Description: For your paper, you will choose a current topic of your choice within psychology, sociology, geography, medicine, or anything related to the sciences that addresses a current issue and take a side for debate. Although you may present your opinion in the paper and must support it with sources, do NOT use first person “I” – use third person (he, she, it, they, them). You are making a case for your topic and must do so in the third person as you would in all academic writing.
Topics: In order to find enough sources, your topic needs to be one on which there is currently a great deal of study. The issues that work best are those that deal with social or ethical questions. I will need to approve all topics if you decide not to use the suggested topics below.
Examples:
You should be able to state your topic as a yes-or-no question, as in “Should X be allowed?” or “Should we ban X?” or “Is X unconstitutional?” or “Should X be funded with government money?” Any topics that cannot be stated as a yes-or-no question are probably not acceptable. Also, please note that people sometimes colloquially refer to a problem as an “issue”: identity theft, for instance, is a problem, but not a debatable issue.
Source requirements: You will need 8 sources as explained in the Research Essay Topic Proposal (see the module “Research Essay Submission” in Canvas). The sources should be viewpoint articles; in other words, the author should be taking a stand on something, not reporting the opinion of others. The sources should have some authority and not just be some random guy’s blog somewhere or an angry letter to an editor of a newspaper. Use peer-reviewed sources (reviewed by experts in the field) for this assignment. You are to use sources that make an argument (be persuasive) about the issue you have chosen.
There are some websites you can use from legitimate organizations that exist such as ACLU, NORML, or the NRA. As per the “Research Essay Topic Proposal” instructions (see the “Research Essay Submission” module in Canvas), you are to use specific types of sources from the Galveston College Library – it is important that you see the list of sources. Overall, the GC Library databases are your best place to find sources, and for free.
Length and other requirements: This paper should be 4-5 pages in length, not including the References list, which will begin on a new page. The assignment must be typed, double spaced, and must use APA citations for the quotes (Purdue Online Writing Lab – OWL - website is helpful, as is Pear Deck’s Tutor Me link in Canvas). You will need to submit your paper into the submission link in Canvas by the deadline.
Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database. Academic Search Complete has more than 5,300 full-text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 9,810 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
If you need help with basic database searching, watch the video tutorial to learn how to create a Basic Search.
Gale In Context: College offers interdisciplinary content that reinforces the development of skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation. Learners can access news content including full-text newspapers and periodicals like The Economist, The New York Times, National Geographic, Newsweek, Popular Science, Smithsonian, and more. Empower learning with hundreds of thousands of images, videos, and audio selections that include archival film clips, broadcast video, BBC News, New York Times video, and NPR.
Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is the premier online resource covering today's hottest social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana. This cross-curricular resource supports science, social studies, current events, and language arts classes. Informed, differing views help learners develop critical-thinking skills and draw their own conclusions.
Opposing Viewpoints is a rich resource for debaters and includes viewpoints, reference articles, infographics, news, images, video, audio, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more.
Opposing Viewpoints In Context is a rich resource for debaters and includes pro/con viewpoints, reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more from sources such as The New York Times, Newsweek, Foreign Policy, American Scientist, and Education Week.
Gale OneFile: Popular Magazines provides access to the most searched magazines across the OneFile products. All of the titles are selected based on actual publication searches performed by library patrons and the database includes many titles recommended by Bowker's "Magazines for Libraries."