Any effective speech must include sources to support the information being presented or the position being advocated. Although at first glance, the web might seem to be a good place to locate relevant information because of the sheer amount of information located there. Not all information is of equal quality, however. Because anyone can post to the web, much of the information there is outdated or incorrect. Therefore, one of the most important tasks when searching for sources is to locate information that is credible.
As you choose your supporting material for your speeches, you’ll need to make sure the material is both CURRENT and CREDIBLE. To help you find current and credible supporting material, we’ve included the following resources for you.
- Ursula C. Schwerin Library. Libraries at research institutions like the New York City College of Technology are excellent sources for some of the most current and credible information that is available. This is especially true for science related topics.
- Government Information. Given that governments are continually collecting and analyzing data, they offer some of the most current information available outside of research institutions. This is especially true for speech topics focusing on the population or economy.
- Statistical Resources. It will often times be neccessary to cite a statistic as evidence for a claim made in a speech.
