This guide is intended to help you find useful sources for your assignments in the Fundamentals of Communication class. For college-level research, it is important that you use high-quality sources that are credible, objective, current, and relevant in nature, and are written by authors who are authorities on the topic. If you're just looking around on the open web, it will be difficult to find sources that meet these criteria. Thankfully, the Jefferson College Library provides you with access to all kinds of databases, journals, books, and materials that are full of college-appropriate sources that are ideal for your courses and assignments.
With persuasive speeches, you'll need to find sources to provide supporting evidence for your argument/purpose statement. Having a variety of supporting materials (facts, statistics, examples, etc.) will make your argument stronger. Make sure that you find quality sources when researching your topic and looking for supporting material. You can use the information and resources in this guide, or visit the library in person and/or contact a librarian via email, text, chat, or phone for additional help.
This video delves into what it means to be wrong and how it feels. Pay particular attention to the section from 4:04 to 11:15. Consider the following after watching:
People feel most comfortable in their own rightness; they won't always acknowledge when they are wrong and/or may not be interested in being persuaded into a different opinion. However, it is important to keep in mind that people who disagree with you are not necessarily ignorant, stupid, or evil. They may have information or a perspective that you don't. Assuming that people who don't agree with you are any of these things will make persuading them to your point of view much more difficult. So, instead of immediately assuming the other side isn't worth considering, make sure you acknowledge and present counterpoints throughout your speech to persuade more effectively.
Whether you're brand new to college-level research or you just need a quick refresher on some terms and strategies, check out the Getting Started with Research LibGuide. This guide will walk you through the research process, including how to figure out what kinds of sources you need and where to find them, and provide you with all kinds of helpful resources for building out a research plan. To check out the guide, click here.
If you're new to citing sources, creating a Works Cited page or figuring out how in-text & oral citations work can feel pretty daunting. Check out the MLA Citation tab to learn more about this citation style and find some helpful resources and examples. For even more examples, head over to the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) MLA Formatting and Style Guide, where you can also get more in-depth explanations and a sample Works Cited page.