Students may find useful sources prepared in slideshow format, like in PowerPoint or Prezi. Lectures, meeting notes, and other primary sources can be found in these presentations. Just like with any other source, you must cite PowerPoint presentations correctly in your APA 7 reference list. Learn how to cite a PowerPoint presentation in APA.
PowerPoint Slideshow APA Citation
While citing lectures, meeting notes, or other slideshow presentations, follow the standard APA 7 author/date citation format. State the author, date, and title of the presentation. Then, within brackets, place the format, such as [PowerPoint slides] or [Prezi slideshow presentation].
If the presentation is accessible online, include the link. Often the lecturer will post slideshows on the school’s website.
Citation Format
Author, A. A. (year of publication). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Publisher. URL or DOI
Example
Tenten, B. A. (2018). Outlining your APA research paper: An overview [PowerPoint slides]. Canvas@FNU. http://www.xxx.edu/ppt/xxxx
In-Text Citation Example
When you refer to a piece of information in the slideshow presentation, include the slide number.
Example of Direct Quotation
(Jones, 2014, slide 4)
Example of Paraphrase
(Jones, 2014)
Training Program PowerPoint Citation
Refer to these examples for how to cite a training program PowerPoint in APA format.
Training Program PowerPoint Reference List Example
Ramirez, L. (2010). Hospice volunteer training program [PowerPoint slides]. Hospice. http://www.hospice/teams
Training Program PowerPoint – In-Text Quotation
(Ramirez, 2010, slide 9)
Training Program PowerPoint – In-Text Paraphrase
(Ramirez, 2010)
Training Program PowerPoint Reference List Example 2
Bonusly. (2016). 10 dead simple ways to improve your company culture [PowerPoint slides]. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/Bonusly/10-dead-simple-ways-to-improve-your-company-culture
Training Program PowerPoint 2 – In-Text Quotation
(Bonusly, 2016, slide 2)
Training Program PowerPoint 2 – In-Text Paraphrase
(Bonusly, 2016)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation
Citing lecture PowerPoint presentations works in much the same way.
Lecture PowerPoint Citation Reference List Example
Romero, C. (2013). A tour of the cell [PowerPoint slides]. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/dalicano/06-cell-text-25594569
Lecture PowerPoint Citation – In-Text Quotation
(Romero, 2013, slide 5)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation – In-Text Paraphrase
(Romero, 2013)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation Reference List Example 2
Romero, C. (2014). Membrane structure and function [PowerPoint slides]. Pearson Education.
Lecture PowerPoint Citation 2 – In-Text Quotation
(Romero, 2014, slide 8)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation 2 – In-Text Paraphrase
(Romero, 2014)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation Reference List Example 3
Johnson, A. (2010). Online database searching strategies [PowerPoint slides]. San Jose State University. Classroom lecture.
Lecture PowerPoint Citation 3 – In-Text Quotation
(Johnson, 2010, slide 3)
Lecture PowerPoint Citation 3 – In-Text Paraphrase
(Johnson, 2010)
Meeting PowerPoint Citation
When utilizing a PowerPoint presentation from a meeting, cite the source as follows.
Meeting PowerPoint Reference List Example
Lyman, J. (2016). Death and dying [PowerPoint slides]. WeCare Hospice Services.
Meeting PowerPoint – In-Text Quotation
(Lyman, 2016, slide 4)
Meeting PowerPoint – In-Text Paraphrase
(Lyman, 2016)
Conference PowerPoint Citation
PowerPoint presentations are common during conferences too. Cite them accordingly.
Conference PowerPoint Reference List Example
Das, S. (2017). Taming the ever-evolving compliance beast: Lessons learnt at LinkedIn [PowerPoint slides]. Strata, NYC. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/ShirshankaDas/taming-the-everevolving-compliance-beast-lessons-learnt-at-linkedin-strata-nyc-2017
Conference PowerPoint – In-Text Quotation
(Das, 2017, slide 10)
Conference PowerPoint – In-Text Paraphrase
(Das, 2017)
Conference PowerPoint Reference List Example 2
O’Reily, T. (2017). WTF: Why the future is up to us [PowerPoint slides]. G20/OECD Conference.
Conference PowerPoint 2 – In-Text Quotation
(O’Reily, 2017, slide 14)
Conference PowerPoint 2 – In-Text Paraphrase
(O’Reily, 2017)
Conference PowerPoint Reference List Example 3
Smith, C. (2017). A1 and machine learning demystified [PowerPoint slides]. Midwest UX 2017.
Conference PowerPoint 3 – In-Text Quotation
(Smith, 2017, slide 2)
Conference PowerPoint 3 – In-Text Paraphrase
(Smith, 2017)
- Lectures are primary sources.
- Do not add a period after the URL.
- Include the type of presentation software, if available.
- Include as much source data as possible.
Guide Your Reader
Remember, one of the APA citations’ purposes is to guide your reader to the same source you used. As such, it’s important to provide as much information as you can within your citation, following APA citation style guidelines.
FAQ How to Cite a Powerpoint in APA Format
How do you in text cite a PowerPoint in APA?
To cite a PowerPoint in text in APA, you include the author and date of the PowerPoint when you are paraphrasing. To make a direct in text citation of a PowerPoint in APA, you include the author, date, and slide number.
(Johnson, 2020, slide 4)
How do you cite a professor's PowerPoint in APA?
To cite a professor's PowerPoint in APA, you include the author, publication year, title, [PowerPoint slides], publisher, and URL. A citation of a professor's PowerPoint slide example looks like:
Johnson, C. (2020). Literature in retrospect [PowerPoint slides]. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/johnson/literature
How do you cite a presentation in APA?
To cite a PowerPoint presentation in APA, you include the author, date, title, [PowerPoint slides], location, publisher, and URL. An example of a presentation in APA from a PowerPoint looks like:
Bailey, S. (2017). Taming the Facebook market [PowerPoint slides]. Strata, NYC. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/Bailey/taming-the-facebook-market/2017
How do I cite an online lecture in APA?
To cite an online lecture PowerPoint in APA, include the author, date, title, descriptor, publisher, and URL. You do not include a period after the URL. In action, an APA PowerPoint lecture online follows this format:
Smith, C. (2020). A look at the psychology of death [PowerPoint slides]. Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/smith/psychology-of-death
How do I cite an online lesson in APA?
The citation for an online lesson in APA of a PowerPoint follows an online lecture format in PowerPoint. Therefore, you include the author, date, title, descriptor, publisher, and URL, if available. An example of an online lesson in action follows the format:
Daren, C. (2020). Death in theory [PowerPoint slides]. The University of San Francisco.