How to Cite a Lecture

When writing any sort of formal paper, you will need to cite all of your sources concisely and in an appropriate manner. While this will depend on the exact type of citation you are required to use, citation guidelines generally tend to be quite clear and easy to understand.

However, it’s natural to get a bit confused while citing your sources, especially when it comes to more uncommon ones, such as lectures. To that end, here is a helpful guide detailing all the different ways you could cite any lecture, depending on your required citing style:

With the APA structure

Format for citing lectures:

Last name, First initial of the author. (Year of Publication). Title of the lecture [file format]. Retrieved from Web address.

Example:

Vanderbauwhede, W. (2020). A few thoughts on work-life-balance [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/WimVanderbauwhede/a-few-thoughts-on-work-lifebalance

With the MLA structure

Format for citing lectures:

Last name, First name of the author. “Title of the lecture.” Title of the Course. Name of the College. Location. Day Month Year. Lecture.

Example:

Smith, Mary. “Jane Austen and Psychoanalytic Theory.” Introduction to Literary Criticism. The College of Saint Rose. Albany. 5 March 2009. Lecture.

With the Chicago style

  • Format for citing lectures in a footnote:

First name Last name of the author, “Title of the lecture” (class lecture, Title of the Course, Name of the College, Location, Month Day, Year).

Example:

Arthur Mattuck, “Course 18.03: Differential Equations” (class lecture, Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 5, 2003).

  • Format for citing lectures in a bibliography:

Last name, First name of the author. “Title of the lecture.” Class Lecture, Title of the Course, Name of the College, Location, Month Day, Year.

Example:

Mattuck, Arthur. “Course 18.03: Differential Equations.” Class Lecture, Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 5, 2003.

Regardless of the citation format you are required to use, this detailed guide above will hopefully allow you to cite your sources correctly, in the most appropriate manner.