The call to speech assignment begins the ultimate thrust of the course. This speech is intended to maximize your ability to research a critical issue and apply that research to verbal advocacy in changing a problem in your community. Additionally, this speech is the culmination of your individual effort to convince an audience to take action to make a change in your community. Basically, you must (a) research an issue to determine whether a problem exists with the status quo; (b) formulate a call to action that would lead to a change in those conditions; and (c) develop a speech that proves, using evidence and reasoning, that a problem truly does exist—hence justifying the thesis. (d) present a responsible solution to the problem you have proven to exist.
Topic Development is a crucial first step in your research. Briggs Library has many resources and tools that can help. Use the link below to explore ways to generate topic ideas as well as broaden and narrow a topic.
Applying a set of standards to information sources will help you judge their credibility and relevancy. The evaluation process will depend on the purpose for which you are using the information. Good research involves using multiple sources of information. In addition to applying the CRAAP criteria, compare the information you find with that in other sources.
Currency
Is the information up-to-date enough for my topic?
Relevance
Does the information pertain to my topic and cover it in enough depth to meet my needs?
Authority
Who is responsible for the content and what are their qualifications?
Accuracy
Is the information reliable and free from error?
Purpose
Is the information presented without bias or is the bias acceptable for my purpose?
Click the link below for more resources about evaluating sources.
The next step once you have your topic is to create strong keywords. These will help you search for your topic in library databases. Use the links below to find resources to help you create helpful search strategies.
The library has over 750,000 books in the shelves on the 3rd floor, all of them available for check-out. The best way to search for them is by using Quick Search, the search box on the library homepage. Watch the video below for more information on how to that.
The library has collections of eBooks that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection; log in with the same credentials you use to access article databases. In most cases, you can view the book right in your browser but some collections require you to create a free account with them in order to borrow and download texts. If you have trouble, ask a librarian for help.
It is important to understand the characteristics of different source types. This will help you understand when and why to use certain sources when you're doing research. Use the links below to learn more.