To approach the opposing point of view of your topic, you may need to think about what you're looking for with a bit more nuance. For many topics, your opposing viewpoint article won't argue that the issue you've selected is totally invalid or isn't a real issue. Instead, look for articles with a viewpoint on a specific proposed resolution to an issue or a specific policy related to it.
For example, let's say you're researching school bullying and during your research, you noticed some articles in search results discussing the failure or insufficiency of school bullying policies. Instead of trying to find articles talking about how school bullying isn't an issue and doesn't exist (which to find a credible source, would be quite difficult), the counter-argument article you choose for the assignment could focus on why or why not a specific policy is effective, like if mandatory school-based bullying education programs are effective or not.
If your topic is a national or controversial issue, you might find pro/con style articles, editorials, or other content in the Issues & Controversies database.
This link opens in a new windowBelow is a screen capture of a search in Issues & Controversies displaying opposing viewpoints:
In this example, we're researching the thesis that the high rate of school bullying justifies the need for all U.S. public to implement mandatory anti-bullying education programs.
For the PRO point of view, it may be a good idea to begin by researching the statistics and consequences of school bullying in order to establish the justification for school-based anti-bullying programs.
Suggested searches:
For the CON point of view, it may be helpful to research the failures of ineffective bullying policies and programs.
Suggested searches:
Try these methods out in EBSCO or ProQuest, our two largest academic article databases.
