SPE 111

This LibGuide will serve as your "Research Homepage" - it was created by a Librarian just for SPE 111 students! 

Here you will find a step-by-step guide to the research process and links to library resources that are likely to be useful for you as you write your speeches. Which resources you use will depend on your topic, so if you aren't sure where to search or what to use, Ask a Librarian! 

Your Speech to Inform and your Speech to Persuade require outside sources. This guide will help you find those sources! 

There are 6 steps to getting started with your research

1. Understand your assignment
2. Choose a topic
3. Write a research question
4. Generate keywords
5. Find Background information
6. Begin searching for scholarly sources

To begin, go to the Starting Your Research guide and work through steps 1-4. 

Step 5: Find Background Information.

You need to locate reliable background information in order to

• Get an idea of what kind of information, generally, is out there on your topic
• Generate a list of search terms and keywords for future searches
• Find a few good bibliographies that will get you started on the research trail

Here are a few great places to find background information:

• Credo Reference
• Britannica Online
• Oxford Reference
• SAGE Knowledge
• WISE (Westminster's Library Catalog) 

Don't forget, research is an iterative process.  You'll likely have to continue refining your topic, your search terms, and your resources throughout your Capstone project.

When you are ready for Step 6: Searching for Scholarly Sources, Click Finding Scholarly Sources on the left menu to begin!