2. Explore Topics and Issues

After thoroughly examining your assignment, now it's time to look for some initial background research on your topic. This might require you to do some research in reference books or browse topics.

Browse these databases to learn general information about a variety of issues, controversies, and current debates or maybe help pick a topic. Check out a few topics that interest you and explore the information about them as you decide on a topic for further research. Use the Analyze Your Topic section below to gather background information and learn more about the issue. This will help you decide how to narrow your topic, as well as inform future research.

Browse Issues in Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Browse viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Websites. Proxy Bypass
Browse Issues A-Z in Issues & Controversies
Features pro and con articles on more than 800 thought provoking topics in business, politics, government, education and popular culture. Updated weekly with links to a 12-year back file. Facts on File database.Proxy Bypass
Browse Issues by Category in Points of View
Contains a balance of materials from all viewpoints, including more than 1,300 main essays, leading political magazines from both sides of the aisle, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents and reference books. Proxy Bypass

The Credo Database is good for looking for terms or topics that you want to explore in general.

Credo Reference
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Articles from almost 600 reference books, covering various subjects.

Analyze Your Topic

Who

Think about who might be involved. This could be specific people, but it could also be groups of people - consider different groups based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status (wealth), who may be affected (good or bad) by your topic.

What

Consider what factors are involved in your topic. Read some background information or a summary to learn more about your topic, and then make a list of relevant factors.

The background reading can also provide you with keywords, specialized vocabulary, and definitions, which will be useful for future searches.

When

What time period is involved? Are you considering present day, current time? or are you going back in history to look at a time period long ago. Be sure you know what dates and times are involved in your topic because that will affect how you write about them. Your topic may have specific dates associated with it or it may be more general.

Where

Sometimes places or geography are important to your topic. Are you considering issues in the United States or another country? The situation can be quite different in some countries than it is here.

Why

This is a really important one. Why do people care about this topic? Why is it important or controversial? What's at stake? or Why did it happen / is it happening?