Phrasit

Search Phrasit

Search every tool, guide, and citation page.

CITATION GUIDE 7 MIN READ

How to cite lecture slides or a PowerPoint (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard)

Lecture slides sit on a line between published and private. If the slides are posted somewhere your reader can reach, you cite them like an online document with the lecturer as author. If they are only available to your class on a closed learning platform, most styles still let you cite them, but you note the restricted access and the platform.

Written by Vikas Dulgunde, Software EngineerUpdated How this is madeConnect on LinkedIn

Generate the citation now

Build a formatted reference and in-text citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or IEEE, then check it against the rules below before you submit.

Open the free citation generator

When to use this format

Use this format for PowerPoint or Keynote slides, lecture handouts, and class presentations prepared by an instructor. The lecturer is the author, the presentation title is the title, a format label marks it as slides, and the source is the course platform, the university, or the module. Use the date shown on the slides or the term in which they were delivered.

Treat truly private, spoken lecture content that left no notes as personal communication, cited in text only. When the slides live behind a login on a learning management system such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle, you can still cite them, but make the restricted access clear so a marker understands why the link only works for enrolled students.

What you need before you start

Collect these details from the lecture, PowerPoint, or class slides itself, not from a search result or a reposted copy. Getting the fields right once makes every style format below fall into place.

  • Lecturer's name and initials.
  • The year, and the term or date where helpful.
  • Title of the lecture or presentation.
  • A format label such as [PowerPoint slides] or [Lecture notes].
  • The course code, module, university, or learning platform as the source.
  • The URL, with a note about restricted access where it applies.

Worked examples in four styles

The same facts appear in every style, but they move around and change punctuation. Match the reference-list entry and the in-text citation to the style your assignment requires.

APA 7

APA 7 names the lecturer, the year, the title with a [PowerPoint slides] label, the department or platform as the source, and the URL. If access is limited to a class, name the platform and note that login is required.

Reference list

Hassan, L. (2025). Introduction to thermodynamics [PowerPoint slides]. Department of Physics, University of Leeds. Minerva. https://minerva.leeds.ac.uk/...

In text: (Hassan, 2025)

MLA 9

MLA names the lecturer, the title in quotation marks, the course and institution, the year, and the format. Add the platform and URL when the slides are posted somewhere a reader could reach.

Reference list

Hassan, Leila. "Introduction to Thermodynamics." PHYS 1010, University of Leeds, 2025. PowerPoint presentation.

In text: (Hassan)

Chicago

Chicago names the lecturer, year, presentation title, format, course, and institution, with the URL when retrievable. A footnote can note that the slides are restricted to enrolled students.

Reference list

Hassan, Leila. 2025. “Introduction to Thermodynamics.” PowerPoint presentation, PHYS 1010, University of Leeds. https://minerva.leeds.ac.uk/...

In text: (Hassan 2025)

Harvard

Harvard names the lecturer, year, title, format, module, and institution, and adds Available at with the URL and an access date. Where access needs a login, state that the resource is restricted to students on the module.

Reference list

Hassan, L. (2025) Introduction to thermodynamics [PowerPoint presentation]. PHYS 1010. University of Leeds. Available at: https://minerva.leeds.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 15 January 2026).

In text: (Hassan, 2025)

Judgement calls and edge cases

Retrievability shapes the entry. Slides posted on an open department page are cited like any online document with a working link. Slides behind a course login can still be cited, but you flag the restricted access so a marker understands the link is for enrolled students; this is honest and standard, and it is far better than pretending the slides are publicly available.

Slides are often a secondary source standing in front of a primary one. A lecture frequently summarises a textbook, a paper, or a dataset, and where you can, it is stronger to cite the original work the lecturer drew on rather than the slide that paraphrases it. Cite the slides directly when the lecturer's own framing, diagram, or argument is what you are using, not when they are merely relaying someone else's finding.

Date the version you used. Lecturers revise slide decks between terms, so the same lecture can differ year to year. Use the year and, where it helps, the term the slides were delivered, and if you downloaded a specific file, keep it, because a later edit can change the very slide you quoted and leave your citation pointing at content that no longer exists.

Common mistakes

  • Citing slides as a generic website with no lecturer or format label.
  • Linking to a login-gated platform without noting the restricted access.
  • Citing the slides when the original source they summarise would be stronger.
  • Using the wrong term or year for a deck that is revised annually.
  • Treating a private spoken lecture as a retrievable, listable source.

Source notes

Citation rules vary by edition and discipline, and platforms relabel and remove content over time. These references are useful starting points for the current published rules:

Related guides