Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) Resources
- Information about all the basics and a good general introduction to debating: scoring, presentation, matter, speaker roles, adjudication, and so on.
- Here you can find the dates of each debate in the DAV competition, who you are debating against, and which side you’re on (left-hand column in Affirmative, right-hand column is negative).
- Provides a brief overview of the context for each topic, key questions which should be addressed during your speeches and websites that will help you to begin your research.
- DAV newsletter made for students. It offers some extremely good advice for debaters, including valuable region-wide feedback on topics following each round.
- The guide and rules that the DAV follows. If you’re in doubt about any of the rules of debating, look here.
Debating Guidebooks
- An excellent, more in-depth overview of how to construct arguments, rebuttals, models, how to use definitions, secret topic preparation, and tactics. Created by Monash University’s debating society.
- A university-level debating guide. Includes a good overview of first principles and different theories and ideas you can call upon. Created by Monash University’s debating society.
- A comprehensive exploration of first principles and how they can be employed in debating. Only recommended for those already familiar with the concept of first principles.
- A university-level debating guide, good for intermediate or advanced debaters. Explores the use of definitions, models, first principles, common mistakes and tactics.
Useful Websites
- An amazing collection of debating resources. Hosts the Debatabase and Debatapedia.
- The forerunner of the Debatabase. It is not a frequently updated, but it has some additional resources that are still not yet found elsewhere.
- A UK based debating organisation which produces detailed topic guides and maintains a comprehensive database of debating motions.
- A collection of brief pro-and-con overviews of many debate topics.
- A collection of research links aimed at high-school students. A useful starting point when preparing for debates based upon social issues.
- A fantastic resource maintained by the US Central Intelligence Agency that provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for every country in the world.
- The Cornish Resource Centre gives you access to a number of useful databases. In particular, you will want to look at the following resources:
- Global Issues in Context: provides information and perspectives on a wide variety of social, environmental, economic and international issues.
- NewsBank: a complete archive of local newspapers dating back over a decade, including The Age, The Australian, The Herald Sun and The Weekly Times.
