The length of your essay determines how specific your topic must be. For instance, a topic such as "The Stuart Reign of Britain" would require several volumes of books and could not be covered adequately within a short essay. For short essays, up to five pages, concentrate your research on a single event or decision. A topic that focuses on "The Insecurities of the Early Charles I" can be well covered within the confines of a small essay. Narrow your scope as the page limit requires.
Contrasting ideals, literature or historical events provides a strong framework for you to work on your research topic. A topic about "The Works of William Blake" focuses your search on only one subject and his literary works. It gives you no context by which to judge or consider the works in question. A comparative topic such as "A Comparative Study of William Blade and William Wordsworth" allows you to compare subjects. Within you research, you can compare the common themes, methods of relating those themes and stylistic concerns of two significant authors, both within the same literary period.
Essays are written in clear sections, with information divided into specific categories. Begin thinking about the main points of your essay while you are considering your topic. Read a potential topic and try to come up with at least three strong points that you can use to develop an argument based on the topic. For instance, "The Insecurities of the Early Charles I" may inspire sections based on his childhood, relationship to his father and his new responsibilities to his kingdom. If your topic has too many specific points for you to fit into the allotted side of your essay, you must specify your topic further to fit the required page limit. Use the three-point test as a standard to determine how writable a topic is.
Creativity is an important element for writing effective research essays. Once you begin researching your topic, you should develop a sense of what other authors have said about your subject. Avoid restating other people's works by rewording your topic as needed to determine an angle for your research that is new or less developed than other perspectives.