Guides: COM 241: Public Speaking: Persuasive Speech

NOBLE Catalog (Books)

Finding Books
Finding eBooks

NOBLE Catalog Search
Search the Jenks Library catalog for books, eBooks, audiobooks, scores, etc.

Tips for Searching the Catalog

Use the basic search box and enter any combination of keywords into the search line.

Subject Headings
Once you run a few searches and find a few books about or related to your topic, use those records as jumping off points for related information. On a book's record, look for the Subject section. Scan the list of linked subjects for any that are near your topic. Clicking on those subject links will provide a list of all other books with Jenks that have also been tagged with this same subject.

How do I find ebooks in the NOBLE Catalog?

Wondering how to access books at Jenks Library if you’re not on campus? The answer is ebooks! Jenks Library has150,000+ ebooks available, all searchable within our NOBLE Catalog. eBooks are really useful for distance learners, because you can access them from your device where ever you are. This video will walk you through how to find and access ebooks within the NOBLE catalog.

Having trouble viewing this video. Watch it on the Jenks Library YouTube Channel.

What ebook collections are available?

Jenks Library has several ebook collections available to search, but all of our ebooks are searchable in the NOBLE Catalog, so please use that. Additionally, many publishers have made ebook content freely accessible during this time. See the list below.

eBooks on EBSCOhost
Ebook titles in subject areas such as art, business and economics, literary criticism, mathematics, performing arts, philosophy, political science, religion, science, social science and more.
OverDrive
Downloadable audiobooks and ebooks including fiction and nonfiction for adults, teens and children. Looking for more content? Browse and borrow from neighboring CLAMS, CW MARS, Minuteman Library Network, MVLC, and SAILS Library Network through our reciprocal lending program.

Media Bias

How do you address media bias when choosing news and mass media to support your persuasive argument?

All sources are biased. Bias does not always mean a source is less credible.
Find common ground from sources of differing perspectives.
Pull from diverse sources, even if they disagree.

Resources for Understanding Media Bias

AllSides Media Bias Chart
This chart examines bias, not credibility, by surveying people across the political spectrum on articles from different news sources.
Adfontes Media Bias Chart
This media bias chart charts bias and credibility. It is compiled by a panel of experts (representing left, center, & right-leaning perspectives) analyzing a sample of articles from each source.
The Flip Side
A free direct-to-email daily news source created by a bipartisan team that aggregates news from multiple perspectives on one topic each day.

Library Databases

Viewpoint Databases

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints
Information and opinions on current social issues, from capital punishment to immigration to marijuana, and includes topic overviews, journal and news articles, primary source documents, statistics, infographics, multimedia, and vetted websites. Browse by topic, including the National Debate Topic, food waste, mental health, pollution, and racial profiling.
Formerly called Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Newspapers

Newspaper Source
Provides content from hundreds of U.S., international and regional newspapers. In addition, it offers television and radio news transcripts from major networks including CBS News, CNN, CNN International, FOX News, NPR and more.

Boston Globe
Current issues of the Boston Globe are available in the 4th floor newspaper section of Jenks Library. Issues from 1997 to the present can also be viewed online. Older issues dating back as far as 1872 may be viewed using the Boston Globe Archives. Contact the circulation desk or email library@gordon.edu for access to the online archives.
New York Times
Current issues of the New York Times are available in the 4th floor newspaper section of Jenks Library. Issues from 1985 to the present can also be viewed online. Older issues dating back as far as 1851 may be viewed using the New York Times Archives. Contact the circulation desk or email library@gordon.edu for access to the online archives.

Multi-Disciplinary

Academic OneFile
Provides millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources—including thousands of podcasts and transcripts from NPR and CNN as well as videos from BBC Worldwide Learning.
Academic Search Ultimate
Academic Search Ultimate is our largest multidisciplinary database of academic journals, magazines, periodicals, reports, books and videos.
JSTOR
A collection of core scholarly journals, many going back to the first volume. Emphasis is on back issue coverage. JSTOR also has an extensive collection of primary sources.

Subject Specific

Business Source Premier
Scholarly business journals and publications covering marketing, management, accounting, finance and economics. Business Source Premier also includes market research reports, industry reports, country reports, company profiles and SWOT analyses.
ERIC
Articles, research reports, and digests from education-related journals and the U.S. Department of Education.
APA PsycINFO
World's largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. Produced by the American Psychological Association, it includes more than 4 million bibliographic records and indexing of more than 2,500 journals.
SocINDEX with Full Text
A comprehensive sociology research database that contains full text for more than 630 journals and magazines, as well as books, monographs, and conference papers. Covers various areas of study including gender studies, criminal justice, social psychology, racial studies, religion and social work.

Statista
Statistics portal integrating statistics and other quantitative data on over 80,000 topics including media, business, finance, politics, and more.

SIFT header

The SIFT Method is a tool for evaluating information in 60 seconds. It focuses on searching other sources to verify the creator's authority and the creator's claims.

Stop what you're reading and watching and ask yourself:
1. Do I know this site or source?
2. What is my goal in watching or reading this information? Do I want to verify the claim they're making?
3. Do I want to share this video?
Investigate the source. Run a quick search on the publisher, author, or creator.
1. Do they have expertise or experience in the subject?
2. Do they have an agenda? (for example, are they trying to sell you something? Is their primary purpose to get you to vote a certain way?)
Find better coverage. If you want to investigate the claim they are making, search the claim and scan multiple sources.
Trace back to the original.
1. If you're unsure if an image has been photoshopped, run a reverse image search.
2. Did the source quote a respected source? Find the original quote to see if it was misquoted or taken out of context.

The SIFT Method by Mike Caulfield is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.