Although speeches are often less formal than written academic papers, it is important to cite your sources. Even if you are paraphrasing a source, you MUST cite it! And just as you would cite your source in the text of your paper, you must also cite your source in the text of your speech.
Most instructors specify what bibliographic/writing format they require for assignments in their classes. If you don’t know this, go back and read the syllabus or instructions carefully—it's probably stated there. The most common formats you are likely to work with in college are APA and MLA. They are different—and, yes, it matters!
If writing and researching isn’t your strength, we have tools to help you! Getting stronger in this area will make you successful in nearly every college class you take—so take the time to learn since YOU will reap the rewards for many semesters to come. Here are some tools for you:
Tips:
-Make sure to mention the author, date, and name of the source in the text of your speech. You can do this in an informal way by saying something like: "Geraldine Quinzio, in her 2009 book called Of Sugar and Snow: A History of Ice Cream Making, suggests that the precursor to ice cream was the sherbet from the Middle East."
-To keep track of your sources, copy and paste citations as you research or take pictures using your phone. Use the resources on this page for extra help.
-Save some time to proof-read and correct your work. Read your speech out loud—you might catch mistakes easier that way.
-Trade papers/projects with a friend to proofread. We often fail to see our own mistakes!
-If you’re dyslexic, try going through your paper backwards, one word or sentence at a time.
MSJC Library Online Orientation - How to choose a topic, start your research, evaluate and synthesize information, and cite your sources.
Seven Steps to Library Research - A guide for topic development, library research, and creating citations.
Advanced Research Guide - Advanced research tips for searching databases, evaluating information, and citing.
Writing & Citing - Guide for grammar, writing, and citing help.
Citation Help Handouts - Quick guides for citing in MLA, APA, or Chicago Style formats.
This website works as a citation generator. You fill in the appropriate bibliographic information, and it pops out a citation for you to copy and paste into your works cited page.
A favorite generator for citations, this website auto-fills the blanks but allows you to modify any information. It also keeps a running list of all your citations so you can copy and paste all at once.
The Chicago Manual of Style publishes a freely-available online "quick guide" to citing common sources. If the item you wish to cite is not covered in the online Quick Guide, please refer to the comprehensive print edition of the Chicago Manual of the Style, available in the MVC Library Reference collection.
Developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, this citation generator provides all the fields for you to input the information and then organizes it for you. The best part is that the fields change based on the type of format you want to cite.