After you have determined your research objectives, consider where you can find the information you need. The library is a great resource when you research your speech. If you have access to people with expertise on your topic, you also may want to set up an interview or two. Although the Internet can be a useful source of information, there are risks in using online sources. Therefore, it’s always advisable to use Internet research as a supplemental resource rather than the focus of your efforts.

We strongly recommend that you discuss your topic with a research librarian. These librarians are career professionals who are hired to assist students and faculty with their research. They are experts at tracking down hard-to-find information and thus can be amazingly helpful and knowledgeable about the resources available on your topic. Studies suggest that students may think that librarians are not there to help students or that their main job is to direct people to the correct location.6 Nothing could be farther from the truth! Their job is to help you find the best resources, and you can count on them to assist you in discovering the most useful and credible sources.

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You also will need to consider what types of sources best meet your research needs. In this section, we discuss the benefits of different library resources, including books, journal articles, newspapers, government documents, and reference works. You also may want to research high-quality Internet sources or conduct interviews if experts on your topic are available.

Use library indexes (often available on the library’s Web site) to develop a list of sources to research. Library indexes usually are organized by keyword—a word or term related to your topic, including a synonym of the word. If you do not find what you are looking for under the keywords you have chosen, be persistent. Try using broader, narrower, or related terms until you find useful sources.

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