BUILDING A BETTER SPEECH
Argumentative Resources, Statistics, Opinion Polls
and How to Understand Bias Through Evaluation
Jason Dupree
Head of Public Services
Forming an Argument
What kind of Information Sources
should I use for my speech?
• Use both Electronic AND Paper Sources
• For current events, use materials
published in the last 3-5 years
• Know BOTH SIDES of the story
Getting Started
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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
Helpful Keywords to Use in
Searches
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Issue
Controversy
Statistic
Ethical
Rights
Debate
Attitude
Trend
Condition
Examples:
rights and abortion
death penalty and controversy
household spending and trends
Activity: Choose a Video
NASA launches Controversy
2008 Feb. 26: Public outcry erupts over plans to build new launch site in wildlife refuge.
Morbid Curiosity
2007 Jan. 3: Should the viewing of capital punishment and torture be allowed on the Internet?
Transgender Rights Controversy
2008 May 14: Need for laws to protect an individual’s rights and gender expression.
Violent Video Games
2007 Apr. 21: Is the rise in violent behavior related to the increasing number of violent video games?
Argumentative Resources
Print Pro/Con Resources
• Book Series
– Contemporary Issues
– Opposing Viewpoints
– Current Controversies
*title search in the Library Catalog
How do I choose a Database?
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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?
Electronic Pro/Con Resources
• 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
Exercise, Part 2:
Argumentative Resources Worksheet
Pro/Con: Three arguable points
• Select the side you are defending
• Identify three arguable points for your
side only
Opinion Polls
Which sounds better?
• 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
Opinions vs. Facts (Statistics)
• 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
Opinion Resources in Print
• 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
Electronic Opinion Resources
• LexisNexis
– Full-text information from over 5,600
sources
– National and regional newspapers, wire
services, broadcast transcripts,
international news
• NYT Online
– Search or browse the full text of the New
York Times from 1851–2004.
Opinion Resources on the Web
• Headline Spot
• Polling Report
• Ropert Center of Public Opinion Archives
*Please refer to class website for more resources
Opinion or Fact?
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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.
Statistics
Which sounds better?
• 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
Statistical Resources in Print
• 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
Electronic Statistical Resources
• LexisNexis
– Full-text information from over 5,600 sources
– Statistical Resources
• GPO (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
– U.S. Census Bureau (Larger producer of stats in
the world)
Statistical Resources on the Web
• Statistics Resources Blog
(What is a blog?)
– A Subject Tracer Information Blog for monitoring
statistics resources and sites on the Internet.
• Pew Research Center
– A “Fact Tank” vs. “Think Tank”
– 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.
Statistical Resources on the Web
• STATS
• Fedstats
• Various government statistical sites
*Please refer to class website for more resources
Exercise, Part 3:
Argumentative Resources Worksheet
Pro/Con: Three information sources
• Locate one opinion poll
• Locate one statistical source/report
• Locate one article discussing this topic.
Evaluation
Library Online Sources vs. the
Internet: What’s the difference?
• Subscription vs. “free” resources aka
“the hidden web”
• Evaluation time
• Not every good source that is available
to you is in digital format
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?
Domain Names
• Which one is right?
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www.whitehouse.com
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
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
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Subscriptions ($)
Advertising ($)
Owners
CJR review
• Web Pages
– Biased or Objective?
• Opinion/Fan sites
• Sponsoring
Organization
• Agendas
• Political Propaganda
• Web hosting
Objectivity
• Fox News
• Al Jazeera
• NPR
Understanding/Detecting Bias
National Right to Life Organization
http://www.nrlc.org/
Planned Parenthood
http://www.plannedparenthood.org
Operation Rescue
http://www.operationsaveamerica.org
National Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Action League (NARAL)
http://www.naral.org/
Step 4: Currency
• Books & Articles
– When was it published?
• Copyright date
• Important based upon
subject
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Science
Social Science
Allied Health
Education
Pharmacy
Computer Science
• Newspapers published
daily
• Web Pages
– When was it created and
last updated?
• Well maintained web
sites have an indication
when it was last
updated or modified
• Accessibility
– Dead links
• Stability
– Changes URLs
frequently
Exercise: Evaluation
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www.who.int/en/
www.dhmo.org
www.genochoice.com
www.martinlutherking.org
www.defendamerica.mil
www.oshp.net
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?
RESOURCE REVIEW:
Pro/Con:
• Issues & Controversies, CQ Researcher,
Opposing Viewpoints
Collective Opinion:
• Editorials on File, Gallup Poll, LexisNexis,
Polling Report
Statistics:
• LexisNexis, Statistics Resource Blog,
Pew Research, U.S. Census Bureau
Thank You
Jason Dupree, Head of Public Services
774-3031
jason.dupree@swosu.edu
http://faculty.swosu.edu/jason.dupree/publicspeaking.htm