Crediting Sources

Hi ruth! Great question. Tom Kuhlmann wrote a blog post on How Do You Credit Your Sources in E-Learning. Be sure to also read the comments section of that post for some helpful ideas. 

Hi, Ruth,

Good for you for wanting to give credit where credit is due! 

As to the "how": I think that can vary based on the situation. 

• If you're citing stats, I suggest including the citation on the slide where the stats appear. It could be woven into the text (e.g., "According to the CDC..."). Or it could be a presented like a footnote. Either way, that provides immediate credibility.
• If you're culling general info and then presenting it in your own way, you could use a lightbox or resources link. 
  • If it makes sense, you could repeat the citations for the stats in this location, too.

BTW, you can get the best of both the lightbox and resource link worlds by creating a custom Resources tab in the player that lightboxes a slide with your resources/citations. 

Hi Judy,

thank you so much for these great tips and the detailed info on how to create a custom resources tab! So if I understand you correctly, it's fine if I present information in my own words on the slide and then list the original source under the resources link.

Thanks again,

Ruth

Thank you Sarah! I'll be sure to check this out! :)

Hi again, Ruth,

Copyright applies to the expression of content. It does not apply to facts. So as long as you're not plagiarizing, you're fine.  :-)

If you're putting it in your own words, then, yes, just mentioning the source on a Resources page makes sense. If you use a quotation, then keep a citation on that slide. IMHO.