Tech Tip Tuesday: Citing sources in a Multimedia project.

This becomes a huge question, what do I do to at least try to cite sources, when there isn't a consistent way for it to be done. Well, of course there are specific style sheets and tools for finding the proper format for citing sources, but where do you put them? Especially in a multimedia project?

Here are some suggestions

Websites:

For your websites I would suggest creating a box/table/container, for your sources. In an inconspicious place cite the sources for that page. If you have used images or content information, both cite the source and post a link, if it is an online resource.

For Multimedia Presentations/Shows:

This is a little tricky. For most shows that have only a few sources a final slide that is a works cited is probably just fine, but that doesn't necessarily show which source matches which citation. To work around this I suggest posting citations in the 'notes' section when developing a presentation.  This does two things.  It gives you a reference close to the resource so you can find it again and it gives you more space than a single slide if you are creating a large presentation with many sources.

For Video:

Most video tools have a section where you can define properties. This is a good area to post some reference to your sources. There is a limit on the number of characters, so this works best for projects with only a few resources cited. Even with the limit you can post references to a website with the documentation or contact information so people can obtain it.

Big Stuff:

Finally, For extensive resources you may consider creating a document with a word processor and cite each reference with a relevant description of multimedia resources such as pictures or video.

Why Cite sources in the Digital Age

There are at least three good reasons to cite sources in our digital age.  Here they are listed in increasing order of importance.

1st

And I believe the least important.  Now, that is not to say unimportant.  We need to cite sources to obey copyright law.  Most trouble with copyright can be avoided by appropriately citing sources.  Teachers often point to Fair Use Copyright doctrine or the Teach Act 2002 as valid reasons for using information, but this does not excuse proper citing of sources.

2nd

I think the second most important reason for citing sources is: Modeling good behavior for students.  In our modern day with plagiarism and copyright violation so easy, it is easy to take the approach as a teacher of just using what is necessary to get the job done.  After all, it's all out and available for the public anyway right?  Well...sort of?  Information that is found in 3 independent sources can be considered general knowledge and is exempt from the necessity of citation.  The challenge with this is that items of a multimedia nature are not always public domain, even on government or other websites since the work may have been commissioned and the images or video may be copyrighted materials, subject to licensing and royalty agreements.  We should cite sources to provide a good example for students of giving proper credit and not presenting others work as our own.

3rd

And I really think this is the most important reason!  We should cite sources properly so we can find the source again should we need to.  Ever accidentally deleted a photo out of PowerPoint?  Have trouble finding it online again?  If we cite our sources well we can find these resources again.  Some may not be essential, if all you need is any picture of a giraffe it is fine, but if what you need is a picture of a giraffe and you lose it, having citations can save the day.

So, how do you navigate this jungle in a digital age?

A couple of suggestions

Understand the difference between formal and informal citations.  Formal are the tried and true citation formats for MLA, APA or other defined styles.  Informal are just that, informal methods that accurately reflect where information was found but don't follow a formal style sheet.  A tendency on the web for citing sources such as flickr, youtube and picasa is to cite the user:  i.e. photos from flickr user: covili

For more formal citation help try: Citation Machine