This guide will help you prepare for your upcoming speech assignment. You'll learn how to come up with a topic, find accurate information to support your argument, and evaluate and cite your sources. Use the blue menu buttons on the right to navigate.
If you need additional help, the COD Library is here for you—you can use the "Live Chat" button to talk to a librarian any time we're open, or you can make an appointment to meet with one of our librarians in person or online.
Need an idea for a speech topic? Think about your assignment. Did your instructor assign a theme? Are you an expert and would like to share something about what you do? Do you have a special interest or an issue you're passionate about?
Once you have an idea in mind, do some brainstorming. Look up your topic on Wikipedia, Credo Reference, or Gale eBooks to gather background information and get ideas for further research.
You can also look for books in the library's catalog. Search using keywords and look at the book's record. Are there chapter headings that help you focus your topic? What subject headings are used?
Visit the Getting Started page for more suggestions.
Find articles on any subject in our databases. The databases include scholarly and popular sources.
Best bets to get started:
Visit the Finding Sources page for more suggestions, including databases to use for controversial topics.
Whether you're researching a topic for an assignment or for your own use, you want information that is both useful and credible. You'll need to think about when and where the source was published. Who is behind the information? Is the information reputable? Does it support your argument?
How do you determine these things?
One way to think about your sources is to try the SIFT method. You can find out more about who created the information (and why) by doing some background research. You can read outside of the source to establish credibility and do some quick fact-checking.
Visit the Evaluating Sources page for more suggestions.
Citation styles provide rules for formatting your citations or references. Although there are many different citation styles, those most commonly used by students at College of DuPage are American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), and Chicago/Turabian. The style you should use is usually determined by the discipline or course in which you are working. Ask your instructor what style is required or recommended.
Visit the Citing Sources page for more suggestions.
Many of COD's databases will help you generate a citation in the style you need. You can also create citations from Google Scholar by clicking on the quote marks next to "cite" under the article. Be sure to proofread the citations for errors!
Reference Librarian
Becky Reece—LibGuide contact
Adjunct Librarians
Amanda Crowley—LibGuide contact
Carol Eisinger
Megan Flaherty