Library Resources
Greetings! I'm honored to be your personal librarian for this course: I can help you pick a topic, find articles, or answer any other question.
I share office hours with an awesome team of librarians, so if you'd like some one-on-one help click here to book an appointment or let me know a time that works for you. We're here for you!
Jenny Castel | jcastel@jwu.edu | 401-598-1887
Did you know you can also chat or text with one of our on-duty librarians? It's anonymous, free, and super fast!
Online? Check out the Online Students tab for specific writing help, just for you!
On campus? Visit the JWU Writing Lab at either the Center for Academic Support at Downcity or Harborside for fast and easy help with assignments. Whether you're just getting started or need final editing advice, peer-to-peer and professional writing coaches are super kind and trained to help you at any stage of the writing process. For in-person tutoring, help with accommodations for students living with disabilities, and study-skills workshops, contact the Center for Academic Support, via USucceed in jwulink, Academics tab.
Top Tips for Working with the Writing Lab:
- Open 9 am - 9 pm.
- Walk-ins welcome; appointments strongly recommended.
- Book an appointment by phone: 401-598-1309
- Book an appointment online via USucceed: in jwulink, click Academic tab.
Did you know you can also submit your paper online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Smarthinking for seriously awesome feedback within 24 -48 hours? It's FREE! Look for the link in jwulink, under the Academic tab, under Tutoring.
Wondering how to get started on your persuasive speech? No worries! Your first challenge is to choose an interesting topic, and then focus in on the most fascinating angle.
Pro-Tip: Start with Academic Search Complete
Use Academic Search to search for articles on specific angles for your persuasive speech. For example, if your topic is "Texting while Driving", use the search box to find popular or scholarly articles on "Texting while Driving", along with your angle, such as a "Texting Ban" or the role of "alcohol".
- Enter in your basic search terms, such as "Texting while Driving"
- Limit to Full Text, so you can read articles online
- Check News, Magazines or Scholarly/Peer Reviewed for academic articles
- Scroll down the first page of articles, and click on the most interesting one
- Click on one of the Subject Terms (they're hyperlinked) and see where it takes you!
Use Opposing Viewpoints to search for controversial articles on specific angles for your research paper. For example, if your topic is "Environmental Impact of Tourism", use the search box to find different points of view on Eco-Tourism. Looking at both sides of a topic makes whatever side you take even stronger, because you can argue a more balanced point of view.
Pro-Tip: Choose Browse Issues to choose from legit hundreds of topics.
Looking for credible statistics? Use Statista for fast, compelling statistics to cite in your paper. Statistics on 60,000 topics in just a click of a button!
Looking for research on your Informative Speech? We can help!
This is a great place to start:
- Scholarly/ Peer Reviewed articles
- Trade Publications
- Magazines and News articles
- Company Information
- Statistics
Pro-Tip: Click Full Text on the left hand side so you can read everything online right away, and look for the Cite button to copy and paste citations (and save a ton of time!)
Reporting & analysis of issues in the news
Over 15,000 streaming videos 24/7. Watch Archival Films & Newsreels for important events and interviews with influential people in American culture & history.
Need research on controversial topics? This database is your friend. Support your point of view on a controversial issue with facts and statistics from primary and government documents, photos, and magazine & newspaper articles which have already argued your case.
Pro-Tip: Choose Browse Issues to choose from legit hundreds of topics.
Looking for statistics to quote, FAST? Check out this awesome database! Just toss in your search term, and you're good to go.
Using Google can be really helpful when you're doing research for your speeches, especially if you use these quick tips!
1. Change the "Domain"
- Looking for Government information? Use .gov in your search
- If you search "Statistics on the economy" site:gov, you'll find government sites focusing on the economy, such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Looking for Education resources? Use .edu in your search
- If you search "statistics on the economy" site:edu, you'll find academic sites focusing on the economy, such as articles from colleges and universities.
- Looking for Non-Profit research? Use .org in your search
- If you search "statistics on the economy" site:org, you'll find non-profit sites focusing on the economy, such as the United Nations Statistics division.
2. Put your search in "Quotes"
- If you're searching for more than one word, use quotes to search as a phrase.
- EX: "Student Loans"
- A Google Scholar search will bring you lots of academic results, and it is a great place to start.
- If you can't read the articles online, let us know and we'll find the Full Text for you!
Best Practices for Citing Sources in Presentations
Why do I need to cite my sources in a presentation?
• Credible sources show that you have done your research and reinforce your own credibility.
• Giving credit to your sources links you to an ongoing scholarly conversation. By identifying where you got your ideas, you enable your own readers to find the sources that you used if they want to learn more.
• JWU's Academic Honesty Policy lists plagiarism as a violation of University policy, as well as one of personal integrity.
How do I cite my sources in a visual presentation?
• Include a citation for any content, quotes, or ideas from another source. The citation should be located either next to the information or below it.
• Cite in-text and provide a list of citations at the end.
Citing Images
Image label (If including image in your written work):
Fig. 1 Gender Neutral Figure in Denim. (WGSN Denim Team, [Sept. 2018]).
In the text:
WGSN Denim Team [Sept. 2018].
In your list of figures or references (omit figure number if you haven't included the image in your assignment)
Figure 1. WGSN Denim Team. [Sept. 2018] Gender Neutral Figure in Denim. WGSN. [Online image]. available from https://www-wgsn-com.jwupvdz.idm.oclc.org/content/board_viewer/#/80519/page/1
Did you know you can copy and paste citations in many of the library's databases?
1. Save time - look for the "Cite" Button or " " icon.
2. Scroll to the style you need (MLA, APA)
3. Copy and paste the full citation into your paper
Ta Da! You're done! Well, almost. Sometimes weird formatting issues happen, so always double check your work.
Need help with in-text citations or more complicated citations? Use the OWL! It's super easy, and totally simple. This is also a really good time to make an appointment with a writing tutor at the Center for Academic Support to make sure your paper is totally perfect and all your citations are good to go.
