If you don't have a topic idea, try these:
- Review your course readings or think about your personal interests!
- Check out news sites like New York Times or and blogs for recent or disputed topics
- Browse sources like Journalist's Resource, CQ Researcher, Public Agenda, and ProCon.org for reports and analysis of controversial issues.
- Explore an issue of a recent scholarly journal in your area.
If you already have a general idea of your topic:
- Find an article on Wikipedia (Check the references for scholarly sources and the Talk page for controversies.)
- Use Google or another search engine to find more background information (Look for credible sources!)
- Search or browse through popular news and magazines like Time or Newsweek using the library catalog (PRIMO) search or a database like Academic Search Complete (NOTE: You can search for your topic and narrow down to certain magazines using the Source Type or Publication Title options to the right.)
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