This week, you are being asked to propose an argumentative topic. Of course, you will likely not have a complete research plan ready by the end of the week. However, given the larger theme within the first module of our textbook, The Bedford Researcher, what “conversation” will you join? What’s even being argued about the topic? Skills: This discussion board will help you practice the following skills:

• Develop an appropriate argumentative research topic
• Identify potential scholarly and credible source material
• Demonstrate relevance of current research

Reading: To prepare for your initial discussion post, read The Bedford Researcher pages 1-25. Page 6 encourages this five-step process:

1. List an argumentative topic that interests you. Because you’ll be searching for sources, jot down a list of search terms, or keywords (p. 146), that you can use to locate sources on the topic.
2. Choose a scholarly peer-reviewed journal article. Browse the databases in the library using keywords you jotted down about your topic.
3. Identify additional credible sources that seem to address the topic. Skim each source to get a sense of how it addresses your topic.
4. Decide whether the sources are engaged in the same conversation. Ask whether the sources are addressing the same topic. If they are, list the ways in which they are “talking” to one another about the topic. Identify any agreements, disagreements, or differences in their approach to the topic.
5. Reflect on the conversation. Ask whether the sources you’ve identified tell you enough to understand the conversation. Consider whether you might need to locate more sources to give you fuller picture of the conversation.

Task:

Complete the five steps listed above. Number your responses according to the text above (i.e. 1., 2., etc.). Here are the requirements for the discussion:

Choose an argumentative topic that is related to your career or field of study. (My field of study is Accounting)

1. Identify two different sources that are conversing on your topic. Share some commentary on each of these two sources. 
2. one peer-reviewed journal article, which can be located in the Keiser Library online. (Use ProQuest, EBSCO, and JSTOR as starting databases.)
3. one professional source from a trade journal related to your field (i.e. nursing – American Nurse Today Magazine; business – Harvard Business Review; agriculture – The American Dairymen’s Association; etc.)
4. Identify how both sources relate to what you listed as your topic in Point 1.
5. Explain how these sources relate to one another. How are they adding to one another?
6. Finally, identify what these sources add to your knowledge, what questions these sources raise, what is missing from them, and what you might be able to add to this “conversation.”

Criteria for Success:

• Your main post should contain 300 or more words.
• You may find a sample of this assignment in the attached file.