Page 224 - Between One and Many The Art and Science of Public Speaking

Speaking of . . .

Orally Citing Sources by Christine Hanlon (from Nicholson Custom Edition)

Why Cite Sources? works for the CDC? To enable the audience to retrieve
the material, speakers need to be clear about where the
There are several reasons why we should cite sources. information can be found. Let’s take some of these exam-
According to Carol Bledsoe (former Coordinator of public ples individually.
speaking at University of Central Florida), there are three
main reasons why we should cite sources: Where the information Oral citation that enables the
was found audience to retrieve the
• To establish credentials of the source and the data
material
• To enable the audience to retrieve the material
CDC’s offi cial Web site “According to the CDC’s
• To give credit to others
Monkey pox factsheet
posted online . . .”
Establishing the Credentials
of the Source and the Data CDC pamphlet “The CDC’s pamphlet en-
titled ‘Tuberculosis: What you
The fi rst reason we should cite sources is to establish the need to know’ states that . . .”
credentials of the source and the data. If we, the audience, Researcher who “In a recent study, CDC
do not know why the source is credible, why should we be- works for the CDC researcher Jane Smith
lieve that the information is valid? Let’s take the following found that. . .”
excerpt from a speech as an example:
Giving Credit to Others
According to the CDC, there weren’t any monkey pox cases
in the United States until the 2003 outbreak. It is important to give credit to others for their ideas. Many
academics and scientists consider their ideas, their intellec-
The speaker has identifi ed the CDC as the source of
tual property, as their greatest contribution. There is even an
the data. Although many of us in the United States know
international organization that works to uphold worldwide
that “CDC” is the acronym for Centers for Disease Con-
standards for intellectual property. According to the World
trol, you cannot assume that everyone is familiar with it. If
Intellectual Property Organization (2004), “these works—
you want to use the acronym for an organization, be sure
intellectual property—are expanding the bounds of science
to fi rst identify what that acronym stands for. For example,
and technology and enriching the world of the arts. ”If you
state “the Centers for Disease Control, also known as the
use others’ ideas during your presentation and fail to cite
CDC . . .” Analyzing your audience will help you to determine
them, you are essentially stealing the ideas of others. There
if there is a time when you can break this rule. There will be
are two important reasons why you should orally cite your
times in the workplace when you will use acronyms. How-
sources while presenting speeches, and they are both di-
ever, if you are ever in doubt, explain the acronym so your au-
rectly tied to credibility. Failing to cite a source can decrease
dience understands it.
your credibility, whereas orally citing a source can add to
Furthermore, there may be audience members who
your credibility as a speaker.
don’t know what the CDC is. Be sure to briefl y explain the
There can be serious consequences for speakers who
purpose of the organization so your audience understands
fail to orally cite their sources properly. First, they can be
why the source is credible. Using this example, an appro-
charged with plagiarism. Whenever students fail to orally
priate explanation of the CDC could be, “The CDC is the
cite a source in a speech, they are guilty of plagiarism. The
United States’ lead federal agency that investigates health
reality is that there are consequences to plagiarism, whether
problems and conducts research to prevent infectious dis-
or not it was intentional. The bottom line is always to orally
eases.” Again, you want to analyze your audience to deter-
cite your sources so you can avoid the situation altogether.
mine if an explanation is necessary.
Christine Hanlon (M.A., University of Central Florida) is a public
Enabling the Audience to Retrieve the Material
speaking instructor at the University of Central Florida’s Nicholson
School of Communication. She is also a past president of the
By indicating where you found the information, you can en-
Florida Communication Association. Her research interests include
able the audience to retrieve the material. In the previous
family violence and popular culture. She has presented scholarly
example, the speaker did not clarify where the information
papers at regional and national conferences for communication,
about the CDC was located. Was the information located sociology, women’s studies, and popular culture associations. Ad-
on the CDC’s offi cial Web site or in a pamphlet distributed ditionally, she has published in past volumes of Teaching Ideas for
by the CDC, or did it come directly from a researcher who the Basic Communication Course.
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