Speech Topics

Totally lacking ideas? Try 10,000 Ideas for Term Papers, Projects and Speeches, kept at the Reference Desk.

CQ Researcher is an excellent periodical which addresses one topic per issue. Background information, statistics, and a pro/con argument are available for each topic, as well as a bibliography for further research. CQ Researcher is online at http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp, and available on the reference shelf at R 320.973 ED48.

The list of "Argumentative Essay Topics" at http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/topicarg.html would also work well for speeches. Each topic is accompanied by a list of relevant resources.

Public Agenda claims to be the "inside source for public opinion and policy analysis." A pull-down menu on the lower left hand side of this page ("Public Agenda Issue Guides") allows you to obtain more information about broad social, medical, and political topics.

The Social Issues page from the Multnomah County (Oregon) Public Library was "created to meet the needs of Multnomah County middle and high school students researching current social issues from multiple perspectives," and contains numerous topics as well as links to sites which be helpful in reseaching them.

Pro/Con.org covers relatively few topics, but would be a good source for the ones it does include.

Carla Gesell-Streeter's page called Public Speaking offers several long lists of subjects, as well as useful advice on picking a topic.

The University of Louisville Library has a lengthy list of "Hot Topics," with links to information about each; the list is more valuable than most of the linked information, though.

By contrast, the Hot Paper Topics page at the St. Ambrose University Library only lists a couple dozen broad topics, but the selection of online resources available for each topic is very helpful.

Last but not least, both Google and Yahoo have lists of "hot topics" in sociology, law, ethics, and so on. Clicking on any topic will lead you to web pages dealing with it.

Opposing Viewpoints, which covers background information and the pros and cons of hundreds of topics, is online at http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp The Library also has the book versions for many Opposing Viewpoints titles. From the Library's Web page (http://library.spokanefalls.edu), select "Book & Media Catalog." Use Guided Keyword Search to search the exact phrase: opposing viewpoints. Hint: Set the records per page to at least 60 records per page.

There is also a useful book to help you get the most out of the "Opposing Viewpoints" series: Writing research papers: a student guide for use with opposing viewpoints, by Andrew Harnack. It's located at 808.021 HARNACK

Encyclopedias

The library has over 100 general and specialized encyclopedias.

Use the general encyclopedias such as Americana, World Book & Britannica for general history and background on your topic.

Specialized Encyclopedias

Human Behavior R150.3 Encyclo
Bioethics R174.2
Encyclopedia of Religion R22.231 EN
Encyclopedia of Sociology R301.03 EN
Encyclopedia of World Cultures R306.097 EN19
International Encyclopedia of Marriage & the Family R306.803 INTERNAT
American Justice R349.73
Encyclopedia of Drugs & Alcohol R362.2903
Encyclopedia of Disability & Rehabilitation R362.403 ENCYCLO
Gallaudet Encyclopedia of Deaf People & Deafness R362.42032 G135
Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice R364.03 EN19
Encyclopedia of Education R370.3 ENCYCLO
Encyclopedia of Food & Culture R394.1209 ENCYCLOP
Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia R591.03 GRZIMEK
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine R616.003 GALE
Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders R616.89 GALE
Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music R781.6403 GUINNESS
Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History R973.03 ENCYCLO
Gale Encyclopedia of African-American Culture & History R973.0496 ENCYCLO

An extensive list is available at the Reference Desk or ask one of the librarians for help.

Magazine/Journal/Newspaper Indexes

Proquest Direct is available at http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp

It helps to have a very specific subject in mind when you search for articles. Use the Boolean terms AND and OR to improve your results. Use ? for varied endings:

teen? (finds teens teenage teenagers)
High school or teen? and drug use and statistics

CQ Researcher (R 320.973 ED48 ) is a great source for information and ideas for argumentative speeches.

Statistics for Speeches

The library guide Statistical Sources at the SFCC Library is available at the Reference Desk, or ask the librarian for help.

When searching for statistics, consider what agency or organization would compile the statistic you need. Some popular sources are:

Matter of Fact (R310 Matter)

A subject index of statements containing statistics on current social, economic and political issues. Quotes government documents, periodicals and some rather odd sources. International in scope. A Matter of Fact is available at http://library.spokanefalls.edu/_auth/journal.asp#fact

World Almanac and Book of Facts (R317.3 W893)

Easy to use with the index in the front. The only statistical source that is also a bestseller.

Statistical Abstract of the United States (Current volume at the Reference Desk)

Annual update of federal government statistics. Indexed by Table number. The online version (http://www.census.gov/statab/www/brief.html) includes only brief highlights.

Statistical resources available on the Internet can be found at. http://library.spokanefalls.edu/InternetResources.stm#STATISTICS Beware that it is often easier to locate and understand statistics in print sources

Internet Resources

Internet Subject Directories are often a good starting point, as some selection and evaluation of the sites has been done for you.

Librarians Index to the Internet (http://www.lii.org) selects and evaluates a wide variety of sites
Bubl Link (http://bubl.ac.uk/link/) concentrates on selecting more academic sites.

Other subject directories are available on the library's Subject Guides page: http://library.spokanefalls.edu/InternetSubjects.stm

Remember to ask the librarians for help at any point during your research.