Following is an overview of common types of sources cited in a speech, the specific citation elements to mention, and examples of how you might refer to these elements in a presentation. Note that each example includes a source qualifier describing the source’s qualifications to address the topic (“director of undergraduate studies for four years”), (“pioneering researcher”). Including a source qualifier can make the difference between winning or losing acceptance for your supporting material.

Book

If a book has two or fewer authors, state first and last names, source qualifier, title, and date of publication. If three or more authors, state first and last name of first author and “coauthors.”

Example: In the book 1948: The First Arab-Israeli War, published in 2008, noted Israeli historian Benny Morris claims that . . .

Example: In The Civic Potential of Video Games, published in 2009, Joseph Kahne, noted professor of education and director of the Civic Education Research Group at Mills College, and his two coauthors, both educators, wrote that . . .

Reference Work

For a reference work (e.g., atlas, directory, encyclopedia, almanac), note title, date of publication, author or sponsoring organization, and source qualifier.

Example: According to the 2014 Literary Marketplace, the foremost guide to the U.S. book publishing industry, Karen Hallard and her coeditors report that . . .

Print Article

When citing from a print article, use the same guidelines as you do for a book.

Example: In an article entitled “How Junk Food Can End Obesity,” published in the July 2013 edition of Atlantic Monthly magazine, David H. Freedman, a journalist and author of the book Wrong: Why the Experts Keep Failing Us, argues that fast food chains such as McDonald’s can offer lower-cost healthy foods than higher-priced health food stores . . .

Online-Only Magazine, Newspaper, Journal

Follow the same guidelines as for a book, and identify the publication as an “online magazine,” “online newspaper,” or “online journal.”

Example: In an article on massive online open courses (MOOCs) posted on July 23, 2013, on Slate, Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the University of Southern California and director of the Future of Journalism at Annenberg Innovation Lab . . .

Organization Website

Name the website, source qualifier, section of website cited (if applicable), and last update.

Example: On its website, last updated July 8, 2014, the Society of Interventional Radiology explains that radio waves are harmless to healthy cells . . .

If website content is undated or not regularly updated, review the site for credibility before use, using the criteria listed here.

Blog

Name the blogger, source qualifier, affiliated website (if applicable), and date of posting.

Example: In a July 8, 2014, posting on Talking Points Memo, a news blog that specializes in original reporting on government and politics, editor Josh Marshall notes that . . .

Television or Radio Program

If you are citing a television or radio program, name the program, segment, reporter, source qualifier, and date aired.

Example: Judy Woodruff, PBS Newshour cohost, described in a segment on immigration reform, aired on November 2, 2014 . . .

Online Video

For online videos, name the online video source, program, segment, source qualifier, and date aired (if applicable).

Example: In a session on “What’s Next for Mindfulness” delivered at the University of California–Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center on April 20, 2010, and broadcast on YouTube, Jon Kabat-Zinn, scientist, author, and founding director of the Stress Reduction Clinic . . .

Testimony

If you are citing testimony, name the person, source qualifier, context in which information was offered, and date information was offered.

Example: On June 6, 2013, in congressional testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert O. Blake Jr., Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, revealed that labor conditions in Bangladesh . . .

Interview and Other Personal Communication

Name the person, source qualifier, and date of interview.

Example: In an interview I conducted last week, Tim Zeutenhorst, chairman of the Orange City Area Health System Board, at Orange City Hospital in Iowa, said . . .

Example: In a June 23 e-mail/twitter post/letter/memorandum from Ron Jones, a researcher at the Cleveland Clinic . . .