Chapter Nine Locating Supporting Material Chapter Nine Table

Chapter Nine Locating Supporting Material

Chapter Nine Table of Contents z. Primary Resources: Interviews and Statistics z. Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources

Locating Supporting Material Invention: the process of selecting information to illustrate or prove your points.

Locating Supporting Material z. Primary research: original or firsthand research conducted by the speaker. z. Secondary research: vast body of information gathered by others.

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys z. Any source developed directly by the participants involved Such as interviews and surveys, oral or written histories, diaries, records of meetings

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys z. Before You Begin: Planning a Research Strategy z. Interviews z. Surveys

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys: Before You Begin: Planning a Research Strategy z. Keep the reason for your search in mind. z. Review thesis statement.

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys: Interviews Avoid: y. Vague questions which don’t give the interviewee enough to go on. y. Leading questions which encourage, if not force, a certain response. y. Loaded questions which reinforce interviewer’s agenda.

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys: Interviews z. Take notes, tape-record, or video-tape z. Always get permission ahead of time. z. Allow the interviewee to set the pace and select the time and place

Primary Resources: Interviews and Surveys: Surveys z. Surveys are an effective source of support for topics related to the attitudes, beliefs, and values of people in your immediate environment.

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources z. Database: a searchable place or “base” where information is stored, such as books or computers

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources z Resources to Facilitate Your Search z Books z Newspapers and Periodicals z Government Publications z Reference Works z Critically Evaluating Secondary Sources

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Resources to Facilitate Your Search z. Reference librarians: information specialists who are trained to help you. z. Card or online catalog: catalog of a library’s holdings x. Organized by Library of Congress call number or Dewey decimal number

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Books z. A well-written book provides detail and perspective and can serve as an excellent source of supporting examples.

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Newspapers and Periodicals z. Periodicals: regularly published magazines or journals. z. Most libraries have special computerized databases that index past articles.

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Government Publications • The U. S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is responsible for publishing and distributing all information collected and produced by federal agencies.

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Reference Works z. Encyclopedias: summarize knowledge found in original form elsewhere. z. General encyclopedias: attempt to cover all important subject areas of knowledge.

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Reference Works z. Specialized encyclopedias: delve deeply into one subject area such as religion, art, sports, or engineering. z. Electronic encyclopedias: cross-reference topics via hyperlinks (highlighted words that link to related topics).

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Documenting Your Source Material z. Include: y. Name of author or editor y. Title y. Volume or edition y. Name of publisher y. Place of publication, or Internet address y. Date and year of publication y. Page numbers

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Critically Evaluating Secondary Resources z. Consider the following when assessing the validity of a source: y. What is the author’s background and reputation? y. How credible is the publication? y. How reliable is the data? y. How recent is the reference?

Secondary Resources: Print and Electronically Stored Sources: Critically Evaluating Secondary Resources z. Avoid plagiarism by properly citing sources z. Avoid fabrication which is making up false information