The Debater's Guide, Fourth Edition

4. Research and Reasoning

29 4 Research and Reasoning An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. —Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac (1733) Acquiring Knowledge The Value of Research Research is the process of finding information and material to support ideas or arguments, and it is most effective when conducted as the result of a carefully focused approach. Research is both a first step and a continuing process for the debate speaker. It is the first step in preparation because sound analysis of issues and arguments is possible only when the speaker has acquired a thorough background of knowledge relevant to the proposition. Getting ready for debate can be hard work. Initially, a debater needs to think about the topic, what subtopics are suggested, and what terms are presented that need to be defined or analyzed. The implications of the topic area are important to think about and to discuss with others who are also concerned with the topic. Once this general grounding in the topic is developed, you can begin to focus your efforts. In some formats, the topic may not be announced until shortly before the debate. In that case, good general reading on current events and issues is the best place to conduct your research. The following materials are offered as a guide to research. Bibliographical Aids Begin your research by finding out what references are available on the subject being investigated. The use of a bibliography is the most efficient method of discovering relevant materials. A bibliography is a systematic compilation of references on a given subject. There are 30 Research and Reasoning at least three advantages to the use of a bibliography: (1) a bibliography tends to be a selected list of references that usually includes only the best material available; (2) a bibliography often provides an estimate of the value of a book or article, either by an annotation or by a reference to a critical review; and (3) the compilation of an organized bibliography allows the debater to see the available references as a whole and gives direction to the subsequent research. The debate speaker may ask how to go about finding bibliographies on a specific question. The answer is that the needs of the researcher have been anticipated and guides to bibliographies have been compiled. These works are arranged according to subject headings and will indicate what bibliographies are available for the particular subject under investigation. The vast majority of debaters begin with a global search on the web. Searching all the key words in the proposition will likely produce an almost bewildering array of references and links. To make sense of this material, you need to bring order to it. We suggest a simple process to help you begin. Reading The debater should be guided by the principle that reading should progress from the general to the specific. This principle is based on the well-founded assumption that the investigator must have some grasp of the general problem before being able to evaluate intelligently its specific aspects. Even if the specific topic is not known until the day of the debate, the principle of reading a wide variety of reputable sources is the key to well-informed and well-reasoned communication. The method is consistent with other aspects of the debater’s preparation: attention focuses first on issues, then on supporting arguments, and then on specific forms of evidence and reasoning. Reading, therefore, begins with the best available general works (probably a standard book together with an accepted research report and perhaps a quick look at the Wikipedia entry or some other generalized encyclopedia-type overview), proceeds to references on specific aspects of the problem (probably articles in periodicals or thoroughly documented web-based articles), and finally surveys other books, articles, research reports, and newspaper accounts to accumulate specific evidence. 31 Research and Reasoning A second guiding principle relating to reading is that issues must first be discovered; next, arguments must be developed; and finally, attention must be centered on the gathering of evidence. An efficient practice is to survey each source briefly before beginning the actual reading and before taking any reading notes. Note-Taking Because debaters cannot remember all their references, they need to take notes on the material they read. The debaters are thus immediately faced with the problem of knowing when to record data. In the process of research, the debaters will find that materials come in no logical order; an apparently valuable group of statistics may be encountered in...