Step 1: Select a Topic

Step 1: Select a topic

1. Find a broad topic that sparks personal interest, meets the purpose of the assignment, shows awareness of the audience, and delivers ideas of significance.
2. Explore preliminary ideas by discussing thoughts with others, reading articles in reference sources, using electronic databases, and examining ideas from different perspectives.
3. Narrow the broad topic by asking questions to discover subtopics, break into smaller aspects, and brainstorm ideas for an interesting approach. Utilize freewriting and brainstorming to gather possibilities. Use clustering or mapping for visual categorizing of thoughts.

Hypothesis: an educated guess on the information currently available. Worded as a question, your hypothesis should be a guide for your research.

Thesis statement: a statement that states the topic, guides the direction of the research, and provides reasons. This paper will follow this thesis format:

SUBJECT + DIRECTION + 3 REASONS (S + D + 3R)

Refutation: the act of arguing or disproving a theory. Your paper will include a refutation that follows the three points and is positioned before the conclusion.

Here are the basic components of a refutation:

Name: Briefly identify a counter-argument

Explain: Give supporting evidence for this opposing viewpoint.

Answer: State why the opposition is wrong.

Examples: Exercise can be dangerous can refute the benefits of exercise

Extinction or endangerment can refute the benefits of hunting