A SPEAKER

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A SPEAKERS GUIDEBOOK4TH EDITIONCHAPTER 9

• Research Methods

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Supporting Your Speech with Research

• Aristotle, and other classical rhetoricians,
  termed the process of selecting information to
  illustrate or prove your points invention.
• Public speakers must be selective in choosing the
  right mix of supporting materials for their
  topics.
• Primary research is original or firsthand
  research conducted by you.
• Secondary research includes library and internet
  resources information which is recorded by
  others.

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Types of Secondary Research Sources

• Books
• Newspapers
• Periodicals (Magazines)
• Academic Journals
• Government Publications
• Reference Works

TIP Most research sources stored in a physical
library can be located through on-line databases.
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On-line Databases

• A database is a searchable place in which
  information is stored and from which it can be
  retrieved.
• If you dont have time to order or pick up items
  from the library, you should use a full-text
  database from where many of the articles
  contained within can be printed.
• Always consult your campus reference librarian
  when you need assistance locating research items.

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Using Books

• Not only are books available at your local
  library, you can also find some books online at
  sources like www.booksinprint.com/bip for a fee.
• Be prepared to read the book before you quote it
  in your speech summaries or book reviews are not
  sufficient sources to include as supporting
  material in a speech.

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Using Newspapers

• Newspapers are excellent sources
  for current events and narratives.
• Search online for newspaper articles through
  Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe News Service,
  InfoTrac Newspaper Collection, and ProQuest which
  should all be available through your campus
  virtual library.
• Many newspapers publish online versions of their
  current print copy. Use Google search
  www.google.com to find your local newspaper.

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Using Periodicals

• A periodical is a regularly published magazine or
  journal which is considered credible by most
  people.
• These are good sources for finding examples,
  stories, and statistics on many topics.
• Your campus virtual library most likely organizes
  periodicals by general topic
  i.e. business, health,
  education, etc

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Using Academic Journals

• Articles in academic journals, also called
  refereed journals, are written by experts in the
  field, contain many citations by experts, and are
  evaluated by other experts before they are
  published.
• ProQuest Research Library is an excellent
  database in which to find academic journals.
  Begin your search with your campus virtual
  library.

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Question

• You only have a week until the delivery of your
  speech about a former U.S. president, and you
  need to find some information about him. What
  would be your best source?
• A. A 2000 page autobiography
• B. An article from the New York Times
• C. An article from People Magazine
• D. www.wikipedia.com
• E. Interview him directly

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Finding Government Publications

• Using secondary sources about government
  publications can often contain errors or
  statements taken out of context. It is best to
  use the original documents whenever possible.
• The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO)
  provides copies of documents written by all
  government agencies these can often be found
  translated into other languages.
• Go to www.access.gpo.gov or www.FirstGov.gov for
  links to U.S. and other national websites.

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Types of Reference Works

• Encyclopedia
• Almanacs Fact Books
• Biography Index
• Books of Quotations
• Poetry Collections
• Atlases Map Guides

TIP You will have to go to your local library to
locate most reference works. Some reference works
are available on-line, but you must pay careful
attention to the quality and credibility of
on-line reference works.
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Discussion

• Many professors and students are undecided about
  the credibility of online encyclopedias, such as
  Wikipedia.
• Should you cite information directly from such
  sources in your speech? Why or why not?

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Conducting Interviews

• An interview is a face-to-face communication with
  an expert for the purpose of gaining information.
• To conduct an interview, one must plan ahead,
  prepare questions, and structure the interview
  session with an introduction, body (seeking
  questions), and a conclusion.

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Conducting Surveys

• Surveys are useful to investigate audience
  attitudes. Although it may be fun, surveying your
  class may not be statistically sound.
• Academic journal articles are great sources to
  find credible and statistically sound surveys.

ACTIVITY Write three questions related to your
topic to ask your classmates.
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Being an Organized Researcher

• Document source information as you research using
  index cards, print-outs of the library
  information page, or create a working
  bibliography.
• An annotated bibliography in the format required
  by your instructor is an excellent way to record
  all of the information needed for each source and
  will help you remember which source contained
  which information when you get to the writing
  phase.

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Source Citation Details to Record

• Names of authors/editors
• Title of publication
• Volume, edition, or issue number
• Name of publisher
• Place of publication city and state, or
  internet address
• Date and year of publication
• Page numbers of articles and pages on which the
  material appears

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Source Information to Record

• Direct quotations, paraphrases, specific ideas,
  or theories put forth by others in the source.
• The source of facts and statistics to be used.
• Bibliographic information for examples and
  stories.
• The source of testimony, as well as the date and
  context related to the testimony that was given.
• Any information you may choose to use in your
  visual aids, such as charts, data, photos, or
  models.

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Chapter 9 Key Terms for Review

• primary research
• secondary research
• database
• full-text database
• reference librarian
• Library of Congress call number
• Dewey decimal number
• periodical
• U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO)

• encyclopedia
• general encyclopedia
• specialized encyclopedia
• almanac
• fact book
• atlas
• interview
• working bibliography
• fabrication