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MUS 1320: Materials of Music II

Research resources for the My Song Project

Should I Cite This?

Citations in your presentation

You do need to cite your sources in an oral presentation, just like you would in a paper. Here are some tips for how you can do this: 

For slides (or other presentation materials), use the same guidelines for citations in your presentation as you would a paper:

  • For any presentation, be sure your audience knows where the information, visuals, and other materials you use are from
  • You should cite sources within the text of your presentation using the same Chicago in-text citation format (Author Date) or (Author Date, page number) as in a written essay
  • Remember to cite sources for direct quotations, paraphrased materials, and sources of facts
  • Cite all sources in a Reference List on the final slide of your presentation
  • How to cite an image

Keep track of your sources

Keep track of the sources you find as you do your research. It's much more efficient to save the formatted citation (in Chicago Style 17th edition Author-Date, of course) when you find a relevant article then to have to find it later.

  • Many of the databases include citation tools that make this a very simple process.
    • This feature lets you generate a formatted citation in a variety of styles.
    • Definitely use these tools but always check the citation to make sure that it is indeed formatted correctly.
      • In ProQuest databases, use the "Cite" link that looks like this 
      • In EBSCO databases (such as RILM), use the small icon that looks like a piece of paper 
      • In JSTOR, use the "Cite this item" icon that look like this Cite this item icon 
  • Or use ZoteroBib - a reliable, easy-to-use citation formatting tool
    • When using ​ZoteroBib make sure to add the style "Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (author-date)"
    • For scholarly articles, use the Manual Entry button and copy/paste info from the database

Chicago Citation Style

Citing Generative AI Tools

For generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Bard, Perplexity, etc.), some style guides have published their thoughts on citing artificial intelligence. Please check your assignment or course syllabus, or ask your professor if you're unsure about appropriate use of AI in your work. 

  • Citing generative AI tools in Chicago style
    • Summary: You do need to credit ChatGPT and similar tools whenever you use the text that they generate in your own work. But for most types of writing, you can simply acknowledge the AI tool in your text. See above link for more details and examples. 
  • Citing generative AI tools in MLA style
    • Summary: You should cite a generative AI tool whenever you paraphrase, quote, or incorporate into your own work any content (whether text, image, data, or other) that was created by it. You should also acknowledge all functional uses of the tool (like editing your prose or translating words) in a note, your text, or another suitable location. See above link for more details and examples.