CHAPTER 9
Finding Credible Sources in Print and Online
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Assess your research needs.
A. Review your thesis statement and determine what you need to explain, demonstrate, or
prove.
II. Use library portals to access credible sources.
A. Library portals offer many benefits to researchers that are not available through other web
sources.
1. Sources in a library portal are built through careful selection processes by trained
3. Popular search engines have no standards for source credibility and can contain false
and/or biased information.
4. Libraries also purchase access to resources that form part of the deep web, the large
portion of the web not available through general internet search engines.
III. Recognize propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.
A. Each time you examine a document, ask yourself, “Who put this information here, and
B. Recognize propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.
2. Propaganda is information represented in such a way as to provoke a desired
3. Misinformation refers to something that is not true.
4. Disinformation is the deliberate falsification of information.
C. To check the accuracy of factual information from key political figures and major
journalistic outlets, consult watchdog sites.
IV. Investigate a mix of primary and secondary sources.
A. A speech that contains both primary and secondary sources can be more compelling and
believable than one that relies on one source type alone.
2. Secondary sources provide analysis or commentary about things not directly
observed or created.
B. Explore primary sources.
1. Primary sources can include your own personal experience; a firsthand account
2. Access government information.
3. Explore digital collections.
Chapter 9, p. 323
4. Access blogs.
5. Conduct interviews.
a. Questions need to be prepared in advance and worded carefully to avoid vague or
6. Distribute surveys.
1. Secondary sources include books, newspapers, periodicals, government
publications, print or online reference works, and blogs and social news sites.
2. Wikipedia—dos and don’ts.
a. Wikipedia can be useful for providing an initial overview of a topic but should
KEY TERMS
deep web large portion of the web that general search engines cannot access because the
information is licensed or fee-based
information data set in a context for relevance
propaganda information represented in such a way as to provoke a desired response
misinformation information that is false
Chapter 9, p. 324
primary source firsthand account or direct evidence of the information involved
CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTIONS
What are the advantages of accessing e-resources for a speech through a library portal over
accessing information from the web via a general search engine?
A library’s e-resources are built through a careful and deliberate selection process by trained
professionals. If you access materials through a library portal, you can be assured that the
How is supporting material critically evaluated?
You can evaluate supporting material by reviewing it in light of the following questions: What
is the author’s background—his or her experience, training, and reputation—in the field of study?
disinformation deliberate falsification of information
Chapter 9, p. 325
How can I critically evaluate internet sources?
The first step is to examine the domain in the web address. Next, look for an “About” link that
describes the organization or a link to a page that gives more information. Identify the creator of
How can I give proper credit to sources?
Make sure you give proper credit to other people’s ideas, opinions, and theories. Locate and
record these items on a web source: author of the work, title of the work, title of the website, date
What is secondary research? Where can you find secondary sources?
Secondary research is the vast body of information gathered by others. The most likely sources
of secondary research are books, newspapers, periodicals, government publications, biographical
Chapter 9, p. 326
1. What is the purpose of locating supporting material? Identify the two types of research that you
can conduct to obtain this material.
The purpose of finding supporting material is to substantiate the speech thesis.
2. How much time should you spend locating, analyzing, and organizing supporting material for
a five- to seven-minute speech?
To help determine time needed, students might construct a time line for the entire speech
3. What is the purpose of locating supporting material on the internet? What do I need to know to
use the internet for research?
The internet provides an accessible, useful approach to gathering supporting material for a
speech, surveys, or interviews conducted by the speaker. Using the internet correctly requires
Chapter 9, p. 327
4. What is the difference between a search engine and a subject directory? What are some
examples of each?
Search engines index the contents of the web using powerful software programs to scan the
contents of the web for the keywords and phrases you are searching. Some examples of
CONTENT PRESENTATION IDEAS
I. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1. Find two examples of primary and secondary sources used as supporting material in a
magazine or newspaper article.
This activity would work as an assignment that can be turned in as a report. Students may
2. Develop a list of data sources with which you are familiar; then discuss how you might go
about locating each source. Include as many print and electronic sources as possible.
This would be a good in-class exercise in which students list all possible sources on the
Chapter 9, p. 328
3. Give each student the name of a famous person from history or current events. Have students
locate and print three pieces of relevant information about the person they can find on the
internet. Students should record and evaluate the types of sources they find.
This activity helps students understand some of the strengths and weaknesses of various
search engines and subject directories. Ask students whether they got sidetracked while
4. Develop a list of search engines that students commonly use, or use the list in the text. Discuss
how you might go about using each search engine. How are they the same? How are they
different?
This would be a good in-class exercise if you have access to the internet for instruction.
Students can call out search engines, and you can visit them as a class to discuss their relative
II. GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. 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.
Chapter 9, p. 329
2. Put students in groups of four or five, and ask each group to use a search engine to find sources
on a topic. Each group should use a different search engine, but all groups should research the
same topic.
Discuss how the sites each group finds are different from one another. Which search
engines find the same sites? Which search engines find the most sites? Compare similarities
3. Divide students into groups of four or five, and ask each group to bring an encyclopedia to
class. Alternately, reserve a computer lab and consult an online encyclopedia. Have each group
use an encyclopedia to look up the same set of topics. Compare similarities and differences in
the types of information included and excluded in the descriptions of each topic.
Discuss the potential for discrepancies in information from secondary sources. How does
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTION AND ACTIVITIES QUESTION
The following question may be used by instructors to help illustrate important points in the chapter
and to facilitate students’ learning of the material. This question can be used as:
• Homework
• Quiz
• In-class work (individually or in groups)
• Topic to generate discussion
ACTIVITIES
Online Scavenger Hunt
Purpose: To help students acquire information for a speech. This activity provides students with
the opportunity to become familiar with a large number of search engines, as well as with some of
the problems associated with trying to locate credible information on the internet.
Instructions: Students must locate the following items and answer the questions.
1. Find a journal article from an academic journal. On what page numbers is this article
found in the printed copy of the journal? (If an article is to be cited according to APA
2. Find the full-text version of an academic book online. Where did you find it? How is it the
same as—or different from—a printed version of the book?
Chapter 9, p. 331
3. Find an online magazine article related to your speech topic. Where did you find the
magazine? How would you cite this reference in APA format? Attach a photocopy of the
article (or of the first page for a lengthy article).
Practice Makes Perfect: Practicing and Learning to Research
Purpose: To help students acquire research skills and 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
gives students an opportunity to become familiar with online systems.
2. Television program that features an African American, Hispanic, or Asian American in a
prominent role
4. Magazine article that provides a direct quote from the president of the United States
6. Startling statistic regarding victims of crime
8. Current statistics on the number of homeless people in the United States
10. Comparison of the annual incomes of men and women in the United States (ten years ago
and currently)
12. Percentages of the male and female populations that are overweight
Checking the Facts
Purpose: To provide students experience in using Watchdog sites and to identify instances of
propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation.
Instructions: In groups, students should visit one of the three watchdog websites listed on page 64
of the Pocket Guide. Together students should find at least three examples of propaganda,
Scavenger Hunt
Purpose: To help students acquire information for a speech. This activity provides students with
the opportunity to become familiar with a large number of the facilities available at the campus
Instructions: Students must find the following items and answer the questions.
1. Journal article
a. Cited in APA format
b. Call number
c. Where is the journal located in the library?
d. Write a one-paragraph abstract of the article.
e. If a student wants an article in a journal that the library does not own, how would he or
she get a copy of it?
2. Book
a. Cited in APA format
b. Call number
c. Where is the book located in the library?
3. Magazine article
a. Cited in APA format
b. Call number
c. Where is the magazine located in the library?
4. Where else could you get information on the topic? Provide names, addresses, and/or
5. Give the name of an expert source who can be interviewed for valuable information on
6. Provide at least one example of a fact that you found from a written source on your topic.
7. Provide an example of these types of testimony.
8. Provide one example of each of the following types of examples.
a. Brief
Chapter 9, p. 334
9. Provide an example of a narrative.
Library Assignment
2. Interlibrary loan: If journal articles are unavailable, what other options do you have?
3. Online computer system: Take a screen shot and attach it in an email, along with the
answers to the following questions, to the instructor. Don’t forget to cite the sources in the
APA documentation format.
a. Find a magazine article that provides a direct quote from the current president of the
United States.
b. Find a startling statistic regarding victims of crime.
Selecting, Narrowing, and Researching a Topic
Purpose: The purpose of this activity is threefold: (1) to help students select substantive speech
topics, (2) to teach students how to narrow topics in order to make them more manageable, and (3)
to expose students to library resources for researching their topics.
1. Author search
a. Find a book by James C. McCroskey, Gerald Miller, or Julia Wood.
2. Subject search
3. Magazine or journal article
a. Subject: safe sex
4. Newspaper article
5. Electronically stored data
a. Find a television program on some recent political issue.
Chapter 9, p. 336
6. Internet
7. Reference section
a. Write the title of the most obscure dictionary you can find—for example, New
Dictionary of Okie Sayings or A Dictionary of Philosophy.
b. Give an interesting fact from an almanac (something you did not know before).
c. What does an encyclopedia say about a key word from this chapter?
What Happened on Your Birthday?
Purpose: To give students practice in doing research and in learning how to use secondary
resources.
Instructions: Direct students to the library to research what occurred on the day (or in the week in
fashion magazines or popular recreational magazines, almanacs, or government publications.
Students should try to discover what occurred in the political arena, in state and local politics,
RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
Barker, M., & Pinard, K. T. (2011). Internet research illustrated (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Course
Technology, Cengage Learning.
Bartlett, J. (2002). Bartlett’s familiar quotations: A collection of passages, phrases, and proverbs
traced to their sources in ancient and modern literature (17th ed.). Boston, MA: Little, Brown.
Courtright, J. A., & Perse, E. M. (2000). The Mayfield quick guide to the internet: For
communication students, version 2.0. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.
Crossen, C. (1994). Tainted truth: The manipulation of fact in America. New York, NY: Simon &
Schuster.
Dochartaigh, N. O. (2007). Internet research skills: How to do your literature search and find
research information online. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Chapter 9, p. 338
Frances, P. (1994). Lies, damned lies. . . . American Demographics, 16, 2.
Hartman, K., & Ackermann, E. (2010) Searching and researching on the internet and the
worldwide web (5th ed.). Wilsonville, OR: Franklin, Beedle.
Maloy, T. (1999). The internet research guide (rev. ed.). New York, NY: Allworth.
Mann, T. (2005). The Oxford guide to library research (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.
Mills, S. (2005). Using the internet for active teaching and learning. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Morris, E. (1998). The book lover’s guide to the internet (rev. ed.). New York, NY: Fawcett
Columbine.
O’Keefe, D. J. (2002). Persuasion: Theory and research (2nd ed.). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
Reinard, J. C. (1988). The empirical study of the persuasive effects of evidence: The status after