Latest opinions from the nation's media
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1. Identify Your Topic
Identify your topic (be specific) – in most cases, you will choose a contemporary topic, one that has at least two opposing perspectives. You can find these so-called "hot topics" currently debated in the media, or even discussed within your own family or social circle.
What hot topic are you going to research?
Example: Online Social Networks
What are the opposing perspectives?
Examples:
Perspective 1 - Online social networks provide new opportunities for developing and maintaining social and work relationships.
Perspective 2 - Revealing private information on social networking sites is foolish and can be dangerous, especially for young people.
Narrow the topic to a manageable size. For instance, you couldn't adequately discuss all the dangers of online social networking in a 4-5pp. paper. You should choose a single sub-topic to be the focus of your research.
Examples:
Sub-topic A - Social networking sites should do more to protect children against sexual predators.
Sub-topic B - Online sites are unfairly criticized for selling users' personal data to third parties.
Sub-topic C - Your employment prospects could be harmed by the personal information you share online.
Here are some places to find hot topics:
- SIRS Researcher - scan a list of leading social issues on the home page.
- Issues & Controversies has an extensive "Issues: A-Z List".
- Yahoo! Directory maintains a list of current "Issues & Causes".
- Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Explore current hot issues by clicking on the "View All Topics" tab.
2. Find Background Information
Use these databases to gather general background information on both sides of controversial issues.
To connect from off-campus: username = [YOUR LAST NAME] / password = [BARCODE # on STUDENT ID]
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowNoted for its in-depth, unbiased coverage of health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, the environment, technology, and the economy.
- Issues & ControversiesIn-depth investigations of todays issues
- Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new windowEssays include arguments on both sides of any issue. Also included are thousands of supporting articles from the world’s top publications, radio and tv transcripts, and government documents.
- SIRS ResearcherPros and cons on today’s current social & political issues are covered through full-text articles, multimedia, primary sources, government documents and reference material from over 1,800 national and international sources.
3. Find Recent News
Use these databases to find specific examples of how your topic impacts people in the real world, as reported in national newspapers and magazines.
To connect from off-campus: username = [YOUR LAST NAME] / password = [BARCODE # on STUDENT ID]
- ProQuest News and Newspapers This link opens in a new window"Collection of digitized news content, spanning the latest headlines and developments in contemporary politics, culture, health and technology, to historical coverage of important (and sometimes forgotten) people, places and events dating back to the 1700s." -ProQuest
- Newspaper Source This link opens in a new window"Provides cover-to-cover full text for hundreds of national (U.S.), international and regional newspapers. In addition, it offers television and radio news transcripts from major networks." -EBSCO
- MasterFILE Premier This link opens in a new windowArticles from popular magazines, scholarly journals, and more