COMM 218 Stratton: Evaluating & citing sources for presentations

After interacting with this research guide, students should be able to:

• Recall how to find an academic source
• Differentiate between scholarly and popular articles
• Evaluate the validity and reliability of an academic source by using the SIFT method
• Orally cite an academic source according to APA standards

Any effective academic speech or presentation will make strategic use of outside sources to support assertions or to provide factual or persuasive evidence. 

Know Your Audience:

• Understand the background and expertise of your audience. Tailor your speech to their level of knowledge, avoiding unnecessary jargon or overly simplistic explanations. Scholars expect a high level of academic rigor, so ensure that your research is thorough and your arguments are well-supported by evidence.

More presentation tips can be found in my guide titled: Presenting your research.

Citations and References:

• An effective speech often makes strategic use of sources. This may be done by acknowledging previous research and providing citations of those sources. Scholars value accurate and thorough referencing, so be sure to credit the work of others appropriately. 

The bottom line here is that you are a researcher and a scholar who is informing and/or persuading peers and this always involves the use of scholarly sources. Part of your job is to find sources that are of the highest quality.