This link opens in a new windowThis section will help you choose a topic for your self-introduction informative speech. You should consider your audience and choose a topic you know something about that will benefit or interest them. Watch the 3 videos below (less than 10 minutes total) and use the tips and ideas to brainstorm topics.
In this section, you will be creating a concept map, which is very helpful to brainstorm ideas and narrow down your speech topic.
Watch the 3 videos below (less than 10 minutes total).
When you are done, choose one of your three topic ideas from the Choosing a Speech Topic and create a concept map for it. Draw it on a sheet of paper or use a free online program like the ones linked below.
This section covers how to take a broad topic and use it to form a research question. Developing a research question will help you focus your research process and create an outline for your speech later on.
Watch the videos below (less than 15 minutes total). Even though some of the videos might mention "research paper," don't worry! The advice still applies to your speeches.
This section will help you brainstorm keywords about your research topic so you can effectively search for sources to answer your research questions.
Watch the videos below (less than 10 minutes total).
This section covers how to find preliminary information about a research topic using general and subject encyclopedias.
View the video below and use some of the links provided below the video to find either a print or online encyclopedia entry with information about your topic.
Search the library catalog for a book. You can leave the drop-down box on View Entire Collection to search all 3 libraries, or you can select South Library from the list to just see our collection.
This module will start to familiarize you with using the library databases. When you're finished you should be able to answer the questions, "What is a database?" and "How is searching a database different from searching Google?"
In this module you will try out some of the search queries (combinations of keywords and Boolean operators) you brainstormed in Part I to search the Academic Search Complete database to find a source that will be relevant for your self-introduction speech.
Scholarly journals differ from popular magazines in a number of important ways. Popular magazines are produced for a wide audience and provide basic information and/or entertainment. Scholarly journals are written for scholars, students, and researchers and exist to advance the cause of research in a given field.
Here are some clues that will help you identify scholarly journals. Scholarly journals:
This video from the Peabody Library at Vanderbilt University explains the difference between scholarly and popular periodicals.
A number of SanJac's Library databases will enable you to limit your searches to academic journals. It's as simple as putting a checkmark in the appropriate box, as illustrated below.
A number of SanJac's Library databases will allow you to search for journals by title. In the example below, we clicked on "Publications" in Academic Search Complete to get to this page. From here, we can browse the alphabetical list of titles or enter a specific journal title in the search box.
Use the tabs above for lists of recommended books on interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, and communication in the workplace. What you see is only a small selection of books you might find interesting or helpful as you start your research. You can search the library catalog using the box to the left for more, or ask a librarian for recommendations.
Click on the cover image to go to the catalog record for the book and check its table of contents and availability. Use the call number listed to find the book on the shelf. Unless noted after the call number, all books are at the South Library.
Bridges not walls : a book about interpersonal communication by 
Close encounters : communicating in relationships by 
Communication and interpersonal relationships : how to say what you mean to say by 
Failure to communicate : how conversations go wrong and what you can do to right them by 
Human communication on the Internet by 
Intercultural communication : a reader by 
Interpersonal communication : relating to others by 
Nonviolent communication : a language of compassion by 
Yes! : 50 scientifically proven ways to be persuasive by 
You're wearing that? : understanding mothers and daughters in conversation by 
Body Language by 
First impressions by 
Gestures : the do's and taboos of body language around the world by 
Nonverbal Communication by 
The Body Language of Sex, Power, and Aggression by 
The art of successful business communication by 
Battles between somebodies and nobodies : stop abuse of rank at work and at home by 
Communicating at work : principles and practices for business and the professions by 
Global Business Etiquette by 
Harvard business essentials : business communication
Managing sticky situations at work : communication secrets for success in the workplace by 
Managing workplace bullying : how to identify, respond to and manage bullying behavior in the workplace by 
Stop bullying at work : strategies and tools for HR & legal professionals by 
Writing & speaking at work : a practical guide for business communication by 
This full-text database of peer-reviewed academic journals covers nearly all areas of study including social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, arts, and literature. Content from these databases is also available: Computer Source, Health Source, Professional Development Collection, Psychology and Behavioral Science, Religion and Philosophy and the Sociology Collection. DEDICATED GUIDE | HELP SHEET |VIDEO TUTORIAL
Pick out the most important words or phrases about your topic. What words do experts use about your topic? Is there more than one word or phrase for the same concept?Searching Google or Wikipedia for your topic can be a good way to come up with keywords.
Need help with keywords? Contact a librarian, or try this UT Libraries tool to help you brainstorm keywords.
No one combination of keywords will bring you back everything on a topic. You may have to do several searches in the database using different combinations of keywords to make sure you're not missing some resources.
For this topic, our most important keywords are technology and society. But those words are too general - we want specific words!
In this example, you could brainstorm specific types of technologies (Internet, social media, cell phones, texting, etc.), specific ways they negatively affect society (distraction, low grades, car accidents, cyberbullying, etc.), and specific segments of society they may affect (students, teenagers, children, etc.).
The databases contain full-text articles and citations. Full-text articles come in either HTML or PDF (scroll down for the difference) and include every word of the article.
But a citation is only a little bit of information about the article - the title, author(s), where it was published, and an abstract. A citation does not give you much information, and it is not acceptable to use just the abstract as a reference source.
If you see an article like the example below, you are looking at a citation, not a full-text article:
If your article is available in full text, you'll see either an HTML Full Text or PDF Full Text link at the top left, under Detailed Record, like this one:
If you want to make sure you can read the entire article for all of your search results, limit your search to full-text articles. You can do that before or after you search.
If you want to limit before you search, check the Full Text checkbox underneath the Limit Your Results section:
Or if you forget to check the box before you search, you can limit your results to full text from your list of search results. The checkbox appears at the top left of your results:
Check the box and click on Update:
Remember, if you find an article in the database that does not have the full text included, but you think you'd like to read that article, contact a librarian. We can order it for you - for free - through interlibrary loan.
Full text comes in two different formats: HTML and PDF. Sometimes you'll find an article with both full text formats:
If you click on the title of the article, you'll also see the type of full text at the top left, under the Detailed Record icon:
Click on either the HTML or PDF link to open the full text.
In a PDF, the article appears exactly how it looked in the print publication - as though someone scanned a copy of the article. The text formatting, images, and page numbers will be the same as they appear in the print layout:
However, in the HTML view of the same article, only the text of the article is the same. It is like it's copied and pasted on screen, without the formatting and page numbers of the original that the PDF format retains.
It doesn't really matter which format you read: the text of the article is exactly the same, regardless of the format.
One place where format will make a difference, however, is if you are using MLA format to document your sources.
In MLA parenthetical documentation, the author's name and the page number on which you found your quotation or paraphrase must be noted after your quotation. Here's an example:
The author believes the first sentence of Updike's work is "an ideal evocation of the mundane" (Schwarz 181).
If you have an article in PDF Full Text, you should use the original page numbers of the print publication in your parenthetical documentation (in this example, page 181). If you have an article in HTML Full Text, however, you will not have any page numbers - just a block of text - so you would omit page numbers from your parenthetical documentation:
The author believes the first sentence of Updike's work is "an ideal evocation of the mundane" (Schwarz).
So you've done a search with keywords and the database has given you a list of search results. What do you do now?
The first thing to pay attention to is how many results your search returned. You can find it at the top of the results list. Anything more than 100 results might be a signal that you need to refine your search some more.
You can narrow down search results by adding keywords, setting limiters like Scholarly Journals or Publication Date, or using some of the search filters on the left hand side of the page.
Essays that are written to give a review of all sides of a topical issue or controversy in today's news. Each essay includes a bibliography and links to related magazine, journal and newspaper articles, as well as hyperlinks to biographies, news updates and relevant websites. Covers more than 600 Hot Topics. VIDEO TUTORIAL | HELP SHEET
This link opens in a new windowThis resource provides access to full-text articles covering a wide array of topics including literature, history, economics, life science and the arts. HELP SHEET | VIDEO TUTORIAL **PLEASE NOTE: The entire JSTOR collection is currently being provided to us free of charge. After 6/30/2023 San Jac libraries will only have the following sections: Arts & Science I-IV, VII and Life Sciences.
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This link opens in a new windowGale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints is an online library of current event topics: the facts as well as the arguments of each topic's proponents and detractors. Opposing Viewpoints' unique features include viewpoint article frameworks that allow students to explore each topic's many facets and exclusive electronic access to Thomson Gale's Information Plus series featuring statistics and government data placed in context. HELP SHEET | VIDEO TUTORIAL
Opposing Viewpoints is a great database if you are writing an argument/persuasive paper, or if you doing research on a current and controversial topic.
A database is just a big, digital collection of records with a search interface, allowing you to search a large collection of information quickly for records that match your search criteria.
In the case of Opposing Viewpoints and many of our other databases, the records are individual articles from printed magazines, newspapers, and journals (sometimes called 'academic journals' or 'scholarly journals'). In addition to articles, you'll also find images, videos, statistics, audio files, and more.
Let's say you have an assignment that requires you to find an article that fits certain conditions: published in a scholarly journal, published within the last five years, etc. With Opposing Viewpoints, you can easily limit your search to make sure your results fit all of your assignment criteria.
Use the 'Search Limiters' tab in this guide to find out how to use the Advanced Search screen to your advantage.
There are a couple of different ways you can use Opposing Viewpoints to choose a topic.
1. If you don't have an idea of what you want to write about or speak on, then the Browse Issues button is for you. Clicking on Browse Issues will bring up an alphabetical list of broad topics covered by the database.
When you choose a topic this way, you'll see a webpage with lots of resources collected devoted to that topic. You can look at the resources according to the type (magazines, academic journals, etc.), or you can click on the 'Search within page' box on the right to type in a more specific keyword to your topic.
2. If the topic you want isn't listed under Browse Issues, use the search box on the main screen to see if there's a topic page for an issue you're interested in. You can type in a search phrase, and the database will suggest some other terms. Click on any of those, or just hit "Search" to see what is available on the topic you typed in.
When you search the Opposing Viewpoints database, one of the first things you'll see come up in your search results are Featured Viewpoints and Viewpoints:
So what is a Viewpoints essay, and how is it different from other things you'll find in this database?
Viewpoints essays argue about a topic from a clear standpoint or side of the issue. Usually you'll find two of them relating the same issue, but arguing from two different points of view. In this way, the purpose of Viewpoints are to give a balanced perspective to controversial topics:
So if you're writing a persuasive/argument paper, you could use one Viewpoint essay to provide support for your side of the argument, and the counterpoint Viewpoint essay for ideas on refuting opposing arguments.
Viewpoints essays are not periodicals like magazine, newspaper, or journal articles that are published regularly for a general or scholarly audience.
Viewpoints essays are written or compiled by the staff at Gale, the company that publishes the book series and the database. Sometimes they are reprints of articles or reports:
Viewpoints in the database are the same as chapters you'd find in the Opposing Viewpoints book series. We have nearly 500 of them across all three libraries, so you may have run across them before. If you find a book in our library catalog that's part of the Opposing Viewpoints series, and the book is checked out or missing, you could try to find the same content in the database.
If you are using the Opposing Viewpoints database in order to look for Viewpoints essays only, there's an easy way to narrow your search. At the searchbox at the top right of the homepage, click on "Viewpoints" instead of "All," and enter your search terms:
Now your search results will only be Viewpoints essays (not any of the other types of sources you can find in this database). If you have too many, use the limiting options on the left to make your search results more specific to your topic:
A word of caution: some professors think Viewpoints are OK to use as sources for research papers, and some professors do not. Always check your assignment and with your professor to make sure you know what sources will be accepted for your own research paper or speech.
Choose from the different categories above to find topics for your social issues speech.
These videos relate to the three interconnected areas of the criminal justice system: the police, the courts, and criminal institutions.
You might also wish to view the Video "Military Spending and the Economy" (found in the Government tab above) and "Tony Campolo on Poverty" (found in the Religion tab above.)
Below is a list of articles about the movie "Crash." Mouse over the title for a short description of the article, and click on a title to open a PDF file of the article. These articles came from the library's Academic Search Complete database.
See Also these videos bookmarked under Criminal Justice: "Houston Police Department Secure Communities" and "PBS Frontline Law and Disorder."
As you start your research on themes in the movie "Crash," you may find some of the books listed below interesting or helpful for your assignment. They are all located at the South Library. Click on the cover to access the catalog record for the book, which sometimes includes the table of contents and subject terms. You can search the library catalog using the box to the left for more books using keywords, or ask a librarian for recommendations. Use the call number listed to find the book on the shelf.
Bigotry, prejudice, and hatred : definitions, causes & solutions by 
Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination by 
Hate crimes and ethnoviolence : the history, current affairs, and future of discrimination in America : essays by 
Hate crimes revisited : America's war against those who are different by 
Race and ethnicity in the United States by 
Racial and ethnic groups by 
Racism without racists : color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in the United States by 
Whistling Vivaldi : and other clues to how stereotypes affect us by See Also these videos bookmarked under Racism: "The Disintegration of America's Black Neighborhoods: NPR" and "John Powell: Race, Class, and Opportunity."
Below is a list of articles about workplace bullying. Mouse over the title for a short description of the article, and click on a title to open a PDF file of the article. These articles came from the library's Academic Search Complete and Business Source Complete databases.
As you start your research on workplace bullies, you may find some of the books listed below interesting or helpful for your assignment. They are all located at the South Library. Click on the cover to access the catalog record for the book, which sometimes includes the table of contents and subject terms. You can search the library catalog using the box to the left for more books using keywords, or ask a librarian for recommendations. Use the call number listed to find the book on the shelf.
Bad bosses, crazy coworkers, and other office idiots by 
Bad leadership : what it is, how it happens, why it matters by Battles between somebodies and nobodies : stop abuse of rank at work and at home by Managing sticky situations at work : communication secrets for success in the workplace by Managing workplace bullying : how to identify, respond to and manage bullying behavior in the workplace by 
The no asshole rule : building a civilized workplace and surviving one that isn't by Stop bullying at work : strategies and tools for HR & legal professionals by 
Toxic emotions at work and what you can do about them by 
Toxic workplace! : managing toxic personalities and their systems of power by 
The violence volcano : reducing the threat of workplace violence by https://www.sanjac.edu/library| Central Library: 281-476-1850 | Generation Park Campus: 281-998-6150 x8133 | North Library: 281-459-7116 | South Library: 281-998-6150 ext. 3306