Argumentative Resources,
Opinion Polls, Statistics, and
Understanding Bias Through
Evaluation Criteria

What kinds of Information Sources should I use for my speech?
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Both Electronic AND Paper sources can be used
For current events, materials published in the last 3-5 years are good choices
Know BOTH SIDES of the issue

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

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Issue
Controversy
Statistic
Ethical
Rights
Debate
Attitude
Trend
Condition
Examples: ethics and journalism death penalty and controversy household spending and trends statistics and health care

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Book Series
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Contemporary Issues
Opposing Viewpoints
Reference Shelf
Taking Sides

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

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TOPICsearch
 articles in the database are associated with a main topic or current event. A good starting point for topic selection.
CQ Researcher
 contains information on current and controversial issues. Focus is on issues concentric to the U.S.
Government.

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Issues and Controversies
 provides up-to-date, objective information on the most prominent and hotly debated issues of the day. Includes both current and historical events.
Points of View Reference Center
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Contains essays that present multiple sides of current issues. Each topic includes objective background/description, point, and counterpoint.

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Americans believe the war in Iraq was not justified.
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Of Americans polled, 56% believe the war in Iraq was not justified.
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A COLLECTIVE OPINION IS
STRONGER THAN A SINGLE OPINION

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According to the Oxford English
Dictionary, an opinion is “A judgement, belief, or conviction held by the majority of or many people; what is generally thought about something.”
On the other hand, a fact is “A thing done or performed. Something that has really occurred or is actually the case.”

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Dolphins are mammals.
Sharks are more amazing than dolphins.
Danielle Steel is talented.
Danielle Steel is a prolific writer.
Abraham Lincoln was the best president the United States has ever had.
Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States.

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

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Editorials on File
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Ref 070.43 Ed48
Gallup Poll
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Ref 301.154 G13g
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 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

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A lot of Oklahoma students drop out of school each year.
According to a report from the
Oklahoma State Department of
Education, 40% of Oklahoma high school students drop out of school each year.
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NUMBERS CARRY WEIGHT, PEOPLE
ARE INFLUENCED BY STATISTICS

Electronic Statistical Resources
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LexisNexis
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Full-text information from over 5,600 sources
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Includes statistical resources
GPO (Government Information)
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Provides statistical information directly from the
U.S. Government and the agencies who collect the data.
Google US Government Search www.google.com/unclesam
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U.S. Census Bureau (Largest producer of statistics in the world)

Statistical Resources on the Web
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Pew Research Center (Main Site)
 http://pewresearch.org
Pew Global Attitudes Project
 http://pewglobal.org
Pew Internet & American Life Project
 http://www.pewinternet.org
Pew Hispanic Center
 http://pewhispanic.org
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
 http://pewforum.org

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Google
Use a Site Specific Command
Searches only specific domains
What to type:
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 immigration statistics: gov immigration statistics: org

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Authority – Who?
Accuracy – What?
Objectivity – How? Why?
Currency – When?

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Books & Articles
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Who is responsible for content?
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Author(s)?
Editor(s)?
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Publisher
Credentials offered?
Newspapers
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Writer(s)
Editor(s)
Columnist(s)
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Web Pages
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Who is responsible for content?
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Webmaster?
Web team?
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Organization?
Institution?
Company?

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Which one is right?
 www.whitehouse.com
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 www.whitehouse.gov
www.whitehouse.net
www.whitehouse.org
Whois.net
 www.whois.net
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.gov
.org
.mil
.com
.edu
.net
.int
Indicates a reliable domain

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Books & Articles
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Can the information be verified?
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Bibliography
Works Cited
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Peer-reviewed
(journals only)
Newspapers
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Interviews
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Eyewitness Accounts
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Web Pages
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Can the information be verified?
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Links to credible sites
Copyright
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Works Cited
Fact check with a printed source

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Books & Articles
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Biased or Objective?
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Persuasion/Emotion
Author’s Point of View
Newspapers
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Subscriptions ($)
Advertising ($)
Owners
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CJR review
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Web Pages
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Biased or Objective?
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Opinion/Fan sites
Sponsoring
Organization
Agendas
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Political Propaganda
Web hosting

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Books & Articles
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When was it published?
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Copyright date
Important based upon subject
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Science
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Social Science
Allied Health
Education
Pharmacy
Computer Science
Newspapers published daily
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Web Pages
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When was it created and last updated?
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Well maintained web sites have an indication when it was last updated or modified
Accessibility
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Dead links
Stability
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Changes URLs frequently

Always remember the importance of Evaluation!
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Authority
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Who created it? Who is responsible?
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What credentials do they hold? What makes them qualified to discuss the topic?
Accuracy
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Can the information be verified?
Check the facts!
Objectivity
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How is the information being presented?
Is it objective or biased? What’s the point of view?
Currency (important based on subject)
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When was it published?
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When was it last updated?

Exercise:
Understanding/Detecting Bias
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National Network for Immigrant and Refuge
Rights http://www.nnirr.org/
U.S. Customs and Border Protection http://www.cbp.gov/
Federation for American Immigration Reform http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer
Hispanic News http://hispanic.cc/immigration.htm

Jane Long, Reference Services
774-3030 jane.long@swosu.edu
http://faculty.swosu.edu/jane.long/Speech.htm