• Part 1 symbol pink circle
    getting started
  • Part 2 symbol blue triangle
    fundamentals
  • Part 3 symbol green square
    content
  • Part 4 symbol purple triangle
    delivery
  • Part 5 symbol three blue circles
    engaging your audience
  • Part 6 symbol orange asterisk
    speaking to inform
  • Part 7 symbol pink diamond
    speaking to persuade
  • Part 8 symbol green star
    speaking occasions

Using Sources Ethically

One of the most important ways to speak ethically is to explicitly acknowledge your sources—the facts, ideas, and opinions you use in a presentation—whether it’s a quotation from an author, a fact in a news article, or an idea generated by AI. Using sources without acknowledging them is plagiarism, which occurs when you fail to document or give credit to the sources of your information, distort the information you use, and/or present source statements as your own. The word plagiarism comes from the Latin plagium, which means “kidnapping.” In other words, it is taking or stealing something that belongs to someone else. People who’ve plagiarized have failed courses, lost elections, and been fired from jobs. And a good audience can usually tell when all or part of your presentation doesn’t sound like you. Anytime you plagiarize, you also harm your credibility and are less likely to achieve your purpose.

AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

Most speakers don’t intend to plagiarize, so it’s especially important to know what counts as plagiarism in order to avoid it. Changing a few words of someone else’s work is not enough to avoid plagiarism. If the ideas and most of the words are not yours, you are ethically obligated to tell your audience who wrote or said them and where they came from. We urge you to abide by the following guidelines:

  • Provide an ORAL CITATION Part 3 symbol green square (150) if a significant phrase or section was written by someone else, particularly if the source is not widely known or widely available. Identify the source with key words and in such a way that listeners can look it up on their own.
  • Avoid using someone else’s sequence of ideas and organization without acknowledging and citing the similarities in structure.
  • Cite sources that provide information and data in a chart, table, or graph, as well as any photograph, video clip, music, or animation that was produced by someone else. Make sure to include a WRITTEN CITATION Part 3 symbol green square (150–51) whenever these appear on screen.
  • Exercise extreme caution when using audio and/or visual PRESENTATION AIDS Part 4 symbol purple triangle (260–78) as well as supporting materials you didn’t create on your own. These kinds of materials are protected by copyright laws, and as such, you could be liable if you use them without first seeking the explicit permission of the copyright holder. Without permission, you could be legally liable for violating copyright laws.

In 2016, plagiarism took center stage at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, where Melania Trump gave a speech to support her husband’s candidacy for president. Although it was initially praised, the speech soon came under suspicion because key passages resembled portions of a speech that Michelle Obama gave at the Democratic National Convention eight years earlier. Review the two passages comparing Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech and the one delivered by Melania Trump in 2016. What you are reading is a definitive example of plagiarism.

Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech

Melania Trump’s 2016 speech

“And Barack and I were raised with so many of the same values: that you work hard for what you want in life; that your word is your bond and you do what you say you’re going to do; that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don’t know them, and even if you don’t agree with them.

“From a young age, my parents impressed on me the values that you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond and you do what you say and keep your promise, that you treat people with respect.

“Because we want our children—and all children in this nation—to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

“Because we want our children in this nation to know that the only limit to your achievements is the strength of your dreams and your willingness to work for them.”

Republican officials initially denied that the speech included plagiarized material, but those claims collapsed when Mrs. Trump’s speechwriter, Meredith McIver, took the blame. This plagiarism overshadowed whatever positive impact Mrs. Trump’s presentation had at the time she delivered it, and as a result, her speech is now remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Here’s the bottom line: speak truthfully, and do not misrepresent someone else’s work as your own. Otherwise, you risk undermining or destroying whatever credibility you may have established.

Glossary

plagiarism
Failure to provide accurate DOCUMENTATION or give due credit to the sources of your information, and/or presenting another person’s key ideas and statements as your own.