Introduction to Public Speaking
Search Strategies
&
Resource Selection
Phillip Fitzsimmons
Reference and Digitization Librarian
Al Harris Library
phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu
Do you feel like this guy while
you are deciding what resources
to use for your persuasive
speech assignment?
The purpose of today’s
presentation is to help you
to discover what resources
to use.
Avoid making serious errors in your assignments by
evaluating the quality of the resources you use.
•Do not use the method shown above.
•Rely upon resources from the Al Harris Library or other universities.
Why Should You Use These Resources?
• These are the resources your professors
want for you to use.
• The habit of using these resources will
contribute to your success as a student
and enrich your education.
• Using the best information resources
available to you will make you look
smarter and more professional throughout
your life.
• Because it is fun and it feels good.
• If you need more, see number one.
Remember:
• Make sure you understand your assignment
completely. Plan ahead so that you satisfy all it
its requirements.
• Get most of the information for your
assignment through the Library Home Page.
Use Web sites mostly for getting ideas, not as
sources for your assignment.
• When in doubt ask your Professor.
Topics for persuasive speech:
• 554 Good Persuasive Speech Topics:
http://bit.ly/fCDYAI
• Persuasive Speech Topics for College Students:
http://bit.ly/16Obzix
• 50 Persuasive Speech & Debate Topics
Relevant Today:
http://bit.ly/19Igi3I
• Persuasive and Controversial Speech Ideas:
http://bit.ly/J4wSxs
What kind of Information Sources should I use
for my speech?
• 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
Evaluating Information
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Authority – Who?
Accuracy – What?
Currency – How? Why?
Objectivity – When?
Step 1: Authority
• Books & Articles
– Who is responsible
for content?
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Author(s)?
Editor(s)?
Publisher
Credentials offered?
• Newspapers
• Writer(s)
• Editor(s)
• Columnist(s)
• Web Pages
– Who is responsible
for content?
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Webmaster?
Web team?
Organization?
Institution?
Company?
Step 2: Accuracy
• Books & Articles
– Can the information
be verified?
• Bibliography
• Works Cited
• Peer-reviewed
(journals only)
• Newspapers
• Interviews
• Eyewitness Accounts
• Web Pages
– Can the information
be verified?
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Links to credible sites
Copyright
Works Cited
Fact check with a
printed source
Step 3: Objectivity
• Books & Articles
– Biased or Objective?
• Persuasion/Emotion
• Author’s Point of View
• Newspapers
• Subscriptions ($)
• Advertising ($)
• Owners
• Web Pages
– Biased or Objective?
• Opinion/Fan sites
• Sponsoring
Organization
• Agendas
• Political Propaganda
• Web hosting
Remember to Evaluate!
• Authority
– Who created it? Who is responsible?
– What credentials do they hold? What makes them
qualified to discuss the topic?
• Accuracy
– Can the information be verified?
– Check the facts!
• Objectivity
– How is the information being presented?
– Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of view?
• Currency (important based on subject)
– When was it published?
– When was it last updated?
Search Technique Number One:
Keywords
Identifying Keywords:
• 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, databases, and
search engines for information about
your subject.
Keyword Phrases:
• Single concept, multiple words
• Some electronic resources require keyword
phrases be enclosed with punctuation
– Quotation marks – SWOSU Catalog
– Parentheses
Examples of Keyword Phrases:
• “Renewable Energy”
• “Energy Independence”
• “Nuclear Energy”
Search Technique Number Two:
Basic Boolean
Boolean
• AND = Narrow
• OR = Expand
• NOT = Exclude
Boolean Operators
• Connect keywords only
• Must be placed between keywords
--AND
Narrows your search
--OR
Expands your search with synonymous terms
--NOT
– Excludes words from your search
– If used too much, it can work against you!
The Resources:
Three Places for Resources:
Place
• Catalogs
Resources
Books
• Databases
Articles
• Internet
Web Pages
Resource I: Books
• Al Harris Library holds 300,000 volumes. Use
the library catalog to find print and ebooks.
• We have more than 70,000 ebooks. They
are exactly like print books except they don’t
have to be checked out and can be read on
your computer. Many are about current
scientific topics.
• Books will provide information for the
scientific and social aspects of your topic.
Three Book Sources:
• Printed books found on the 2nd Floor.
• Ebooks linked to catalog records.
• Books you get through interlibrary
loan.
SWOSU Libraries Homepage: http://www.swosu.edu/library/
Use keyword and Boolean strategies when
searching the catalog:
Click link to
Other library catalogs to get to
Open WorldCat:
Open WorldCat:
• Open WorldCat can be searched using
keywords to find out what books have been
written about your topic.
• If Al Harris does not own the book you need,
you can use Open WorldCat to request the
book from another library. This is called an
Interlibrary Loan (ILL).
Open WorldCat:
(Linked to the Library Home page.)
Source II: Databases
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American Rhetoric
CQ Researcher
Image Quest
Issues and Controversies
Points of View Reference Center
Today’s Science
Web of Science or Web of Knowledge
Source II: Databases
Also Try:
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Ebsco: Academic Search Complete
Ebsco: Business Source Complete
LexisNexis Academic
National Newspapers Core (ProQuest)
Newspaper Source Plus
New York Times 1851-2009
Click Social Sciences link to find appropriate Databases:
ISSUES & CONTROVERIES reports both sides
of each issue.
Points of View Reference Center reports both
sides of each issue.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S. (ProQuest) is a
great source for statistical information.
IMAGE QUEST contains images you can use in
your presentations.
Search: “solution” in the database
Today’s Science
The Switchgrass Solution—Green Gold?
February 2008
Use keywords from the end of the article to do
searches in other databases.
Also Resources II: Periodicals are in the Databases.
Click Periodicals List link to find appropriate periodicals:
Use UlrichsWeb to find the titles of journals.
Search periodical name or subject.
Click blue links to open the periodical.
Search the periodical or browse by opening year links.
Source III: Web sites
• Domain Names are the last letters at the end of web
addresses such as .org, .com, .edu, .gov.
• Including .edu or .gov in your Web search will
improve the quality of your search results by
retrieving only educational and government Web
sites.
Examples: Biofuels .gov , Biofuels .edu
• Consider the following Domain Names: .edu —
education, .gov —government, .biz — business,
.eu — European country, .in – India, .cn – China.
• For a dictionary of Domain Names go to:
http://www.techdictionary.com/domainlist.html.
Source III: Web sites
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Google Site Search:
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Use keyword and Site search strategies for finding
credible information on the Web.
Always be aware of the bias of each site.
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Government sites
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Use USA.gov to find information in sites you do not
know about.
Use key phrases “technical report” or “special
report” in your search to get the information you
want.
usa.gov is the information clearinghouse for the entire Federal
Government. Use it to search all government Web sites simultaneously.
Government Web sites for your assignment:
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Oklahoma--http://www.ok.gov/
Government Made Easy-- http://www.usa.gov/
THOMAS-- http://www.congress.gov/
NASA-- http://www.nasa.gov/
USGS-- http://www.usgs.gov/
Tip for searching Government Web sites:
• Include the key phrase “technical
report” or “special report” to your
search. This will bring scienceoriented documents to the top of your
results and that are also brochure- and
book-length.
Click Instruction link to get to APA citation guide:
APA Citation Guides: Digital
• Citing Sources in APA Style : Al Harris Library (SWOSU)
http://campusguides.swosu.edu/apa
• OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/
Writing Center Fall 2013 hours
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Where: (Al Harris Library--B3)
Calendar: September 2 through Wednesday, December 10.
Fall 2014 Hours
Monday: 2:30-8:30pm
Tuesday: 10am-noon & 6-9pm
Wednesday: 2-8:30pm
Thursday: 10am-noon & 6-9pm
Friday: 8:30-11:30; 2-5pm
To schedule an appointment
email writingcenter@swosu.edu.
Call (580) 774-7083,
“like” the S.W.O.S.U. Writing Center on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter
(@swosuwrites) for the most up-to-date scheduling information. Please keep
in mind that these hours are subject to change depending on consultants’
schedules as the semester progresses.
Recap:
1. The assignment: Know your assignment and
cover all of its requirements.
2. Search strategies: Keywords/Boolean
3. Apply strategies to resources
4. Places of resources:
 Catalogs, for Books
 Databases, for Articles
 Web, for Web sites
5. Contact me or any of the other librarians for
future help.
Questions?
• Contact me:
– Phillip Fitzsimmons
– 744-3030
phillip.fitzsimmons@swosu.edu
Please evaluate this class at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FQTTR9S
Information for your Public Speaking class:
• 11:00 am -12:15 pm—Comm 1313 Sec. 4311
• 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm – Comm 1313 Sec. 4308