Visual Aids: Adding Images to Your Visual Aid
Images should be used to strengthen your argument and not simply as decoration. Your selected imagery emphasizes what you are saying in your speech. Make a singe message with each slide - sometimes you can use multiple images to achieve this and sometimes you only need one.
Pictures & Copyright
As you design your visual aid, you should prioritize selecting usable media files to comply with copyright laws and avoid potential legal issues. Using such media strengthens your credibility and demonstrates ethical presentation practices.
*A note on copyright: Your work for CMNS 101 likely falls under what is called "fair use". Fair use is a legal concept that allows for reproductions of portions of a copyrighted work without the author's permission for educational purposes, as well as remixes in art and use of content for commentary.
Image Citation
Images, just like written sources, require citation - in your speech, you may acknowledge the creator of the image or the collection where the work was found or is located - whatever is relevant to your topic. You will also submit a citation for your works cited/reference page for the digital image. Best practices also suggest you should cite the image (unobtrusively [small font], not in the speech itself) on the slide itself.
If you are using an image without modifications, you cite the digital photograph/work.
MLA Example for a picture you found online that Jerome Blum took in 2006:
APA Example using the same information:
If you are modifying an image you found or using your own images, this is now considered a new creative work. You can cite it like this:
MLA Example for a picture you (Jane Doe) took in 2022:
APA Example using the same information:
Recommended Resources for Images
Your first instinct might be to just use PowerPoint (or whatever software you're using) or Google Images. These are good starts, but if you don't find what you're looking for, here are some places with openly-licensed art images (which means you can usually do what you want with them - edit, crop, etc.).
**When you use an openly-licensed image or clipart from your software, here are tips for citing in the speech slide deck: for APA and for MLA. This level of citation is often not required for undergraduate students, but you are likely going to be giving presentations as a professional in the future and this is a best practice in workplace or advanced academic settings.
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Journals, books, images, and primary sources about many subjects.
JSTOR contains an image database called ArtStor ('art storage') with images from art collections, museums, and cultural heritage organizations around the world. Their images are very high quality - ideal for projecting on to a large screen.