1. A POCKET GUIDE TO PUBLIC SPEAKING 5TH EDITION Chapter 9
Finding Credible Sources in Print and Online

2. Use a Library Portal to Access Credible Sources
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

3. Typical Resources Found on Library Portals
Full-text databases
General reference works
Books and monographs
Archives and special collections
Digital collections
Video collections

4. Virtual Libraries www.loc.gov/rr/index.html www.digital-librarian.com
Your campus library probably has a virtual address as well.

5. Recognize Propaganda, Misinformation, and Disinformation
Data presented in an understandable context
Example: vital signs
Propaganda
Information represented to provoke a response
Example: military posters encouraging enlistment

6. Recognize Propaganda, Misinformation, and Disinformation (cont.)
Something that is not true
Example: urban legends
Disinformation
Deliberate falsification of information
Example: doctored photographs

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Explore Primary Sources: Conduct Interviews
Prepare questions in advance.
Word questions carefully.
Avoid vague questions.
Avoid leading questions.
Aim to create neutral questions.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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

15. Explore Secondary Sources
Most likely secondary sources
Books, newspapers, periodicals, government publications
Reference works (encyclopedias, almanacs, etc.)
Internet sources (blogs, social news sites)

16. 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?

17. 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)

18. 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.

19. Evaluating Web Pages (cont.)
Check for trustworthy sources.
Verify the information found with at least two other independent, reputable sources.

20. 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.

21. 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 (

22. Search Using Google https://www.google.com/advanced_search
Use the advanced search options to better enhance your search and reduce unwanted results.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Video