1. Organizing your Reasearch

2. Creating Categories
Once a student has done a tremendous amount of research for a project, the issue becomes how this information will be organized and used in the paper.
To this end, categorizing the sources and information helps.
Often organizing the support according to what reason or claim that it goes with is helpful. Also create a category or categories for the opposing views you will use for rebuttals. Even sources that are just pure information can fall into one of these categories. Just consider how the information will be used.

3. What are the common arguments?
Next, look at the argumentative sources that you’ve obtained. What are the common arguments that are made on this topic? Knowing this will help you organize this as well.
Also, look at the informational sources. What arguments do they or could they support?

4. Example Student Categories:
Topic: Gay Marriage.
Pro arguments:
Basic Fairness
Prohibiting gay marriage violates equal protection clause
Banning gay marriage causes psychological harm to gay people.
Con arguments:
Religion
Harmful to institution of marriage
Procreation

5. Looking at your own research
Use look at the sources in your annotated bib.
Create categories for your sources and organize them.
Try to create a pro/con organizational pattern if possible.
List if you can the most common arguments for and against your idea.
Place informational sources as support for various claims.
Form groups of 3-4 people and discuss your organization.
Share one example with the class.