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Research_IntroductionOL.pptxResearch Basics
Argumentative Research – Where We are Headed…
You must choose a topic that is:
ARGUMENTATIVE – you will take a position & prove it
RESEARCH – using scholarly, academic sources
Your chosen topic will touch everything we do for the rest of the semester.
Narrowing Topics
Your topic must be:
Debatable – Does it have an “opposing side”?
Plausible – Can it be supported with facts, data?
Consequential – Does it have an impact?
You must have an argument you are trying to prove!
Narrowing Topics
Topics must be:
Practical
Something can be researched using academic sources
Not based on opinions
Narrowing Topics
Topics must be:
Practical
Something can be researched using academic sources
Not based on opinions
Avoid Topics that are…
Opinionated
too “played out”
lacking academic research
not serious
beyond your scope
too obvious
too controversial / reflective of personal beliefs
too new --- most of 2020!
The “Banned” List
Legalizing marijuana
Abortion
Gun rights / Gun control
Protesting
Capital Punishment
Paying college athletes
Think about how you can make these more Narrow, Specific, & Argumentative
Remote learning can be improved
Climate Change
Social Media
College should be free
Narrowing Topics
Example: A student wants to research climate change.
Does this meet the criteria for what your topic should do?
What are the different aspects of climate change?
What might be the student’s argument?
Narrowing Topics
The broad topic of climate change isn’t focused enough.
-There are MANY aspects of climate change. You can’t discuss all of them well in this paper. So it needs to be more specific.
-Remember, you need a purpose for your argument.
-A better argument may be: Human actions are causing melting of the Arctic ice, leading to a decreasing polar bear population.
Research Questions
Once you narrow down your topic, it is important to create some research questions to help guide your research.
-What do you want to know more about to understand your topic better?
-What questions do you need answers for to help prove your argument?
Having 3-4 specific research questions can help you focus your attention on making an effective argument and save you a lot of time!
Evaluating Sources
When choosing sources to use, think about:
Who is their audience? (Remember the Rhetorical Triangle)
What is the tone towards the topic?
How do you KNOW this information is
Relevant, Accurate, and Trustworthy
Evaluating Sources
Primary Sources - first-hand knowledge of the topic
Secondary Sources – Sources written about the topic
Your goal is to have a mix of source types to enhance your essay.
Evaluating Sources - CARS
C Credibility – How do you know? Ethos? Quality Control
A Accuracy – How current is the information?
R Reasonableness – Biases? Balance?
S Support – Where is their information from?
You want to see CORROBORATION among your sources
Evaluating Sources
Don’t believe everything you see the first time you see it…
Look for consistency, finding the same facts in other sources, etc. and watch out for biases!
Sources
For this argumentative essay, you will need at least four sources. At least 2 of them must come from FTCC Library databases!
Using the right types of sources matters
Green Light – types of sources you should use a lot
Yellow Light – sources that are OK but could be biased – so think critically before using
Red Light – sources that are not academic, vetted, and could be untrustworthy. You need to avoid these.
Wikipedia
Essay websites
Blogs
Most websites
Textbooks
Reference books
News Articles
Books
Scholarly Journals
Primary Sources
Govt. Resources
Scientific Data
.com
.net
.org
.edu
.gov
