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9 Finding Credible Online and Print Materials
<A> OBJECTIVES
To assess your research needs.
To start your search at your library’s home page.
To learn to recognize propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.
To consider using both primary and secondary sources.
To explore various secondary sources.
To conduct smart searches.
<A> CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Finding credible print and online materials
A. The process of selecting supporting material to illustrate or prove your points is called
invention.
B. Invention spurs the creation of valid arguments from the various forms of available evidence.
II. Assessing your research needs
A. Take a few moments to review your thesis statement and specific speech purpose, and
make sure you are clear on what you are trying to say. Keep in mind the reason for
your research is to substantiate the speech thesis.
III. Seeking out a library portal to access credible sources
A. Popular search engines can provide false and/or biased information, may omit key
sources, and can lead to information overload. To avoid these drawbacks, speakers
should begin their search at a library portal, an electronic entry point into its holdings
(e.g., the library’s home page).
1. The Web can be used to brainstorm and narrow topics, locate current topic
news, review reputable blogs, etc.
2. Library holdings are built through careful and deliberate selection processes
by trained professionals, and one can be sure that the information found is
both credible and reliable.
2. Propaganda is information represented in such a way as to provoke a desired
response.
4. Disinformation is the deliberate falsification of information.
D. Most speeches can benefit from a mix of primary and secondary sources.
1. Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence for your
2. Secondary sources provide analysis of commentary about things not directly
observed or created. The most likely sources of secondary research include
books, newspapers, periodicals, blogs and news sites, references, government
publications, books of quotations, and atlases.
IV. Exploring primary sources
A. Your own personal knowledge and experience about a topic can help you draw in
listeners and develop a sense of connection with your audience. The sharing of your
B. Many speeches can benefit from citing a statistic from a census or other data set,
quoting testimony from a hearing or speech, or incorporating other information from
government documents. Much of this information comes from highly credible
primary sources.
1. The official portal to all government information and services is www.usa.gov.
Reliable statistics related to your topic may be searched for at FedStates
C. Digital collections found in the online presences of the world’s libraries can serve as a
chief primary source of materials.
2. This material adds color and depth to speeches.
D. A blog can offer compelling sources of information of unfolding events and new
trends and ideas, if the source is reputable.
E. An interview is especially helpful for gathering information from experts. An
interview is communication for the purpose of gathering information.
1. When preparing for an interview, do some research on the person you’ll be
2. Pay close attention to the wording of your questions. Avoid vague questions,
3. Establish a spirit of collaboration with the person you are interviewing.
5. End the interview by rechecking that all topics have been covered and what you
have learned.
F. Surveys are an effective source of support for topics related to the attitudes, values,
and beliefs of people in the immediate environment. Remember that informal surveys
V. Exploring secondary sources
A. Books, newspapers, periodicals, government publications, print or online
reference works (including encyclopedias, books of quotations, and poetry
B. Encyclopedias summarize knowledge found in other sources. General
1. Wikipedia may be tantalizingly easy to consult, but bear in mind that its information may or
may not be accurate at any given moment because people edit material at will. To ensure
accuracy, use it only as a starting point for further research.
VI. Conducting smart searches
A. Prior to starting your search for primary and secondary sources, consider how you can
B. Subject guides, found at libraries and compiled by librarians, are a collection of
C. General search engines, such as Google or Yahoo!, will search billions of documents
D. For general search engines, the use of keywords will usually produce the best results,
while libraries, catalogs, and databases are best served by using subject heading.
E. All information retrieved from websites should be viewed with a critical eye, as
virtually anyone can post professional-looking information. Being a critical consumer
of information means carefully examining any source found on the Internet.
1. Check the most authoritative websites first.
3. Examine the domain, or the suffix at the end of a Web address.
5. Check whether the site credits sources, and verify information with at least two
other reputable and independent sources.
F. Check facts using watchdog sites, as even the most reliable sources can occasionally
<A> KEY TERMS
invention the classical term for the process of selecting information to illustrate or prove speech
points.
disinformation the deliberate falsification of information.
primary sources firsthand accounts or direct evidence of events, objects, or people. See also
secondary source.
secondary sources analysis or commentary about things not directly observed or created; news,
commentary, analysis, and scholarship found in books, articles, and a myriad of sources other
than the original. See also primary sources.
blog short for “Weblog”; an online personal journal.
encyclopedia a reference work that summarizes knowledge found in original form elsewhere and
provides an overview of subjects.
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What are primary sources and secondary sources?
Primary sources provide firsthand accounts or direct evidence of events, objects, or people—
Why should you begin your search for sources at a library portal?
Using a library portal assures you that an information specialist has vetted sources for
reliability and credibility. Because these standards do not exist for popular Web search engines,
Why is it critical to understand how to use the Internet for research?
How can you critically evaluate Internet sources?
The first step is to identify the author or sponsor organization for the site by examining the
II. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What does it mean to assess your research needs?
Before beginning to search for sources, speakers should review their thesis statement and
Have you ever used a library portal? If so, did it prove helpful in your search for sources?
What is the purpose of locating supporting material on the Internet? What do you need to know
in order to use the Internet for research?
The Internet provides an accessible, useful approach to gathering supporting material for a
What popular research websites or search engines do you consider credible and reliable sources
of information? Which do you believe are not credible or reliable? Why?
This discussion should help students learn to identify websites to avoid in the research process.
For example, ask your students if they consider www.wikipedia.com credible; this website often
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTIONS
The following questions may help you illustrate important points in the chapter and facilitate
students’ learning of this material. These questions can be used as:
homework questions
quizzes
What are primary sources and secondary sources?
Primary sources provide firsthand accounts or direct evidence of events, objects, or people
What is the “deep web”?
List several examples of secondary sources.
books
newspapers
ACTIVITIES
Online Scavenger Hunt
Purpose: To help students acquire information for a speech. This activity provides students with
Instructions: Students must locate the following items and answer the questions.
Find a journal article from an academic journal. What are the page numbers this article is found
on in the printed copy of the journal? (If an article is to be correctly cited according to APA
format, page numbers are required.)
Locating Propaganda on the Internet
Instructions: Ask students to locate material on the Internet that they believe to be propaganda.
Students can print the material and bring it to class, e-mail it to you, or post it in a discussion
board. Students can present their findings to the class and discuss the implications of the content.
Practice Makes Perfect: Practicing and Learning to Research
Purpose: To help students acquire research skills and to better understand the research process.
Instructions: For this activity, students will need to find as many of these items as they can on
the Internet. Each answer should be accompanied by a URL address to verify the source. This
activity will give students an opportunity to become familiar with online systems.
The lyrics of a song that mentions the word America
A television program that features an African American or an Asian American in a
prominent role
The percentage of both the male and female population that is overweight
Primary and Secondary Sources
Purpose: To encourage students to seek out both primary and secondary sources for their speech
research.
Instructions: Find two examples of primary and secondary sources that could be utilized in your
Don’t Forget Interviews!
Purpose: To encourage students to remember that interviews can be a great source of support
material; to help students consider who might be an appropriate interview subject for their next
speech; to give students experience crafting interview questions for speech research.
Instructions: Develop an interview guide focusing on the topic that you have chosen for your
Biographical Research
Purpose: To give students the opportunity to compare information they find using different
search engines and subject directories to research biographical information.
Instructions: Give each student the name of a famous person from history or current events.
Have students locate and print relevant information about the person they can find on the
Examining Search Engines
Purpose: To encourage students to examine and compare the different popular search engines
they use.
Instructions: Develop a list of search engines that students commonly use. Discuss how you
might go about using each search engine. How are they the same? How are they different?
IV. GROUP ACTIVITIES
Meet a Reference Librarian
Purpose: To ensure students know reference librarians are available to help research their
speeches; to acquaint students with the resources available in the school’s library.
Instructions: Take a class field trip to your school’s library, and meet with a reference librarian
who has a good knowledge of the online databases available through your library.
Same Topic, Different Search Engine
Purpose: To illustrate to students the differences between popular general search engines.
Instructions: Put students in groups of four or five, and ask each group to use a general search
