Verbal Citation Technique
Because Info has no written bibliography read aloud, citations must be woven naturally into spoken sentences. You'll learn phrasing patterns that sound smooth rather than clunky.
Citation Placement
Citations typically come either just before or just after the claim they support, and should include enough detail (author, credential, year, publication) that a judge could verify it later. Front-loading every sentence with a citation feels robotic, so vary whether the citation opens or closes the sentence.
Natural-Sounding Phrasing
Instead of a stiff 'according to source X,' experienced speakers integrate citations conversationally: 'Dr. Ruiz, an atmospheric scientist at MIT, found in her 2023 study that...' This reads as natural speech rather than a recited footnote, while still hitting all the necessary credibility markers.
A speaker has a raw fact: 'Marine cloud brightening could offset up to 1 degree Celsius of warming.'
Clunky version: 'According to a source, marine cloud brightening could offset up to 1 degree Celsius of warming.' Improved version: 'In a 2022 study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, atmospheric scientist Dr. Kelly Wanser found that marine cloud brightening could offset up to one full degree Celsius of warming.' The improved version is fully verifiable and sounds like natural spoken teaching.
1. What is a weakness of citing sources as simply 'according to a source'?
Answer all 1 to check.
Weave full, verifiable citations into natural spoken sentences rather than reciting them like footnotes.