Preparing for Competition

Competitive debaters maintain organized evidence files — sometimes called 'tubs' or 'blocks' — containing research on both sides of the resolution. Effective research starts with academic databases like JSTOR and Google Scholar, policy reports from think tanks like Brookings or RAND, and news archives from reputable outlets. Each piece of evidence is cut into a brief card: a tag line summarizing the argument, the full citation (author, date, publication), and the relevant excerpt with key sentences highlighted. Well-organized evidence files let you find the right card in seconds during a round, while disorganized files leave you fumbling when you need proof most.