FAQ: How do I cite sources verbally in a presentation using APA Style?

Creating a Verbal Citation

If your video assignment or presentation requires you to provide supporting evidence for your claims, you must cite your source(s) verbally. While APA Style doesn’t include specific rules for verbal citations, it’s still important to credit your sources when speaking. Citing your sources aloud helps you add credibility to your statements, show your audience you know your material, and give credit to others for their work and ideas.

A good verbal citation briefly tells your audience who, what, and when, so they understand where your information came from and can locate the source if they want to verify it.

What to Include

When citing aloud, highlight the most relevant details:

• Author's name
  • Use the organization’s name if there is no identified author
• Author's Credentials
  • Use the organization’s credentials if there is no identified author
• Title and/or type of work
  • Identify it as an article, research study, survey, song, data report, etc.
• Publication date (if relevant)
  • Identify the year of publication, or date of last update if it’s a website

How to Introduce It

Use an introductory phrase to reference your source smoothly.

Sample Format:

“According to [Author’s name], [credentials or organization], in [year] [type of work, e.g., article/book/report] titled [title]…”

Examples

• Quoting: “In a 1990 article published in American Psychologist titled ‘Why the Self Is Empty,’ Philip Cushman wrote that [quotation].”
• Paraphrasing: “A 2021 study by psychologist Angela Duckworth suggests that perseverance, or ‘grit,’ predicts long-term success more than intelligence alone.”
• Brief version: “According to a 2022 article in Nature by climate scientist Michael Mann ...”

More Information

• Citing Sources Verbally Infographic This link opens in a new window
• Citing Sources Verbally, APA Style Guide (Shapiro Library)

Disclaimer

This information is intended to be a guideline. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.