – CEDAR RAPIDS

Click  here to view calendar event, full agenda, and to register

Registration Opens March 5 at 6AM

When: April 30, 2024 8:00am - 5:00pm

Where: Indian Creek Nature Center - 5300 Otis Rd SE - Cedar Rapids, IA 52403

Topics: Drought, Groundwater Levels, and Groundwater Contamination

CEUs for Well Contractors, Water Operators, and Groundwater Professionals will be offered, amount is TBD and will be updated ASAP.

iowa project aware - 21st annual volunteer river cleanup - skunk river - july 7 - 12, 2024

• Volunteer to clean up a river for a day, the whole week, or anywhere in between
• Navigate down a river up to 20 miles a day, loading trash into your canoe as you paddle
• Daily registration fees include catered meals, canoes, and paddles
• Tent camping areas provided each night of the journey

Register online: www.iowaprojectaware.org

Pre-sale deadline: April 15 - $50/day

Early bird deadline: May 15 - $55/day

Regular deadline: June 15 - $65/day

Late deadline: after June 15 - $75/day

Space may be limited, early registration is recommended

For more information, visit www.iowaprojectaware.org , or contact Charlie at [email protected]

WANT TO SHARE SOMETHING IN THE WEEKLY EES NEWSLETTER?

The EES Department newsletter is published every Tuesday during the academic year, outside of semester breaks. If you would like to add an event, club meeting, or other item of interest, please submit an email to [email protected] , with the subject heading "Newsletter Item," on Fridays by noon, and your submission will be added to the following Tuesday's newsletter. 

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

• Publications
• Our Methods
• Short Reads
• Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

What the data says about abortion in the U.S.

Pew Research Center has conducted many surveys about abortion over the years, providing a lens into Americans’ views on whether the procedure should be legal, among a host of other questions.

In a  Center survey  conducted nearly a year after the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision that  ended the constitutional right to abortion , 62% of U.S. adults said the practice should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% said it should be illegal in all or most cases. Another survey conducted a few months before the decision showed that relatively few Americans take an absolutist view on the issue .

Find answers to common questions about abortion in America, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, which have tracked these patterns for several decades:

How many abortions are there in the U.S. each year?

How has the number of abortions in the u.s. changed over time, what is the abortion rate among women in the u.s. how has it changed over time, what are the most common types of abortion, how many abortion providers are there in the u.s., and how has that number changed, what percentage of abortions are for women who live in a different state from the abortion provider, what are the demographics of women who have had abortions, when during pregnancy do most abortions occur, how often are there medical complications from abortion.

This compilation of data on abortion in the United States draws mainly from two sources: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, both of which have regularly compiled national abortion data for approximately half a century, and which collect their data in different ways.

The CDC data that is highlighted in this post comes from the agency’s “abortion surveillance” reports, which have been published annually since 1974 (and which have included data from 1969). Its figures from 1973 through 1996 include data from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and New York City – 52 “reporting areas” in all. Since 1997, the CDC’s totals have lacked data from some states (most notably California) for the years that those states did not report data to the agency. The four reporting areas that did not submit data to the CDC in 2021 – California, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey – accounted for approximately 25% of all legal induced abortions in the U.S. in 2020, according to Guttmacher’s data. Most states, though,  do  have data in the reports, and the figures for the vast majority of them came from each state’s central health agency, while for some states, the figures came from hospitals and other medical facilities.

Discussion of CDC abortion data involving women’s state of residence, marital status, race, ethnicity, age, abortion history and the number of previous live births excludes the low share of abortions where that information was not supplied. Read the methodology for the CDC’s latest abortion surveillance report , which includes data from 2021, for more details. Previous reports can be found at  stacks.cdc.gov  by entering “abortion surveillance” into the search box.

For the numbers of deaths caused by induced abortions in 1963 and 1965, this analysis looks at reports by the then-U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, a precursor to the Department of Health and Human Services. In computing those figures, we excluded abortions listed in the report under the categories “spontaneous or unspecified” or as “other.” (“Spontaneous abortion” is another way of referring to miscarriages.)

Guttmacher data in this post comes from national surveys of abortion providers that Guttmacher has conducted 19 times since 1973. Guttmacher compiles its figures after contacting every known provider of abortions – clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices – in the country. It uses questionnaires and health department data, and it provides estimates for abortion providers that don’t respond to its inquiries. (In 2020, the last year for which it has released data on the number of abortions in the U.S., it used estimates for 12% of abortions.) For most of the 2000s, Guttmacher has conducted these national surveys every three years, each time getting abortion data for the prior two years. For each interim year, Guttmacher has calculated estimates based on trends from its own figures and from other data.

The latest full summary of Guttmacher data came in the institute’s report titled “Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2020.” It includes figures for 2020 and 2019 and estimates for 2018. The report includes a methods section.

In addition, this post uses data from StatPearls, an online health care resource, on complications from abortion.

An exact answer is hard to come by. The CDC and the Guttmacher Institute have each tried to measure this for around half a century, but they use different methods and publish different figures.

The last year for which the CDC reported a yearly national total for abortions is 2021. It found there were 625,978 abortions in the District of Columbia and the 46 states with available data that year, up from 597,355 in those states and D.C. in 2020. The corresponding figure for 2019 was 607,720.

The last year for which Guttmacher reported a yearly national total was 2020. It said there were 930,160 abortions that year in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, compared with 916,460 in 2019.

• How the CDC gets its data: It compiles figures that are voluntarily reported by states’ central health agencies, including separate figures for New York City and the District of Columbia. Its latest totals do not include figures from California, Maryland, New Hampshire or New Jersey, which did not report data to the CDC. ( Read the methodology from the latest CDC report .)
• How Guttmacher gets its data: It compiles its figures after contacting every known abortion provider – clinics, hospitals and physicians’ offices – in the country. It uses questionnaires and health department data, then provides estimates for abortion providers that don’t respond. Guttmacher’s figures are higher than the CDC’s in part because they include data (and in some instances, estimates) from all 50 states. ( Read the institute’s latest full report and methodology .)

While the Guttmacher Institute supports abortion rights, its empirical data on abortions in the U.S. has been widely cited by  groups  and  publications  across the political spectrum, including by a  number of those  that  disagree with its positions .

These estimates from Guttmacher and the CDC are results of multiyear efforts to collect data on abortion across the U.S. Last year, Guttmacher also began publishing less precise estimates every few months , based on a much smaller sample of providers.

The figures reported by these organizations include only legal induced abortions conducted by clinics, hospitals or physicians’ offices, or those that make use of abortion pills dispensed from certified facilities such as clinics or physicians’ offices. They do not account for the use of abortion pills that were obtained  outside of clinical settings .

(Back to top)

The annual number of U.S. abortions rose for years after Roe v. Wade legalized the procedure in 1973, reaching its highest levels around the late 1980s and early 1990s, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher. Since then, abortions have generally decreased at what a CDC analysis called  “a slow yet steady pace.”

Guttmacher says the number of abortions occurring in the U.S. in 2020 was 40% lower than it was in 1991. According to the CDC, the number was 36% lower in 2021 than in 1991, looking just at the District of Columbia and the 46 states that reported both of those years.

(The corresponding line graph shows the long-term trend in the number of legal abortions reported by both organizations. To allow for consistent comparisons over time, the CDC figures in the chart have been adjusted to ensure that the same states are counted from one year to the next. Using that approach, the CDC figure for 2021 is 622,108 legal abortions.)

There have been occasional breaks in this long-term pattern of decline – during the middle of the first decade of the 2000s, and then again in the late 2010s. The CDC reported modest 1% and 2% increases in abortions in 2018 and 2019, and then, after a 2% decrease in 2020, a 5% increase in 2021. Guttmacher reported an 8% increase over the three-year period from 2017 to 2020.

As noted above, these figures do not include abortions that use pills obtained outside of clinical settings.

Guttmacher says that in 2020 there were 14.4 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Its data shows that the rate of abortions among women has generally been declining in the U.S. since 1981, when it reported there were 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women in that age range.

The CDC says that in 2021, there were 11.6 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. (That figure excludes data from California, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey.) Like Guttmacher’s data, the CDC’s figures also suggest a general decline in the abortion rate over time. In 1980, when the CDC reported on all 50 states and D.C., it said there were 25 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

That said, both Guttmacher and the CDC say there were slight increases in the rate of abortions during the late 2010s and early 2020s. Guttmacher says the abortion rate per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 rose from 13.5 in 2017 to 14.4 in 2020. The CDC says it rose from 11.2 per 1,000 in 2017 to 11.4 in 2019, before falling back to 11.1 in 2020 and then rising again to 11.6 in 2021. (The CDC’s figures for those years exclude data from California, D.C., Maryland, New Hampshire and New Jersey.)

The CDC broadly divides abortions into two categories: surgical abortions and medication abortions, which involve pills. Since the Food and Drug Administration first approved abortion pills in 2000, their use has increased over time as a share of abortions nationally, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher.

The majority of abortions in the U.S. now involve pills, according to both the CDC and Guttmacher. The CDC says 56% of U.S. abortions in 2021 involved pills, up from 53% in 2020 and 44% in 2019. Its figures for 2021 include the District of Columbia and 44 states that provided this data; its figures for 2020 include D.C. and 44 states (though not all of the same states as in 2021), and its figures for 2019 include D.C. and 45 states.

Guttmacher, which measures this every three years, says 53% of U.S. abortions involved pills in 2020, up from 39% in 2017.

Two pills commonly used together for medication abortions are mifepristone, which, taken first, blocks hormones that support a pregnancy, and misoprostol, which then causes the uterus to empty. According to the FDA, medication abortions are safe  until 10 weeks into pregnancy.

Surgical abortions conducted  during the first trimester  of pregnancy typically use a suction process, while the relatively few surgical abortions that occur  during the second trimester  of a pregnancy typically use a process called dilation and evacuation, according to the UCLA School of Medicine.

In 2020, there were 1,603 facilities in the U.S. that provided abortions,  according to Guttmacher . This included 807 clinics, 530 hospitals and 266 physicians’ offices.

While clinics make up half of the facilities that provide abortions, they are the sites where the vast majority (96%) of abortions are administered, either through procedures or the distribution of pills, according to Guttmacher’s 2020 data. (This includes 54% of abortions that are administered at specialized abortion clinics and 43% at nonspecialized clinics.) Hospitals made up 33% of the facilities that provided abortions in 2020 but accounted for only 3% of abortions that year, while just 1% of abortions were conducted by physicians’ offices.

Looking just at clinics – that is, the total number of specialized abortion clinics and nonspecialized clinics in the U.S. – Guttmacher found the total virtually unchanged between 2017 (808 clinics) and 2020 (807 clinics). However, there were regional differences. In the Midwest, the number of clinics that provide abortions increased by 11% during those years, and in the West by 6%. The number of clinics  decreased  during those years by 9% in the Northeast and 3% in the South.

The total number of abortion providers has declined dramatically since the 1980s. In 1982, according to Guttmacher, there were 2,908 facilities providing abortions in the U.S., including 789 clinics, 1,405 hospitals and 714 physicians’ offices.

The CDC does not track the number of abortion providers.

In the District of Columbia and the 46 states that provided abortion and residency information to the CDC in 2021, 10.9% of all abortions were performed on women known to live outside the state where the abortion occurred – slightly higher than the percentage in 2020 (9.7%). That year, D.C. and 46 states (though not the same ones as in 2021) reported abortion and residency data. (The total number of abortions used in these calculations included figures for women with both known and unknown residential status.)

The share of reported abortions performed on women outside their state of residence was much higher before the 1973 Roe decision that stopped states from banning abortion. In 1972, 41% of all abortions in D.C. and the 20 states that provided this information to the CDC that year were performed on women outside their state of residence. In 1973, the corresponding figure was 21% in the District of Columbia and the 41 states that provided this information, and in 1974 it was 11% in D.C. and the 43 states that provided data.

In the District of Columbia and the 46 states that reported age data to  the CDC in 2021, the majority of women who had abortions (57%) were in their 20s, while about three-in-ten (31%) were in their 30s. Teens ages 13 to 19 accounted for 8% of those who had abortions, while women ages 40 to 44 accounted for about 4%.

The vast majority of women who had abortions in 2021 were unmarried (87%), while married women accounted for 13%, according to  the CDC , which had data on this from 37 states.

In the District of Columbia, New York City (but not the rest of New York) and the 31 states that reported racial and ethnic data on abortion to  the CDC , 42% of all women who had abortions in 2021 were non-Hispanic Black, while 30% were non-Hispanic White, 22% were Hispanic and 6% were of other races.

Looking at abortion rates among those ages 15 to 44, there were 28.6 abortions per 1,000 non-Hispanic Black women in 2021; 12.3 abortions per 1,000 Hispanic women; 6.4 abortions per 1,000 non-Hispanic White women; and 9.2 abortions per 1,000 women of other races, the  CDC reported  from those same 31 states, D.C. and New York City.

For 57% of U.S. women who had induced abortions in 2021, it was the first time they had ever had one,  according to the CDC.  For nearly a quarter (24%), it was their second abortion. For 11% of women who had an abortion that year, it was their third, and for 8% it was their fourth or more. These CDC figures include data from 41 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

Nearly four-in-ten women who had abortions in 2021 (39%) had no previous live births at the time they had an abortion,  according to the CDC . Almost a quarter (24%) of women who had abortions in 2021 had one previous live birth, 20% had two previous live births, 10% had three, and 7% had four or more previous live births. These CDC figures include data from 41 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

The vast majority of abortions occur during the first trimester of a pregnancy. In 2021, 93% of abortions occurred during the first trimester – that is, at or before 13 weeks of gestation,  according to the CDC . An additional 6% occurred between 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy, and about 1% were performed at 21 weeks or more of gestation. These CDC figures include data from 40 states and New York City, but not the rest of New York.

About 2% of all abortions in the U.S. involve some type of complication for the woman , according to an article in StatPearls, an online health care resource. “Most complications are considered minor such as pain, bleeding, infection and post-anesthesia complications,” according to the article.

The CDC calculates  case-fatality rates for women from induced abortions – that is, how many women die from abortion-related complications, for every 100,000 legal abortions that occur in the U.S .  The rate was lowest during the most recent period examined by the agency (2013 to 2020), when there were 0.45 deaths to women per 100,000 legal induced abortions. The case-fatality rate reported by the CDC was highest during the first period examined by the agency (1973 to 1977), when it was 2.09 deaths to women per 100,000 legal induced abortions. During the five-year periods in between, the figure ranged from 0.52 (from 1993 to 1997) to 0.78 (from 1978 to 1982).

The CDC calculates death rates by five-year and seven-year periods because of year-to-year fluctuation in the numbers and due to the relatively low number of women who die from legal induced abortions.

In 2020, the last year for which the CDC has information , six women in the U.S. died due to complications from induced abortions. Four women died in this way in 2019, two in 2018, and three in 2017. (These deaths all followed legal abortions.) Since 1990, the annual number of deaths among women due to legal induced abortion has ranged from two to 12.

The annual number of reported deaths from induced abortions (legal and illegal) tended to be higher in the 1980s, when it ranged from nine to 16, and from 1972 to 1979, when it ranged from 13 to 63. One driver of the decline was the drop in deaths from illegal abortions. There were 39 deaths from illegal abortions in 1972, the last full year before Roe v. Wade. The total fell to 19 in 1973 and to single digits or zero every year after that. (The number of deaths from legal abortions has also declined since then, though with some slight variation over time.)

The number of deaths from induced abortions was considerably higher in the 1960s than afterward. For instance, there were 119 deaths from induced abortions in  1963  and 99 in  1965 , according to reports by the then-U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, a precursor to the Department of Health and Human Services. The CDC is a division of Health and Human Services.

Note: This is an update of a post originally published May 27, 2022, and first updated June 24, 2022.

Support for legal abortion is widespread in many countries, especially in Europe

Nearly a year after roe’s demise, americans’ views of abortion access increasingly vary by where they live, by more than two-to-one, americans say medication abortion should be legal in their state, most latinos say democrats care about them and work hard for their vote, far fewer say so of gop, positive views of supreme court decline sharply following abortion ruling, most popular.

1615 L St. NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 |  Media Inquiries

Research Topics

• Age & Generations
• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Economy & Work
• Family & Relationships
• Gender & LGBTQ
• Immigration & Migration
• International Affairs
• Internet & Technology
• Methodological Research
• News Habits & Media
• Non-U.S. Governments
• Other Topics
• Politics & Policy
• Race & Ethnicity
• Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER  Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of  The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

Reprints, Permissions & Use Policy