Session 3:
Argumentative Resources, Statistics & Surveys
Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S.
Reference Librarian

• Catalog
– SWOSU
– WorldCat
• Databases
– EBSCO/Facts on File/CQ/LexisNexis
• Services
– Reference/ILL/Instruction
• Internet

Exercise:
Argumentative Resources Worksheet
Topic: HB 2513 & HB 2211 Amends existing law to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed handguns on college or university property.
Question: Should this law be passed?

• Use both Electronic AND Paper Sources
• For current events, use materials published in the last 3-5 years
• Know BOTH sides of the story
• Use information literacy skills to select the most authoritative information

• Identify the significant terms and concepts that describe your topic from your thesis statement or research question .
• These terms will become the key for searching catalogs and databases for information about your subject.

• school uniforms and dress codes
• the immigration issue
• Harry Potter
• abstinence-only education in public schools
• spring break dangers
• elementary school curriculum
• mandatory drug tests in schools
• best source of comics: Marvel or DC
• smoking bans
• parents choosing sex of their babies
• gay rights to marriage
• abortion
• defense of hunting

• Identify your topic
• State the position you will support
• Highlight points of your discussion
• Use information to support your position
– Pro/Con Materials
– Opinion Polls
– Statistics

• Issue
• Controversy
• Statistic
• Ethical
• Rights
• Debate
• Attitude
• Trend
• Condition
Examples: rights and abortion death penalty and controversy household spending and trends

• Book Series
– Contemporary Issues
– Opposing Viewpoints
– Current Controversies

• Subject Content
• Date or Year Range of Coverage
• Types of Material or Documents it Indexes
• Currency (how often updated?)
• Format of information
– Citation Only?
– Full-text?
– Both?

• CQ Researcher
– contains information on current and controversial issues specific to the U.S.
Government
• Issues and Controversies
– provides up-to-date, objective information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day

• Oil over $100 is cause for concern.
• Harvard economists believe oil over
$100 is cause for concern.
– A COLLECTIVE OPINION IS
STRONGER THAN A SINGLE OPINION

• Editorials on File
– Ref 070.43 Ed48
• Gallup Poll
– Ref 301.154 G13g
– http://www.gallup.com
– an organization studying human nature and behavior for more than 70 years through public surveys
– collects attitudes and opinions of individuals and key groups within the American population concerning national and international issues and events

• LexisNexis
– Full-text information from over 5,600 sources
– National and regional newspapers, wire services, broadcast transcripts, international news
– Statistical Resources
• NYT Online
– Search or browse the full text of the New
York Times from 1851–2004.

• Pew Research Center
• The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan
"fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It does not take positions on policy issues.

• Whales are mammals.
• Whales are superior to dolphins.
• Stephen King is talented.
• Stephen King is a prolific writer.
• Abraham Lincoln was the best president the United States has ever had.
• John Adams was the second president of the United States.

• Opinion-Strengths
– A consensus of opinions are much stronger than a single opinion
– Reflects the culture and society that experience these issues and events
(primary resource)
• Opinion-Weaknesses
– Less concrete
– A view formed by someone’s belief which can be biased
– Not necessarily the truth
– Opinions can differ widely
• Facts-Strengths
– Very concrete
– Based in scientific/research methodology
– Data supports arguments
– Statistics helps determine the accuracy of information in the evaluation process
• Facts-Weaknesses
– Data can be manipulated
– Unless data collection is a regular practice, data can become outdated and irrelevant

• A lot of freshman drop out of SWOSU each academic year.
• 40% of freshman drop out of SWOSU each academic year.
– NUMBERS CARRY WEIGHT, PEOPLE
ARE INFLUENCED BY STATISTICS

• Reference Collection (Behind Ref Desk)
– American Attitudes
– Americans at Play
– Education Statistics of the United States
– Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics
– Statistical Handbook on the American
Family
– World Almanac

• Statistics Resources Blog
– A Subject Tracer Information Blog for monitoring statistics resources and sites on the Internet.
• Government Information
– Provides statistical information directly from the
U.S. Government and the agencies who collect the data.
– Google Unclesam (Gov’t Search Engine) www.google.com/unclesam

Exercise: Argumentative Worksheet
Topic: HB 2513 & HB 2211 Amends existing law to allow concealed handgun permit holders to carry concealed handguns on college or university property.
Question: Should this law be passed?

• Pro/Con: Issues &
Controversies/Opposing Viewpoints
• Collective Opinion: Editorials on File/
Gallup Poll/ Pew Research/Newspaper
Databases
• Statistics: Statistics Resource
Blog/Google Unclesam/Gov’t Webpage

• Writing Center
– Located in the basement of the library
– Call for appointment #774-7083
• MLA Style
– Style Sheets
– MLA Handbook at Reference & Circulation
Desk
– http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

Frederic Murray, M.L.I.S.
774-7113 frederic.murray@swosu.edu
http://faculty.swosu.edu/frederic.murray