COMM 170: So you have to give a speech...

Choose a topic

Ask yourself these questions:
        Am I interested in the topic?
        Will I enjoy researching this topic?
        Will I enjoy talking about this topic?
        Will my audience be interested in this topic?
        Can I use the research for this speech in another assignment?

Check out these resources for topic ideas:
CQ Researcher. Library has print issues from 1991+   Reference H 35 E352
Each issue of the CQ Researcher covers a different topic. This is a good source for gaining background information on a topic as well as gathering different points of view. Each issue presents questions about the topic, gives background material and opposing viewpoints, reprints some articles on the topic, and provides a bibliography for further reading.
Hot Topics --- List of Web sites (with links) on topics currently in the news.
Topic Selection Helper

Limit your topic

Look for your topic in the Library Catalog. Start with a keyword search and then focus in on Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). For tips on searching the catalog and using keyword searches, go to our online demonstration.

Find an overview of your topic in an encyclopedia (general or subject). As you read the article you may have some new ideas for an aspect of the topic you might consider.

Here are some more ideas to consider:
    Limit your topic to a specific person.   Jack Kevorkian
   Limit your topic to a specific organization. Hemlock Society
    Limit to a particular geographical area or ethnic group. Euthanasia in the Netherlands
    Limit to a particular time period.    Euthanasia in the Middle Ages
    Limit to a particular aspect of the topic. Legal, scientific, social, economic, or ethical issues
    Combine any of the above. Euthanasia in Germany in the 1940's
    Contrast the treatment of a topic in various newspapers, magazines, or other media.
    Look at the way the topic is viewed in movies.

Find information

Find books on your topic using the Library Catalog. However, if there are many books on your topic, you have chosen one that is too broad.

If Pickler Memorial Library doesn't have what you want, try your search in MOBIUS to find books in other libraries in Missouri. You can order books online and they will be delivered usually within 3-4 working days.

Look for periodical articles using a general database like Academic Search Premiere. Use LexisNexis for newspaper articles.

Some other article databases to consider:
        Communication and Mass Media Complete
        America: History and Life
      Business Source Premiere

Consider the discipline that you are working with (philosophy, psychology, medicine, etc.) and look at the Articles and Research Databases page. These will list reference books, databases, Web sites, etc.

Many of our online databases will take you directly to the full text of your article. If they do not, however, you can use Pickler's Journal Finder to determine if we have access to a print or electronic copy of a journal.

How would you see if Pickler had access to the following journal article?

Allen, Beth. “The Future of Microeconomic Theory.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 14/1 (Winter 2000): 143-150

View an online demonstration for more information on finding and using periodical articles in Pickler.

Points of View. A Pickler Library Research Guide that helps you find sources that give different viewpoints.

Search the Web--but be careful and evaluate your sources!

Talk to the Librarian at the Reference Desk. He or she can help you decide which databases would be best, how to structure a good search, etc.

Set up a Research Assistance Program (RAP) session. This is an individual, in-depth session with a librarian in your subject area. To make an appointment stop by the Reference Desk or fill out the online form at http://library.truman.edu/forms/RAP_request.asp

Spice up your speeches

Statistics
FedStats ---One-stop access to publicly available statistics produced by more than 70 U.S. government agencies.
Statistical Abstract of the United States. Reference HA 202 A32
Also available online.

Quotations
Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. Reference PN 6081 B27 1992
Also available online.
Cassell's Humorous Quotations. Reference PN 6084 H8 C37 2001

Humor
Best Book of Puns. PN 6231 P8 M58 1988
Encyclopedia of 20th Century American Humor. Reference PS 438 N55 2000

Make your bibliography

Citing sources ---Selected guides to help you cite sources correctly in APA, Chicago/Turabian, and MLA styles.