COM 400 Communication Ethics

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide are welcome to use OWL for information to assist with writing projects. 

OWL has extensive examples, explanations and tutorials on all citation styles, including APA, MLA and Chicago.  If you have a citation question, it's almost certain you'll find your answer on OWL.

For APA questions, check out the APA FAQ on the APA Style Blog or the APA cheat sheet from the University of Calgary.

Check out the MLA Style Center for FAQ, sample papers and research help.

Verbal Citations

Verbal Citations add credibility to your speeches and properly give credit to others for their work and ideas.  Mentioning ideas and facts that are not your own within your speech, without verbally citing them, is plagiarism.

Creating a Verbal Citation:

Verbal Citations shouldn't interrupt the flow of your speech.  Use an introductory phrase and keep them brief but include the important "who, what, when" details:

• author name
• author credentials
• title of work (article, book, report, etc.)
• date of work (if relevant)

Verbal Citation Examples:

"According to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president, Jim Bailey, ..."

"In 2014, Maureen Russell, an ethnomusicologist at UCLA, wrote ..."

Slide Citations

To cite your sources within a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation, you should include your references or in-text citations on each slide.  In-text citations for slides are formatted the same way as in research papers. 

You can also provide citations during your presentation verbally, by providing a reference list slide at the end of your presentation with corresponding in-text citations or combining verbal and written citations.

For any presentation, be sure your audience knows where the information, visuals, and other materials you use are from. Remember to double-check the assignment requirements and your instructor’s preferences.

Reference Slide Format

Reference Slides are formatted the same way as Reference Pages with a few minor differences:

• Center References on the final slide.
• Single space the entries.
• Do not use a hanging indent.

For examples of presentation citations, and tips on using images in presentations, check out the Nuts & Bolts for Power Point blog.

Citing Indigenous Elders & Knowledge Keepers

Templates for culturally responsive citation for the variation of knowledge across indigenous communities.

In APA Format:

Based on APA Style guidance.

In-text

Author of generative AI model, Year of version used

Example:

(OpenAI, 2022)

OpenAI (2022)

Reference list

Author of AI model used. (Year of AI model used). Name of AI model used (Version of AI model used) [Type or description of AI model used]. Web address of AI model used

Example:

OpenAI. (2022). ChatGPT (Dec 20 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/

The full transcript of a response can be included in an appendix or other supplementary materials.

In Chicago 17th edition Format:

In-text citation or note

^Number.Originator of the communication, medium, Day Month, Year.

¹ OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, response to question from author, 7 February, 2023.

In MLA Format:

Guidance based on How do I cite generative AI in MLA style? from the official style website.

In-text citation

(Short form Title of source) 

(“Describe the symbolism”) 

Work cited

“Title of source” prompt. Name of AI Tool, version, Company, Date content was generated, General web address of tool. 

“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.