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SPE151 Introduction to Speech

Persuasive Speech

Search Tools for Your Persuasive Speech

Library Databases

To learn more about the topic of your persuasive speech and find keywords to help you do more research, these library databases will be good search tools to start with. 

In addition to Opposing Viewpoints and Credo Reference, learn how you can use these library databases to find different types of sources.

Academic Search Complete (article database)

Uses: Popular and scholarly sources. Original research. Filter results by full text, peer-reviewed, and date range. TIP: Use the Subject Terms tool to access a comprehensive list of database-recommended keywords on your topic.

Statista

Statistics add value to your speech and may help you persuade your audience through the use of credible data. Tip: Filter results by location, industry, date, content type, and more.

Remember to browse our full list of databases to see if one is a good fit for information on your topic. You can sort databases by Subject (like Psychology) and Type (eBooks, articles, images, and more). Refer to the A to Z Databases tab for our full list of databases.

Google

Google can help you quickly find information about current news and events, local issues, government sources, and more. Use these search tips for better search results:

  • Use "quotation marks" for phrase searching (for example, "plastic straw ban")
  • Search a specific domain (for example, plastic pollution site:.gov)
  • Search a specific site (for example, site:EPA.gov plastic pollution)
  • Wildcard search: use an asterisk after a root word to bring back results with all variations of the word
    (for example: bio* = biology, bioplastics, biodegradable, bioengineering)
  • Cross search: Google images, news, Scholar, videos
  • The website's domain (.com, .edu, .org) is not an indicator of its credibilityThe domain only tells you what kind of website it is: commercial, education, non-profit (possibly).