Transcript research tips

A Pocket Guide to Public Speaking
Pages 73-83
Google and Yahoo may lead to false or biased
information
Virtual Libraries
 Selected Virtual Libraries
 WWW virtual library: vlib.org
 Librarians’ Index to the internet: lii.org/search
 Internet Public Library (IPL): www.ipl.org
 Academic Info: www.academicinfo.net
 Digital Librarian: www.digital-librarian.com
 The Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/rr/index.html
 Infomine: Infomine.ucr.edu
Questions to ask yourself each
time you examine a document
 When was the information posted, and is it timely?
 Where is similar information found?
 Who put this information here?
 Why did they do so?
 Will these sources be accepted by my audience as
credible?
Distinguish among information, propaganda,
misinformation, and disinformation
 Information: is data that are understandable and have
the potential to become knowledge when viewed
critically
 Propaganda: is information represented in such a way
as to provoke a desired response.
 Misinformation: always refers to something that is not
true. One common form of misinformation on the
internet is the “urban legend”
 Disinformation: is the deliberate falsification of
information. Doctored photos and falsified profit and
loss statements.
Distinguish among types of search
engines
 Individual search engines (Google, yahoo and MSN
search) compile their own databases
 Meta-search engines (such as Ixquick, MetaCrawler
and Dogpile) scan a variety of individual search
engines simultaneously (most librarians discourage
this method)
 Specialized search engines: let you conduct narrower
but deeper searches into a particular field. (Scirus
Science Search; Bioethics.gov, and google scholar)
Check the most authoritative web
sites first
 Seek out the sites on your topic. If your speech
explores the NBA draft, investigate the NBA’s official
Web site first.
 Check Government-sponsored sites
 Find a specialized search engine on your topic:
 Type in the topic term with the keywords “search
engine” i.e. “global warming” “search engine”
Evaluate Authorship and sponsorship
 Check the domain: .edu, .gov .mil .org .com and .net
 Make sure to assess the credibility of each site
 Look for an “About” link that describes the
organization or a link to a page that gives more
information
 Identify the creator of the information: does the
person operate the site, does the document provide
relevant biographical information, such as links to
resume or a listing of the author's credentials?
Check for currency
 Check for a date that indicates when the page was
placed on the web and when it was last updated.
 Is the date current?
 Check that the web site documents its sources and
when that information was recorded.
Consult Subject Library
 A subject (web) directory is a catalog of wEb sites,
organized by a human editor, into subject categories
such as “Science,” “Reference,” or “Arts and
Humanities.”
 Three of the most reliable general subject directories
include:
 1. infomine (infomine.ucr.edu)
 2. librarians’Internet index (www.lii.org)
 3. Yahoo! Director (Dir.yahoo.com).
Choosing between a subject Directory and
a Search Engine
If you are looking for a list of reputable sites on the
same subject, use a subject directory.
2. If you are looking for a specific page within a site, use
a search engine
3. If you need to find specific terms, facts, figures, or
quotations that may be buried within documents,
use a search engine.
1.
Beware of Commercial Factors
 When researching your topic outside of a library portal
or a virtual library, you will want to be alert to a
unwanted commercial influences.
 Paid Placement: when engines/directories accept fees
from companies in exchange for a guaranteed higher
ranking with results (sponsored links or sponsored
results)
 Paid inclusion: the accept fees to include companies in
the full index of possible results, without a guarantee
of ranking (check consumerwebwatch.org for helpful
hints)
From Source to
Speech
recording and
citing web
sources
p. 80
1. Author of
2.
3.
4.
5.
the work
Title of the
work
Title of the
web site
Date of
publication/
last update
Site address
(URL) and
date
accessed
Record Notes
Create a separate
heading for each idea
and record the
citation elements
from your sources.
Indicate whether the
material is a direct
quote, a paraphrase,
or a summary of the
information
Notes for a quotation:
Record Internet Sources
 Keep track of your speech sources as you go
 Use the MLA format so that you do not have to go back
after you are done and try to figure out how to put it all
together
 Try to find at least one or two sources beyond the
requirement