RESEARCH PLANNING WORKSHEET

RESEARCH PLANNING WORKSHEET

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Choose a current topic on a social issue/debate that interests you enough to research for the rest of the course. For information on choosing an issue, consult the Week 2 resource link “The Twelve Tests of an Arguable Issue” and video lecture on developing a good research topic.

Topic: Ban on Plastic Bags

Briefly explain why the issue is compelling to you.

Answer: Plastic bags do not degrade. Hence, polluting both land and water.

Briefly describe two opposing viewpoints surrounding this issue.

Viewpoint A: People in favor of the ban claim that a lot of energy is wasted while making plastic shoppers. Additionally, they never degrade that can pose a threat to wildlife especially marine life.

Viewpoint B: People who are against the ban propose to use non-biodegradable material to manufacture plastic shoppers. This will finish the reason for banning shoppers.

Introduce your issue by briefly describing what caused the issue or problem? Why is the issue considered a problem? Who are the stakeholders (people with a concern or interest in the issue)?

Answer: Due to the non-biodegradable nature, plastics bags are considered extremely harmful not only to the land life but marine life as well. Many turtles and fishes think of plastic as their food. So they consume it that congests their digestive system leading to suffocation. Some fishes get infections after consuming plastic and when humans consume those fishes they also become extremely sick. Additionally, plastic bags are not easily recycled and tend to last forever.

List two reliable and current sources that you might use to support the two differing viewpoints you identified in question 3. List the sources using correct MLA style format. For information on finding reliable sources and MLA citation practices, consult the Week 4 lectures and the Purdue Owl available at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/.

Beneath each citation, provide a brief annotation (description) that includes a summary of the source’s main idea and how you might use this information in your research.

Gibb, Bruce C. Plastics are forever. Diss. Nature Publishing Group, 2019.

In this article, the author explains how plastics are contributing to damaging our society. The explained that due to the rapid growth of plastics almost every square kilometer on earth is covered by 1.6 metrics tons which is alarming. Plastics are made to have a service life of almost 1-50 years and due to its non-degradable nature, they are damaging both land and marine life. However, due to its extreme hazards, many countries have started to ban the use of plastic shoppers (Gibb).

Jalil, Md Abdul, Md Nannu Mian, and Muhammad Khalilur Rahman. "Using plastic bags and its damaging impact on environment and agriculture: An alternative proposal." International Journal of Learning & Development 3.4 (2013): 1-14.

The author Abdul along with his fellow researchers explored the issue of plastic ban in their research paper. According to the author due to immense hazards, many countries are banning the use of plastics (Jalil). However, there are many people who are against this. The author explained that although plastics can be damaging yet if they are made from bio-degradable material then it will finish reasons for the ban and will not cause damage to the environment.