Research for Speech/Oral Communication

a.  Why?                …..to get an up-to-date view of the topic and to update other material you have found

b.  Where?             …..articles in magazines, journals, and newspapers

c.  How?                 …..do a search for the topic in each of the periodical indexes that covers the topic.  General periodical indexes that cover academic and popular articles on a wide range of topics include Proquest Research Library (in Proquest) and Academic Search Premier (in EBSCOhost).

4.        Find facts and figures (statistics)

a.  Why?                …..to substantiate claims made, support an argument, provide additional information

b.  Where?             …..in books in the reference collection and in reliable reference sources on the Web

c.  How?                 …..ask a librarian for help in finding a fact or a statistic

d.  What?               …...almanacs for a wide range and variety of facts (See, for example, World Almanac in print in the Library; or link to Find facts, statistics on the Library home page and select “Almanacs.”)

                                …..statistical compilations for a variety of statistics, such as population, number of murders, etc. (See, for example, Statistical Abstract of the United States in print in the library; or link to Find facts, statistics on the Library home page and select “Statistics.”)

                                …..directories for names and addresses (See, for example, Encyclopedia of Associations in print in the Library; or link to Find facts, statistics on the Library home page and select “Directories”)

5.        Find special other categories of information (for example, legal, biographical, geographical) or non-text media (images).

a.  How?         …..Ask a librarian for help. 

                      For photographic images, search AP Multimedia Archive 

   Select the tools (databases, etc.) that will lead you to the sources you want.  The Library home page (http://www.departments.dsu.edu/library) provides links to these tools in Research Databases (by Subject) and Research Databases (A-Z).

1.  Use periodical indexes/databases (for example,the Academic Search Premier database in EBSCOhost or Research Library in Proquest)  to find magazine, newspaper and journal articles

2.  Use the Library Catalog to find books in the Mundt Library and in other libraries in South Dakota.

3.  Use the Library Catalog to find encyclopedias, fact books, books with statistics,dictionaries, etc. in the Mundt Library. 

4.  Ask a librarian for assistance.

C. Locate the information. 

1.  Do the searches.  Evaluate results & either continue to next step or retry with different words or word combinations

2.  Collect the information (electronically, in print in library, or Interlibrary Loan)  -- have in hand the texts, visuals, etc.

D.  Evaluate & select material.  Read and evaluate the information.   Then continue or return to earlier steps to find better material.

E.  Use / synthesize the information to create speech or other project.

II.  Where to find tools for research

A.  Links to research databases are on the Library home page. See:

        1.  Research Databases (by Subject)

        2.  Research Databases (A-Z)

B.  For a review of search techniques, see:

       1.  Search Techniques for Computerized Resources

III.  How to evaluate articles and other research materials

A.  Use sources that have been edited or peer-reviewed to ensure quality

B.  For more information, see:  “Evaluating Information Sources” 

IV.  How to get a specific magazine or journal article when the full text is not online.

A.  In the "Find Articles" section of the library's home page, click on Journal Finder. Click on Journal Finder and enter the journal title in the search box. The journal finder will tell you if the journal is available fulltext in one of our databases or is in print in the library.

B.  If the journal is not in the library or online, you can borrow the article from another library by filling out an Interlibrary Loan  Request form 

1.  Electronic forms may be found through the Interlibrary Loan link on the library homepage or go directly to http://www.departments.dsu.edu/library/loan.html

2.  Some databases have a built-in Interlibrary Loan feature.  Look for an Interlibrary Loan button when using the Library Catalog and databases in OCLC Firstsearch.

V.    Ethics of information use -- cite your sources

A.  Why cite others to support your presentation?

1.  To give credit to the work of others that you have used (whether by direct quote or by  paraphrasing).

According to Lester (1986), “Remember that another author’s ideas, interpretations, and words are his or her property; in fact, they are protected by law and must be acknowledged whenever you borrow them” (p. 96). Lester, James D.  (1986).  Writing research papers: A complete guide.  Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman and Company.

2.  To provide evidence to support what you are saying.

3.  To allow your readers to find and read your sources.

B.   For help creating a printed list of "works cited" in MLA style, see http://www.departments.dsu.edu/library/citestyl.htm

Created by Risë L. Smith, Public Services Librarian 10-28-2002. Most recent revision: 4-13-2007.