1. You should select a familiar topic. If from the beginning you have a good knowledge about the subject then it will be manageable for you to perform further analysis and exploration on the subject.
2. The subject should be very categorical and feasible in nature. Shallow or meaningless topic won't get you an A+ research paper.
3. It is a clever idea not to select any topic which is too expansive in nature, since later on you will need to cut it down to a restricted and clear thesis statement.
4. The subject matter should be contemporary, because your task is to analyze innovative ideas or the burning research question. If you choose an outdated problem, you will barely have any chance to discover something new regarding it.
5. Your topic needs to be interesting and enlightening enough so that the readers get absorbed in it. Relate to your readers and try to consider your paper from their point of view.
6. At the moment of selecting your research paper topic you should think about the collection of facts that are essential to finish the project. Check whether there is enough information for you to complete the project. If the necessary data for the project is existent, make sure it is available at public domain.
6. If the required facts are inaccessible then you should abandon the subject at that very instant. There have been innumerable occurrences of such incidents when students have chosen an interesting and nice topic but lacked adequate data or could not access it.
7. One should choose a subject matter in which he can remain fully aloof. One should remain absolutely unbiased and adhere to the truth. It is always a wise idea to choose a research paper topic in which you can remain completely even-handed.
8. Analyze the amount of funds a subject of the research will require. Some topics will need you to spend considerable amounts of money to do the research.
9. Take into account how much time your research will take. So, the point is before selecting the research paper topic you should make sure whether you can accomplish the full project within the specified time period.
10. When you pick a topic, do not be afraid to think out of the box. There are numerous lists of possible topics available on the internet and they may trigger your creativity, however try not to use them and come up with something extraordinary which will impress your instructor.