Example question for my research topic (PRO'S/CONS)

3. With low birth rates and aging population, would immigration or government policies be the reason to counteract falling birth rates in developed countries? (YOU CAN REVISE THIS AS WELL)

PAPER DESCRIPTION:

a collection of sources on a controversial topic (see pg. 3 for an example paper). You’ll be writing on an environmental, animal, or human-health controversy (e.g. fossil fuels, opioid regulation, meat-eating, etc.). Start with a research question that you want to answer: “Is drilling for offshore oil ethical?” or “Is nuclear power safe?” Next, with your research question in mind, search for secondary sources (journals, books, etc.) that can help answer your question. It is important to suspend judgement while doingresearch, so don’t worry about proving an argument, just make sure that you choose high quality sources. Onceyou find answers to your research question your opinion on the controversy will emerge (WA2 does not require taking a position). You will need 6-8 sources for this paper. To find these, conduct library and online research.

(I CAN DO THE CITATIONS, I just need a 1) the work’s topic 2) thesis statement 3) essential ideas 4) how it answers your research question, and/or its a strengths and/or weaknesses.

Selecting Strong Sources

Acceptable secondary sources (not necessarily exhaustive):

•  Critical and peer-reviewed journal articles (in JSTOR, etc.), or complete (full-text) online web journals.
•  Scholarly or academic books (you may also use introductions, prefaces, afterwards, in the same books).
•  Essay chapters in a book of collected essays (appears as a complete book but is a collection of articles).
•  Academic-level websites: .edu or .gov sites (or instructor approved).
•  Nationally recognized newspapers or magazines (e.g. The New Yorker, New York Times, or Washington Post).
•  Most sources found with academic search tools like Academic Search Premier are JSTOR will be valid.
•  ENG102 or another class’ lectures (if you remember to take notes, this is an easy and free source!)
•  Viable dictionaries are Oxford English or Merriam-Webster (dictionary.com is not acceptable).Unacceptable sources (not exhaustive):

•  Unqualified .com or .org websites (some are acceptable, but all non-.edu/.gov sites need instructor approval).
•  Most encyclopedias like Wikipedia are too broad (do not cite them as principle sources in any of your papers).
•  Most blogs (unless it’s an expert’s such as a scientist, doctor, or author’s blog).