Researching Passionately

I have found that when identifying and writing on a topic for a research paper there is a thin line that must be straddled. This line lies between a topic that you are passionate about and a topic that has ample source material to prove the thesis. The Bedford Book of Genres does a good job of explaining the importance of ample source material to back up the central point of the essay. However, I believe that it understates the importance of writing about something that moves us as humans. Innately, we write better and more persuasive essays when writing about topics that interest us and impact us in some way. When arguing for something you believe in you put more effort into convincing others to see the issue in the same light that you do. It is also made easier by the fact that if you believe in something you usually understand it and if you understand something well it is easier to argue it in a manner that is persuasive to others. The most important point of this assertion though is the fact that sometimes a certain research assignment won’t encompass something that you have been previously passionate about. This is when you must do research until you find something that you are both passionate about fits the bill for the assignment. Ultimately, I have found through previous experiences that passion for a subject is a prerequisite for high quality research into it.