Session 4 Locating Supporting Materials By Elanor J. McCoy

Forms of Research Sources Primary Resource – Interview and surveys Interview – face-to-face communication for the purpose of gathering information The questions are as critical as the information hoped to gather There are 3 kinds of poorly phrased questions Questions that are vague – don’t give enough information to the interviewee. They have to guess about what you want. Leading questions – encourage or force a hidden response, reflects the biases of the interviewer. Loaded questions – phrased to reinforce the speaker’s agenda. Always strive to use Neutral question that don’t prompt a particular response.

Resource Continued Secondary Resources Survey – effective in gaining insight into attitudes, values and beliefs Secondary Resources Print – the old standby Electronically Stored information Library Resources Reference Librarian – information specialist Card Catalog Books Newspapers and Periodicals Government Publications Reference works

Documenting Your Source Material Use the APA or MLA samples are in your textbook Critically Evaluate Secondary Resources What is the author’s background? How credible is the publication How reliable is the data How recent is the reference? Research you speech in an Ethical Manner Avoid Plagiarism Avoid Fabrication