As you develop a potential thesis, apply a quick test:
SUNNy stands for:
Is your topic:
The professor who assigned the paper should be your first resource. Review any instructions and ask your professor if you have questions. Make sure that you know what the assignment is!
Some things to consider:
Taking some time to determine what your professor is interested in may help you choose a topic that your professor will connect with.
Once you've chosen a topic, do a quick review of the literature.
If you find an article that so thoroughly covers your proposed question that there is nothing left to add, your choice may have been pre-empted. Be sure to check that your question has not been pre-empted by a case or statute, too.
If you do find that another author has exhaustively covered the topic, consider a different angle on it, such as:
Your course textbook or reading material is another source for a research topic.
Look at the problems, notes, and comments before and after cases; often the editors will highlight areas for further research in that field.
This might be still-undecided questions of law or frequently controversial aspects.