General Help
Library Staff
Why must we cite our sources out loud when giving a speech? Any time you use data from another source, you need to let your audience know important information about that source. What you need to say out loud when citing from a source depends on the type of source you use and varies between types of sources.
Citing your sources out loud:
1) establishes and supports your speaker credibility throughout your speech because you are borrowing from the knowledge of others AND it supports your speaker credibility by communicating to your audience that you have done your homework on this topic.
2) gives credit where credit is due and thereby prevents you from plagiarizing the ideas and information you obtained from others.
By following the “What To Say When Citing Different Types of Sources Out Loud & Completely” tips provided below, your job citing sources out loud while you speak will be much easier AND you will be sure to provide your audience with the required source information!
Further Important Details on Source Citation Requirements:
Unlike the source citations you provide in written papers, out loud source citations are placed at the BEGINNING of sentences and paragraphs, NEVER at the end!
You can cite from the same source as many times as you wish, but it only counts towards the required minimum the FIRST time.
Consult the “Sample” speech handouts provided by your instructor for examples of where to place and how to word your source citations.
For a periodical (journal, magazine, newspaper, newsletter), say out loud in no particular order:
The Title of the Publication AND the whole/specific date it was published
Example: “According to the March 16, 2021 Los Angeles Times, …..”
Example: “The Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2021 states that …..”
Example: “As the Winter 2020 New England Journal of Medicine reports, .....”
Example: “According to the New England Journal of Medicine, Winter 2020, …..”
For a book, say out loud in no particular order:
The Title of the Book, the year, and the author’s(s’) last name(s)
Example: “According to Personality Plus at Work, by Littauer, 2011 .....”
Example: “Littauer’s 2011 Personality Plus at Work states that …..”
Example: “Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian's 2014 Intro to Psychology maintains that...”
Example: “According to Intro to Psychology 2014 by Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, …..”
For a website, say out loud in no particular order:
The Full Name of the Website (not just the letters) AND the domain (“dot”) (edu, gov, org, com, net, biz, us) AND the date it was posted, OR the date it was last updated, OR the date you accessed the website
Example: “The National Alliance on Mental Illness.org, posted August 1, 2022 affirms that ..…”
Example: “According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.org, posted August 1, 2022, …..”
For a pamphlet/brochure or documentary, say out loud in no particular order:
Title of the Publication + the specific date + the publishing organization or institution
Example: “According to Your Thyroid Health, a 2019 brochure from the Kaiser Foundation, …..”
Example: “A 2019 brochure from the Kaiser Foundation entitled Your Thyroid Health says .....”
Example: “ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary, Broke, October 2012, shows …..”
Example: “According to the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, Broke, October 2012, …..”
For an interview YOU conducted, say out loud in no particular order:
The name of the person you interviewed + their official title + their organizational affiliation + the specific date of the interview AND the type of interview
Example: “In my telephone interview on February 19, 2022 with Dr. David Ginty, Head of the Department of
Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School, .....”
Example: “According to Dr. David Ginty, Head of the Department of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School,
in our telephone interview on February 19, 2022, …..”
For a TED Talk you found in a google search, say out loud in no particular order:
The name of the person giving the TED Talk + their official title + their organizational affiliation + the specific date they gave the TED Talk + the location of the talk + the Title of the Talk
Example: “According to Dr. Brene Brown, author and research professor at the University of Houston, in her TedX
Houston talk in December 2010 titled The Power of Vulnerability, …..”
Example: “Dr. Brene Brown, author and research professor at the University of Houston, stated in her December 2010 TedX
Houston talk The Power of Vulnerability, …..”
For ChatGPT (or other ideas and/or verbiage provided to you by artificial intelligence), say out loud in no particular order:
Example: “According to ChatGPT’s response to my query ‘the benefits of RFID implantation in humans’ on October 2, 2023, …..”
Example: “ChatGPT October 2, 2023 in response to the query ‘the benefits of RFID implantation in humans’ states, …..”