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Public Speaking and Interpersonal Communications

Basic Format for Oral Citations

Key Elements for Citing Sources in a Speech

WHO/WHAT:  The source of the supporting material

  • Name of publication
  • Organization who created the information
  • Author of the source and credentials of the author (if applicable)
  • Name/credentials of the person interviewed

WHEN: State when the source was published, updated, and/or accessed (year/date)

Oral Citation Handouts

How to Cite Different Resource Types

If you are citing information from a digital or print magazine, newspaper, or journal article, state the following:

  • Full date (Month, year, and day if available)
  • Title of the magazine, newspaper, or journal
  • Author's name (if relevant)
    • Often the name of the publication is enough, but if the author has qualifications that you'd like to share, you can include the author's name and credentials as well

You do NOT need to cite the page number or the name of the electronic database that you got the article from. You may want to cite the title of the article if it helps differentiate between multiple sources from the same magazine, newspaper, or journal.

Examples: 

  • “According to the New York Times, in an article from February 2, 2022…” “
  • "In the October-December 2021 issue of Planning for Higher Education, Karen Merritt, director of academic planning at UC Merced, discusses how underfunding public universities can…”
  • “In the most recent Gallup Poll, cited in the March 2022 issue of Time magazine…”

If you are citing information from a book, state the following:

  • Book title
  • Year of publication
  • A brief mention of the author's credentials

You do NOT need to cite the page number, publisher name, or city of publication.

Example:

  • "In her 2018 book, Food and Public Health, Allison Karpyn, a professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, notes that…”

If you are citing information from an interview, state the following:

  • The interviewee's name and statement of their credentials
  • Date of interview (if available)
  • The fact that the information is from a personal interview (if applicable)
  • The source of the interview (if it is published in a journal, magazine, newspaper, etc.)

Please note: Interviews are not the same as informal discussions or class lectures. People being interviewed must be authoritative and credentialed “experts” in their fields.

Examples:

  • “In a personal interview on March 26, 2022, that I conducted with William P. Alford, Professor of Law at Harvard University, he stated that…"
  • "In an interview with author Margaret Atwood, published in The Guardian on September 12, 2020, Atwood discusses..."

If you are citing information from a website, state the following:

  • The name of the website
  • The creator (author, organization, or sponsor) which supports the website’s credentials and authority
  • The last date it was updated (if available)
  • The date you accessed the site (if applicable)

You do NOT need to give the URL. 

Please note: It is important to establish the credibility, currency, and objectivity (fact vs. opinion) of the website. You often can verify a website’s “credentials” by looking for links like: “About us” or “Our Mission” or “Who we are.” If you cannot find this information, you may want to consider using a different source. For more information about evaluating website information, please visit our Evaluating Information page.

Examples:

  • “According to the Association for College and Research Libraries' Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion website, last updated on April 1, 2020, some initiatives include..."

Helpful Videos

Oral Citation Tips

Advice for Oral Citations in a Speech

  • Include your citation at the beginning of a sentence before you share the information, using phrases like: "According to...", "As reported by..." and "Based on research published in..."
  • Follow this Source Citation Checklist:
    • Oral citation takes place before the information
    • Source and credentials are included
    • Date / year published are included
  • Do not say "quote, unquote" when you state a direct quotation. Pause briefly instead.