This research guide lists publications and electronic resources that are useful in planning speeches or writing papers where you must take a position for or against some issue and defend your position.

CQ Researcher

This is a weekly publication. Each issue is devoted to a single hot topic in the news and each issue is about 25 pages in length. The articles give a good overview of a topic. They also provide some charts, graphs, statistics and a pair of pro and con arguments on a specific aspect of the topic. Each issue has a bibliography.

CQ Researcher is available via the Find Articles link on the Library's web page.   There is a CQ Researcher Research Guide (PDF) available to help you with this resource.

The library also has the print version of CQ Researcher in the Reference Collection under the call number [REF] H35 .E35 from 1968 - 2003. See the blue index pages in the back of the binder to find the date your subject was covered.

Issues and Controversies

This online database is an excellent source for overviews of current events topics. Statistics
are included. The articles point out arguments for and against an issue. Each article has a bibliography.

Issues and Controversies is available via the Find Articles link on the Library's web page.   There is a separate Issues and Controversies Research Guide (PDF) available to help you with this resource.

Congressional Digest

This monthly magazine has the subtitle "The Pro and Con Monthly." Each issue deals with one topic currently under debate in Congress and roughly half gives background on the controversial topic. The other half is devoted to pro and con arguments on that issue by members of Congress. The newest issue is found on the Second Level with the other current periodicals. They are arranged alphabetically by journal title. Back issues are also shelved alphabetically by journal title on the Fourth Level of the Library. Congressional Digest is indexed in the EBSCOhost Academic Elite database, but the full text of the articles is not provided.

Opposing Viewpoints

This is an excellent series of books, each of which deals with one specific topic. In each book, the subject is broken down into subtopics and pro and con arguments for the opposing positions are given. Grace Library currently owns over 320 of them. The newest editions in the series are kept on Reserve and may be checked out for seven days. See the staff at the Circulation Desk to borrow them.

To search for the Opposing Viewpoints books in Grace Library go to the Library Online Catalog. Once the online catalog window has opened, enter the phrase Opposing Viewpoints into the Quick Search box, select series from the drop down menu and click on the search button.

There is a separate Opposing Viewpoints Research Guide available to help you with this resource.

Reference Shelf

The Reference Shelf is a series of books, each of which is devoted to a single topic. Each volume reprints periodical articles which present various opinions on the subject covered in that volume. Each volume includes a bibliography and a list of web sites dealing with that topic. These books can be circulated for three weeks. To search for the Reference Shelf books in Grace Library go to the Library Online Catalog. Once the online catalog window has opened, enter the phrase Reference Shelf into the Quick Search box, select series from the drop down menu and click on the search button.

World News Digest

If you need to know factual information about happenings in the news, World News Digest is the place to go. This database will give you the informed opinions, pro and con, from editors of North American newspapers on events and topics in the news. Also available are statistics, charts and news articles.

World News Digest is available via the Find Articles link on the Library's web pa ge. There is a separate World News Digest Research Guide (PDF) available to help you use this resource.

Journal and Magazine Databases

Grace Library provides access to many databases containing journal and magazine articles on a wide range of subjects. To see a subject list of all of them use the Find Articles link on the Library's web page. There are separate Research Guides available to assist you in searching these databases.

06/08

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