Chapter Nine

1
Chapter Nine
Locating Supporting Material
2
Chapter Nine

• Table of Contents
• Primary Resources Interviews and Statistics
• Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
  Stored Sources

3
Locating Supporting Material

• Primary research
• Original or firsthand research conducted by the
  speaker.
• Secondary research
• The vast body of information gathered by others.

4
Primary Resources Interviews and Surveys

• Supporting materials drawn from primary research
  can include any source developed directly by the
  participants involved.
• In addition to interviews and surveys there are
• Oral or written histories
• Diaries
• Recordings of meetings

5
Primary Resources Interviews and Surveys

• Before You Begin Planning a Research Strategy
• Interviews
• Surveys

6
Primary Resources Interviews and SurveysBefore
You Begin Planning a Research Strategy

• Keep the reason for your search in mind.
• Review thesis statement.

7
Primary Resources Interviews and
SurveysInterviews

• The wording of a question is almost as important
  as the information it seeks to uncover.
• Avoid
• Vague questions which dont give the interviewee
  enough to go on.
• Leading questions which encourage, if not force,
  a certain response.
• Hostile questions which reinforce interviewers
  agenda.

8
Primary Resources Interviews and
SurveysInterviews

• By taking notes, tape-recording, or video-taping,
  you neednt reconstruct from memory what was
  said.
• Always get permission ahead of time.
• Allowing the interviewee to set the pace and
  select the time and place is how you conduct the
  interview professionally.

9
Primary Resources Interviews and SurveysSurveys

• Surveys are an effective source of support for
  topics related to the attitudes, beliefs, and
  values of people in your immediate environment.

10
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored Sources

• Database
• A searchable place or base where information is
  stored, such as books or computers

11
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored Sources

• Resources to Facilitate Your Search
• Books
• Newspapers and Periodicals
• Government Publications
• Reference Works
• Critically Evaluating Secondary Sources

12
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesResources to Facilitate Your
Search

• If conducting your research in a library, seek
  the assistance of reference librarians.
• Card or online catalog
• Catalog of a librarys holdings
• Organized by author, title, subject
• Organized by Library of Congress call number or
  Dewey decimal number

13
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesBooks

• A well-written book provides detail and
  perspective and can serve as an excellent source
  of supporting examples.

14
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesNewspapers and Periodicals

• Periodicals are regularly published magazines or
  journals.
• Most libraries have special computerized
  databases that index past articles.

15
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesGovernment Publications

• The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) is
  responsible for publishing and distributing all
  information collected and produced by federal
  agencies.

16
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesReference Works

• Encyclopedias summarize knowledge found in
  original form elsewhere.
• General encyclopedias attempt to cover all
  important subject areas of knowledge.
• Specialized encyclopedias delve deeply into one
  subject area such as religion, art, sports, or
  engineering.
• Electronic encyclopedias cross-reference topics
  via hyperlinks (highlighted words that link to
  related topics).

17
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesReference Works

• Almanacs and fact books are geared towards facts
  and statistics, and exist in both general and
  specialized forms.
• Biographical Resources provide information about
  famous or noteworthy people.
• Books of Quotations provide material for
  introductions, conclusions, examples, narratives,
  and testimony.

18
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesReference Works

• Poetry collections provide lines, or even entire
  poems, for use by speakers in their
  introductions, conclusions, and illustrations.
• Atlases are collections of maps, text, and
  accompanying charts and tables.

19
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesDocumenting Your Source Material

• Include
• Name of author or editor
• Title
• Volume or edition
• Name of publisher
• Place of publication, or Internet address
• Date and year of publication
• Page numbers

20
Secondary Resources Print and Electronically
Stored SourcesCritically Evaluating Secondary
Resources

• Consider the following when assessing the
  validity of a source
• What is the authors background and reputation?
• How credible is the publication?
• How reliable is the data?
• How recent is the reference?