A topic can take as little as a couple of hours to write. As you will see if you glance at any topic, each one contains some background material, a list of arguments for and against the controversial proposition, links to websites and books for further research, as well as example motions for debate.

Unsolicited topics are welcome but it is usually helpful to contact the Editor, Alastair Endersby at alastairendersby@hotmail.com in advance to avoid a situation where your submission has already been commissioned from someone else. There is a commissioning list of topics we are seeking, many of which have been suggested by our users, or you are welcome to suggest your own ideas. Please bear in mind that topics should allow for a balanced debate, with two strong sides. The Editor may be able to help you with advice on this.

"Your topic will be reviewed by the debatabase editors. If your topic is selected for the website it may be altered, edited or added to by the database editors, you will also have the opportunity to continue to update your topic. Please note that IDEA holds the copyright to all materials submitted to its website."

Guidelines for Writing Topics

Bear in mind that the bulk of users of this site are aged 15-21 and spread all around the world. English may not be the first language. Therefore it is critical that topics are written clearly and also with an international perspective. The use of local references without explanation, or local slang, is inappropriate.

It is preferred to submit topics on-line using the "submit topic" link you will see when you are logged in and on the debatabase section of www.idebate.org. However, topics may be submitted as MS Word documents. If you choose to submit a topic this way, please see the below form.

The Summary should be one short sentence or question: e.g. Should the EU expand further? Do animals have rights?

The Context should be a few sentences putting the debate in context, explaining any essential background, as well as technical terms, events, dates, facts that need to be understood.

Arguments: the most important arguments should come first and the more trivial and marginal ones be relegated to the end. Make sure that the proposition (pro, affirmative or government) and opposition (con or negative) arguments of the same number are directly opposed to each other. I would expect between four and seven arguments for each side, depending upon the topic. Remember we have a global audience and try to internationalise all your arguments wherever possible.

Example Motions: Try to give two to four motions which could be set on this topic. These should always be phrased from the point of view of the Proposition (Affirmative, or Government) side. It is helpful to provide a range of examples, such as might be used in British Parliamentary, World Schools, American Parliamentary and Policy formats, if possible.

Web links: please provide the url (including http://...) and the title of the site, or a very short description of it. Try to find 3 or more covering both sides of the argument. The links and books are more important than the arguments. 4 or 5 good websites are more useful than an extra 1,000 words of arguments. We hope that the site will be used as a starting point for more research; so the ideal is to indicate the outline of the most important arguments on each side and then to provide the resources to do more research (web and books). Also, try to pick websites that are 'hubs' (e.g. homepages of large organisations, NGOs, charities, campaigning groups, government pages, businesses, etc.) with tons of information and other links themselves, rather than one-off pages that are just, e.g. a newspaper article. If you are able to suggest websites in languages other than English, please do.

Books: Please give author (including first name in full please), title, publisher, year of publication and ISBN number. (3 or more unless there really arenít any). Amazon.com is a good place to find books, and if they're there means they will be available to users of the Debatabase too. There are several series, such as the 'Opposing Viewpoints' series and the 'At Issue' series, aimed at young adults that are probably good introductory texts for debaters - so keep an eye out for those. Please be realistic about how much debaters and their institutions will be prepared to pay for a book; unless it is unavoidable please limit your list to books under about $25.

Contributed by: your name and country. If you haven't contributed before, please give a couple of sentences about yourself (including your debating background).

Level: Bear in mind (especially when recommending books and websites) that the primary users of the site will be aged 15-21, and that some of them will not have English as their first language. So the level should be intelligent and rigorous but also clear and comprehensible. Try to avoid very demanding vocabulary and lengthy sentences with complicated syntax.

Length: Between 750 and 1000 words per topic (including context, examples, etc. etc.), or more if you prefer.