Please see our complete subject guide on researching an argument.

Fort Wayne Daisies player, Marie Wegman, of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League arguing with umpire Norris Ward.  4/22/1948  State Library and Archives of Florida  No known copyright restrictions.

These two handouts are from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.  Very nice explanations of what argument is and how a persuasive speech differs from persuasive writing.

Current issues databases are a great place to look for topics. Two of the library's databases, CQ Researcher and Opposing Viewpoints, provide excellent topic lists.

(click on image to enlarge)

Need to give a persuasive or argument speech?

Formulating a well-supported argument takes work. Good arguments are supported by evidence, and finding evidence means doing some research.

This guide will help you select a good topic, find background information on your topic, examine the existing argument around your topic, and find evidence (from books, articles, web sites, andstatistics) to support your argument.