Narrowing Topics

How to take your broad topic and zoom it in for a college academic essay

Start off with your broad topic

• The Sodder Children
• UFOs
• MH370
• Jack the Ripper

Zoom in using
TIME FRAME

• Anti-GMO movement in 2020
• COVID's effects in Vegan Diets
• Tipping "Essential workers"
• Ethnic Food Editors on Youtube
• Physical exercise in quarantine
• Food insecurity and remote learning

Zoom in using
LOCATION

• NJ's Anti-GMO movement in 2020
• COVID limiting Vegan foods in grocery stores
• Tipping "Essential" food delivery
• Bon Appetit Underpaying Ethnic Food Editors
• Closing gyms while keeping restaurants open has negatively affected healthy weight
• Food insecurity at home during remote learning

Zoom in using
SPECIFICS

• NJ's organic farming fails to meet food demand in 2020
• COVID limiting Vegan foods in affordable mainstream grocery stores
• Tipping "Essential" DoorDash drivers
• Bon Appetit using white editors to create ethnic foods instead of paying editors of color to do so
• Atilis gym finally can finally open
• Out of work parents lead to increasing food insecurity at home during remote learning

Repeat Zooming Until You Hit the Sweet Spot

• Limitations on available organic foods from local NJ farms means paying more to ship foods from other locations in order to avoid GMOs
• Some vegans have been forced to modify their diets during the pandemic because delivery hiccups mena their dietary needs can't be met
• DoorDash and other food delivery services have been stiffing drivers of digital tips
• Bon Appetit editors of color went on strike to raise awareness of unethical practices related to paying editors equitable wages and of editors of color being shunned while white editors make ethnic foods
• Governor Murphy finally opens gyms, including Atilis, after six months of closure, but negative impact of COVID on body weight may take longer to correct
• Without the federal government taking action soon to increase unemployment benefits, school-aged children of unemployed parents may experience severe food insecurity at home, when before they could at least get a good breakfast or lunch at school

And that's about where you should be for a paper length of  1700-2000 words (about 5-7 pages)

Yes. Really. You can write 5 to 7 pages about any one of those very narrow focal points with the right research and support to back you up.