Conducting a Research Project Your goal in this task is to select an issue, consider your opinions, and conduct research based on the opinion and issue you selected. In the next task, you will form a thesis statement and write a persuasive research paper to communicate your opinions. Your thesis and paper will address the following writing prompt: How has the issue you selected changed your community, country, or world? After you consider this writing prompt, you will select a topic to guide your research. Think of the topics of the reading selections that you analyzed in this unit: Robert Ball’s “Great Astronomers” (science and technology) The European Environmental Agency’s “The Melting Arctic” (the environment) C. D. and K. E. Idso’s “Energy, Carbon Dioxide and Earth's Future: Pursuing the Prudent Path” (the environment) Abraham Lincoln’s “First Inaugural Address” and “Letter to James T. Hale” (national politics) John Snow’s “On the Mode of Communication of Cholera” (public health) To start your research, select an issue that made the news in the past year and that relates to one of these topics: science and technology, the environment, national politics, or public health. Consider your initial views on that issue. Next, begin a basic initial research phase to become better informed about the events and people involved with that issue. You should reference two to three resources during this relatively brief research phase. As you research the issue, mentally note the opinions that you form about the issue. You might find that you want to refine or modify your opinions on the issue as you proceed. After you select an issue and conduct basic research, begin gathering and organizing sources to form a thesis statement that is based on your opinion and answers the writing prompt directly. You will also use this research to write your paper in the next task. Take time to think about the purpose of your research. When you find a source of information, evaluate how useful it is by considering these questions: Who authored the source? What is the purpose of the source? When was the source written? How will this source help to form, support, or refine your opinion? The following web pages contain additional information about locating and assessing resources: Locating and Assessing Sources Evaluating Information on the Internet Identify at least five sources before you work on your thesis statement; these sources can be online, in print, or in some other medium. You can use both primary and secondary sources in this activity. Remember, a primary source contains an eyewitness's account of an event (e. g., a letter or diary) or actual data from an experiment or a survey that the authors conducted. A secondary source summarizes or synthesizes information from primary sources (e. g., a textbook). You may use relevant resources that you encountered in the lessons in this unit, such as the articles and videos on climate change. Part A Next, state the topic you selected, why you selected it, and how you narrowed the topic to a specific issue after conducting research.