Chapter 7 Researching Your Speech

Researching your speech: Introduction Researching your topic and providing strong evidence for your claims can make your presentation more interesting, increase your credibility as a speaker, and help you achieve your goals.

Why research? Research offers many benefits. –Learn about topic before you select and develop main points –Gather evidence from credible sources that will support claims –Gain credibility with target audience who will perceive you as qualified

Creating a research plan: Inventory your research needs First decide on your research objectives. Make a list of the areas you need to research. If you have: –limited knowledge on the topic do some general background research –some knowledge, focus on specific aspects Look for information on all sides of your topic.

Creating a research plan: Find the sources you need Mix Internet research with research from other sources such as books, newspapers, journal articles, and interviews. Consult research librarian for library's resources and hard-to-find items.

Creating a research plan: Find the sources you need Analyze what different types of sources offer. –Books: broad and generally synthesized information. –Journal articles: peer reviewed by experts in the field. –Newspapers: people’s responses to historical events as they happen. –Recent newspapers and quality online sources: up-to- the-minute information. Interviews take advantage of local expertise.

Creating a research plan: Keep track of your sources Record full citation information or research details. –Name of author or authors, or organization –Title of the work –Title of the publication (for newspapers, magazines, or anthologies) –Date and volume number of the publication –Publisher, and the city and year of publication (books) –Page number of the reference –URL, date accessed, and author of the Web page or the organization that the page represents (Internet sources) –Dates and times of your interviews, and the name of the interviewer, if other than yourself

Evaluating a source’s credibility: Expertise Does source have knowledge to offer reliable facts or opinions on the topic? Look at source’s educational background, experience, and reputation in the field.

Evaluating a source’s credibility: Objectivity Be sure to check for source bias. Using biased sources is unethical.

Evaluating a source’s credibility: Recency Newer, timely evidence is more reliable and accurate than older evidence. –With older evidence, ask if changing circumstances have invalidated claims. –Do not overlook classic and enduring evidence.

Conducting library research Libraries offer: –Convenient access –Broadest range of credible sources –Sources not available on Web sites –Databases with indexed collections of articles relevant to topic –Librarians who can help find what you need

Conducting library research: Periodicals Advantages of periodicals: –Scholarly journals provide credible information. –Peer-reviewed articles in journals provide sound research. –General and specialized periodical indexes offer full text sources or abstracts.

Using the internet: Benefits of internet research Access is convenient and searching is quick. You can find an immense volume of information, including access to many quality sources at linked libraries.

Using the internet Disadvantages of Internet Research –Experts in their field publish mostly in print not on the Internet. –Information may not be credible; any individual or group can post anything. –Self-published Web sites have no external checks on accuracy or reliability. –Information from advocacy or commercial groups may contain incorrect or biased information.

Using the internet: Evaluating the credibility of online sources If the author is identified, research her or his qualifications. Does: –the Web site have a sponsoring organization? –another credible source provide similar information? –the site present arguments on both sides of an issue? –the site have advertising on it or another economic incentive toward bias? –the site’s content have biased language?

Using the internet: Searching the World Wide Web Remember : –To use search engines –Different engines search differently. –Some search engines prioritize sponsored sites.

Tips for using the internet Tip: Be sure to use reliable sources that are credible to your audience. Tip: Be careful not to plagiarize. It can be easy to cut and paste from a Web page and as you learned in chapter 3, that is plagiarism.

Interviewing sources: Prepare for your interview Determine your information needs based on the gaps in your library and Internet research. Decide on useful interview subjects.

Interviewing sources: Plan your interview questions Focus on information that you cannot get from other sources. Ask open-ended questions. Consider asking a “candid” question that the interviewee might like to avoid.

Interviewing sources: Conduct the interview Start with friendly, easy-to-answer questions. Stay focused, but be open to new information. Listen carefully and maintain eye contact. Ask for permission to tape the interview.

Presenting evidence in your speeches Citing sources in speeches may feel awkward and distracting. This attitude advocates plagiarism. Consider: –What can you do to make citations fit your sense of aesthetics? –How is documenting Internet sources both similar to and different from documenting traditional sources?

Tips for researching your speech Tip: As always, stay audience-centered when you are conducting your research. Find sources and reference material that will fit with your audience needs and expectations. Tip: Be on the lookout for good attention- getting material for your introduction as you research.