League Policies
These rules represent integrity in competition. A confirmed violation of these rules will result in a penalty.
- All material presented in the speech must be either the competitor’s original work or include the source(s) for any information, details, research, theories, stories, lyrics, tunes, or ideas obtained from another person or source–whether directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
- Plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
- Sources must be verbally mentioned.
- Sources must be included on the prepared notecard.
- Common knowledge that is known to most people does not need to be cited in any way (e.g., George Washington was the first U.S. President, Jesus rose on the third day, etc.).
- Speeches must be prepared and delivered during the current competitive season only.
- All material presented in the speech must be either the competitor’s original work or include the source(s) for any information, details, research, theories, stories, lyrics, tunes, or ideas obtained from another person or source–whether directly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.