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Public Speaking |
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This guide suggests resources and strategies for research on
creating speeches for public presentation. (It is best
viewed at a 1024x768 resolution)
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Look to example boxes for samples on how each resource type
can provide different, but useful information. The
example boxes will follow a burning issue, "Medical
Marijuana."
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Contents
of this research guide |
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Choosing a Topic | Background
Information |
Journal Articles | Local
Newspapers National Newspapers |
Editorials |
People | Public Opinion
| Statistics
Web Resources |
Additional Guides |
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Choosing a Topic |
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Multiple avenues are available to help in topic
selection, including news headlines, opinion series, and web
pages. However, a speaker will need to investigate a topic
fully beyond any one source, and often examine many types of sources.
Resources
The following resources are valuable for
selecting current, controversial or classically debated topics.
CQ Researcher
Print service with comprehensive weekly reports on various
topics.
Facts.Com
Subscription access to Facts on File. Click on Issues &
Controversies tab at top.
Newseum.org
Read the front pages of newspapers from all over the world from
this online museum of news. You can browse by
thumbnails
or use their virtual map located at the top of the
page.
White House News
and Policies
The Policies & Initiatives Column has topics arranged by group.
World Headlines
Follow the links to the Headlines of various news outlets.
Opinion Series
These
series have books that summarize
and present both sides of an issue on all types of speech topics
including pollution, adoption, violence in the media, etc.
At Issue
Contemporary World Issues
Current Controversies
Opposing Viewpoints
Web Directories - Offer lists of
broad topics you can narrow and use for your paper.
Google's
Directory - Society > Issues
Yahoo - Issues and Causes
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Background Information
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Encyclopedias and other reference
works are an excellent place to start a research project or
simply learn more about a particular topic. They provide
topic summaries, context, and bibliographies for further reading.
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In 1996 California passed Proposition
215 which decriminalized marijuana, but Attorney General
Janet Reno said the federal ban would still stay. (more)
Topics in the News.
American Decades:1990-1999. Ed. Trandy McConnell.
Vol. 10. Detroit: A Manly, Inc. Book, 2001, 293.
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Title |
Location |
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American
Decades
American culture by the decade
since 1900. |
R 973.92
Am352 |
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Atlas of
Contemporary American:
portrait of a
nation : politics, economy, environment, ethnic and
religious diversity, health issues, demographic patterns,
quality of life,
crime, personal freedoms |
R 973.92
D777a |
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CQ Researcher
Weekly in-depth reports on issues
in the news. |
R 300.8 C8391 |
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The New Encyclopedia
Britannica
Find encyclopedia articles, images
and videos |
Online
- through Library
R 031 B777 2002 |
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Milestones of the 20th Century
Includes
timelines, biographies, and descriptions of major events. |
R 909.82 M598 |
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St. James
Encyclopedia of Popular Culture
Search popular culture by topics. |
R 973.9
st1 |
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World Almanac
Statistics and
lists of all kinds. |
Online
- through Library
R 310 W893 |
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Journal
Articles |
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Select a Database
Search a database
to find scholarly journal articles,
popular magazines articles and trade
publications. Select a
database by subject or from the
database A-Z list.
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Select a Subject
Database for
Medical Marijuana
What does the
medical community say?
MEDLINE -
Medicine
What legal
reviews can I read?
LexisNexis -
Legal
What does the
Supreme Court Ruling mean for
businesses?
ABI/Inform
Complete - Business
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There are general
databases that the library subscribes to
which contain a broad overview of many
topics. Our three largest are
Academic Search Premiere,
ProQuest Research Library, and
Wilson Omnifile.
Popular &
Scholarly Articles
Popular Articles:
Use them to get a general feel for
public sentiment.
Scholarly
Articles: Use them to discover the findings
of experts on a topic.
To help determine
if an article is popular or scholarly
examine the
characteristics of each type, view a
chart to compare the two or view an
expert chart for more options.
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Local
Newspapers |
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Access subscriptions to local and regional
newspapers. Local/Regional newspapers are a good resource for
background information on contemporary issues, and they often
illuminate regional views.
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Columbia, MO attorney Dan Viets helped
change Columbia's marijuana possession law to low fines
and no jail time for those caught with 35 grams or less.
He hopes "to get the Missouri Legislature to allow
statewide the use of marijuana with a doctor's approval."
"High times in Columbia" St. Louis
Post-Dispatch 26 Nov. 2004, late ed.: C14. LexisNexis Academic Universe. 23 Aug. 2005 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.
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Overwhelmed by the size of a print newspaper? Try this
minute long tutorial for tips and tricks on
how to read a newspaper. |
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National
Newspapers |
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Access subscriptions to national newspapers. National newspaper
offer more comprehensive and in-depth coverage from reporters who
are often on the scene.
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Riverside County Board bans medical
marijuana dispensaries for 45 days while they determine how
to regulate establishments in compliance with both
California's Proposition 215 to decriminalize and the U.S.
Supreme Court to continue the federal ban.
"Medical Pot Outlets on
Hold" Lost Angeles Times 24 Aug. 2005: B1. LexisNexis Academic Universe. 20 Sept.. 2005 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.
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Overwhelmed by the size of a print newspaper? Try this minute long
tutorial for tips and tricks on
how to read a newspaper.
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Editorials |
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Editorials and Opinion Pieces will tune you in
to the political ideology of newspapers across the country on
various topics.
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"Americans need to get way from their
discomfort over the issue of marijuana as a medicine and
on with the debate...Tennessee should be in on the
discussion...This is a state that passed the first
safety seat laws to protect young children. The comfort
of the sick and dying should be no less an issue for
Tennesseans." (more)
Editorial. The
Tennessean. 26 November, 2004. Editorials on File.
Vol. 36. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2005.
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People |
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Learn about important people.
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Janet Reno took office as the United
State Attorney General on March 12, 1993, three years
before facing California's Proposition 215. As a
democrat, she was elected chief prosecutor for the Great
Miami area from 1978-1993. (more)
"Reno, Janet." Current
Biography Yearbook 1993: 485-489.
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Title |
Information |
Location |
| American National Biography |
Famous Deceased Americans. |
R 920.073 Am347 |
| Biography.com |
Famous Deceased and Living Persons. |
www.biography.com |
| Current Biography
Yearbook |
1940- Present. Famous Living
Persons. |
R 920 C936 |
| Encyclopedia of Modern American
Extremists & Extremist Groups |
Famous Deceased and Living American
Extremists. |
R 320.5303 At53E |
| Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists &
Extremist Groups |
Famous Deceased and Living World
Extremists. |
R 320.5303 At53ew |
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Public Opinion |
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Search Public Opinion Polls and Surveys
for reports that reflect the ideas of large groups of people.
What is a public opinion poll?
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A 2003 national Gallup Poll found that
74% of the population favored making marijuana legal for
doctors to prescribe.
Gallup Organization. "Would you favor or oppose making marijuana legally
available for doctors to prescribe to reduce pain and
suffering?" 30 Nov. 2003. LexisNexis Academic
Universe. Lexis Nexis. Kent Library, Cape Girardeau,
MO. 1 Sept. 2005. <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.
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Statistics |
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In 2002, 200.5 out of every 100,000
people in the United States was arrested for possession of
Marijuana.
United. States. Bureau of
Census. "Drug Arrest Rates for Drug Abuse
Violation, 1990-2002."
Statistical Abstract of the U.S., 2004-2005, Oct.
2004: 199. LexisNexis Statistical. LexisNexis
Academic Universe. Kent Library, Cape Girardeau, MO. 1
Sept. 2005 <http://web.lexis-nexis.com>.
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Web Resources |
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For a list of Web Searching Tools,
like search engines & reference sites, see the
Find: web
searching tools page.
Web Directories
Be smart about searching for web pages
involving your topic and use a web directory.
Google's
Directory - Society > Issues
Yahoo - Issues and Causes
Newspaper Directories
Use a directory to find the homepage for local, college,
regional, national or international newspapers.
Benefits of directories include greater breadth and ability to
browse by region. However, these links don't give
you access to our subscriptions, so you won't have comprehensive
access to articles. Use the
E-journal
Portal to see if the library has a subscription to a
particular newspaper.
Internet Public Library
Search by major world region
Newslink
In
addition to national papers, find campus, alternative &
specialty newspapers.
NewsDirectory
Search by continent, includes U.S. protectorates and
territories.
News Voyager
Use a map of the United States to find a newspaper.
Selected Web Sites
American
Rhetoric - Speech Bank
Access to 5,000 full text, audio, visual and streaming speeches.
CQ Press: Current Events in Context
FirstGov.gov:
Government Departments and Agencies -Search for federal
agencies by branch of government or try the
A-Z List.
Great
Debate & Beyond: The History of Televised Presidential Debates
Includes videos, photographs, newspaper headlinesand memos.
History Channel - Video & Speeches
Search by topic or keyword for video and audio clips.
Pew Research Center
Public Opinion Polls and Social Science Research
State and Local Government on the Net - a directory of
websites for state and local government. Searchable by state,
county and city.
C-Span
- The website from the cable
service. Search for online videos, radio shows, featured topics
and other resources.
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Additional Guides |
The following
guides to audiovisual material and other resources may be helpful.
Speeches on
Video
A
list of major speeches and collection we have on video at Kent
Library.
Subject and
Class Research Guides
A
full list of Research Guides in Kent Library organized by major,
topic and class.
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page developed by Information Services/
Michelle Dubaj and Glen Williams
last updated: 11/13/2007
created: 10/03/2005 |
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