How do I find sources for my 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.

Here are three ways that can indicate whether a source is likely scholarly. 

• A source is likely scholarly if
  • You found it in a library database
  • You found it in a peer-reviewed journal

• A source is likely scholarly if
  • The authors' credentials are provided
  • The authors are affiliated with an academic or research institution

• A source is likely scholarly if
  • It has citations and a bibliography
  • It provides information that is well supported by evidence

If you need help figuring this out, contact the librarians at reference@pvcc.edu.

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.

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.

To cite sources, use the citation style required by your instructor; typically this is either the MLA style or the APA style.  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 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.