- Today we'll be talking about how to cite a source
in a presentation or a speech properly
so let's get into those details.
(air whooshing)
(inspiring music)
I don't know what type of presentation
you're working on whether it's academic
or professional so my advice today will be flexible
so you can fit what I'm saying
to the actual type of presentation that you're doing.
So we'll be doing an in depth walkthrough
with lots of details, we're really gonna pick it apart
and we'll start with the basics
like what to include in your citation.
And as a bonus I'll show you how to make your citations
sound conversational and smooth like butter
so be sure to stick around for the end.
Now why do you need to cite in the first place?
Well it gives proper credit for ideas,
you don't want to plagiarize.
Citing sources help your listeners know
where the information came from
for their own benefit.
And citing sources actually builds
your credibility as a speaker,
your sources back up what you're saying
so you should use sources
and you should cite them.
So let's start with the type of information
that you should cite in the first place.
So in order of importance,
you wanna cite the author's name,
the publication or outlet,
the date, maybe the title and probably not the page number.
Remember, we're citing out loud.
So let's take a look at what each of these means.
So first let's start with the author's name.
You definitely want to cite the author's name
and their last name at a minimum
and also I recommend citing the author's
first name for two reasons.
First, if their last name is common
then the first and last name identify specifically
who you're talking about to avoid confusion.
Second, citing the first and last name
to me makes it sound less mechanical
and adds a little bit more human interest.
I recently read a book by David Epstein
called "Range" and to me both names
David Epstein sounds better than just Epstein.
That's a common last name
and it could be dozens of authors unless I specify.
Now there could be a couple of exceptions to citing
both names so if the author's already well-known
to your listeners than you don't need
to mention the first and last name.
Also, if multiple authors wrote a source
then that's a lot of people to mention.
It's usually more efficient to just list their last names
in a short list.
For example, two author's that I cited recently
in a video series on the types of powers,
their last names are French and Raven.
So I just cited them as French and Raven
and that was specific enough
and added enough human interest.
Next, let's talk about citing the publication.
The publication is where something came out
So if it's a book for instance,
that means that title of the book.
The book "Range" by David Epstein.
If it's published in a journal,
then cite the name of the journal
and it would sound like this
in an article by Julien Mirivel
in the Journal Communication Monographs,
the author says and then you would
fill in with whatever the author said.
An example of a newspaper publication
would be the Boston Globe.
Magazine, Time Magazine,
or if it's some kind of online outlet then cnn.com.
So that means so far
that we have cited the author's name and the publication.
So the question should you mention the date?
Well in most cases, yes,
especially if you're dealing with the type
of information that changes over time
like data or other kinds of statistics
then you definitely want to menton the date.
For example, according to the New York City
Police Department's website
the crime rate in New York City used to be much higher
than it is now.
So if you are citing a source
about crime in New York City
it's very important to mention the date
because data on crime changes
and you want to make sure
you're citing up to date information.
Your audience, your listeners need to know that.
California is another example,
they've had numerous problems with droughts
over the decades especially at its peaks in 2015.
But not in the last couple of years,
the severe drought ended in 2017
so you want to make sure
A you're checking the dates when you're researching
to make sure you're up to date.
And then B stating the date clearly
if it's the kind of information that is time sensitive.
Now on the other hand,
there's always on the other hand.
If you're not citing something
that's time sensitive,
like you're quoting Shakespeare
then the date is probably not important to cite.
So next the title,
you may want to cite the title of a work, it's optional.
If it's a common sounding title
then I usually don't bother citing it
but if it adds value to your presentation
then I say do it.
So for example,
in 2001 just before the company Enron went bankrupt
Bethany McLean wrote an article in Fortune magazine
and the title of the article was "Is Enron Overpriced?"
And many people see that particular article and headline
as the tipping point that drew attention
to Enron's inflated stock price.
So that title adds some color to the conversation.
There's a reason to say the title in that particular case.
But if an article or if a title is just general
then I would say leave it out.
So what about the page number?
In a presentation, no.
I think the page number is too much detail
and it's going to slow down
the natural flow of a presentation.
You're going to basically sound like a robot.
So in a paper, yes.
In a presentation, I say no.
Now if you really want to add a page number
you can put that on your slide.
So let's say you're using a visual aid,
you can just put it up there after that information.
You don't have to say it out loud.
Now websites are a little tricky to cite
so let's talk about that.
If your website already has all this information
that we've mentioned, then you can cite it that way
but sometimes there may not be a name,
there may not be a date listed,
and in that case you have to do your best
to substitute for each of those.
So if there's no author,
cite the name of the organization
that publishes the website.
If there's no date listed
then cite the date maybe it shows when it was last updated,
that could be a good substitute.
So the rule of thumb is do your homework
and cite the best information that you have.
For example, I discussed earlier
the lower crime rates in New York City.
Well, the NYPD website does not list
an author for that article.
It lists a date, October 3rd, 2018
but no author so in that case
I would just mention the source
which in this case was a
New York City government's NYPD website.
But should you state now the entire web address out loud?
No!
Nobody wants to hear that.
The web address for the NYPD has 101 characters
and just copy and paste it and put that on your PowerPoint.
You don't wannna read that whole thing out loud.
And if you wanna say it out loud,
just give the shortened version of the website
or explain whose website it is.
Just like I did, the website for the NYPD.
So this brings us to the question about a reference page
or a works cited page for a presentation.
Should you provide a full reference?
Yes, but not during the middle of the presentation,
you wanna put that at the end of the presentation
maybe on one of the last slides
just like you would do that on a paper.
And I see two options to do this.
First of all, you can do it right on the slide
when you're talking about a specific reference,
you can put it in a smaller font at the bottom of the slide.
Or you can put it at the end of the presentation
when you have all your sources listed in that full thing.
So sometimes in a professional setting,
you might just have a couple of references,
place those on the slides as you go.
But if there's lots of sources like
in an academic presentation,
create a whole reference page that you put toward the end.
So to clarify, by the way,
a citation is where you say the name, date, and publication
for a piece of information or quotation out loud as you go.
But the reference is the full written out version
that you would normally see let's say at the end of a paper.
So let's take all of these details
and sum this part up before I show you
how to make it sound really smooth like butter.
Yes, you want to cite the author's last name
and in most cases their first name too.
Yes, mention the date in most cases.
Yes, cite the publication.
That's like if it's a book, a journal,
some kind of news outlet.
Possibly the title but only if it helps
and don't cite the page number,
that's too much detail to cite out loud.
Now let's briefly talk about how to make
it actually sound good when you're saying it.
And here is the whole secret,
tell it like a mini story.
And you do that by citing the source
before you provide the information.
Mention the source at the beginning of the sentence.
Like in a paper you usually see the stuff cited
at the end of a sentence in parenthesis
but if you do that in a presentation
it makes it sound like you accidentally skipped it
and then went back.
So the citation sounds like an afterthought.
In a presentation, it should sound
more like a conversation because
that's what a presentation is.
You don't wanna sound like you're reading a research paper.
So in a presentation,
say it like it's a story quote
I was recently reading about crime rates
in New York City and I came across a 2018 article
on the state's governments NYPD website.
And this graph shows that the crime rate
in New York City has steadily declined
for the past three decades unquote.
So you put the citation information
at the beginning of the story
to make it could conversational.
Here's another example,
a hypothetical example,
let's say I'm doing a presentation
about leadership qualities quote,
I recently came across a fascinating 2016
article by Sunnie Giles in the Harvard Business Review.
It was based upon a survey of leaders
from around the world who overwhelmingly said
quote high moral character and ethical standards
unquote was the most important quality
leaders should have today.
So to make it sound like smooth like butter
you want to number one mention the citation information
at the beginning
and number two practice it like a mini story
the way you wold tell a friend in a conversation.
People love to hear it like a mini story.
And you actually add value to your overall presentation
by citing virtually all your sources this way
'cause it sounds so good.
So question of the day,
what did you find most helpful about this video,
I would love to hear your comments
in that section below the video
so thanks, God bless, and I will see you next time.