If the Reader's Guide has lots of entries having to do with your subject, then you know it will be easy to research the topic. Another simple way to begin researching your topic is to find your topic in CQ Researcher , published for the benefit of members of Congress who want a quick overview of a subject of public concern. CQ Researcher is invaluable because it prints opposing viewpoints and excellent bibliographies to get you started. Once you have chosen a topic, your first job is to narrow it. Assume that you choose crime as your topic.
Crime is a broad subject with libraries of books having been written about it.
Even if you narrow the topic to juvenile crime, the subject is still too broad. Perhaps an historical overview of juvenile justice in America would be more appropriate as an informative speech that could be managed in under a half an hour. My favorite method for narrowing the topic is what I call the bubble method. In real life you may find that your speech may have mixed purposes. Nevertheless, you should have a clear idea about what your general goal is.