CST 100 Assignment Playbook

• Before you even start looking for materials for your speeches, read the assignment instructions.
• Make sure you understand what is expected of you and how you will be graded.
• If there is something you do not understand about the assignment instructions, ask your instructor.
• This playbook will show you where to find sources for your speeches.

To find sources for your speeches and papers, use the library's home page and the library databases.

The library's home page is your portal to the library's collections of books, articles, images, videos, and more.  The homepage is divided into sections that allow you to search different collections. The sections, titled Start Here, Find Books, Find Articles,and Find More, each have their own search box. For more information, see Researching with the Library's Home Page.

The library databases can provide you with all the sources you need for your speeches. The databases below may be a good place to start.

• Search the databases strategically: use nouns, and combine them with AND.  The nouns you use should be specific to your topic.
  • Examples:
    • Your speech is about how sugar causes cavities. Your search would then be: sugar AND cavities
    • Your speech will include information about the effects of smoking. First, list some of the effects of smoking (such as hypertension, lung cancer, etc.), and then use those nouns to search. Run several searches, such as:
      • smoking AND hypertension
      • smoking AND lung cancer
• The library has many databases, but you may want to start with these:
  • Find topic overviews by using Gale eBooks or these other useful resources.
  • Find pro and con positions by using Facts on File or CQ Researcher.
  • Find news by using Newspaper Search
  • Use the EBSCO portal to have access to a wealth of different databases and millions of articles.  See also the list of databases below.

Be choosy when you search for web sources, as most websites tend to provide only a shallow treatment of topics, and that is not appropriate for college level work. Evaluate websites carefully using the CRAAP method.

To find pro and con information on the web, use ProCon, a site owned by Britannica.  Make sure to ask your instructor's permission before you use this site.

If you run searches and can't find anything about your topic, this may be because:

• You have not framed your topic correctly -- your topic may be too broad or too narrow. Talk to your instructor or consult a librarian.
• You have not used the right keywords -- try other keywords, or work with a librarian
• Research about your topic is old -- change the year ranges to several decades back (example: 1940-1975)
• There is no research on your topic -- not every topic is of interest to researchers, so there may not be any research about your topic.  Discuss the issue with your instructor, and consider changing your topic.

Finding sources for your work is one step in the research process. Another very important steps is how to use the sources you found, how to incorporate them into your work so they make sense and form a coherent whole.

Each source you choose should be relevant, that is, directly related to your work. Each source should perform a specific function in your speech or essay.   Sources can

• define
• explain
• add information such as definitions, statistics, etc.
• provide opposing viewpoints
• provide examples of your points
• and much more

Read "How do I use sources in my essays and speeches?" for an example of how your sources support your work. 

For each of the choices below, apply the CRAAP method to decide which is the more reliable site. Explain your choice.

• Site 1 OR Site 2
• Site 1 OR Site 2
• Site 1 OR Site  2
   
• CRAAP Method Handout
• Website Cred Checklist

When looking for images or videos to use in class projects, keep the following in mind. 

• Images and videos can be found in library databases or on the Web. 
• The most important thing to remember when selecting images for use is that much of what you find on the Web belongs to someone and is not free to use.   
• To avoid having to decide what's OK to use and what isn't, stick to resources that provide free to use images and videos (see links to free image/video sites below). ​
• To run a general search for images and videos you can use, search the Openverse site. 
• Do not list your video or image source in the Works Cited/References section.  Instead, provide attribution underneath or next to the video or image, or verbally. See example of attribution below.

Sunflower at a field in Köcking, market town Eberndorf, district Völkermarkt, Carinthia, Austria, EU. Photographer:Johann Jaritz. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

This assignment requires that you use the MLA style to cite your sources. Avoid using citation generators (including the one that comes with Word), as they all introduce errors, and if you don't know how to cite from scratch, you will not recognize an error from the citation generator. For help with learning how to cite, contact your instructor or the librarians (reference@pvcc.edu).

• For help finding resources, use the library's playbooks. Librarians can help you understand the playbooks, but they cannot conduct research for you.
• For help with formatting citations, please consult the library's citation styles playbooks. Please note the librarians cannot help you with citation generators or with any citation guide other than the library's. 
• For help with composition issues (such as spelling, grammar, flow, etc.), visit the Writing Center.
• If you have questions, email the  librarians at reference@pvcc.edu, visit the library and speak with a librarian, or connect via chat. If your section has an embedded librarian, contact that specific librarian.