College of DuPage Library

Criteria for Evaluating Sources

The same criteria are used for evaluating all resources no matter what format they appear in, print, media, web, etc. Web sites may be more difficult to evaluate than print resources.

Authority/Credibilty

• Who is the author of the source (a person, an organization, or a company)?
• Is the author an expert on the topic? To what extent does the author's occupation, years of experience, position, or education make him/her an expert?
• What do you know about the publisher (e.g. company, professional association) of the source?

Purpose

• Does the source try to sell, inform, or try to persuade you of a certain point of view?
• Is it a commercial, governmental, or educational institution source?

Currency

• Is the source up to date in relation to the topic?

Accuracy

• Is the information based on facts or opinions?
• Does the author provide any supportive evidence for his/her statements?
• Are there sources listed for any information presented as fact so that they can be looked for to verify the facts?

How to prepare an oral citation

As a rule of thumb, these are three basic elements, but this will vary with the type of source:

• WHO/WHAT: Identify the element of the source (author or title) which provides the greatest authority and/or secondary credibility. Does the author have credentials? What type of publication is it—newspaper, government report, magazine, journal? (In other words, would everybody know that the Kansas City Star is a newspaper? If not, tell them!)
• WHEN: When was the book, magazine, newspaper or journal published (date)? When was the person interviewed? When was the website last updated and/or when did you access the website?

More specifically----

Articles

If you are quoting from a magazine, newspaper or journal article, give a quick statement of the author (if relevant) as well as the (full) date and title of the source. This applies to both print sources and those found in the Library Databases.

• “According to Len Zehm, a sports columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, in an article from May 31, 2006…”
• “Newsweek magazine of December 4, 2005 lists bankruptcy as the…”
• “In the latest Gallup Poll, cited in last week’s issue of Time magazine…”

You do not need to give the title of the article, although you may if it helps in any way. For example, if you are quoting one or more articles from the same newspaper, this would help differentiate the sources.
You do not need to give the page number nor the name of electronic database that cataloged the periodical/publication.

Books

If you are citing information from a book, provide the title of the book,year of publication and a brief mention of the author's credentials. You don’t have to mention the page, publisher or city of publication:

• "In his 2005 book, Eating to Be Smart, Charles Larson, a registered dietitian, notes that consuming yogurt…”

Websites

If you are citing a website you need to establish the credibility, currency and objectivity (fact vs. opinion) of the site.
Mention:

• the title of the website
• the “author”/organization/sponsor that supports the site
• the site’s “credentials” You can confirm a site’s “credentials” by looking for links as: “About us” or “Our Mission” or “Who we are”
• the last date it was updated, if known
• the date you accessed the site.

• “One of the most active developers of neurotechnology, Cyberkinetics.com, claims on their website, last updated on March 24, 2006, that…”
• “From the website maintained by the Wisconsin Council of Dairy Farmers entitled “Dairy Products and Your Diet”, as of January 10, 2007, yogurt…” (or “of an unknown date which I accessed on September 18th of this year”), yogurt proves to be…”

In an oral citation of a website, you do not need to give the URL.

Interviews

If you are quoting the source of an interview, give the person's name and statement of their credentials, date of interview, as well as the fact that the information was obtained from a personal interview:

• “In a personal interview on January 15 that I conducted with Nancy Manes, head of cardiac care at Central DuPage Hospital, the most important…”

Why practice oral citations

Without practice, oral citations can be challenging to incorporate into a speeches.Verbally presenting source references interrupts the flow of thoughts and speakers often are concentrating more on content, rather than worrying about where they sourced the information. Accordingly, incorporate oral source citations into each of your speech rehearsals. Citations become part of the overall timing of the speech, so use a watch or timer when practicing.

What does "citing sources" mean?

Citing or crediting sources means verbally acknowledging the source from which you have drawn your information and ideas. In the body of a research paper, you give credit to authors you have quoted or paraphrased. Similarly, when you use other people’s words or ideas in your speech, you must credit the source orally when delivering the speech. (If not, it is considered a form of plagiarism.)

Why cite sources

It is important for your audience to know where your information came from, if the sources were impartial, as well as how current the sources were. Things change rapidly in today’s society and something that was true a few years ago is not necessarily true today. Anybody can publish just about anything on a web site. In persuasive speaking, it is also essential that your audience accepts the credibility of your evidence; this is achieved by citing of sources. Thus, the citing of sources also adds to your credibility as a speaker.

How to create written citations

Follow the citation format requested by your instructor and use the Library's Citing Sources page as a guide.

Online Bibliography Managers

Remember: When using any of these tools, or the citation generators in databases, you should always double check the citation against the Library's Citing Sources page or OWL.
Even the best citation management tools are not perfect-- don't lose points on your assignment for an incomplete or incorrect citation!

• NoodleTools: NoodleBib-- Student research platform with MLA, APA and Chicago/Turabian bibliographies, notecards, outlining. Available with your Library Card at cod.libguides.com/citing
• Zotero-- a powerful, easy-to-use research tool that helps you gather, organize, and analyze sources and then share the results of your research. http://www.zotero.org/
• BibMe-- a free bibliography/works cited maker. http://www.bibme.org/
• EasyBib-- a free automatic bibliography and citation generator. http://easybib.com/

Why Use Visual Aids

Be sure you really need one

• Enhances understanding : 80% of information comes from what we see
• Enhances memory : You remember 10% of what you read, 20% of what you hear, 30% of what you see, 50% of what you simultaneously see and hear
• Helps listeners organize ideas : Adds clarity and helps audience grasp main ideas; reinforces concepts
• Helps gain and maintain attention : Grabs attention and keeps interest more than words alone
• Helps illustrate a sequence of events or procedures : Understand and visualize a process

Choosing the Right Visual Aid

What is the right medium?

• Consider your objective
• Take into account your own skill and experience
• Consider audience size and make up
• Consider the room where you will present -- size, equipment available, shades for windows, lighting, etc.

Designing/Preparing the Visual Aid

Make sure it has the impact you want

Size

• Make it easy/large enough for the entire audience to see
• Portable enough for you to move it around/carry it

Simplicity

• Resist the temptation to make it complicated
• Words should be limited to key words and phrases, not sentences
• 6-7 lines of text with no more than 6-7 words in each line
• Omit non-essential details
• Make sure it is not too cluttered or busy
• Don’t have so many visuals that they overtake or substitute for your presentation

Appearance

• Check for neatness
• Check for misspellings
• Avoid mixing multiple fonts
• Show restraint in adding colors to text and backgrounds
• Use space wisely— consider the layout and white space

Incorporating the Visual Aid into the Speech

Rehearse with your visual aids so you feel at ease with them; get accurate rehearsal timing.

Timing -- Coordinate the display of the visual aid to coincide with your presentation of the information contained in them

• Have it ready to go but not in full view until needed
• Remove the visual aid if it is not needed for the next point

Placement -- plan where will it go and where you will stand

• Display the visual where it can be seen by all
• Be sure you are not blocking the view of audience members
• Stay out of the light of the projector
• Block out lines of text if necessary and reveal as needed

Explanation/Interpretation -- don’t just exhibit; tell your audience the point you are trying to make; set your visuals in a verbal context

• Specify the subject (“this is a diagram of the human eye” “this is a graph of the growth of the US population from 1980-2007”)
• Orient the audience to the general layout
• For graphs -- what do the horizontal and vertical axis represent and what conclusion is being drawn
• For tables and charts -- what are the headings for the columns and what conclusion is being drawn
• For objects, models, pictures -- describe in more detail

Eye Contact -- Should be with the audience, not the visual

• Refer to the computer display rather than the projection screen
• Face the audience; don’t turn your head or back to them
• Direct the audience's eyes to specific components as they are described
• Don’t leave audience searching

Best Practices

• Test electronic equipment before you begin
• Have a back-up plan just in case
• Don't rely on volunteers or live animals as your visual aid
• Avoid passing objects/distributing handouts during the presentation
• When playing a clip from a film, decide whether or not you need the voice or any background music; adjust the volume accordingly, rather than trying to talk over the audio.
• The visual aid should not be a last minute addition to your presentation. Put consideration into the selection.
• Remember: You are a visual as well. Dress appropriately and present yourself to enhance your presentation rather than distract from it.

Types of Information Sources

Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Primary sources are firsthand or eyewitness accounts. They present the actual evidence of an event without any analysis or interpretation. Primary sources include diaries, letters, legal or court documents, laws, speeches, statistics, journals, original research documents, and the like.
Secondary sources analyze, interpret, retell, explain, or critique primary sources.

Scholarly vs. Popular Sources
Scholarly sources are written by the experts in the subject matter. They are often written for use by other scholars, researchers, or serious students of the subject. They often use language that is specific to that discipline. They usually include in-text citations or footnotes and a works cited or bibliography. They are often peer-reviewed, meaning the article has been anonymously reviewed by a panel of experts in the topic before it has been accepted for publication. They are usually published by a professional organization, research center, or scholarly press.
Popular sources are written for a more general audience, not necessarily expert in the topic. They are often written by journalists or others who are not professionals in the field. They are written in easy to understand language; they do not use technical jargon. Although they may have footnotes and/or citations, they are usually not as extensive. There may be little or no editorial review.
Popular sources should not necessarily be seen as less worthy than scholarly. They are often very reputable sources of information that has been distilled so that it can be easily understood by the non-professional. Each source must be judged individually.

Print Sources vs. Online Sources vs. Web Sources
Print sources are those that exist in a hard copy format such as a book, printed magazine, or a DVD.
Online sources are electronic versions of items that originally existed in a hard copy format. Although they may be delivered in a web based format, they are not necessarily "web sites". For example, articles located in the Library's databases are online copies of items that usually have a hard copy version.
Web sources are sources that exist only in a web-based format; there is no hard copy version.

Selecting an interesting topic can be the most important and most difficult step. If you don't find the topic interesting, it will be hard for you to make it interesting to your audience. Avoid topics that are "groundbreaking", such as a new medical breakthrough; it may be difficult for you to find a sufficient number of sources for your research. Avoid topics that have been "overdone", such as abortion or capital punishment, unless you have something new or different to add. Remember that informative topics need to be handled in a factual manner; many topics are hard to present without emotional arguments. Those types of controversial topics work best for persuasive speeches.

Many students already have topics in mind, perhaps something they have been interested in for a long time. Other students find good topics by listening to the news.

Types of Supporting Evidence

Facts
Facts are something that is known or can be proven to be true. Because facts can be proven, they provide powerful evidence for a speaker. Facts are useful to establish credibility.

Expert Opinion
Supporting evidence gathered from known experts carries a great deal of credibility. Remember that the people cited should be perceived as experts by others in the same field of expertise. Thus the author of a self-help book on psychology that has been rejected by professional psychologists would not be a considered an expert source. Also make sure the expert is talking about a topic in their area of expertise; an expert physicist is not necessarily an expert on psychological matters. Your testimony should also come from unbiased, third party sources. For example, the maker of a particular drug may not be an unbiased source on the attributes of that drug.

Examples
Examples are useful to illustrate your topic or to clarify complex issues.

Stories or Anecdotes
Personal experiences, your or others, lend a real life touch to a topic. When using personal experience consider whether or not the experience is consistent with other supporting evidence such as fact and expert opinion. Make sure the story you choose is appropriate to the point you would like to make.

Quotations
A thoughtful quotation can be a good way to begin a speech; it can explain the topic or provide a memorable picture. Quotations can also be used as evidence if your quotation comes from an expert on the topic.

Download the Finding Evidence Worksheet
To locate sources for specific types of evidence to the Speech Research Guide: Finding Evidence

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