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How do I cite my sources in a PowerPoint presentation?

Answered By: Paul Lai Last Updated: May 08, 2017 Views: 1097851

To cite your sources within a PowerPoint presentation, you can include your references or in-text citations on each slide. You can (a) provide the references verbally, (b) provide a reference list slide at the end of your presentation with corresponding in-text citations, or (c) combine these.

For any presentation, be sure your audience knows where the information, visuals, and other materials you use are from. Remember to double-check the assignment requirements and your instructor’s preferences.

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Research Guides

External Analysis Research

Citing sources in presentations.

Using Reference Lists in Presentations

Apa style powerpoint help.

In-text citations in Presentations

Using Images on Slides

If you use images, such as photographs or clipart, on your slides, you should also credit the source of the image. Do not reproduce images without permission. There are sources for clipart and images that are "public use" according to Creative Commons licensing such as Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

Photographs are treated as figures in APA Style. Therefore, the citation for the source of the image is included as a footnote in the figure caption underneath the photograph which includes the figure number and a description. The source of the image obtained is attributed using the following model:

Figure 1. Blah blah blah. From Title of Image , by Author, Year. Retrieved from URL.

Figure 1. Photograph of a sculpture in Cupertino, California. From Infinite Loop II by Kurafire (2007, January 3). Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurafire/343629962/.

Another option for citing image sources is to create a separate slide titled "Photo credits" or "Image Sources". For more assistance on the various ways to cite images in presentations (but not necessarily in APA format), see:

For more assistance in creating figures in APA Style, see the following sections & pages of the Publication Manual, 6th edition:

Option 1: Create a References handout (recommended)

Option 2: Create a References slide (if you only have a few items in your list)

Format an APA PowerPoint Reference Slide

In addition to an APA 7 research paper, your teacher may also ask you to prepare a PowerPoint slideshow presentation. Just like any other research presentation, you must include proper citations of your sources for your slideshow presentation.

Citation generator

APA In-Text Citations for PowerPoint

As you prepare your PowerPoint or Prezi slideshow presentations in APA 7, you’ll need to distill your research points down to short slides that are still clear and well-presented. Even though your research must be concise to fit on slides, you may still find yourself adding quotations or references throughout the presentation. If this is the case, you’ll need to treat the slide text the same way you would on paper.

APA citation follows the author-date referencing style, both in-text and in the references list.

Jones (2018) describes current research as “using outdated methods” (p.12).

Indeed, Jones argues that current research is outdated (2018).

Formatting Your APA Reference Slide

Students Citing Your Sources in an APA PowerPoint Presentation

The last slide of your presentation is your References slide. Just as you would in a research paper, you must correctly cite the sources you used. Follow the same formatting guidelines for multiple authors , books, journals and other periodicals as you did in your research paper. If you’re preparing a slideshow based on your written paper, it’s easy to copy and paste the entries onto the references slide.

Formatting your references slide is similar to formatting APA references in a paper. However, as you have less space available, you should single space the entries. Also, do not use the hanging indent.

Alphabetize in the same manner – by author’s last name, initial or by the title of the work, if there is no author.

Avoiding Plagiarism

You may wonder why you need to cite your sources in a slideshow given that there isn’t much room on each slide. However, remember that citing sources avoids charges of plagiarism , establishes authority and gives credit to the original author. You may also be asked to convert your slideshow into a video or to post it online for others to view.

Preparing a well-designed, concise slideshow takes some thought and you may make several revisions before you’re happy with it. Keep the content uncluttered and easy to follow. Other than space-saving measures, creating citations and formatting the references slide in a PowerPoint presentation follows the same APA style as for research papers.

APA Format and Citation

FAQ Format an APA PowerPoint Reference Slide

How to cite a powerpoint in apa.

To create a PowerPoint citation for your APA references, you’ll need the author, date, presentation title, publisher, and URL, if available. An example of an APA PowerPoint citation will look like: Smith, A. (2020, October 15). Name of the presentation [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/name of the presentation

How to cite pictures using APA in a PowerPoint?

When citing an image in a PowerPoint presentation, the citation information can go under the image on the slide or on the references slide. For the citation, you need the creator's name, the title of the work, medium, publisher, and place of publication, if available.

How do you cite a professor’s PowerPoint in APA?

To cite a professor’s PowerPoint presentation in APA, you’ll need the professor's name, date, presentation title, publisher, and the URL, if available. For example: Brown, C. (2020, January 13). The composition of atoms [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/brown/composition of atoms

How do you in-text cite a PowerPoint in APA?

The author’s last name and date are needed to make an in-text citation in APA style. This looks like (Garrett, 2019).

How to cite PowerPoint slides in APA?

When citing a specific PowerPoint slide, you'll include the slide number in addition to the author and date information. An example of this would look like (Garrett, 2019, slide 10).

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Researching and Writing an APA Psychology Paper

Difference between mla and apa citation pages, apa anthology citation examples, apa format guidelines for an a+ paper.

LibraryConnect

Q. How do I cite my sources in a PowerPoint?

Answered By: Carrie Tannehill Last Updated: Aug 16, 2021 Views: 327764

When creating a PowerPoint you'll need to cite your sources both in the text of your presentation, as well as on a references slide at the end. These citations will be similar to how you would cite resources in a traditional paper.

Every time you quote, paraphrase or use an image from a source in your presentation, you'll need an in-text citation on your slide. This will include all the same things an in-text citation includes in a paper: Author's last name, year, and location information if you are using a direct quote. Location information is either a page number, or a paragraph number.

If you are paraphrasing, the author's last name and year are sufficient.

Here is an example: (Smith, 2015, para. 5) or (Smith, 2015)

These in-text citations will correspond to a full citation you'll include on the references slide. The references slide will look similar to the references page for a paper. Put the word References at the top of the slide and list your sources in alphabetical order, by author's last name.

If you have questions about this, consider checking out the APA Citation Guide on the library website which has visual examples (including an APA PowerPoint template), ask a librarian, or stop by the library and chat with your campus librarian.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / How to Cite Sources / How to Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA, MLA or Chicago

How to Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA, MLA or Chicago

Let’s be honest: Sometimes the best information for a paper comes straight from a professor’s PowerPoint presentation. But did you know that source needs to be cited?

Whether you’re making use of your instructor’s lecture materials or pulling information from a Powerpoint found online, you need to make sure to cite your sources if you use information from it in a project or paper.

Here’s a run -t hrough of everything this page includes:

By now, you’re probably familiar with how to cite websites, books or journal articles, but not as knowledgeable about how to cite a Powerpoint presentation. In actuality, citing PowerPoint presentations aren’t all that different from citing written materials, so don’t let yourself be phased! It’s not too hard and compiling an MLA works cited or APA reference page doesn’t take too long—each one should take just a few minutes to create.

To help you with the process, we’ve put together a handy guide demonstrating how to cite a PowerPoint presentation in three commonly used citation styles: MLA, APA and Chicago.

Let’s start by looking for basic information you’ll need for the citation.

Information you may need to cite a PowerPoint Presentation:

Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in MLA format:

MLA format citation structure:

Author Last Name, First Name. Presentation Title. Month Year, URL. PowerPoint Presentation.

Example citation :

Park, Lisa. Effective Working Teams . Jan. 2011, https://www.company.meetings/teams. PowerPoint Presentation.

In-text citation structure:

Example in-text citation:

Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA format:

APA reference structure:

Author or Presenter Last Name, Middle Initial. First Initial. (Date of publication). Title of presentation [PowerPoint presentation]. Conference Name, Location. URL

Example reference:

Park, L. (2011, March 24-28). Effective working teams [PowerPoint presentation]. Regional Dairy Workers National Conference, New York, NY, United States. https://www.company.meetings/teams

Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in Chicago Style:

Chicago citation structure:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Presentation Title.” Lecture, Location of Lecture, Month Day, Year.

Example citation:

Park, Lisa. “Effective Working Teams.” Lecture, The Plaza Hotel, New York, NY, January 11, 2011.

Troubleshooting

Solution #1: how to cite a powerpoint that has multiple authors..

For a presentation with multiple authors, list the authors alphabetically by last name for the full reference citation. The citation will list each author by Last Name, First Initial.

If the PowerPoint has just two authors, separate them with a comma and an ampersand (&). If the PowerPoint has more than two authors, list the authors separated by commas.

Reference examples:

Felner, D., & Nguy, A. (2021 April 10-12). The history of Claymation [Slideshow]. Animation Now, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Felner, D., Nguy, A., Becham, G. (2021 April 10-12). The history of Claymation [Slideshow]. Animation Now, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

For an in-text citation for two authors, give both surnames separated by an ampersand (&) followed by a comma and the year of publication or presentation.

For an in-text citation for three or more authors, list the first author’s surname followed by “et al.” followed by a comma and the year of publication or presentation.

In-text citation examples:

(Felner & Nguy, 2021)

(Felner et al., 2021)

For a PowerPoint with two presenters or authors, include both names in the full works-cited citation. The names need to be written as follows: First presenter’s Last Name, First Name, and then the second presenter’s First Name and Last Name.

For an in-text citation, simply list the surnames of both presenters.

In-text citation example:

(Nguy and Felner)

Work-cited entry example:

Nguy, Anna and Dominic Felner. The History of Claymation. Apr. 2021. PowerPoint Presentation.

For a PowerPoint with three or more presenters, only list one presenter’s name followed by a comma and “et al.”

For an in-text citation for three or more authors or presenters , list the surname given in the full works-cited citation followed by “et al.”

Nguy, Anna et al. The History of Claymation. Apr. 2021. PowerPoint Presentation.

Solution #2 How to cite a slideshow that wasn’t made with PowerPoint

If making a full works-cited citation for a slideshow that was made with another program other than PowerPoint, include the medium in brackets instead of PowerPoint.

If the presentation is not in PowerPoint, and you can’t determine what software was used, include the word “slideshow” in brackets in place of PowerPoint.

Nguy, A. (2021 April 10-12). The history of Claymation [Prezi presentation]. Animation Now, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Nguy, A. (2021 April 10-12). The history of Claymation [Slideshow]. Animation Now, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

The in-text citation will be formatted like any other APA in-text citation (author last name, year).

At the end of your full works-cited citation, include the program the slideshow was made with, formatted as: ______ Presentation.

If you are uncertain of the program used, end your citation with “slideshow” followed by a period. Nguy, Anna. The history of Claymation. Apr. 2021. Prezi Presentation. Nguy, Anna. The history of Claymation . Apr. 2021. Slideshow.

The in-text citation will be formatted like any other MLA in-text citation (author last name).

Hello all paper writers! Take a moment to try our spell checker , or refresh your knowledge on English basics with our EasyBib grammar guides ! Discover a determiner definition , learn what is an adverb , review an interjection list , and more.

Updated April 26, 2021.

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To cite PowerPoint presentation slides, include the author name, year/date of presentation, the title, the source description, the website and/or university name, and the URL where the source can be found.

If the PowerPoint presentation is not accessible to the reader, cite the slides as personal communication.

If you want to cite a PowerPoint in MLA or APA style, you need to have basic information including the name of the author(s), title of the presentation, date and place of publication, and URL. For in-text citations, you need to include only the author name(s) in MLA style and author name(s) and year in APA style.

APA in-text citations

(Author Surname, publication year)

(Dhanalakshmi, 2004)

MLA in-text citations

(Author Surname)

Citation Basics

Harvard Referencing

Plagiarism Basics

Plagiarism Checker

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Citing Sources in Engineering & Science

Citing Sources in Engineering & Sciences

Unlike other disciplines, there is not one set writing or citation style for the engineering and science disciplines. This guide outlines some of the more popular formats, please note that this does not include all styles!

If you are unsure of the appropriate citation format to use, contact your professor to determine what is required for your paper or project.

Societies that have Specific Citation Formats

Many engineering and science societies or organizations have specific writing and citation styles. Some of these are listed below, if the one you are needing is not listed, try the society's website and look for an area or section on the site for resources for authors.

American Medical Association (AMA)

American Psychological Association (APA)

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How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 17, 2022.

To reference a PowerPoint presentation in APA Style , include the name of the author (whoever presented the PowerPoint), the date it was presented, the title (italicized), “PowerPoint slides” in square brackets, the name of the department and university, and the URL where the PowerPoint can be found.

Table of contents

Citing a powerpoint your readers can access, citing a powerpoint your readers can’t access, citing information quoted in a powerpoint, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

PowerPoint presentations should only be included in the reference list if your reader can access them for themselves.

PowerPoints on password-protected platforms

A login is often required to access a file on your university’s LMS (e.g. Blackboard, Canvas). In these cases, the URL included should be the login page rather than the specific location of the PowerPoint.

PowerPoints on public sites

With slides that are available on a public site, rather than from your university, replace the department and university name with the name of the website.

The same format can be used for other kinds of slides or lecture notes. Just replace “PowerPoint slides” with an appropriate description.

If your readers won’t be able to access the PowerPoint you want to cite, it should instead be cited as a personal communication .

This often depends on who will be reading your paper. For example:

Personal communications are not included in the reference list; just mention them in parentheses in the text.

Are your APA in-text citations flawless?

The AI-powered APA Citation Checker points out every error, tells you exactly what’s wrong, and explains how to fix it. Say goodbye to losing marks on your assignment!

reference paper in powerpoint

If a lecturer included an interesting quote or statistic in their slides that you want to cite, it’s best to find the original source rather than citing the PowerPoint itself.

This allows both you and the reader to see the information in context. Only cite second-hand information from a PowerPoint if you’re unable to access the original source.

The source of the information will generally be listed in the PowerPoint itself or on a handout. With this, you can locate the original source online or at your university’s library. If the source isn’t stated in the presentation, try asking the lecturer for more information.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:

(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).

Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable.

If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, June 17). How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/powerpoint-slides/

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Other students also liked, citing personal communications in apa style, how to cite a website in apa style, how to cite a conference paper in apa style, scribbr apa citation checker.

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COMMENTS

How do I cite my sources in a PowerPoint presentation?
To cite your sources within a PowerPoint presentation, you can include your references or in-text citations on each slide.
Citing Sources in Presentations
You can cite references within the text of your presentation slide using the same APA format for in-text citations (Author, Date) as in a
How to Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA
Author, A. A. (year of publication). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Presented at name of event, location. Retrieved from URL.
Format an APA PowerPoint Reference Slide
The last slide of your presentation is your References slide. Just as you would in a research paper, you must correctly cite the sources you used. Follow the
Q. How do I cite my sources in a PowerPoint?
Every time you quote, paraphrase or use an image from a source in your presentation, you'll need an in-text citation on your slide. This will include all the
How to Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA, MLA or Chicago
Author Last Name, First Name. Presentation Title. Month Year, URL. PowerPoint Presentation. Example citation: Park, Lisa.
Citing Sources in Engineering & Science
Citing sources in PowerPoint (or other presentation systems) can be treated just like a research paper. Remember: Cite quotes, paraphrased
How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA Style
To reference a PowerPoint presentation in APA Style, include the name of the author (whoever presented the PowerPoint), the date it was
How to cite sources in PowerPoint
Learn how to cite sources in PowerPoint (it's important) and the different citation options you have. You can do it!SUBSCRIBE to get our
Citing and Referencing in PowerPoint Presentations
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