Q&A: finding both sides of an issue

Question: What are some good resources for researching the pros and cons of a debate topic?

Answer: There are several solid resources that can help you find both sides of an issue. The following guides provide background data and references for more information used in debating many topics:

• Debatabase books (2009 and 2003 respectively)
• Opposing Viewpoints (limits to those in Green, mostly in the Information Center (IC))
• National debate topic for high schools: Each year the NFHS Speech, Debate & Theatre Association selects a subject focusing on current public policy debates of the day. These topics are then compiled by the Librarian of Congress. These compilations offer great pro&con resources on a wide variety of topics. They are published as Senate documents in the United States Serial Set pursuant to 44 U.S. CODE SECTION 1333.

  There are several ways to access these publications. You can search in searchworks for title "national debate topic for high schools." You can also search in the subscription database Proquest Congressional Publications for "national debate topic for high schools" for online access.

  • list of debate topics 1996 - present (On Government Printing Office's Federal Digital System (FDsys)
  • list from 1928 - present (Wikipedia)