How do I cite a lecture in APA 7?

If readers can open the materials, cite slides or notes posted to a course site: the lecturer, the date, the title with the format in brackets, the institution and the link. A lecture that cannot be retrieved is a personal communication: cite it in the text only, with the lecturer's initials and the date.

How do I cite a lecture in MLA 9?

Lecturer, the lecture's title in quotation marks, the course, the date, the institution or place, and the word Lecture: Lopez, Maria. “Introduction to Cognitive Psychology.” Psychology 101, 22 Jan. 2024, University of Example. Lecture. In text: (Lopez).

How do I cite PowerPoint slides?

As for a lecture, but with the slides' title, the format and the place where they are posted. APA puts [PowerPoint slides] in brackets after the title. MLA ends with PowerPoint presentation. If you cite one slide, give its number.

Can I cite my own class notes?

No. They are your own record of what was said. Cite the lecture, the slides or a handout. If a note is all you have, treat the lecture as a personal communication.

How do I cite a lecture I watched online?

As a video, with the lecturer as author and the site as the source. Use the YouTube Citation Generator or the Online Course Citation Generator, depending on where it is hosted.

Which citation styles does the lecture generator support?

APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 at the top of the list, and any of the other 10,834 styles. Switch the style and the same details are reformatted.

Lecture Citation Generator

Cite a lecture you attended or the slides and notes your instructor posted. Enter the lecturer, the title, the date, the institution or course site and the link, and get the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. Free, no sign-up.

Language

Saved citations build a full bibliography in the StudioOpen Bibliography Studio

How to Use the Lecture Citation Generator

1. Decide what you are citing. The lecture itself, slides or notes posted to the course site, or a recording. They are cited differently, and a lecture that no reader can retrieve may be a personal communication.
2. Fill in the details. The generator opens on Manual Entry with the source type set to Speech / lecture. Type the lecturer in Author(s), the lecture or slide title, the date, and the university or the course site in Publisher / Site.
3. Name the format. Type Lecture, PowerPoint slides or Lecture notes in Format / medium. APA prints it in square brackets after the title.
4. Pick a style, add the link, and check. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or another of the 10,834 styles. Paste the link to the course page if readers with access can open it.

Lecture, Slides or Notes?

What you have	APA 7	MLA 9	Chicago 18
A lecture you attended	Personal communication: in text only, with the lecturer's initials	Lecture, with the course, date and place	A note with lecture and place
Slides on the course site	A reference with [PowerPoint slides] and the course site's name	A Works Cited entry with the platform	A note with the slides' format
Your own class notes	Not a source: do not cite them	Not a source	Not a source
A recording	Cite the recording as a video, with the lecturer as author	Cite it as a video	Cite it as a video

Cite the instructor's slides rather than your notes, because the notes are your own record. Use the date on the slides, or n.d. in APA if there is none.

Lecture Citation Examples

A lecture and the slides that went with it, from an illustrative course (University of Example, Psychology 101).

APA 7th edition

Slides on the course site:

Lopez, M. (2024, February 5). Week 3: Memory and attention [PowerPoint slides]. University of Example. https://learn.example.edu/psych101/week3

In-text (slides):

(Lopez, 2024)

In-text (lecture not retrievable):

(M. Lopez, personal communication, January 22, 2024)

MLA 9th edition

Lecture:

Lopez, Maria. “Introduction to Cognitive Psychology.” Psychology 101, 22 Jan. 2024, University of Example. Lecture.

Slides on the course site:

Lopez, Maria. “Week 3: Memory and Attention.” Psychology 101, University of Example, 5 Feb. 2024, learn.example.edu/psych101/week3. PowerPoint presentation.

In-text citation:

(Lopez)

Chicago 18th edition (note)

Footnote, lecture:

Maria Lopez, “Introduction to Cognitive Psychology,” lecture, University of Example, January 22, 2024.

Footnote, slides:

Maria Lopez, “Week 3: Memory and Attention,” PowerPoint slides, University of Example, February 5, 2024, https://learn.example.edu/psych101/week3.

The generator leaves the date out of its MLA line for a lecture, so add it, in the day, month and year order. Put the course where MLA wants the event.

Common Mistakes

Citing your own notes. They are not a source. Cite the lecture or the slides.
Leaving out the course. MLA names the course in the place of the event. Without it a reader cannot place the lecture.
Listing an unrecorded lecture in the APA reference list. If a reader cannot retrieve it, APA wants an in-text personal communication.
Using the course site's address as a link for everyone. A page behind a login is useless to a reader without access; name the platform instead.
Mixing it up with a public speech. A lecture is a class session. A speech or address is for the Speech Citation Generator.

Which Tool Do You Need?

You have	Use
A class lecture, slides or notes	This page
A public speech, address or sermon	Speech Citation Generator
An online course video or module	Online Course Citation Generator
A conference talk	Conference Paper Citation Generator
A recorded webinar	Webinar Citation Generator

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a lecture in APA 7?: If readers can open the materials, cite slides or notes posted to a course site: the lecturer, the date, the title with the format in brackets, the institution and the link. A lecture that cannot be retrieved is a personal communication: cite it in the text only, with the lecturer's initials and the date.
How do I cite a lecture in MLA 9?: Lecturer, the lecture's title in quotation marks, the course, the date, the institution or place, and the word Lecture: Lopez, Maria. “Introduction to Cognitive Psychology.” Psychology 101, 22 Jan. 2024, University of Example. Lecture. In text: (Lopez).
How do I cite PowerPoint slides?: As for a lecture, but with the slides' title, the format and the place where they are posted. APA puts [PowerPoint slides] in brackets after the title. MLA ends with PowerPoint presentation. If you cite one slide, give its number.
Can I cite my own class notes?: No. They are your own record of what was said. Cite the lecture, the slides or a handout. If a note is all you have, treat the lecture as a personal communication.
How do I cite a lecture I watched online?: As a video, with the lecturer as author and the site as the source. Use the YouTube Citation Generator or the Online Course Citation Generator, depending on where it is hosted.
Which citation styles does the lecture generator support?: APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 at the top of the list, and any of the other 10,834 styles. Switch the style and the same details are reformatted.

How to cite a Lecture or PowerPoint in each style

Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.

All source types and styles →

More in Citation Generators

See all Citation Generators