Effective speakers use a variety of types of supporting materials and research in their speeches. The scale created for this chapter helps you assess your strengths and weaknesses in using various types of research resources. After completing and scoring the scale, you can use the results as a diagnostic tool to determine strategies for which you may need additional assistance from your teacher or a reference librarian.

The Research Attitudes Scale assesses your comfort and ability in using five different types of research resources:

the Internet (items 1, 9, and 14), journals (items 2, 7, and 15), books (items 3, 6, and 11), reference materials

(items 4, 8, and 12), and popular press sources (items 5, 10, and 13). You should sum the responses to questions for each resource to find specific scores. Scores of 3 to 6 indicate areas needing greater attention or assistance.