What are the 3 criteria for evaluating the soundness of research materials that you find on the Internet?

As you find information, you must evaluate it to insure that the information you use is credible. But how do you do that?

Establishing the credibility of a source is not a small task. Will you always get it right? Probably not, but you should make an effort to verify the credibility of sources you use. This can feel overwhelming at times, but there are some key criteria you can consider that will help you make a good decision including:

  • Who is the author and/or publisher of the source? What is their background? Have they written anything else on that topic? Do they have any bias?
  • What is the purpose of the source? To inform, persuade, entertain, educate, or sell you something?
  • Do they cite where they get their information? What types of sources are they citing? Are they credible?
  • How current is the source? Is the date it was published appropriate? For example, if it's a medical topic you will want something published in the last few years, although if you want to discuss what was done historically it would be appropriate to use something older. If it is a literary topic, it can be decades old and still be relevant.
  • How relevant is it to your topic? How will you use it to support your thesis (to provide statistics, background information, definitions, an opposing viewpoint, as evidence to support your viewpoint, etc.)?

Careful and consistent attention to validating sources should become a habit. Yes, it takes extra time, but the consequences of not evaluating sources carefully can be very real and can cost you time, reputation, or worse. Think of it as an investment in your credibility. Plus, it will get you better grades in your coursework!

Internet sources are not regulated for any levels of quality like other types of sources. Make sure you review internet sources for credibility, accuracy, and bias. This video will explain the basics on evaluating internet sources (3:52):

A website's address or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) can tell you a lot about the website and its content. The following table explains the difference between the most popular domains on the web. 

Domain  

Ownership and Purpose

.gov

  • For federal, state, local, and tribal government organizations within the U.S.
  • Registration for .gov domains is managed by the General Services Administration. 

.edu

  • For U.S. post-secondary institutions that are accredited by an agency on the Department of Education's list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies.
  • Educause is the sole registrar for names in the .edu domain

.org

  • For organizations,  non-profits, companies, and clubs.
  • Registration for .org domains is operated by the Public Interest Registry.
  • Provided by virtually any domain registrar or web hosting company.
  • .org is an unrestricted, open domain

.mil

  • For U.S. Department of Defense (military) and its subsidiary or affiliated organizations. 
  • Managed by Defense Information Systems Agency. 

.com

  • Originally intended for commercial business organizations but is now used for virtually any commercial or non-commercial website.
  • Provided by any domain registrar or web hosting company.
  • .com is an unrestricted, open domain

.net

  • Originally intended for 'network' organizations (involved in network technologies) but is now considered a general purpose domain similar to .com.
  • Provided by any domain registrar or web hosting company.
  • .net is an unrestricted, open domain

A listing of all the books, periodicals, and other resources owned by a library.

A number used in libraries to classify books and periodicals and to indicate where they can be found on the shelves.

A work that synthesizes a large amount of related information for easy access by researchers.

newspaper and periodical database

A research aid that catalogues articles from a large number of magazines, journals, and newspapers.

A summary of a magazine or journal article, written by someone other than the original author.

A database that catalogues articles from scholarly journals.

A search engine that combines Internet technology with traditional library methods of cataloguing and assessing data.

An organization that, in the absence of a clearly identified author, is responsible for the content of a document on the Internet.

An interview conducted to gather information for a speech.

preliminary bibliography

A list compiled early in the research process of works that look as if they might contain helpful information about a speech topic.

1. Why is it important to draw on your own knowledge and experience in gathering materials for your speeches?

We often speak best about subjects with which we are familiar. This is why many teachers encourage students to capitalize on their own knowledge and experience in developing speech topics.

2. What are five resources for finding what you need in the library?

1. Librarians
2.Catalogues
3.Reference Works
4.Newspaper and Periodical Databases
5.Academic Databases

3. What are three criteria for evaluating the soundness of research materials that you find on the Internet?

1.Authorship
2.Sponsorship
3.Recency: The best way to determine the recency of an Internet document is to look for a copyright date, publication date, or date of last revision at the top or bottom of the document

4. What are the three stages of a research interview? What should you do in each stage to help ensure a successful interview?

1.Before The Interview
2.During The Interview
3.After The Interview

5. Why is it important to start your speech research early?

The longer you wait, the more problems you will encounter.

6. Why is a preliminary biography helpful to you in researching a speech?

In your research, you will run across the titles of books, magazine articles, Internet documents, and so on that look as if they might contain helpful information about your speech topic. Enter each item you find in your pre- liminary bibliography, even though you don’t know whether you will use it in your speech.

7. What four things should you do to take research notes efficiently?

1. Take plenty of notes
2. Record notes in a consistent format.
3.Make separate entry for each note
4.Distinguish among direct quotations, paraphrases, and own ideas.

The materials used to support a speaker’s ideas. The three major kinds of supporting materials are examples, statistics, and testimony.

A specific case used to illustrate or represent a group of people, ideas, conditions, experiences, or the like.

A specific case referred to in passing to illustrate a point.

A story, narrative, or anecdote developed at some length to illustrate a point.

An example that describes an imaginary or fictitious situation.

The average value of a group of numbers.

he middle number in a group of numbers arranged from highest to lowest.

The number that occurs most frequently in a group of numbers.

Quotations or paraphrases used to support a point.

Testimony from people who are recognized experts in their fields.

Testimony from ordinary people with firsthand experience or insight on a topic.

Testimony that is presented word for word.

To restate or summarize a source’s ideas in one’s own words.

Quoting a statement in such a way as to distort its meaning by removing the statement from the words and phrases surrounding it.

1. Why do you need supporting materials in your speeches?

2. What are the three kinds of examples discussed in this chapter? How might you use each kind to support your ideas?

3. What are five tips for using examples in your speeches?

4. Why is it so easy to lie with statistics? What three questions should you ask to judge the reliability of statistics?

5. What are six tips for using statistics in your speeches?

6. What is testimony? Explain the difference between expert testimony and peer testimony.

7. What are four tips for using testimony in your speeches?

8. What four pieces of information do you usually need to provide when making oral source citations in a speech

The name used by Aristotle for what modern students of communication refer to as credibility.

The audience’s perception of whether a speaker is qualified to speak on a given topic. The two major factors influencing a speaker’s credibility are competence and character.

The credibility of a speaker produced by everything she or he says and does during the speech.

The credibility of a speaker at the end of the speech.

A technique in which a speaker connects himself or herself with the values, attitudes, or experiences of the audience.

Supporting materials used to prove or disprove something.

The name used by Aristotle for the logical appeal of a speaker. The two major elements of logos are evidence and reasoning.

The process of drawing a conclusion on the basis of evidence.

reasoning from specific instances

Reasoning that moves from particular facts to a general conclusion.

Reasoning that moves from a general principle to a specific conclusion.

Reasoning that seeks to establish the relationship between causes and effects.

Reasoning in which a speaker compares two similar cases and infers that what is true for the first case is also true for the second.

A fallacy in which a speaker jumps to a general conclusion on the basis of insufficient evidence.

A fallacy in which a speaker mistakenly assumes that because one event follows another, the first event is the cause of the second.

An analogy in which the two cases being compared are not essentially alike.

A fallacy which assumes that because something is popular, it is therefore good, correct, or desirable.

A fallacy that introduces an irrelevant issue to divert attention from the subject under discussion.

A fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute.

A fallacy that attacks the person rather than dealing with the real issue in dispute.

A fallacy that forces listeners to choose between two alternatives when more than two alternatives exist.

A fallacy which assumes that taking a first step will lead to subsequent steps that cannot be prevented.

A fallacy which assumes that something old is automatically better than something new.

A fallacy which assumes that something new is automatically better than something old.

The name used by Aristotle for what modern students of communication refer to as emotional appeal,

1.What two factors exert the most influence on an audience’s perception of a speaker’s credibility?

2. What are the differences among initial credibility, derived credibility, and ter- minal credibility?

3. What are three ways you can enhance your credibility during your speeches?

4.Why do persuasive speakers need to use evidence?

5. What are four tips for using evidence effectively in a persuasive speech?

6.Why is it important to supplement reasoning from specific instances with testimony or statistics?

7. How is reasoning from principle different from reasoning from specific instances?

8.Why is the relationship between causes and effects not always clear?

9.Why is analogical reasoning frequently used in persuasive speeches on questions of policy?

10. What are the ten logical fallacies discussed in this chapter?

11. What is the role of emotional appeal in persuasive speaking? Identify three methods you can use to generate emotional appeal in your speeches.

What are the three criteria for evaluating the soundness of research materials?

What are the three criteria discussed in your textbook for assessing the soundness of documents found on the Internet? authorship, sponsorship and recency.

Which of the following criteria are important for evaluating the soundness of research materials that you find on the Internet?

There are six (6) criteria that should be applied when evaluating any Web site: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, and appearance.

When evaluating research material the three primary evaluation criteria are?

Once youΓÇÖve identified your sources, you need to assess how they stand up to these three basic criteria relating to your assignment: applicability, objectivity, and authority.

What three evaluation criteria should be applied when locating information for your speech?

As you locate information for your speech, apply three evaluation criteria:.
Reliability..
Validity..
Currency..