How-to · Step-by-step
How to cite a lecture or PowerPoint
Citing a lecture or PowerPoint means recording the speaker, the title of the talk or slides, the date, and where it was delivered or posted.
The step most authors miss
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Step by step
How to do it
1.Identify the speaker or author
Note who delivered the lecture or created the slides. For course materials this is usually the instructor; for a conference talk it is the presenter.
2.Record the title
Copy the title of the lecture or the slide deck. If the slides are untitled, supply a brief description in its place.
3.Note the date and event
Record the date of delivery or posting, and the course, module or event in which it was given.
4.Note the format and location
State the format — slides, lecture notes, a recorded lecture — and where it lives: a learning platform, a department site, or "personal collection" for unpublished material.
5.Assemble the entry
Arrange the elements per your style. For material available only to a class, some styles treat it as personal communication cited in text only.
APA 7th edition
Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of slides [PowerPoint slides]. Platform/Department. URL — Worked example: Smith, J. (2021). Introduction to citation [PowerPoint slides]. Example University Learning Hub. https://lms.example.edu/slides In-text: (Smith, 2021). Use the "[PowerPoint slides]" or "[Lecture notes]" descriptor and name the platform where the material is hosted.
MLA 9th edition
Format: Speaker. "Title of Lecture." Course or Event, Day Month Year, Institution, Location. Lecture. — Worked example: Smith, Jane. "Introduction to Citation." Research Skills 101, 14 Mar. 2021, Example University, London. PowerPoint presentation. In-text: (Smith). Name the course or event, the date and the venue, and end with a descriptive label such as "Lecture" or "PowerPoint presentation".
Chicago 17th edition (notes–bibliography)
Bibliography: Smith, Jane. "Introduction to Citation." Lecture, Example University, London, March 14, 2021. — First footnote: 1. Jane Smith, "Introduction to Citation" (lecture, Example University, London, March 14, 2021). Give the speaker, the title in quotation marks, the type of presentation, the venue and the date; add a URL for slides posted online.
Common questions
FAQ
Do I cite a lecture or the slides?+
Cite whichever you actually used. If you drew on the spoken lecture, cite it as a lecture with the speaker, title, venue and date. If you used the slide deck, cite the slides, adding a "[PowerPoint slides]" descriptor in APA or a "PowerPoint presentation" label in MLA.
How do I cite slides that only my class can access?+
For material behind a login that readers cannot reach, APA recommends citing it as personal communication in the text only — (J. Smith, PowerPoint slides, March 14, 2021) — with no reference-list entry. If the slides are openly available online, cite them in full with the URL.
How do I cite my own class notes?+
Notes you took yourself are unpublished personal material. Cite them in text as personal communication, or — if a style permits — describe them as "Lecture notes" with the course and date. They generally do not get a full reference-list entry because a reader cannot retrieve them.
Going deeper
