Transcript A POCKET GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING 4TH EDITION Chapter 1

A POCKET
GUIDE TO
PUBLIC
SPEAKING
5TH EDITION
Chapter 9
Finding Credible Sources in Print and Online
Use a Library Portal
to Access Credible Sources
 Library portal
 Electronic entry point into library’s holdings
 Resources selected by trained professionals


Reliable and credible information
Part of the deep Web

Inaccessible by search engines
Typical Resources Found
on Library Portals
 Full-text databases
 General reference works
 Books and monographs
 Archives and special collections
 Digital collections
 Video collections
Virtual Libraries
www.loc.gov/rr/index.html
www.digital-librarian.com
Your campus library probably has a virtual
address as well.
Recognize Propaganda, Misinformation,
and Disinformation
 Information
 Data presented in an understandable context
 Example: vital signs
 Propaganda
 Information represented to provoke a response
 Example: military posters encouraging enlistment
Recognize Propaganda, Misinformation,
and Disinformation (cont.)
 Misinformation
 Something that is not true
 Example: urban legends
 Disinformation
 Deliberate falsification of information
 Example: doctored photographs
Investigate a Mix of Primary
and Secondary Sources
 Primary sources
 Provide firsthand account or direct evidence
 Secondary sources
 Provide analysis or commentary
 Not directly observed or created
Explore Primary Sources:
Access Digital Collections
 Nearly all libraries have digital collections that
include the following:
Oral histories
 Letters
 Newspapers
 Photographs
 Paintings
 Audio and video recordings

Explore Primary Sources: Consider
Personal Knowledge and Experience
 Sharing personal experiences can increase
authenticity and credibility.

Personal knowledge can play a small or large role
in your speech, depending on how directly
involved you are in your topic.
Explore Primary Sources:
Conduct Interviews
 Conduct interviews.
 Prepare questions in advance.
 Word questions carefully.
Avoid vague questions.
 Avoid leading questions.
 Aim to create neutral questions.

Explore Primary Sources:
Conduct Interviews (cont.)
 Establish a spirit of collaboration.
 Express respect for the interviewee’s expertise.
 Summarize your topic and informational needs.
 State a reasonable goal.
 Establish a time limit.
Explore Primary Sources:
Conduct Interviews (cont.)
 Use active listening strategies.
 Don’t break in.
 Don’t interject with leading comments.
 Paraphrase the interviewee’s answers where
appropriate.
 Seek clarification and elaboration when
necessary.
Explore Primary Sources:
Conduct Interviews (cont.)
 End by rechecking and confirming.
 Check that your topics were covered.
 Positively summarize what you learned.
 Offer to send the interviewee the results.
Explore Primary Sources:
Distribute Surveys
 Conduct surveys.
 Tool for investigating audience attitudes
 Primary source material
 Effective source for topics focused on
the attitudes and behaviors of people
in your immediate environment
Explore Secondary Sources
 Most likely secondary sources
 Books, newspapers, periodicals, government
publications
 Reference works (encyclopedias, almanacs, etc.)
 Internet sources (blogs, social news sites)
Be a Critical Consumer
of Online Information
 Search engines cannot discern quality.
 Ask yourself:
 Who posted this information, and why?
 What are the source’s qualifications?
 Where is similar information found?
 Is this information timely?
Evaluating Web Pages
 Seek out the most reliable websites on the
topic.
 Examine the domain of the web address.
 The suffix at the end of the address that tells you
the nature of the site.

Examples: Government (.gov), Education (.edu), Military
(.mil), business/commercial (.com)
Evaluating Web Pages (cont.)
 Tilde (~) in the address indicates a personal
page.
 Check the date when the page was placed on
the Web. See if current.

Websites without dates may contain outdated or
inaccurate material.
Evaluating Web Pages (cont.)
 Check for trustworthy sources.
 Verify the information found with at least two other
independent, reputable sources.
Factors in internet research
 Remember that your research is subject to both
your ability to do a good search and other
factors such as commercial ones:

Paid Inclusion and paid placement
When companies want ensure a successful search for them
they may pay Google, Yahoo, etc. to guarantee their result
ratio, such as sponsored links.
 This can have an external influence on your search that can
greatly influence your results in finding the right source.

Types of Search Engines
 Search engines index the contents of the Web
and make it easier for the user to find information.
 Individual search engines, such as Google and
Yahoo!, compile their own databases.
 Meta-search engines, such as Mamma.com and
Dogpile, scan many individual search engines
simultaneously pulling the top, and usually paid
listings, from each.
 Specialized search engines, or vortals, conduct
searches in a particular field. Example of a SSE is
WebMD (www.webmd.com)
Search Using Google
https://www.google.com/advanced_search
Use the advanced search options to better
enhance your search and reduce unwanted
results.
Wikipedia
 Material on Wikipedia is unreliable.
 Anyone can edit Wikipedia at any time.
 You can use Wikipedia as a jumping-off point for
further research – as long as you evaluate the
credibility of articles to which it links.
 Never cite Wikipedia as a source in your speech.
Blogs and Social News Sites
 These sites can be unreliable.
 You should only cite blogs and social news sites
that are affiliated with reputable organizations.
Video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt7wsPA
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