ENG 100 - Conspiracy Theory Summary

2. Selecting a Conspiracy Theory

The first thing you need to do before you begin your summary assignment is to select a conspiracy theory that you're going to write about. Consider the following resources for choosing a conspiracy theory:

• Pappas, Stephanie, and Benjamin Radford. "20 of the Best Conspiracy Theories." Live Science, Future US, 27 Apr. 2023,  https://www.livescience.com/11375-top-ten-conspiracy-theories.html.
• Raymond, Adam. "The 70 Greatest Conspiracy Theories in Pop-Culture History." Vulture, 23 Oct. 2016, https://www.vulture.com/2016/10/pop-culture-conspiracy-theories-c-v-r.html.
• Olito, Frank, and Talia Lakritz. "38 of the Most Popular Conspiracy Theories in the US." Insider, 19 Aug. 2022, https://www.insider.com/popular-conspiracy-theories-united-states-2019-5.

Tip: Before you totally commit to a conspiracy theory, you'll want to make sure that there is an outside source on the topic for your assignment. Not every topic is going to have information written about it. Newer topics or topics that aren't as well known may be harder to find sources for.  Do some searching in the library's databases to make sure there are sources, and Ask-A-Librarian to double-check if you're not sure there are enough sources for a topic you're really interested in.

Research Your Topic

After selecting a theory, it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic.  Try a search in the following database to learn more about your topic if you are not familiar with the overall topic details.