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http://library.chattanoogastate.edu-----697-4448

DSPW 0800: Writing--Ms. Ann Pickering
Library Instructor: Tisa Houck (697-2577), Main Campus

Assignment: Students will write a 2-4 page paper on a controversial issue of their choosing. The students should take a side and be able to to defend their decisions with evidence and support from authoritative sources. A minimum of five sources is required, with no more than two sources from the internet. No Wikipedia.

Note: Phrase your topic as a question that will require you to answer the question and make a decision based on your research, for example:

Should mothers who kill their children receive the death penalty?
Will the use of surveillance cameras mean that I will lose my right to privacy?
Is global warming caused by human error?
Is death by lethal injection a form of cruel and unusual punishment?
Are performance-enhancing drugs safe?

1. Use these resources to find information to support your arguments.
(You will need the current passwords to access electronic databases from off-campus.)

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center (essays, statistics, magazines, newspapers, websites)

Search Tips:

Select a topic from the list provided, OR
Type in your topic in the search bar ( you may combine terms with and), then select Subject, Keyword, or Full text;
Choose from sources provided in a variety of categories.
The REFERENCE tab will provide Overviews of important questions/issues related to your topic.
The VIEWPOINTS tab will provide the pro and con arguments or controversies.

MasterFILE Premier (magazines, newspapers, primary sources, reference books)

Search Tips:

Use "and" between keywords to narrow your topic
E.g. cameras and privacy
Enclose exact phrases in quotation marks.
E.g. "surveillance cameras"
Also try to focus your topic like this: death penalty and controversy OR steroids and debate

2. Choose only reliable Internet sites.

Librarians' Internet Index (http://www.lii.org)

Advanced Google Search (limit the domain name to .org or .edu or .gov)

3. Cite your electronic sources correctly by using examples found in these documents:

MLA format for citing electronic databases

MLA format for citing websites

Please fill out the Library Instructor Evaluation before leaving the classroom.

Thank you!

Tisa Houck
3/08