Chapter 7 Gathering Materials

Using Your Own Knowledge and Experience Focus on topics you know something about or are deeply interested in. Touch of personal salience can go a long way

Library Research Librarians Catalogues Reference Works Encyclopedias Yearbooks Quotation Books Biographical Aids Beware of the “recency” of many encyclopedia entries

Library Research Newspapers and Periodicals Academic Databases Be cautious with abstracts Use abstracts to your advantage, but do not cite a source based purely on the abstract Journal articles – peer review

Searching the Internet Search Engines Specialized Research Resources Virtual Libraries Government Resources Wikipedia Use quotation marks and addition symbol when searching Use Wikipedia as starting point

Searching the Internet Evaluating Internet Documents Authorship Sponsorship Recency No peer review on internet Sponsorship – objective source. Check the reputation of your source Recency – do not base your presentation on dated information

Interviewing Before the Interview During the Interview After the Interview Before – define purpose, decide who, arrange it, record it?, prepare questions ahead of time – avoid leading or hostile questions During – be on time and dress appropriately, repeat purpose, record if necessary, keep interview on track, listen carefully, don’t overstay welcome After – review notes ASAP, transcribe them

Research Tips Start Early Preliminary Bibliography Efficient Note taking Think about materials as you research Use whatever style manual works for you… typically MLA or APA Notes – take plenty, record consistently, DISINGUISH B/W DIRECT QUOTES, PARAPHRASES, AND YOUR OWN IDEAS At first you might let your research take you in new directions

Oral Source Citations One of the significant differences between formal papers and speeches Meant to provide credibility for speaker and evidence Unique structure Paper: “…” (Congalton, 2014, p. 35). Speech: “According to a 2014 article in the Quarterly Journal of Speech written by communications professor Jeanine Congalton…”