1. Researching for Sources and
Gathering Supporting
Material
Wafi BADJI; Rania BRAHMIA; Rafida ZERDOUDI; & Riane ADJABI

2. Contents
I. The Importance of Researching for
Sources & Gathering Supporting
Material
II. Researching and Supporting Your
Speech
III. Types of Sources for a Public Speech
IV. Types of Supporting Material for a
Public Speech

3. Introduction
The importance of researching for
sources and gathering supporting
material for a public speech.

4. What is Supporting Material?
The information a person provides to develop
and/or justify an idea that is offered for a listener's
consideration.

5. The Importance of Supporting Material
Supporting material serves a variety of functions in oral
presentations
• Supporting materials are necessary to turn an opinion
into a persuasive argument. Being able to say
something and have others immediately accept it. In
the vast majority of cases, audiences will not just want
to hear the view you are asking them to accept, but
also why they should accept it.

6. Clarity
• Your first goal is to communicate clearly to your
intended audience.
• Clear supporting material helps your intended
audience better understand your ideas.

7. Vividness
• Vivid supporting material helps your intended
audience remember the key points of your speech.
• This helps emphasizing your argument and making it
more interesting.

8. Credibility
• Credibility refers to the dependability and believability
of a speaker’s sources.
• Your ideas and facts can be a valuable and persuasive
and more credible if you present evidence that these
ideas are shared by several experts.

9. Overall…
Supporting material:
• Clarifies the speaker's point.
• Furnishes a basis that enables others to believe the speaker's point.
• Illustrates and elaborates on the meaning of your ideas.
• Substantiates and proves your statement, adding evidence to your assertions.
• It arouses interest and encourages engagement with the message.
 Without supporting material, an oral presentation is just a little more than a string of
assertions (claims without backing).

10. Researching and
Supporting Your Speech
• The Research Process
• Source Evaluation (C.R.A.A.P Test)

13. Research Process
Broad Background
Research 👓
Focused
Research 🔎
Evaluating the
Credibility of
Sources 🎓
Incorporating
Supporting
Material into
Speech 📝
Conclude
Research ✔

14. Doing the Research
• Library resources as a first destination, not Google.
• Reference librarians can be of rewarding use.
• There’s always a way around a dead end.

15. Using Electronic Resources
• Online library databases:
1. Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)
2. JSTOR (www.jstor.org)
3. Elsevier (www.elsevier.com)
4. Microsoft Academic Search (academic.research.microsoft.com)
5. Library of Congress (www.loc.gov)
6. Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)

16. C.R.A.A.P Test
Currency Relevance Authority
Accuracy Purpose

17. 📹 Video: Evaluating Information

18. Evaluation Criteria: C.R.A.A.P
• Currency: The timeliness of the information.
 When was the information published or posted?
 Has the information been revised or updated?
 Does your topic require current information, or will
older sources work as well?
 Are the links functional?

19. Evaluation Criteria: C.R.A.A.P
• Relevance: The importance of the information for your
needs.
 Does the information relate to your topic or
answer your question?
 Who is the intended audience?
 Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not
too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
 Have you looked at a variety of sources before
determining this is one you will use?

20. Evaluation Criteria: C.R.A.A.P
• Authority: The source of the information.
 Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
 What are the author's credentials or organizational
affiliations?
 Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
 Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
(examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net).

21. Evaluation Criteria: C.R.A.A.P
• Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of
the content.
Where does the information come from?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Can you verify any of the information in another source or
from personal knowledge?
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of
emotion?
Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

22. Evaluation Criteria: C.R.A.A.P
• Purpose: The reason the information exists.
What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform,
teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or
purpose clear?
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious,
institutional or personal biases?

24. Types of Sources for a
Public Speech
• Periodicals
• Newspapers
• Books
• Reference Tools
• Interviews
• Websites

25. Scholarly vs Non-Scholarly Sources
Scholarly Sources
• Produced as a result of a rigorous
research process.
• Reviewed by other scholars before
they are published.
• Written by qualified people in the
academic community for other people
in the academic community (like
students, researchers, lecturers, etc.)
Non-Scholarly Sources
• Written or produced for an audience
outside the academic community, i.e.
the general public (journals, magazines,
websites, blogs…).

26. General vs Specific Sources
General Source
• Getting started in your understanding of
a topic
• Understanding the key terms used
• Getting familiar with the important
concepts and researchers in the field
who are interested in that topic.
 Encyclopaedias, dictionaries,
Wikipedia.
Specific Source
• Deepening your understanding of a
topic and the specific issues associated
with it
 Journal articles, books , PhD theses,
and dissertations.

27. Types of Sources
There are several different
types of sources that may
be relevant for your
speech topic. Those
include periodicals,
newspapers, books,
reference tools,
interviews, and websites.

28. Periodicals
• Publications such as journals, newspapers, or
magazines.
• Published on a regular basis: daily, weekly, monthly,
quarterly, yearly, etc.
• The information in periodicals covers a wide variety of
topics and is very up-to-date.
• Periodicals are available in both print and electronic
formats
• The two basic types of periodicals are: (1) popular
(general interest magazines), and (2) scholarly.

29. The Information Timeline

30. Academic Journals
• Periodicals that publish articles and research in specific
academic or scholarly fields.
• Written by experts or specialists in a particular field/discipline
for other scholars in their field .
• The purpose of scholarly publications is to report research or
advance knowledge.
• Many scholarly journals are peer-reviewed.
• Written in scholarly/academic language (may also contain
graphs, statistics…etc.)
• Key sources of information for academic assignments.

31. Magazines
• Popular periodicals (non-scholarly source).
• Contain longer articles on a variety of subjects (fashion, sports,
movies, medicine, etc.)
• Published on an ongoing basis (weekly or monthly).
• Heavily illustrated and contain advertising.
• Contain no references or bibliographies.
• Magazine articles can be found in TIME, Newsweek, New
Yorker, U.S. News & World Report, Harper’s, Economist, EBSCO,
and ProQuest Central.

32. Newspapers
• Are also popular periodicals (non-scholarly source)
• Provide a short article of current news/information about international, national, and local
events.
• Newspapers are available on a daily basis.
• Newspapers are good sources for regional information, current or historical events. They
also are good for editorials, expert or popular opinions (regarded as primary source).
• Contain no references or bibliographies
• Newspapers are good for topics that are developing quickly, as they are updated daily
 Examples: Arizona Republic, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

33. Online Scholarly Databases
• You can access local, national, and international newspapers,
articles, magazines through their electronic databases where
they provide access to the latest research in hundreds of areas.
• Some well known online databases:
1. ProQuest
2. LexisNexis
3. World News Connection
4. InfoTrac
5. EBSCO
• You only type your article name, reference or author name in
the database research box and it will appear in the screen.

34. Finding a Source on EBSCO

35. Books
• Books are good for a variety of subjects and are useful for
in-depth research that you can not get as regularly from
newspapers or magazines.
• Edited books with multiple chapters by different authors
can be especially good to get a variety of perspectives on
a topic.
• Academic books are written by scholars and researchers,
have extensive bibliographies, and have been edited and
reviewed by other experts in the field
• Books can be found in print or electronically (eBooks)

36. Reference Tools
Primary Sources
• Written by people with firsthand
experiences with an event or by
researchers/scholars who conducted an
original research.
• Analysing data for scientific, historical or
social research.
• Getting as close as possible to the event or
phenomenon you are interested in.
 Examples: Research reports, newspaper
or magazine articles (current news), audio
or video recordings, and literary works.
Secondary Sources
• One where the author is reporting on
something that someone else saw and
has written about.
• Help understanding how other people
have interpreted the event
• Clarify the different issues that are
relevant in the study of the event or
phenomenon
 Examples: Journal articles, academic
books (including history books, textbooks,
etc.), and encyclopedias

37. Interviews
• Arguably the most effective tool for a qualitative research.
• Interviews are designed to collect richer source of information
(attributes, behaviour, feelings, opinions, knowledge …etc.) from
a small number of people.

38. 👉🏻 Tips for Effective Research Interviews
Make sure the research question is clear.
Develop a check list of the questions to be asked during the interview.
Express clearly the purpose of the interview.
Start with a neutral question to facilitate free flow of information.
Use open-ended questions so that the respondent can choose his answer.
Limit the content of each question with a single idea to avoid confusion.
Reduce questions that give responses of `yes' or `no', because they give limited information.
Do not influence the respondent by asking leading questions.
If you have not understood the response ask the respondent to repeat and clarify.
Do not assume answers.
Do not pass judgements.
Avoid irrelevant discussions..
Keep the interview short.
At the end of the interview, summarise the points reported and ask the respondent if the
summary is correct.

39. Websites
• Even though both research databases and websites are electronic sources, there are two
key differences between them that may impact their credibility.
DATABASES
Content in research databases is or was printed
but has been converted to digital formats for
easier and broader access
Most of the content on research databases has
gone through editorial review
WEBSITES
Most of the content on websites has not been
printed
Most content on websites is not subjected to the
same review process, as just about anyone with
Internet access can self-publish information on a
personal website, blog, wiki, or social media page.

40. Website Domain Names and Credibility

41. Types of Supporting
Material
• Examples
• Explanations
• Statistics
• Analogies
• Testimony
• Visual Aids

42. Examples
• An example is a cited case that is representative of a larger whole.
Examples are especially beneficial when presenting information that
an audience may not be familiar with. They are also useful for
repackaging or reviewing information that has already been
presented.
• You may also use hypothetical examples, which can be useful when
you need to provide an example that is extraordinary or goes beyond
most people’s direct experience. Always make sure to indicate when
you are using a hypothetical example, as it would be unethical to
present an example as real when it is not. Including the word imagine
or something similar in the first sentence of the example can easily
do this.

43. • Whether real or hypothetical, examples used as supporting material
can be brief or extended
• If a brief example or series of brief examples would convey the
same content and create the same tone as the extended example, I
suggest you go with brevity.

44. Explanations
• Explanations clarify ideas by providing information about what something is,
why something is the way it is, or how something works or came to be. One
of the most common types of explanation is a definition. Definitions do not
have to come from the dictionary. Many times, authors will define concepts
as they use them in their writing, which is a good alternative to a dictionary
definition.
• Consciously incorporating clear explanations into your speech can help you
achieve your speech goals.

45. Statistics
• Statistics are numerical representations of information. They are very
credible in our society, as evidenced by their frequent use by news
agencies, government offices, politicians, and academics.
• As a speaker, you can capitalize on the power of statistics if you use them
appropriately.
• Although statistics are popular as supporting evidence, they can also be
boring.
• For these reasons, it’s a good idea to avoid using too many statistics and
to use startling examples when you do use them.

46. • You should also round long numbers up or down to make them easier to
speak. Make sure that rounding the number doesn’t distort its
significance.
• It is also beneficial to translate numbers into something more concrete
for visual or experiential learners.
• While it may seem easy to throw some numbers in your speech to add to
your credibility, it takes more work to make them impactful, memorable,
and effective.

47. 👉🏻 Tips for Using Statistics
 Make sure you understand the context from which a statistic emerges.
 Don’t overuse statistics.
 Use startling statistics that defy the audience’s expectations.
 Repeat key statistics at least once for emphasis.
 Use a variety of numerical representations (whole numbers, percentages, ratios)
to convey information.
 Round long numbers to make them easier to speak.
 Translate numbers into concrete ideas for more impact.

48. Analogies
• Analogies involve a comparison of ideas, items, or circumstances typically on the basis of
their structure and for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
• When you compare two things that actually exist, you are using a literal analogy.
• Another type of literal comparison is a historical analogy.
• A figurative analogy compares things that are not normally related, often relying on
metaphor, simile, or other figurative language devices.
• To use analogies effectively and ethically, you must choose ideas, items, or circumstances
to compare that are similar enough to warrant the analogy.
• Using the analogy without noting this large difference would be misrepresenting your
supporting material.

49. Testimony
• Testimony is quoted information from people with direct knowledge
about a subject or situation.
oExpert testimony is from people who are credentialed or recognized
experts in a given subject.
oLay testimony is often a recounting of a person’s experiences, which is
more subjective.
• When using testimony, make sure you indicate whether it is expert or lay
by sharing with the audience the context of the quote. Share the
credentials of experts (education background, job title, years of
experience, etc.) to add to your credibility or give some personal context
for the lay testimony (eyewitness, personal knowledge, etc.).

50. Visual Aids
• Visual aids help a speaker reinforce speech content visually, which
helps amplify the speaker’s message. They can be used to present any
of the types of supporting materials discussed previously.
• Types of visual aids include:
* Objects.
* Chalkboards, whiteboards, and flip-charts.
* Posters and handouts.
* Pictures, drawings, diagrams, tables, and graphs.
* Videos and software presentations.

51. Therefore, skillfully incorporating visual aids into a speech skillfully
has many potential benefits:
 Helping your audience remember information because it is
presented orally and visually
 Helping your audience understand information because it is made
more digestible through diagrams, charts, and so on
 Helping your audience see something in action by demonstrating
with an object, showing a video, and so on
 Engaging your audience by making your delivery more dynamic
through demonstration, gesturing, and so on…

52. References
• A Primer on Communication Studies (2012).
• C.R.A.A.P Test: https://library.csuchico.edu/
• ▶ YouTube Video: University of South Australia
• Online libraries: onlinephdprogram.org
• Types of Sources.