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Research & EvidenceLesson 5 of 22

Understanding the Topic

How to research a new resolution before you cut any cards: learn the terrain, find the clash, and steelman both sides.

16 min readQuiz

Most novices waste prep time searching for "evidence for my side" before they understand the topic. Do it in the other order. On any new resolution, your first job is to learn the controversy well enough to explain it to someone who has never heard of it: what policy is at stake, who wins and who loses, and where the real disagreement is.

Start with two backgrounders written from different angles. Use a government source (CBO, GAO, EPA, or a CFR backgrounder) for what the policy actually does, and a think-tank or news explainer for the political debate. On student loan forgiveness, read CBO on costs before you read op-eds for opinions. On Taiwan, read CFR for strategic context before you read Twitter takes.

Steelman both sides

Write one paragraph making the strongest case for Pro and one making the strongest case for Con. They shouldn’t be straw men, and they shouldn’t be your personal view. If you can’t steelman Con, you don’t understand the topic yet. Our topic hubs do this for current resolutions, and you will use the same skill on every topic you debate.

Find the clash

Clash is where both sides agree the fight is. "Is nuclear safe?" and "Can nuclear deploy fast enough?" are two different debates. Find the 2–3 points where the sides collide and prep those first. You don’t need every possible argument, only the ones that decide rounds.

Prep order for a new resolution

  1. 1

    Read two backgrounders

    One government or intergovernmental source for what the policy does, and one explainer for the political fight around it.

  2. 2

    Write the Pro steelman

    One paragraph on the strongest honest version of Pro. Not your opinion, and not a straw man you can knock down.

  3. 3

    Write the Con steelman

    The same for Con. If you can’t write this paragraph, you don’t understand the topic well enough to debate either side of it.

  4. 4

    Name the two or three clash points

    Where do the two steelmen collide? Those collisions are the round, and everything else is background.

  5. 5

    Only now, search for cards

    Search against a named clash point instead of against your side. You will cut fewer cards and use far more of them.

Most novices start at step four and then wonder why their evidence doesn’t fit together. The first three steps take about an hour and make step four twice as fast.

Practice what you learned

Flow a Lecture

Practice flowing with any DebateTrack lecture: capture every claim, warrant and example in columns.

25 min, solo

Check your understanding

Question 1 of 2

Before cutting cards on a new topic, your first step should be…