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If you need to create a PowerPoint presentation for school or work you will likely want to incorporate some images for demonstrative purposes or aesthetic effect. This may cause you to wonder if you need to cite the images you choose to incorporate in your PowerPoint.
Generally, if you are not the original creator of the drawing, image, graphic, or video in a PowerPoint presentation it needs to be cited. This will make your presentation appear more professional and protect you from legal issues associated with copyright infringement.
For more details on citing pictures used in a PowerPoint presentation continue reading.
Do I Need to Cite Altered Pictures Used In PowerPoint?
As briefly mentioned above it is necessary to cite any drawing, image, graphic, or video that is used in a PowerPoint presentation if you are not the original creator.
This also applies to images that you may have altered. You must give the original artist/creator their just dues.
It is very easy to pull images from the internet and incorporate them into your PowerPoint presentations and even easier to get sued for not giving the original creator proper credit for their work.
Steps For Attaching a Citation to a PowerPoint Presentation
Including a citation for an image in PowerPoint is very simple and can be accomplished with just a few clicks of your mouse.
1. Getting Started
Begin by opening the PowerPoint presentation that needs citations for the images used.
2. Create a Text Box
Next, you will need to select the “text box” tool at the top of the program screen. Then decide where best to place your citation depending upon the arrangement of the image and text on the page.
Once you have chosen a location for the citation use your mouse to draw an appropriately sized box in which to paste the citation.
3. Enter the Citation Information
Once you have your text box in its desired place you can type or paste the necessary information in the box.
4. Anchor Your Citation
After your text has been entered and you are happy with how it looks it is recommended that you link your text box to the image and anchor it so if you move the image the citation will move with it and not be floating awkwardly in the middle of the page.
Continue reading for information on how to correctly write the citations for your images.
3 Methods For Citing Images in a PowerPoint Presentation
There are three formats that people generally follow when citing images for a PowerPoint presentation.
Method 1 – The APA Format
For this method, your text will be in italic format. The following is an example of what the APA format looks like.
Figure #1. Brief image description. Adapted from “image title”. Artist’s first initial and last name. Date of the original creation. Website URL where the image originated as well as the date you used the image.
Method 2 – The MLA Format
There are two ways to use the MLA format and they both depend upon how the image is used in the presentation. If the image is discussed thoroughly in your presentation then it is only necessary to give a brief reference that would look like the example below.
Figure 1. Brief description of the image that was discussed during the presentation.
When using the simplified version it is still necessary to give a full citation on your last slide where you list the sources used to put your PowerPoint presentation together.
The second MLA format method is more detailed and is used if the image has not been thoroughly discussed throughout the presentation.
Figure 1. Last name of the creator, first name of the creator. Brief description of the image. Date and location of the original creation. Website URL where the image originated and the date you used it.
Method 3 – The Chicago Style
The Chicago style is almost exactly like the MLA format with the exception that you will also list the name of the website in the citation as well as the URL.
Figure 1. Last name, first name, name of the image in italics, Publication year. (website name) Website URL, Date of use.
Practicing Proper Protocol Protects PowerPoint Presentations
Now that you know the importance of citing images and other work created by others in your PowerPoint presentation you can go forward knowing that you aren’t going to get sued for misuse. Properly using citations will protect you and give your PowerPoint presentation the professional edge it needs to get the right attention.
