CMNS 101 Fundamentals of Communication

In an ideal world, you would know everything there is to know about your topic before you begin. That’s unlikely to happen, but at the very least you need to be more prepared about your topic and speech than your audience. When you can’t know everything, you need to rely on people who know more than you. That’s where research comes in.   

Here are some questions you should consider when looking for sources for your speech: 

• Who is behind the information (author, organization, etc)?  
• Do they have a vested interest?   
• Do they have expertise or authority?  
• What is the evidence?  
• What was the academic/scientific rigor involved in the research?       
• Are the claims being sensationalized or exaggerated to support a specific hypothesis?   
• What do other sources say?  
• If they are quoting something, can you find that source and verify its accuracy?  
• Are there any counter arguments available?

Lateral reading refers to a way of interacting with information as you research. It means that when you encounter a new fact, organization, or author, opening a new tab in your browser. This allows you check for credibility as you go.

The media bias chart by ad fontes media group is a helpful tool for learning about the political bias and quality of media resources like news media, newspapers, blogs, and magazines. What makes this chart unique is that the content is evaluated by experts with different political leanings and grouped on a scale of political bias and quality. The experts judge the content without knowing the source, which helps keep the process fair and unbiased.

This video (from another library) explains the SIFT process. SIFT is a process for evaluating research as you explore resources.