We live in an age where access to information is more convenient than ever before. The days of photocopying journal articles in the stacks of the library or looking up newspaper articles on microfilm are over for most. Yet, even though we have all this information at our fingertips, research skills are more important than ever. In this chapter, we will discuss how to research, what to research, and how to cite your research.
- 11.1: How do I Research for my Speech?
- In this section, you will be learning the research process. It is your ethical responsibility to research your topic thoroughly, whether it is for an informative or persuasive speech. We will discuss types of research, and three ways to conduct research.
- 11.2: What Supporting Materials do I Need?
- This section is about what you are searching for in your research, supporting materials. We will discuss: what they are, what they do, and how to use them effectively. Hopefully, you have already been thinking about how to support your ideas when you were finding a topic and crafting a central idea. Supporting material also relates directly to the previously mentioned presentation aids. Whereas presentation aids are visual or auditory supporting materials, this chapter will deal with verbal sup
- 11.3: How do I Cite my Sources?
- Citation is an integral part of academic work. Since research builds on the work of others, acknowledging those who contributed is essential to academic integrity. In this section, we will discuss internal citations and the ethics surrounding them.