Public Speaking

92 CHAPTER^7 Researching Your Speech in the Digital Age

the card with an abbreviated source citation so that when you use the material in the

speech, you can cite its source. Figure 7.2 shows examples of information cards.

The advantage of note cards is that you can separate them into piles and move them

around, placing your major point at the top and arranging your supporting informa-

tion below. You can easily change the order of your points and your relevant supporting

materials before creating your outline.

Download, Photocopy, or Print Out Your Materials

Many students find that downloading an article into a computer file, photocopying

material, or printing an article directly from the Internet has many advantages.

•   When you print out an article, you can more easily avoid cut-and-paste plagiarism.

•   Having hard copies of your research can protect you against plagiarism charges and

provide materials for future research.

•   Many websites are updated daily, and what you find one day might be gone the next.

Your printed copy is the only proof you have that it was ever there.^37

•   Your copies are quick, easy, and readily available, and you can have the entire resource

in front of you when you sit down to write your outline.

•   A download into an electronic file allows you to highlight major ideas and salient

information.

•   Downloaded materials usually have source information on the printout—but also

make sure the source (in standard bibliographic form) is on your photocopies. And

write the date you retrieved it.

Because copying materials means you are using the intellectual property of another

person who has a right to profit from its use, you are obligated to credit each source.

Fortunately, the fair use provision in the federal Copyright Act allows you to print and

use materials for nonprofit educational purposes, so photocopying materials for one-

time speech research is within your legal rights as a student.^38

fair use provision the provi-
sion in the federal Copyright
Act that allows free use of
materials for educational and
research purposes

Figure 7.2
information Cards Use a
different information card
for each source, and classify
each card according to the
major idea the information
supports. Include an
abbreviated source citation,
including the page number,
on each card.

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