Citing a lecture
Published January 29, 2021. Updated November 23, 2021.
To create a lecture reference or citation, you will need to know the speaker’s name, presentation title, presentation type, institution’s name, and date.
The templates and examples below will show you how to cite a lecture in MLA style, APA style, Chicago style, and Harvard referencing style.
Easily cite a lecture in the style of your choice using the Chegg Writing citation generator.
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Citing a lecture in MLA style
In-text citation template and example:
(Author Surname)
(Shroff)
Works cited entry template and example:
Surname, First M. “Title of the Lecture.” Title of the Conference. Name of the Organization, Conference Day Month Year, Conference venue, Location. Lecture.
Shroff, Firdos T. “Keynote.” Virtual International Award Conference on Multi- Disciplinary Research and Innovation. International Association of Research and Developed Organization, 28 Nov. 2020, Chunni Kalan, Punjab, India. Lecture.
For more information and other examples, see this guide on citing a lecture in MLA.
Citing a lecture in APA style
To cite a lecture in APA style, set the title in italics. Insert the medium of the lecture in square brackets after the lecture title.
In-text citation template and example:
(Author Surname, Year)
(Thuan, 2011)
Reference list entry template and example:
Author/Speaker Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of lecture [Medium]. Publisher. URL
Thuan, N. (2011). Basics of good project management [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www2.slideshare.net/thuansoldier/basics-of-project-management-week-1
For more information and other examples, see this guide on citing a lecture in APA.
Citing a lecture in Chicago style, Notes-Bibliography
Footnote template and example:
Note
Author First M. Surname, “Title of the Lecture” (Presentation type, University Name, City, State, Month Day, Year).
Matt Abrahams, “How to Make Your Communication Memorable” (class lecture, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA, October 27, 2018).
Shortened note
Author First M. Surname, “Title of the Lecture.”
Matt Abrahams, “How to Make Your Communication Memorable.”
Bibliography entry template and example:
Author Surname, First M. “Title of the Lecture.” Presentation type, University name, City, State, Month Day, Year.
Abrahams, Matt. “How to Make Your Communication Memorable.” Class lecture, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA, October 27, 2018.
See more examples and templates in this guide on citing a lecture in Chicago.
Citing a lecture in Chicago style, Author-Date
In-text citation template and example:
(Author Surname Publication Year)
(Abrahams 2014)
Reference list entry template and example:
Author Surname, First M. Publication Year. “Title of the Lecture.” Presentation type, University name, City, State.
Abrahams, Matt. 2014. “Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques.” Class lecture, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA.
See more examples and templates in this guide on citing a lecture in Chicago.
How to cite a lecture in Harvard referencing style
To cite a lecture in Harvard referencing style, the speaker’s surname and year are used in the narrative and parenthetical.
In-text citation template and example:
(Speaker Surname, Year)
(Blash, 2015)
Reference list entry template and example:
Speaker Surname, F.M. (Year) ‘Title of lecture’ [Medium]. Module code: Module title (if known). Institution or venue. Day Month.
Blash, G. (2015) ‘The basics of good project management’ [Lecture]. California Southern University. 18 March.
Note that if the lecture is recorded and being viewed online, “Recorded lecture” will be used as the medium in square brackets, and the URL and access date will be included at the end of the citation following the presentation date, formatted as: Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
See more examples and templates in this guide on citing a lecture in Harvard referencing style.
Writing a paper? Don’t forget to include a bibliography.
Citation Examples
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Below are the guidelines, templates, and examples for in-text citation of a PowerPoint in MLA and APA styles.
MLA
To cite a PowerPoint in MLA, use the author’s last name in in-text citations.
In-text citation template and example:
(Author’s Surname)
(DeSilva)
APA
To cite a PowerPoint in APA, use the author’s last name and publication year in in-text citations.
In-text citation template and example:
(Author’s Surname, Year)
(DeSilva, 1999)
To cite a PowerPoint, both MLA and APA styles recommend that you use the name of the author, date and title of the presentation, department and university name or publisher, and the URL. Below are the templates and examples of citing a PowerPoint.
MLA
Works-cited list template & example:
APA
Reference-list entry template & example:
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