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Format your paper according to your assignment instructions: APA, MLA, Chicago Style

The following sample includes APA-style citations and references.

What is a Problem/Solution Paper?

A Problem/Solution paper requires you to investigate a problem, examine alternative solutions, and
propose the most effective solution using supporting evidence.

You’ll first describe the problem and persuade your reader that the problem needs to be addressed.
Then, explain a possible solution(s) and provide support to show why the solution is a good choice.

As with all academic writing, you’ll need to cite any information that you used from a source within
your paper and include a References list.

*This sample paper was adapted by the UAGC Writing Center from an original paper by
a student. Used by permission.
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The introduction should introduce your topic and share the problem that you see. At the end of the introduction,
you should state your thesis, which should include your position, which is your proposed solution to the problem.

To Test or Not to Test: Animal Testing

The subject of animal testing raises questions of necessity. Animal testing is

Here, the
something that has been done for many years for several different reasons. It has been student is
introducing
the topic of
used since the dawn of medicine by physicians and scientists. From biomedical research
animal
testing to
to testing cosmetics, people claim that animal testing is necessary to benefit people in
the reader.

satiating their need for certain products as well as saving lives. There is an idea that

animals are the best way to find treatments and cures for people, but the treatment of

animals is of concern for some members of society. Society is feeling more and more that

animals have as much right to live freely in this world as humans do, and our obligation
The introduction
to see to this makes animal testing a societal problem. Due to these concerns and others, includes a brief
discussion of
there have been several laws and acts formed to protect animals and minimize their why this is a
problem.

suffering. And with the advances of technology and other discoveries, the question of the

necessity of animal testing is becoming an issue for animal activists and lovers

everywhere. In regards to animal testing for biomedical research and medical progress,

some people claim that there is no other way to test for the safety and lifesaving

properties of products used for humans. At the same time, there are people that feel there

is a way to get what we need for research without using animals as subjects. The future of

medicine and biomedical research should not rely on animals for testing. Instead, we The
introduction
should use alternative testing methods and work toward making different lifestyle ends with a
thesis
choices. statement that
includes the
student’s
position and
proposed
solution(s) to
the problem.
 You might use
section headers 3
for each of the
major sections In this paragraph, the student has given the reader
of your paper if Problem some background information on the problem.
you are writing
a lengthy paper. Animal testing has been deemed necessary for many reasons. Animal testing has

been done to determine the safety of household cleaning products, cosmetics including

skin care, shampoo and makeup, as well as biomedical research that provides medicine

and treatments for humans and pets alike. The BioIndustry Association (2002) argues that

“Animal research has made a vital contribution to the development of medicines that save

many lives every day” (Taylor, 2005, p. 7). In 1938 Congress passed the Food, Drug and

Cosmetic Act because of public demands after tragic incidents involving an untested

product (Why Do Companies Test Cosmetics or Other Products on Animals?, 2013).

There have been many arguments and evidence that shows the “good” that animal

research has done in regards to biomedical research. Studies involving dogs, rats, rabbits,

cats, chickens, pigs and sheep have all helped to contribute to the understanding of heart

disease. Drugs and vaccines that can be a possible solution to the devastating HIV/AIDS

virus are present due to the tests that have been performed on chickens, cats and monkeys

with a similar virus. Animals have been used as models for research for almost every

disease that is known to man (Lee, 2015). If animal testing has contributed to creating

This paragraph
drugs for diseases as serious as cancer and HIV/AIDS, naturally animals used the first reason that
discusses
are being
animal testing is a problem and provides
evidence to support this.
to find cures and treatments for many other diseases and sicknesses.

Therefore, how could animal testing be wrong? Indeed, research has shown that

animal testing is helpful to progress in the field of medicine and biomedical research as

well as developing treatments that are yielding promising results. However, it comes with

a high cost. It comes with the cost of animals being subjected to tests that put them

through distress and can harm or kill them. Humans and animals are both sentient beings;
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sentient meaning a person or being that has feelings or that can feel (World Book, 2015).

Research shows that 37% percent of animals used for science suffer moderate to severe

stress and discomfort or severe pain (National Statistics, 2014). When it comes to using

animals for science and experimentation, people tend to focus on the fact that non-human

animals are inferior to humans. Regardless of whether or not this is true it does not take

away from the fact that animals are sentient and that they experience pain and seek

pleasure. Animals and people react to pain in similar ways by screaming or trying to

avoid the source of the pain. “The American Veterinary Association defines animal pain

as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience perceived as arising from a specific

region of the body and associated with actual or potential tissue damage” (Dunnuck, n.d,

para. 6). Some of the animals used in biomedical research are not given any pain relief.

They are subjected to painful conditions and physical procedures that leave them in

intense cold or heat, or have limbs crushed and spinal cords damaged (Callanan, 2009).

Pain and suffering are unique to every individual. Every person’s and even animal’s pain

threshold is different. However, evidence clearly shows the painThis

thatnext
is experienced by a second reason that
paragraph discusses
animal testing is a problem and again provides
these animals is experienced the same way that it is in humans. evidence to support this.

Physical pain is unfortunately not the only problem that these animals undergo.

Psychological distress, fear, and sadness have been demonstrated amongst a wide variety

of species (Ferdowisiann & Beck, 2011). The use of chimpanzees and other primates for

animal testing has generated a lot of controversy because of their similarities to humans.

Ironically enough, it is also the reason that so many researchers have wanted to use them

as models. Indeed chimpanzees are highly emotional and intelligent creatures that are

evolutionarily and genetically similar to human beings. This is the argument of

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researchers that makes them great candidates for biomedical research. Philosophy
This paragraph discusses a third reason
that animal testing is a problem.
Department Chair Lori Gruen states, “They’re very similar to us in terms of their
Use evidence to support this.
emotional lives and their intellectual and physical and social experiences, and using them

in painful, invasive ways is to harm them; they don’t consent to it” (Lee, 2015, p. 3).

Besides the obvious reasons of the pain and suffering that these animals feel, there

is the question of the necessity for animal testing in regards to medical advances. Despite

the increasing number of technological alternatives to animal testing, over 100 million

animals are legally used for animal experiments each year for medical research alone. In

2007, England, Wales and Scotland used 3.1 million animals for genetic and biomedical

experimentation (Callanan, 2009). In October of 2006 attendees of the opening day of the

Joint World Congress for Stroke in Cape Town, South Africa were devastated at the

failure of a drug that was intended for ischemic stroke. The drug, NXY-059, had reached

phase III of clinical trials and failed to do what the animals used for the research had

promised. The drug was supposed to “stop the cascade of the necrosis in the event of a

stroke, and protect the remaining viable brain cells” (Gawrylewski, 2007, para. #).

Director of Michigan Alzheimer’s Diseases Research Center in the Department of

Neurology at the University of Michigan Sid Gilman says that one of the major faults in

the trials for NXY-059 was its use of animal models (Gawrylewski, 2007). Besides the

millions of dollars wasted, there was a waste of life and unnecessary use of animals for

painful research. This is one of many examples of disappointing let-downs of drugs that

were tested on animals that did not work.

 In this paragraph, the student discusses her first solution to
the problem. 6
You can see that she used several pieces of evidence to
support her argument that this solution is viable.
Solution

Considering the horrific psychological and physical pain that animals have to go

through in the midst of testing for biomedical research, alternative testing methods are in

order. According to Callanan (2009), there has been much successful research and many

tests done to help find treatments for diseases and sicknesses that have plagued humans

and did not involve animal testing. Many scientists have started and are continuing to

develop alternate ways to test and find treatments for people because they do not want to

harm animals. Some of these new developments include cell cultures, analytical

technology, micro-organisms, computer models, population research, and volunteer

studies. Cell cultures have contributed to the understanding of cancer, Parkinson’s, and

HIV/AIDS. Analytical technology uses equipment that selects anti-cancer and anti-

malaria drugs because of the reaction it produces with DNA. Computer models are

allowing for virtual experiments to be conducted (Callanan, 2009). Tissue engineering is

also an alternative to animal testing. It uses a 3-D skin equivalent that is physiologically

comparable to skin. It investigates wound healing melanoma research, infection biology,

analysis of infection, invasion of different pathological microorganisms and

immunological, histological, and molecular-biological analysis. This study has been

inspired by economical and ethical incentive (Mertsching et al., 2008). Animals are

subjects for painful and uncomfortable vaccine success for human diseases. However,

some researchers have begun to rely only on human data, cells and tissue. As far as

vaccine development goes, researchers have set up a surrogate in-vitro human immune

system to help predict an individual’s immune response to certain drugs and vaccines.

This test has been compared with data from animal experimentation and has proven to
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produce more accurate pre-clinical data (Ferdowsian & Beck, 2011). This evidence

shows that alternative ways to test treatments are in fact possible and even better, making

testing on animals more of a choice than a necessity.

Along with alternatives to animal testing, there are alternative lifestyle choices

that can prevent people from having to use the drugs that are being tested on animals.

Naturally there are some things thatInare

thisout of people’s
paragraph, control
the student including
discusses genetics
her second and solution.
proposed
Youharm.
accidents that cause serious bodily can see that she used
However, several
there pieces
is the of evidence
choice to support
to exercise, eat her argument
that this solution is viable.
healthy, and engage in healthy behavior and activities that will prevent a lot of diseases

that call for people to use some of the drugs that tested on animals. Complementary and

alternative as well as integrative healthcare include preventative healthcare, and natural

remedies to help treat the physical body as well as treating the mental state. Having better

habits can help to eliminate some of the issues that these medicines that torture animals

can be good for. For instance, headaches and migraines are a common problem

unfortunately. According to the International Headache Society, 46% of the adult

population suffers from regular headaches 11% suffers from migraines while about 46%

suffers from tension headaches (as cited in Adams et al., 2013). Also noted is that the

most common way that people treat headaches and migraines is through conventional

medicines that include acetaminophen, acetylsalicylic, and non-steroidal anti-

inflammatory drugs that may cause a plethora of issues including dry mouth,

constipation, seizures, and weight gain. These are also some of the things that they induce

animals with in order to see if the drugs they are giving out work. There are several

different alternative methods to treating headaches in migraine including drinking more

water, having a healthier diet, acupuncture, massage therapy, yoga, meditation, and
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breathing exercises. These are all cruelty free and have been shown to help people

(Adams et al., 2013). Again, these alternative and preventative treatments offer a solution

to the problem of animal testing.

In the conclusion, summarize the main points
Conclusion made in your paper.

While animal testing is a social concern for our society and culture, there are

ways that we can and should work to eliminate this. One major way to do this is by

researching and investing in alternative testing measures. There are alternatives that

currently exist and are being used, but this needs to continue at a greater rate. The cost of

delaying this is the unnecessary suffering of innocent animals. We should also continue

with the current trend of investing in preventative healthcare such as living a healthy

lifestyle to help eliminate illnesses and the need for medicines. We now know more than

ever about the benefits and risks of certain foods, products, and behaviors and we are in a

greater position to use this for the good of all living beings. This is an important issue to

tackle because the way that we treat those who are not in a position of power, such as

animals, reflects on our identity and who we are as a culture and a society. Our character

is in question if we continue to allow unnecessary suffering to animals to happen.

The student ends her paper by

stating why this is an important
conversation.
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References

Adams, J., Barbery, G., & Lui, C. (2013). Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use

for Headache and Migraine: A Critical Review of the Literature. Headache: The

Journal Of Head & Face Pain, 53(3), 459-473 15p. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-

4610.2012.02271.x

Animal Research. (2013). Why do companies test cosmetics or other products on

animals? The American Physiological Society.

http://www.animalresearchcures.org/testing.htm

Callanan, C. (2009). Tests on trial. Nursing Standard, 23(21), 19-21.

Dunnuck, H. (n.d). Save the animals: Stop animal testing. Lone Star College.

https://www.lonestar.edu/stopanimaltesting.htm

Ferdowsian, H. R., & Beck, N. (2011). Ethical and scientific considerations regarding

animal testing and research. PLoS One, 6(9).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0024059

Gawrylewski, A. (2007, July 1). The trouble with animal models. The Scientist.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/25184/title/The-Trouble-with-

Animal-Models/

Lee, M. (2015, Mar 26). Animal testing poses ethical questions. The Wesleyan Argus.

http://wesleyanargus.com/2015/03/26/animal-testing/

Mertsching, H., Weimer, M., Kersen, S., & Brunner, H. (2008). Human skin equivalent

as an alternative to animal testing. GMS Krankenhaushygiene Interdisziplinaer, 31-4.

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National Statistics (2014, July 10). Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals,

Great Britain 2013. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-of-scientific-

procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2013

Taylor, R. (2005). Testing drugs on animals: A test case for socially responsible

investment. Business Ethics: A European Review, 14(2), 164-175.

http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2005.00400.x

World Book, Inc. (n.d.) World Book Student. https://www.worldbookonline.com/