9.2 Researching and Supporting Your Speech
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Identify appropriate methods for conducting college-level research.
- Distinguish among various types of sources.
- Evaluate the credibility of sources.
- Identify various types of supporting material.
- Employ visual aids that enhance a speaker’s message.
We live in an age where access to information is more convenient than ever before. The days of photocopying journal articles in the stacks of the library or looking up newspaper articles on microfilm are over for most. Yet, even though we have all this information at our fingertips, research skills are more important than ever. Our challenge now is not accessing information but discerning what information is credible and relevant. Even though it may sound inconvenient to have to physically go to the library, students who did research before the digital revolution did not have to worry as much about discerning. If you found a source in the library, you could be assured of its credibility because a librarian had subscribed to or purchased that content. When you use Internet resources like Google or Wikipedia, you have no guarantees about some of the content that comes up.