Controversial Topics
A  R e s e a r c h  G u i d e

This resource guide will help you begin your research on a controversial topic
for your argumentation speech or research paper.

Selecting a Topic
Need help generating ideas for your argumentation speech or research paper? Go to NEED AN IDEA??? for suggestions.

Reference Books
Reference books are a good place to start your research. The following list of books will help you narrow down your topic, examine different viewpoints, and find statistical information.

• Opposing Viewpoints – REF H31
• Current Controversies – REF H30
• Information Plus – REF H30
• Fact on File Library in a Book – REF H31
• CQ Researcher – REF H35.E35
• Statistical Abstracts of the United States – REF HA 202.U5x

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Searching the Library Catalog
Once you have narrowed down your topic, search the library catalog for additional resources on your specific topic. Here are some search tips and strategies:

• To conduct a subject search, use the Library of Congress Subject Headings books (located near the Reference Desk) to identify the most appropriate subject headings for your search terms.
• To conduct a keyword search, put phrases in quotation marks.
• Once you find a good resource, click on the title to get the material record. You can then follow the subject links to find more resources on that subject heading.

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Searching Databases for Articles
You will find magazine, journal, and newspaper articles on your controversial topic in the following databases:

• Opposing Viewpoints : Access viewpoint essays, reference documents, statistics, magazine & newspaper articles, images, primary documents, and Web sites on your topic. This database also provides a list of controversial topics that you can browse for ideas.
• The CQ Researcher : This weekly publication provides an in-depth, non-bias analysis of the most current controversial issues of the day with topic overview, background, current situation, pro/con viewpoints, and more.
• Expanded Academic ASAP : Limit search to refereed publications to get scholarly journal articles on your controversial topic.
• Lexis-Nexis Academic : Search this database for local, national, and international news, business, legal, medical, and government information. Most articles are full-text and from 1985 to the present. *At this time, you may access this database from the campus networked computers only.

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Searching the Internet for Web Sites
The following Web sites will help you find reliable Internet resources that are of good authority for speech and research paper use.

• Librarians’ Index to the Internet - This site was developed by librarians as a reliable and efficient guide to Internet resources. The Index is a searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 14,000 Internet resources that have been selected and evaluated by librarians.
• DMOZ Open Directory Project: Society: Issues – This human-edited directory of the Web breaks the topics into sub-topics and also provides “see also” references.
• Yahoo! Issues and Causes – Access Web sites on your controversial topic with Yahoo! Search Directory (path: Directory > Society and Culture > Issues and Causes).
• Google Issues – Google also has a directory of Web sites on social issues (path: Society > Issues).
• Mamma.com - Mamma.com is a “smart” metasearch engine. Every time you type in a query, Mamma simultaneously searches a variety of engines, directories, and deep content sites, properly formats the words and syntax for each, compiles their results in a virtual database, eliminates duplicates, and displays them in a uniform manner according to relevance. It is like using multiple search engines all at the same time. Also, on the right had side of the search screen when searching popular topics, the metasearch engine refines your search and redirects you to pro/con sites.

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Web Evaluation

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages 
A quick and useful guide to help you evaluate the Web pages you find for accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage. From Jim Kapoun’s article "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction” originally published in the July/August 1998 issue of C&RL News on pages 522-523.

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Citing Your Sources

Citation Styles – A guide to citing Internet sources using the MLA, APA, and other formats. From Bedford/St. Martin’s site Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources.

Guides to Cite It! – Provides style guides for APA, MLA, Chicago, Turabian, and others. From the University of Georgia Libraries.

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(jk 4/07)