Debate Report User Manual

Support Notice

The User Guide is currently undergoing major re-construction, which we are aiming to complete by the end of April 2026. In the meantime please email support@debate.report

Thank you for your patience, and your ongoing interest in debate.report. We are aiming to build a world-class debate platform, and to encourage many more people to engage in meaningful debate. The platform essentially turns debating into a fun and enjoyable game for the participants, and which helps participants and the audience alike to develop and sharpen their critical-thinking skills and to come to an informed position on the important issues of the day.

the Debate Report Team, March 2026

Introduction to debating

Welcome to debate.report, an online platform for structured, asynchronous debates on diverse topics. This guide is designed for new debaters to help you navigate the platform, understand the roles in the debating process, and to help you build effective arguments and have your voice heard. Whether you're new to debating or transitioning to online formats, this guide will equip you with the essentials to participate confidently.

Why Debate?

Debating hones critical thinking, forces you to see both sides, and teaches you to articulate ideas —skills that cut through the noise of our info-saturated world. In politics, law, or even online arguments, it’s a tool for reasoning and persuasion. Plus, it’s a democratic cornerstone: societies need to debate openly to engender trust and commitment. In 2025, with polarized discourse and AI stirring the pot, debating’s role in fostering clarity and mutual understanding is more crucial than ever.

Who Should Debate?

The short answer is – everyone! In truth though, it takes time and attention to follow and digest argument reasoning, evaluate the evidence, and consider opions. So not everyone can participate in all debates. So, choose your battles wisely and argue for what matters most to you. These are the debates you will research and consider carefully. For the other topics, you can at least read the summaries and vote on the arguments, based on what understanding you glean from them.

Are My Contributions Private or Public

Most debates take place in the Public Forum and are visible to everyone. Your identity, however, is private and only your User Id (sometimes called a 'handle') is visible and associated to content. Howeever you can opt to additionally hare your name and a short biography if you wish (user settings in the profile page)

Where to next?

First, view the notes below which relate to the home page. After that, the best way to read the manual is first to go through the debate theory to get a good understanding of how debates are organisaed and structured on the platform, and how you can be a successful debator. Next you can fully explore the debate chamber, which is the public-facing part of the platform where the debating happens. Here you will learn how to create debate content and how to interact with other debaters and voters. Finally review the dashboard section which is the 'back-end' of the platform where moderators and debaters manage their assets and content, handle alerts etc.

Happy debating!

The header appears on top of all pages and comprises:

Use this to access chamber subject areas, the dashboard, and the Guide. Mobile version has a cut-down menu that does not allow access to the chamber since chamber is not currently supported on mobile devices.

debate.report title

Use this to return to the index/home page.

Profile icon

An icon of a human portrait. Coloured grey if user is not logged in - click to log in. Coloured red if logged it - click to access the profile page.

The footer appears at the bottom of all pages, and comprises links to Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, About Us, news, and contact us pages. There is also a toggle to switch on or off the dynamic help system. If set 'on' then little purple help circles will appear in various points in the platform, which you can click to jump into the appropriate place in the Debate Guide.

Home Page

The home page is designed to introduce the platform to new users, and to provide an easy portal into the debate chamber for returning users. All debates are categorised by subject area and there is a one-click entry to view debates in any area. See below for a list of subject areas. Users that have explored the chamber may have tagged one or more debates as a 'favourite' and these are immediately accessible from the home page. There is also a 'What's Hot' section that links to debates that are currently attracting a lot of attention.

Subject Areas

Click + to expand the subject area panel (- collapse again). All debates are classified by subject area. This is a standard set of twelve subject areas defined across the platform, designed to accommodate any debate topic imaginable. The subject area is set by the Moderator when they create the debate resolution (in the dashboard).

Favourite Debates

If you are logged in you can tag any debate as a favourite and it will appear in this table for quick reference. Clicking on a favourite debate takes you straight to that debate in the debate chamber. You will also see a heart icon in the chamber and in the switch panel . This helps to personalise the debate platform and filter out debates you are not so interested in.

What's Hot?

This section lists the 20 debate resolutions that have had most recent changes or additions to their arguments, or have seen the most recent voting or chat activity. Click on a debate to go to it in the Chamber.

Recent Events / Stat - the most recent date that a statement was created or modified in the debate
Recent Events / Vote - the most recent date that a vote was cast on any statement in the debate
Recent Events / Comm - the most recent date that a chat comment was created or modified in the debate