CHAPTER 6: GATHERING MATERIALS

Searching The Internet

- The Internet has been called the world's largest library. Unlike a library, the Internet has no central information desk, no librarians, no catalogue, and no reference section. - You can unearth a great deal of information on the internet, but you cannot always find the same range and depth as in a good library. That is why experts advise that you use the internet to supplement, not to replace, library research.

Tips for Doing Research

1. Start early 2. Make a preliminary bibliography 3. Take notes efficiently • Take plenty of notes • Record notes in a consistent format • Make a separate entry for each note • Distinguish among direct quotations, paraphrases, and your own ideas 4. Think about your materials as you research

Doing Search Library

Even in this age of the internet, you will get some of the information for your speeches from the library. It contains many resources to help you find what you need, including librarians, the catalog, periodical databases, newspapers, and reference works.

During the Interview

Every interview is unique. Because the session will seldom go exactly as you plan, you need to be alert and flexible.

Call Number

It is the key to finding a book. It is a number used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to indicate where they can be found on the shelves.

Interviewing

Most people think of interviewing in terms of job interviews or conversations with celebrities. But there is another kind of interview - the research (or investigative) interview. This interview is conducted to gather information for a speech. When done well, interviewing looks deceptively easy. In practice, it is a complex and demanding art. To illustrate, follow the interview process for a hypothetical speech about current issues in college athletics.

2. Government Resources

One of the great strengths of the Internet as a research tool is the access it provides to government documents and publications. These include Statistical Abstract and World Factbook.

Specialized Research Resources

Search aids are extremely helpful, but they are not the only vehicles for finding information online. Because the internet is so vast, it is helpful to have a list of premium websites that you can turn to with confidence

3. Multicultural Resources

The internet is a global phenomenon, and it mirrors the internationalism and diversity of our time. If you are speaking on a topic with multicultural dimensions, you can use Yahoo! Regional, WWW Virtual Library, Princeton University Library Asian-American Studies, etc.

Newspapers

These are invaluable for research on many topics, historical as well as contemporary. If you are looking for information from your local newspaper, your library will probably have current issues in the periodicals room.

Librarians

experts in their own field, trained in library use and research methods. If you have questions, do not hesitate to ask a librarian. He/she can help you find your way, locate sources, and even track down a specific piece of information.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW Here are five steps you should take ahead of time to help ensure a successful outcome.

• Define the purpose of interview • Decide whom to interview • Arrange the Interview • Decide wether to record the interview • Prepare Your Questions

DURING THE INTERVIEW Here are several steps you can take to help make things proceed smoothly.

• Dress appropriately and be on time • Repeat the purpose of interview • Set up the recorder, if you are using one • Keep the interview on track • Listen Carefully • Do not overstay your welcome

Yearbooks

As the name implies, yearbooks are published annually. They contain an amazing amount of current information that would otherwise be all but impossible to track down. The World Almanac is a treasure trove of information. Among the things you can discover in it are the most-watched television shows over previous year, professional and collegiate sports records, the literacy rate of Afghanistan, and the natural resources of Peru. Meanwhile, Facts on File is a weekly digest of national and foreign news event. At the end of the year, all the weekly issues are published together as Facts on File Yearbook. It is available in both print and online versions.

Using Your Own Knowledge and Experience

Everybody is an expert on something, whether it is video games, child care, or backpacking. When you choose a topic from your own experience, you may be tempted to depersonalize it by relying solely on facts and figures from books. Such outside information is almost always necessary. But supplementing it with a personal touch can really bring your speeches to life. - Even if your life stories are not that dramatic, you can still put them to work for you. By thinking over your past experiences - gathering material from yourself - you can find many supporting details for your speeches.

• Authorship

Is the author of the web document clearly identified? What are her/his qualifications? Is the author an expert on the topic? Can her/his data and opinions be accepted as objective an unbiased? You should not cite an electronic work in the absence of this information. In a book or magazine article, information about the author is usually fairly easy to find.

Periodical Databases

It allows you to locate magazine or journal articles. It is a research aid that catalogues articles from a large number of journals or magazines. Type the subject on which you want information in the database's search box, and citations of articles on your subject will appear on the screen.

Quotations

It contains more than 25,000 quotations from historical and contemporary figures. It has long been regarded as an indispensable source for speakers and writers alike. The best-known collection of quotations is Bartlett's Familiar Quotations.

Biographical Aids

It is a reference work that provides information about people. When you need information about people in the news, you can turn to one of the many reference works that contain brief life and career facts about contemporary men and women. They include International Who's Who, Who's Who in America, etc.

Abstract

It is a summary of a magazine or journal article, written by someone other than the original author. In some cases, you may get an abstract of the article in addition to - or instead of - the full text. Keep in mind, however, that the abstract is only a summary of the article. You should never cite an article in your speech on the basis of the abstract alone.

The Catalogue

It lists all the books, periodicals, and other resources owned by the library. Although there are many different computer systems for library catalogues, most allow you to search for books by author, title, subject, or keyword. It also tells you whether the book you want is available or is already checked out.

• Sponsorship

Many web documents are published by businesses, government agencies, public interest groups, and the like. One way to gauge the credibility of a web document is to look at the last three letters of its URL. The letters .gov and .edu are reserved for government agencies and educational institutions. It used to be that .org was used primarily by non-profit organizations. The .com is basically used for businesses. To further the evaluation of the web document, check the "About" link on the sponsoring organization's homepage

Recency

One of the advantages of using the internet for research is that it often has more recent information than you can find in printed sources. The best way to determine the recency of an Internet document is to look for a copyright date, publication date, or date of the last version at the top or bottom of the document. If you are using a source located through a virtual library, you can usually be confident of its currency, as well as its objectivity and reliability.

Evaluating Internet Documents

The most trusted resources on the web are those derived from printed works. But not most web documents exist only in electronic form. Of these, few have gone through the kind of editorial review that is designed to ensure a basic level of reliability in printed works. Never has the adage been truer than when applied to the internet: "Do not believe everything you read". Here, we look at three criteria to help distinguish between the jewels and the junk on the internet.

Before the Interview

The outcome of most interviews is decided by how well the interviewer prepares.

1. Virtual Libraries

These are search engines that combine internet technology with traditional library methods of assessing data. Here are the two best: (1) Librarians' Internet Index and (2) Internet Public Library.

Search Engines

These are the keys to finding materials on the internet. There are numerous search engines, but the most widely used by far is Google.

Reference Works

These are usually kept in a part of the library called the reference section. The right reference work can save you hours of time by putting at your fingertips a wealth of information that might be difficult to locate through the database or the library catalogue. Reference work refers to a work that synthesizes a large amount of related information for easy access by researchers.

Encyclopedias

These seek to provide accurate, objective information about all branches of human knowledge and can be an excellent place to begin your research. We are all familiar with general encyclopedias such as the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Encyclopedia Americana. The general encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work that provides information about all branches of human knowledge. Meanwhile, the special encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work devoted to a specific subject such as religion, art, law, science, music, etc.