Resources for Communication 101: Principles of Communication
This is a guide to help students find supportive information for a persuasive speech.
1. Getting Started - Selecting your topic
- Check out the news feeds off the Communication subject guide to find a current topic.
- Google News can finding current topics.
2. Remember to evaluate your sources. Good research comes from using authoritative or scholarly sources. Use these tips to help you select your sources.
- Authority - Are the authors / publishers experts in the field? What are their credentials? What role do they play in the issue and what biases might they carry?
- Currency - Make sure the work has been published recently. The more current the better for a persuasive speech.
- Relevance - Does this source answer your question? If not, keep looking.
- Accuracy - Is the information accurate? Are there additional sources (other authors) that confirm this finding? Are these sources creditable?
- Purpose and Intent - Is the material written to a particular audience? Is the source informing, persuading, selling? Is the source biased? If so, does it affect the quality of the information? (Be careful of opinion pieces).
3. Remember to check the type of source you are using.
- Book - In most cases the work is edited and or peer reviewed depending on the publisher. Figure the information is at least a year old when published. The topic is usually discussed at length and in detail.
- Article (Peer Reviewed or Trade Edited) - The information is a month to several months old. The author's information has been checked and can be considered authoritative or creditable depending on the topic. The topic is specific but usually discussed in detail.
- News Magazine / Newspaper / Web News Site - The information is a week to hours old depending on the format. The material is edited, but for message not necessarily content. The topic is usually broader and there is little background or depth.
- General Internet Site - The author can be anyone, so check out who is hosting the site. Information may or may not be current. Usually, the information is basic and does not go into detail or have depth.
- Blog or Personal Page - Think of these sources and personal opinion pages or diaries. In some cases they can be viewed as a primary source. Be careful how they are used.
4. Searching for articles on the subject:
5. Searching the library for books:
- Keyword search. This is a good search to start with. It will include chapter titles as well as main titles, authors, subject headings and book summaries.
- Subject Headings: If a book fits your topic well use the subject headings listed in the catalog to search for similar books.
6. Expanding your search:
- Still not finding what you are looking for ... try:
- BadgerCat - to search libraries in Wisconsin
- WorldCat - to search libraries throughout the U.S. and World.
- Google Scholar
Searches the Web for citations of scholarly published works. Note its is still in beta testing so evaluate the results carefully.
7. Citing your sources:
Please contact Librarian Katie Sanders with questions.
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