Getting Ready to Research
Because a debate is an activity in which two colleagues team against two other colleagues, it is necessary that preparation for the contest be made jointly by each pair of debaters. This can be done if the following suggestions are carried out.
Stock IssuesNeed
Affirmative: Show a need for the specific proposal you are offering in the resolution
Negative: Show that the need does not exist. The status quo is enough.
Practical
Affirmative: Show that your proposal is practical. In other words, show that it will do what you say it will
do.
Negative: Show that the change proposed by the affirmative will not work; it will not do what it proposes.
Desirable
Affirmative: Show that your proposal is desirable. This means to show that the way in which it will work will be beneficial. Present specific benefits that will occur as a result of the proposal.
Negative: Show that the proposal will not have desirable effects and, instead, will have negative effects.
Accumulating Evidence
A policy debate consists of a series of arguments about the need for change. One essential component of an argument is support for a claim. To be effective, any claim you make must be supported by evidence - your saying something is so doesn't make it so.
Debaters rely heavily on facts, examples, and statistics from articles, reports, and books to support their claims. These excerpts are referred to simply as evidence.
Procedures for Accumulating Evidence
1. Locate an article, book, or report on the topic of interest. Be sure the source is current and credible. Favor databases over .com websites.
2. Read the document carefully. Mark passages that contain useful evidence.
3. Record the evidence on note cards, paper or in an electronic file. Include a full source citation and a tag (headline) for each piece of evidence.
4. Sort evidence by topic and organize so that it can be easily accessed during a debate.
Because a debate is an activity in which two colleagues team against two other colleagues, it is necessary that preparation for the contest be made jointly by each pair of debaters. This can be done if the following suggestions are carried out.
- Make a mutual agreement that both colleagues will search for materials to prove your side of the resolution. Later these materials can be exchanged to help each of you to strengthen your case.
- Your case will be divided into three parts. These parts are called stock issues. The affirmative side must prove all three issues; the negative can win by disproving any one of the issues. Keeping these stock issues in mind can help focus and guide your research.
Stock IssuesNeed
Affirmative: Show a need for the specific proposal you are offering in the resolution
Negative: Show that the need does not exist. The status quo is enough.
Practical
Affirmative: Show that your proposal is practical. In other words, show that it will do what you say it will
do.
Negative: Show that the change proposed by the affirmative will not work; it will not do what it proposes.
Desirable
Affirmative: Show that your proposal is desirable. This means to show that the way in which it will work will be beneficial. Present specific benefits that will occur as a result of the proposal.
Negative: Show that the proposal will not have desirable effects and, instead, will have negative effects.
Accumulating Evidence
A policy debate consists of a series of arguments about the need for change. One essential component of an argument is support for a claim. To be effective, any claim you make must be supported by evidence - your saying something is so doesn't make it so.
Debaters rely heavily on facts, examples, and statistics from articles, reports, and books to support their claims. These excerpts are referred to simply as evidence.
Procedures for Accumulating Evidence
1. Locate an article, book, or report on the topic of interest. Be sure the source is current and credible. Favor databases over .com websites.
2. Read the document carefully. Mark passages that contain useful evidence.
3. Record the evidence on note cards, paper or in an electronic file. Include a full source citation and a tag (headline) for each piece of evidence.
4. Sort evidence by topic and organize so that it can be easily accessed during a debate.
