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COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-1
Chapter 11
Topic Selection and Development
Goal: To guide students through the process of selecting topics and researching supporting
materials for their speeches
Overview: This chapter starts the public speaking section. It discusses how students can
select a specific speech goal that is adapted to a particular audience and occasion, and how
they can gather and evaluate supporting material for their speeches.
Learning Outcomes
11-1 Determine a speech topic and goal that is appropriate for the rhetorical situation.11-2
Locate and evaluate information sources.
11-3 Identify and evaluate different types of evidence.
11-4 Record information and sources.
11-5 Cite sources effectively in your speeches.
Key Terms
Abstract
Accurate sources
Anecdotes
Annotated bibliography
Audience adaptation
Audience analysis
Audience diversity
Comparisons
Concept mapping
Contrasts
Credentials
Demographics
Examples
Exigence
Expert
Expert opinions
Factual statements
Fieldwork observations
General goal
Hypothesis
Interview
Marginalizing
Narratives
Occasion
Oral footnotes
Periodicals
Plagiarism
Primary research
Reliable sources
Research cards
Rhetorical situation
Secondary research
Skimming
Specific goal
Statistics
Stereotyping
Subject
Survey
Topic
Uncertainty reduction
theory
Valid sources
Figures and Tables
Figure 11.1 The Rhetorical Situation
Figure 11.2 Audience Analysis Questions
Figure 11.3 Sample Survey Questions
Figure 11.4 Holly’s Subject Lists
Figure 11.5 Holly’s Endangered Birds Concept Map
Figure 11.6 Informative and Persuasive Speech Goals
Figure 11.7 Sample Research Card
Figure 11.8 Oral Footnotes
Chapter Outline
I. The rhetorical situation
A. The rhetorical situation is a state in which you (and your knowledge and intentions),
the audience (and their knowledge and expectations), and the occasion (and the
constraints of it) overlap
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
B. Because audience is so crucial to a successful speech, your specific speech goal must
be based on audience analysis, the study of the intended audience for your speech,
and audience adaptation, the process of tailoring your speech to their needs,
interests, and expectations
C. Uncertainty reduction theory: explains the processes we go through to get to know
strangers
Action Step 1
Select a specific speech goal that is adapted to the rhetorical situation
D. Because addressing the specific needs and expectations of your intended audience is
integral to the rhetorical situation, you need to examine who they are by collecting
both demographic and subject-related data. This information will help you select and
tailor your topic and goal to meet their needs, interests, and expectations
E. Data-gathering methods
1. Gather subject-related audience data, including their level of knowledge, initial
level of interest in, and attitude toward the potential topics you are considering2.
You can use several different methods to gather data about your audience
a Conduct a survey
b. Observe informally
c. Question a representative
d. Make educated guesses
F. Adapting to your audience means creating a speech that all audience members can
relate to
1. Marginalizing is the practice of ignoring the values, needs, interests, and subject-
specific knowledge of some audience members, leaving them to feel excluded
2. Stereotyping is assuming all members of a group have similar knowledge,
behaviors, or beliefs simply because they belong to that group
3. Audience diversity is the range of demographic characteristics and subject-
specific differences represented in an audience
G. The occasion is the expected purpose for the speech and the setting where it will be
given
II. Selecting a speech topic
A. List subject areas that are important to you and that you know something about
(subject: a broad area of knowledge)
B. Brainstorm and create a concept map for topic ideas, utilizing an uncritical, non-
evaluative process of generating associated ideas (topic: specific aspect of a subject,
more narrowly focused)
C. Select an appropriate topic, eliminating topics that are too simple or too difficult for
your audience
D. Consider the occasion, as some topics are inappropriate for the time-frame and
context
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
III. Writing a speech goal statement
A. Identify your general goal: the intent of your speech
B. Phrase a specific goal statement: a single statement of the exact response the
speaker wants from the audience
1. Write a first draft of your specific speech goal statement
2. Make sure the goal statement contains only one central idea
3. Revise the statement until it clearly articulates the desired audience response
Action Step 2
Gather and evaluate information to develop your speech
IV. Locating and evaluating information sources
A. Personal knowledge and experience
1. If you have personal knowledge and experience about the topic, however, you
should also share your credentials—your experiences or education that qualifies
you to speak with authority on a subject
B. Secondary research: the process of locating information about your topic that has
been discovered by other people
1. Encyclopedias
2. Books
3. Articles
4. Newspapers
5. Statistical sources
6. Biographies
7. Quotation books and web sites
8. Government documents
10. The validity, accuracy, and reliability of secondary sources vary widely
a. Authority: test the expertise of the author and the reputation of the
sponsoring organization
b. Objectivity: test the impartiality of the presentation
c. Currency: test the timeliness of the source
d. Relevance: test whether information is directly related to your topic and
supports your main points
C. Primary research: the process of conducting your own study to acquire information
for your speech
1. Fieldwork observations
2. Surveys
2. Interviews
3. Original artifact or document examinations
4. Experiments
V. Identifying and citing information
A. Factual statements: statements that can be verified
1. Statistics
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
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a. Use only statistics you can verify to be reliable and valid
b. Use only recent statistics so your audience will not be misled
c. Use statistics comparatively
d. Use statistics sparingly
e. Remember that statistics can be biased
2. Examples: specific instances that illustrate or explain a general factual statement
B. Expert opinions: interpretations and judgments made by authorities in a particular
subject area
C. Elaborations
1. Anecdotes and narratives
a. Anecdotes are brief, often amusing, stories
b. Narratives are accounts, personal experiences, tales, or lengthier stories
2. Comparisons and contrasts
a. Comparisons illuminate a point by showing similarities
b. Contrasts highlight differences
3. Quotations: may come from a book of quotations, article, or interview
D. It is important to seek information from a variety of cultural perspectives by drawing
from sources with different cultural orientations and by interviewing experts with
diverse cultural backgrounds
E. As you find information to use in your speech, you need to record it accurately and
keep a careful account of your sources so you can cite them appropriately during
your speech
1. An annotated bibliography is a preliminary record of the relevant sources you find
as you conduct your research that includes a short summary of information in
that source
2. Research cards are individual 3 × 5 or 4 × 6-inch index cards or electronic
facsimiles that record one piece of information relevant to your speech along with
a key word or main idea and the bibliographic information identifying where you
found it
F. Specifically mentioning sources helps the audience evaluate the content of your
speech and enhances your credibility. Oral footnotes are references to an original
source, made at the point in the speech where information from that source is
presented
Technology Resources
Analyzing Information Sources
http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill26.htm Visit this site to read about
criteria you can use to evaluate the credibility of your sources.
Brainstorming
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/brainstorming/ For ideas about how to use
brainstorming for developing speech topics, check out this handout, “Brainstorming,”
prepared by the University of North Carolina’s College of Arts and Sciences Writing Center.
Conducting Surveys
http://www.infotoday.com/online/sep02/Plosker.htm If you want to conduct your own
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-5
survey, this site features important tips for collecting information.
Government Publications Online
http://guides.lib.washington.edu/federalThis site features links to several frequently used
U.S. federal government documents.
Online Biographical References
http://www.libraryspot.com/biographies/ LibrarySpot.com provides numerous links to online
biographical references.
Online Encyclopedias
http://www.libraryspot.com/features/encyclopedia.htm LibrarySpot.com also provides
numerous links to online encyclopedias.
Quotations Online
http://www.bartleby.com/reference/ This site features links to Web-based sources of
quotations. Scroll down to the Quotations section.
Statistics Online
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ The Statistical Abstract of the United States
contains a summary of social, political, and economic statistics on the United States.
Other Media Resources
1. Toastmasters District One: Speech Topic
http://www.tmdistrictone.org/ideas.asp
2. Searching and Researching on the Internet and World Wide Web
http://www.webliminal.com/search-web.html
Discussion and Assignment Ideas
I. What is the difference between an audience analysis and stereotyping?
II. Quotes: These can be used to introduce topics, questions perspectives, or gain
individual opinion. Providing students with a quote and prompting them to write or
reflect on their personal feelings about the quote can help to spark discussion and
interest. Suggested prompts may include “Define this concept in your own words”; “Do
you agree with this statement? Explain”; “What text material can be used to support or
refute this idea?”
When one person calls you a donkey, don’t worry. When four people do, go out and
buy a saddle.
—Anonymous
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve
them.
—Isaac Asimov
III. Is it more difficult to select a topic that does not directly relate to your classmate
audience? Why or why not? How much impact should your audience’s interest have on
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-6
your speech?
IV. How might a thorough audience analysis guide your choice of information types (e.g.,
examples, statistics, narratives, comparisons, quotations)? Explain with an example.
V. How can you determine the credibility of a website’s information? If material is on the
Internet, is it necessarily fact? Recall the discussion of how to separate facts from
inferences in Chapter 7 of your textbook. Apply this discussion to a hypothetical web
search that results in a great quote on your topic but has no name or source attached to
it.
Chapter Activities
11.1: Brainstorming Speech Topics and Analyzing Your Audience
Purpose: To help students understand the difference between a subject and a topic,
and to work together to generate potential speech topic ideas that are
appropriate for the classroom audience
Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Process: Have students work in small groups to brainstorm at least three different
topics under each of the following subject areas:
Baseball or basketball
Popular music
Famous person
Conflict in the Middle East
Global warming
When the students are done generating topics, have them present their topics
to the class as a whole. Discuss the various topics that have been generated.
Pick a few topics to discuss in more detail:
• Which of these topics does the audience know a lot about?
• Which of these topics might generate a high interest level?
• Which of these topics might the students have a positive attitude about?
If time allows, ask for a show of hands to confirm whether the class’s
assumptions are true:
• How many of you know a lot about this topic?
• How many of you are bored with this topic?
• How many of you are interested in hearing more about this topic?
Highlight the difference between knowing a lot about a topic and having a
high amount of interest in the topic. Ask students to consider how they could
make a boring topic more interesting to a highly informed audience.
11.2: Speech Goals
Purpose: To help students practice framing and evaluating speech goals
Time: 30 minutes
Process: Since students often have difficulty creating a well-worded speech goal, this
exercise is designed to give students in-class experience. With the same
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
groups used in the brainstorming exercise (Chapter Activity 12.1), ask
students to pick one of the topics they generated during brainstorming. Then
ask them to prepare specific speech goals for two informative and two
persuasive speeches based on this topic. Students should make sure their
goals meet the criteria delineated in pages 289–291 of their textbooks. At the
end of a 15-minute period, each group should select what they believe is their
best-worded speech goal. The recorder for the group should then write the
selected goal on the board.
After each group has written their goal on the board, ask the class to analyze
the goals and select the best-written informative speech goal and the best-
written persuasive speech goal. Use the criteria in the textbook to direct their
evaluative process.
11.3: Audience Analysis
Purpose: To help students practice an audience analysis
Time: 30 minutes
Process: Divide the class into groups of four or five students each. Give each group an
informative speech goal, drawn from the speech goals written for Chapter
Activity 12.3 or from a list you provide. Also give them a specific audience to
which the speech described in the speech goal is to be given, such as the
following:
• High school parent-teacher association
• Community action group
• College branch of the Young Republicans or Young Democrats
• Kiwanis club (or some other service organization)
• Local Ten Percent Society
• Conference comprised of lawyers
• Conference comprised of elementary school teachers
Have each group identify the audience and setting considerations for their
speech, and ask them to discuss how they might adapt their speech for their
audience, given the audience’s background, knowledge level, interests, and
shared experiences. Have each group share a few of their findings.
11.4: Using Examples
Purpose: To help students develop the skill of citing examples that support
generalizations
Time: 20 minutes
Process: Begin with enough 3 x 5 cards to pass out at least two cards each to groups
comprised of three to four students. On each card write a generalization that
is easily developed with examples, such as the following:
• When one television show becomes a hit, the other networks often try to
bring out similar shows.
• (Your city) has many fine restaurants.
• Many recreational activities don’t cost a lot of money.
• The skyline of the state capital has changed considerably over the years.
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-8
• Wrestling programs are popular on cable and non-network television shows.
• Each year computers get more powerful.
• Many Americans choose exotic vacations in the South Pacific and Asia.
• The end never justifies the means.
• Students find many different ways to spend their spare time.
• Different stores cater to different clothing tastes.
• Each part of town provides its own advantages for its residents.
• Automobiles have incorporated many safety features during the last several
years.
• People are turning to many different kinds of low-calorie and low-cholesterol
desserts.
• Modern movies seem to be laced with violence.
Begin the round by handing out two cards to each group. Then give the
groups five minutes to prepare a short informative speech in which they
develop their speech goal with at least three examples; the examples can be
of any length. Have each group pick a representative to present their short
informative speech. When the first group has finished, give the class two
minutes to discuss the speaker’s use of examples.
11.5: Recognizing Inappropriate Research
Purpose: To enable students to recognize inappropriate research of supporting
materials for a speech
Time: 40 minutes
Process: Divide students into groups of four. Give each group a card with one of the
following sets of instructions on it. Allow the groups 10 minutes to create their
“incorrect” scenario. Each group should select one person to deliver the
scenario. Proceed by having students attempt to guess the incorrect or
inappropriate research technique demonstrated by each scenario. Use each
scenario as an opportunity to reinforce important material from the chapter.
Instruction sets
1. Create a short speech on seatbelt usage that uses only statistics as
evidence. Do not cite any sources for your statistics.
2. Give a short speech on capital punishment in which you use a direct quote
(which you will need to create for this in-class assignment). After giving
the quote, tell the audience “That’s a quote that I got off the Internet”
before concluding the speech.
3. Tell a story as an opening for a speech on date rape. After the story, say,
“I heard this from someone in the dorms.”
4. Create a short speech on abortion. Include the following statements:
“Many women are using abortion as birth control”; “Many women on
welfare have had over ten abortions”; and “ Abortion hasn’t been legal
very long.” Provide no source citations for any of these assertions.
5. Create a short speech on campus crime, using information “my brother
told me.”
6. Create an introduction for a speech on the Vietnam War. State that “I got
all of this information from a book called Vietnam—The Unholy War.”
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-9
What Would You Do?
A Question of Ethics
When Mr. Allen gave the class its final public speaking assignment, Alessandra decided that
she would deliver a speech on the limited educational opportunities for women in the
developing world. This topic was close to her heart, as her mother had struggled for years
to improve education for women in her native country of Eritrea before immigrating to the
United States. Moreover, Alessandra had already done quite a bit of reading on the topic in
the past.
As chance would have it, Alessandra came down with the flu the week before her speech
was due and was flat on her back for four days before she finally recovered. Because she
was so far behind in her studies, Alessandra didn’t begin working on her speech until the
afternoon before it was due. Still, by midnight, she had completed what she felt was a
strong draft.
The next morning she cleaned up a few typos and errors in her outline and then
practiced delivering it the next two hours. Just before leaving for school, she read the
instructions one last time to double check that she had done everything correctly. Were her
eyes playing tricks on her? The speech needed to be supported by no fewer than five
published sources, yet she had cited only four. How could she have overlooked this detail?
Alessandra thought frantically. She could ask for an extension, but she had too much other
schoolwork to do in the coming days and needed to complete this project now. She could
leave her speech as it was, but Mr. Allen was a stickler for little details and he’d certainly
lower her grade over the missing source.
Alessandra had, of course, read other books on her topic in the past, even if she hadn’t
cited them in her speech. Although she couldn’t remember the specific details of these
books, she recalled their general message well enough. That was the solution! She would
write a few quotations from one of the books based on her memory, drop them into her
speech—she knew just the spot—and then update her references with credit information
pulled from the Internet.
In less than a half an hour, Alessandra completed her emergency revisions to her speech
and was on her way to class.
1. Although blatantly fabricating information from a source is clearly unethical, what about
someone like Alessandra writing quotations based on her memory of earlier reading?
2. What ethical obligations does Alessandra have to her sources?
Journal Assignments
A Political Correctness
Ask three people of differing ages to define “political correctness.” Compare and contrast
their definitions with your own. Is there a difference between political correctness and using
respectful language? How would you respond to an offensive speech? If we all avoided
speech topics that might offend someone, would persuasion ever occur? Explain.
B. Supporting Evidence for Editorials
Select an editorial or a letter to the editor from a national, local, or campus newspaper. (It’s
okay to use online newspapers.) Research the topic discussed in the editorial and locate
material that either supports or contradicts the statements made in the editorial. Find an
example of distorted facts on this topic. Discuss this example.
C. Diverse Perspectives in Supportive Evidence
On the topic of parental rights, affirmative action, or same-sex marriage, find five different
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-10
perspectives by consulting information from diverse groups.
What Would You Do?
A Question of Ethics
When Mr. Allen gave the class its final public speaking assignment, Alessandra decided that
she would deliver a speech on the limited educational opportunities for women in the
developing world. This topic was close to her heart, as her mother had struggled for years
to improve education for women in her native country of Eritrea before immigrating to the
United States. Moreover, Alessandra had already done quite a bit of reading on the topic in
the past.
As chance would have it, Alessandra came down with the flu the week before her speech
was due and was flat on her back for four days before she finally recovered. Because she
was so far behind in her studies, Alessandra didn’t begin working on her speech until the
afternoon before it was due. Still, by midnight, she had completed what she felt was a
strong draft.
The next morning she cleaned up a few typos and errors in her outline and then
practiced delivering it the next two hours. Just before leaving for school, she read the
instructions one last time to double check that she had done everything correctly. Were her
eyes playing tricks on her? The speech needed to be supported by no fewer than five
published sources, yet she had cited only four. How could she have overlooked this detail?
Alessandra thought frantically. She could ask for an extension, but she had too much other
schoolwork to do in the coming days and needed to complete this project now. She could
leave her speech as it was, but Mr. Allen was a stickler for little details and he’d certainly
lower her grade over the missing source.
Alessandra had, of course, read other books on her topic in the past, even if she hadn’t
cited them in her speech. Although she couldn’t remember the specific details of these
books, she recalled their general message well enough. That was the solution! She would
write a few quotations from one of the books based on her memory, drop them into her
speech—she knew just the spot—and then update her references with credit information
pulled from the Internet.
In less than a half an hour, Alessandra completed her emergency revisions to her speech
and was on her way to class.
1. Although blatantly fabricating information from a source is clearly unethical, what about
someone like Alessandra writing quotations based on her memory of earlier reading?
2. What ethical obligations does Alessandra have to her sources?
PopComm!
To Wikipedia or Not to Wikipedia?: That’s a Good Question
Of Wikipedia, The Office’s Michael Scott opined, “Wikipedia is the best thing ever. Anyone in
the world can write anything they want about any subject, so you know you are getting the
best possible information.” Funny, right? Not for John Seigenthaler, a well-respected
journalist who was a friend and aide to President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy in the 1960s. Seigenthaler was a victim of a hoax article posted to
Wikipedia that falsely claimed he had been suspected in the assassinations of John and
Robert Kennedy. The hoax upset Seigenthaler not only because the article defamed his
character, but also because Wikipedia editors didn’t discover and correct it for over four
months. Shortly after Seigenthaler published an article in USA Today about the incident,
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-11
Wikipedia announced that it had barred unregistered users from creating new articles, and
later the site enacted a policy that prevented the public from creating new articles about
living people without editorial review. These moves signaled a change from Wikipedia’s
initial desire to provide a free online encyclopedia that the public could create
collaboratively.
Wikipedia is one of the top ten Web sites used worldwide, offering 2,665,263 articles
covering over 2 million topics. Nonetheless, the Seigenthaler hoax and other incidents have
spurred a “credibility” backlash against the site. For example, U.S courts have begun ruling
that Wikipedia cannot be used as legal evidence—in April 2009, a New Jersey judge
reversed an initial ruling that Wikipedia could be used to plug an evidentiary gap, saying
that because “anyone can edit” the online encyclopedia, it is not a reliable source of
information. In addition, many educators discourage their students from using Wikipedia as
a research tool, and some schools have even banned access to it completely. The site
prompts comments such as “Better to make such a site off-limits to students . . . if it will
get them to rely on more authentic research sources for their writing”. Even Wikipedia
founder Jimmy Wales cautions against relying on the Web site as a primary source: “People
shouldn’t be citing encyclopedias in the first place. [Rather,] Wikipedia and other
encyclopedias should be solid enough to give good, solid background information to inform
your studies for a deeper level”.
But some educators argue that student use of Wikipedia can provide invaluable teaching
moments. Jade Tippett of Ukiah High School suggests, “By showing students how Wikipedia
entries are developed by dynamic consensus, as opposed to ‘authoritative’ sourcing, we can
get to deeper levels of the ‘what is truth’ conversation”. David Geary of the Harris County
Department of Education says that although he hesitates to call Wikipedia “factual,” he
believes that information contributed to Wikipedia is often reflective of a popular cultural
viewpoint. And in English Journal, Darren Crovitz and W. Scott Smoot write, “Talking with
[students] about how the site operates is essential in helping them move from passive
acceptors of information to practicing analyzers and evaluators.”
So, to Wikipedia or not to Wikipedia? A moderate approach advocates using Wikipedia as
a starting point for research rather than a primary source. Here’s a tip: Use the Notes
section at the end of Wikipedia articles to find links to the published sources that support
and inform each article. These sources include books; magazine, newspaper, and journal
articles; original interviews; court decisions; and similar authoritative sources.
Source:
Cohen N. (2009, August 24). Wikipedia to limit changes to articles on people. New York
Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/25/technology/internet/25wikipedia.html?_r=1; Crovitz,
D., & Smoot, W. S. (2009, January). Wikipedia: Friend, not foe. English Journal, 98(3), 91–
97. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/archival/EnglishJournalArticle2.pdf; Gallagher,
M. P. (2009, April 27). Wikipedia held too malleable to be reliable as evidence. New Jersey
Law Journal. n.p. Retrieved from Infotrac; Helm, B. (2005, December 14). Wikipedia: “A
work in progress.” Business Week. Retrieved from
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2005/tc20051214_441708.htm?chan
=db; Seigenthaler J. (2005, November 29). A false Wikipedia “biography.” USA Today.
Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2005-11-29-wikipedia-
edit_x.htm; Smith, S. (2008). The case for using, but not citing, Wikipedia. Prosecutor,
Journal of the National District Attorneys Association, 42(4), 31. Retrieved from Infotrac;
Wikipedia: Friend or foe? (2009). Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(8), 6. Retrieved
from Infotrac.
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
11-12
Experiential Assignments
Audience Analysis
Attend a public speech delivered outside your school. If your schedule makes going to a live
speech difficult, you may watch a speech delivered on TV or cable (try C-SPAN). When
watching the speech, consider how the audience and occasion might have influenced the
speaker. Was the speech pitched directly at the immediate interests of the audience? If not,
did the speaker attempt to draw connections between his or her topic and the audience’s
interests? Did the speaker use any particular words or gestures to connect better with the
audience? What about the manner in which the speaker was dressed; how might this have
played with the audience?
Freedom of Speech
Make a list of speech topics that would be inappropriate for your speech class. Explain your
reasoning for each (e.g., audience analysis shows disinterest). Should your freedom of
speech be restricted in a speech class? Describe the legal and cultural restrictions on
freedom of speech in the United States. How would you amend the restrictions on freedom
of speech if you could? Why would you make these amendments?
Evaluating Online Sources (see handout below)
The Internet can be a gold mine for a researcher, but the challenge can be knowing the
fool’s gold from the real thing. Pick a subject at random and search the Internet for
information on it. Find five reliable and five unreliable online sources on your subject,
explaining your rationale for your evaluation of each source.
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
Experiential Assignment Handouts
Evaluating Online Sources
The Internet can be a gold mine for a researcher, but the challenge can be knowing the
fool’s gold from the real thing. Pick a subject at random and search the Internet for
information on it. Find five reliable and five unreliable online sources on your subject,
explaining your rationale for your evaluation of each source.
Evaluating Online Sources Worksheet 1
Topic Selected: ________________________________________________________________
Reliable Source #1: _____________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reliable Sources #2: ____________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reliable Sources #3: ____________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reliable Sources #4: ____________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reliable Sources #5: ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
COMM5 Instructor Manual Chapter 11
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Evaluating Online Sources Worksheet 2
Unreliable Source #1: ___________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Unreliable Source #2: ___________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Unreliable Source #3: ___________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Unreliable Source #4: ___________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Unreliable Source #5: ___________________________________________________________
Rationale: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
