by George Brosi

Oral reports seem more informal than written papers, but it is important to realize that they must follow the same format and conventions as academic writing.

Every oral report needs to refer to at least one written source: the work which is being reported on. Many, however, refer to other sources as well, to what the critics say about that work. Thus all oral reports need to refer to sources in proper academic fashion. In an oral report, never refer to any source without first noting the name of the author and the work. You may simply say, "In The Odyssey by Homer or "In The Epic of Gilgamesh, a traditional tale which have never been attributed to a particular author." If the author has a first and last name, utilize both the first time you use it. Subsequently you may simply refer to the author by her or his last name. If you are directly quoting from a source in an oral presentation, you must say, "quote" or "and now I am directly quoting from Homer" or something similar before you begin quoting and then say, "end quote" or "that is the end of my quote," when you finish. Be equally specific about a paraphrase or summary. For example, say, "To paraphrase Morgan's point," and "that ends my paraphrase." An alternative way to end is to explicitly state that you are back in your words. For example, you may say, "My analysis is..." It is o.k. to cite page numbers either as you begin or end, but, in oral reports it is not always necessary and can clutter an oral presentation needlessly.

If you are using an anthology which has introductions to the authors and works, be sure to credit the editor if you use ideas supplied in the introductory material. To avoid the danger of unconsciously using the editor's ideas, re-read the introduction before you give your oral report. Bear in mind that the facts of the author's life do not need to be documented, only the interpretations.

The heart of an oral report on literature is your analysis. You need to have a very clear thesis and you need to clearly support your literary thesis. Be explicit about the elements of the work you are referring to. Actually use the words, theme, plot, characters, setting and style. And cover all five of those aspects of the work you are analyzing. Be sure your entire oral report is thesis-centered. If you do not watch it, you may start out with your thesis and subsequently slip into plot summary. However, it is o.k. to provide a brief plot summary at the beginning and then follow it up with analysis. Be sure you account for the entire story, poem of novel you are writing about, from the title right down to the ending.