CHAPTER REVIEW

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image It is not a fact until you prove it to the audience. image

From Katie, Mandeep, and Sherri’s crusade, it’s clear that providing evidence for the claims in your speech can help make your presentation more convincing and make you more credible as a speaker. To create your research plan, take the following steps: inventory your research needs, find the sources you need, and be sure to keep track of your sources. To evaluate a source’s credibility, consider the author’s expertise, objectivity, and observational capacity, as well as the source’s recency. When conducting library research, vary your focus among books, periodicals, newspapers, reference works, and government documents. Many students use the Internet for research, though there are both advantages and disadvantages to this, and you need to carefully evaluate the credibility of online sources. You can also research your topic by interviewing experts. When you’ve gathered your research, be sure to thoroughly document your sources, present evidence in claim-source-support order, use evidence in a supporting role, and paraphrase responsibly.