TOC, AI, Evidence & Citations-FAQ

All events at the Charger Challenge will follow the NSDA Unified Manual.

General Tournament Conduct

• All rounds are open to the public.
• Observers may be removed if they interrupt rounds, violate tournament rules, or engage in harassment.
• Students who create disruptions may be disqualified from the tournament.

Evidence Policies & AI Use

With the exception of evidence exchange procedures outlined below, the Charger Challenge follows all NSDA Unified Manual rules.

Evidence-Rules-TOC-Bid-Tournament.docx

• Teams must have all read materials available for exchange at the request of a judge or opponent.
• Any team may request production of the original source for any evidence read and should be prepared to provide it immediately.

Evidence Sharing Procedures

• Evidence requests may be made at any point during the round.
• Teams reading evidence must immediately provide full cards with complete citations when requested.
• Evidence may be shared electronically via:
• Email
• Tabroom
• Another mutually agreed-upon method
• Email chains are encouraged but not required; teams may share individual cards directly when doing so is faster or more efficient.

Time Rules

• Prep time does not stop for evidence requests.
• Teams waiting for evidence may not prep during that time.
• Reading or displaying evidence is off‑time and does not count against prep.

To avoid delays, teams are strongly encouraged to:

• Organize evidence before rounds
• Pre‑highlight cards
• Share materials proactively when possible

Citation & Formatting Standards

• Citations should follow a recognized format, including:
• MLA
• APA
• Chicago
• Policy debate citation conventions
• While not required, consistent citation formatting is considered best academic and ethical practice.

Paraphrasing & Marking Rules (NSDA §7.2.B)

• All quoted or paraphrased material must be clearly marked.
• Acceptable methods include:
• Underlining
• Highlighting
• Minimizing unread text
• Judges determine the adequacy of marking.
• Failure to clearly delineate paraphrased text may result in penalties under NSDA §7.2.B.3.

Generative AI Restrictions (NSDA §7.3.F)

• No quotations or paraphrases may come from generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini).
• AI may assist in locating sources, but AI itself may not be cited.
• The original human‑authored source must be available upon request.

Interpretation Events

• AI‑generated material may not be performed.

Exception

• Quoting AI is permitted only when the topic of the speech is AI itself and only within NSDA quoted‑word limits.

Evidence Protests & Adjudication

• Tabroom will not hear evidence protests.
• Students may choose to end a round and stake it on a protest, which will be adjudicated by the judge using NSDA evidence ethics rules.
• The judge’s ruling is final for that round.

Tournament Reminder

To ensure fairness and efficiency:

• Prepare evidence and materials in advance
• Clearly mark all text read in each card
• Use clear and consistent citations
• Do not cite generative AI