COMM 1071 Lecture 6: Ch. 6 Topic Development Notes
CH. 6: TOPIC DEVELOPMENT NOTES
Locate and Evaluate information Sources
• Evidence- any information that clarifies, explains, or otherwise adds depth or
breadth to a topic
• Secondary Research- the process of locating information that has been
discovered by other people
• Primary Research- process of conducting your own study to acquire the
information you need
Personal Knowledge and Experiences
• Credentials- your experience or education that qualifies you to speak with
authority or a specific topic
Secondary Research:
• Internet Sources
o Hits- links to all sorts of Web pages, images, videos, articles, and other
sources that include material about the keywords entered into a
search engine
• Blogs
o Blogs- Web sites that provide personal viewpoints of their author
o Online social networks- web sites where communities of people
interact with one another over the Internet
• Other types of sources
o Enclypeidas
o Books
o Articles
▪ Periodicals- magazines and journals published at regular
intervals
o News Media
o Stats
o Biographies
o Quotation books and Web sites
o Government documents
• Skim Sources
o Skimming- a method of rapidly going through a work to determine
what is covered and how
o Abstract- a short paragraph summarizing the research findings
• Evaluate Sources
o Valid sources- info sources that report factual info that can be counted
on to be true
o Accurate sources- info sources that attempt to present unbiased info
and often include a balanced discussion of controversial topics
o Reliable Sources- info sources that have a history of presenting valid
and accurate info
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