Oral Citations

It is important for speakers giving serious presentations to to provide the audience with background on where the information they use comes form.  This process is called "oral citation."  It is roughly the equivalent of "in-text citations" as used in written papers.  Citation of the sources for your support material in speeches  serves three purposes:

1. It gives the speaker added credibility (the authority of your sources- if they are good ones.

2. It provides the listeners a way to know how to begin seeking information on their own to further explore the topic (if you have truly engaged them).

3. It acknowledges the sources that helped you formyour thinking on the topic, letting the audience know your are the kind of person who gies credit to others for their work.

Citing your sources in any academic project requires that you provide a bibliography or references section (APA format) or "Works Cited" section (MLA format) in some way.  We do this in COMM 101 by asking students to use an MLA formated "Works Cited" section at the end of your speech outline.  However, it is also important to cite sources within the speech as you are speaking.  this is called oral citation.  Pages 354-356 of your textbook discuss this process but the key is to recognize that you need to say enough to establish the credibility of your information without overwhelming the listeners with more information on the source than they can remember. 

 Some guidelines:

1. If the source is a named author, ALWAYS include the author's name. (acknowledgement)

2. Whenever possible briefly mention the author's qualifications (credibility).

3. Indicate the publication or other souce where you found the information and date.  (journal name, magazine, web site, interview source, etc.) - (locating sources for more information).

4. DO NOT include in an oral citation information that listeners are unlikely to recal or use (e.g. web addresses, publishers, page numbers, etc.)

 Example:

Studs Terkel, Pulitzer Prize winning oral historian said in his 2001 book, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, ..."