reference list presentation

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APA 7th Edition Guide

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Citing Sources in PowerPoint Slides

• PowerPoint - In-text Citations
• PowerPoint - References List

Note:  APA does not have specific rules about the format of PowerPoint slides.  Rasmussen University does have recommended guidelines outlined below and in the attached PPT presentation.

PowerPoint slides  may   need citations, depending on what type of information is included on the slide.

If the text on a slide is a quote (someone else's words, verbatim) or someone else's ideas in the presenter's own words, then a citation is needed.

If the text placed on a slide is simply a word or phrase that represents a topic that the presenter will be discussing in greater detail, then a citation is not needed.

The table below includes two PowerPoint slides (left side). The column on the right tells whether or not the information would need to be cited and why.

Speaker Notes:  Some assignments require text in the Speaker Notes area of the PowerPoint slide. If information from a source is quoted, summarized, or paraphrased in that area, an in-text citation and reference will likely be required. Ask your instructor for clarification.

• Presentations & APA Citation Style at Rasmussen University Great resource to share with students if they are having struggles with APA in PPTs.

PowerPoint Slides - References

There are two ways to include the Reference list in your presentation:

• Coordinating reference lists are typically handed out during or after the presentation either in print if presenting in person, or electronically if presenting online. This is the preferred method of including a Reference list of the sources cited in your slide deck.
• Include a Reference list in the last slide of the presentation. This is an acceptable method if there are not many resources to include. Avoid adding so many resources to the list that the type is not legible to those attending the presentation

Creating the Reference List Slide

• If you use outside sources in your presentation (noted in your in-text citations), you must cite those sources on a References page/slide.
• Your Reference page can be created in NoodleTools, exported to Microsoft Word, and distributed or submitted with your slides to those who attend your presentation. Ask your instructor if they would like a Reference slide as the last slide of your presentation. Note that you may need more than one slide depending on how many references are needed.

See the slide deck below for more information.

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• Last Updated: Apr 5, 2024 12:21 PM
• URL: https://guides.rasmussen.edu/apa

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:  

• Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in MLA format
• Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in APA format
• Cite a PowerPoint Presentation in Chicago Style

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:

• Author or authors of the presentation
• Presentation title
• Date of publication/presentation
• Place of publication/where the presentation was given
• URL (if used to locate the 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:

(Last Name)

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 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).

(Nguy, 2021)

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)

(Dhanalakshmi)

Citation Basics

Harvard Referencing

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• Knowledge Base
• How to cite a PowerPoint in APA Style

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

Published on November 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 27, 2023.

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.

You can also use our free  APA Citation Generator to cite a PowerPoint presentation quickly and easily.

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.

Scribbr Citation Checker New

The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

• Missing commas and periods
• Incorrect usage of “et al.”
• Ampersands (&) in narrative citations
• Missing reference entries

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:

• If you’re writing a paper for class, and you want to cite a PowerPoint that’s available on your university’s Blackboard site, you can use the standard format, because your teacher can access the slides.
• If you want to cite the same PowerPoint in a paper you’re submitting to a journal, you’ll have to cite it as a personal communication, because the journal’s readers can’t access it.

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

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. (2023, December 27). How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved April 17, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/powerpoint-slides/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Powerpoint Presentations

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On this Page

Powerpoint presentations - what do i need to cite, powerpoint presentations - where do my citations go, other digital assignments - where do my citations go, quick rules for an apa reference list.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. Here are nine quick rules for this Reference list.

• Start a new page for your Reference list. Centre the title, References, at the top of the page.
• Double-space the list.
• Start the first line of each reference at the left margin; indent each subsequent line five spaces (a hanging indent).
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the reference. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first (and middle, if listed) initials followed by periods.
• Italicize the titles of these works: books, audiovisual material, internet documents and newspapers, and the title and volume number of journals and magazines.
• Do not italicize titles of most parts of works, such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document.
• In titles of non-periodicals (books, videotapes, websites, reports, poems, essays, chapters, etc), capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, and all proper nouns (names of people, places, organizations, nationalities).
• If a web source (not from the library) is not a stable archived version, or you are unsure whether it is stable, include a statement of the accessed date before the link.

What am I legally required to cite in my digital assignment?

According to the Copyright Act, you must cite the sources (images, videos, books, websites, etc.) that you used in your digital assignment ( 29.21(1)(b) ). You must cite the source (where you got the information from) and the creator of the content (if available). You must also make sure that any copyrighted materials you used in your assignment meet the conditions set out in section  29.21  of the Copyright Act. For a list of conditions and more information, please visit:  http://studentcopyright.wordpress.com/mashups/

What citation style do I use for the sources in my digital assignment?

There is no one required citation style, so please defer to your instructor's directions and citation style preference.

List your sources in a slide at the end of the Powerpoint presentation, with footnotes throughout your presentation as applicable.

You could also provide a print copy of the sources you used to those attending your presentation.

Seneca Libraries has the following recommendations for how to organize your list of sources for digital assignments. Please check with your instructor first:

Videos you create: 

List your sources in a credits screen at the end of the video.

Websites you create:

• For images, include a citation under each image using this format “From: XXXX” and then make the image a link back to the original image ( example  - picture of little girl). Or list the citation at the bottom of the web page.
• For quotes or material from other sources, include an in-text citation that links back to the original material ( example  – second paragraph).

Images you create: 

If possible list your sources at the bottom or side of the image ( example ). Otherwise, include a list of citations alongside the image wherever it’s uploaded (e.g. Flickr, Blackboard).

**Please note that the above are recommendations only and your instructor may have a preference and directions for how and where you list your sources for your assignment.**

If you don't receive specific instructions from your instructor, try to include your citations in a way that doesn't impact the design of your digital assignment.

For more information please contact Seneca Libraries copyright team at  [email protected]

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Citing Business Sources in APA Style

7. citing sources in presentations.

• 1. About this guide
• 2. Citing references in-text
• 3. Citing sources in your reference list
• 4. Reference List Examples: Brock Library Business Databases
• 5. Reference List Examples: Statistical Sources
• 6. Reference List Examples: Audiovisual Sources

7.3: Using Reference Lists in Presentations

7.4: apa style powerpoint help.

• The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style) was designed to assist writers in preparing research papers (such as journal articles) and therefore does not actually contain any guidelines on preparing powerpoint presentations according to APA Style.
• Typically, if you are required to create a presentation according to APA Style, you should clarify with your professor if he/she actually just expects you to put your in-text citations and references in APA Style.

7.1: In-text citations 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 written essay.
• Remember to cite sources for direct quotations, paraphrased materials, and sources of facts (such as market share data in the example slide).
• Your Reference List must include the sources cited on your presentation slides.

7.2: 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: https://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/
• Google Advanced Image Search allows you so filter results by usage rights (e.g., free to use or share):  https://www.google.com/advanced_image_search
• ClipSafari:  https://www.clipsafari.com
• Openclipart.org:  https://openclipart.org/
• Noun Project:  https://thenounproject.com   (free membership, must give credit to creator of icon following a specific format)

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 https://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:

• Image Citation Guide (UBC Copyright Office)
• How to credit photos (Photoshare.org). Provides examples of various ways to credit image sources in Powerpoint, on webpages, and in print materials.
• How to cite clip art or stock image references (APA Style website) Consult the APA Style site for the latest guidance on how to cite images according to the 7th edition.

Option 1: Create a References handout (recommended)

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

• use a large enough font (e.g., 24 points)
• limit to 12 lines of text on each slide

• Power up your PowerPoint (gradPSYCH at APA.org) Seven research-backed tips for effective presentations. Includes links to digital extras: "the worst PowerPoint presentation ever made" and "Comedian Don McMillan's PowerPoint pet peeves".
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• Last Updated: Apr 17, 2024 8:34 AM
• URL: https://researchguides.library.brocku.ca/APABusiness

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APA 7th Referencing Style Guide

Powerpoint slides.

• Referencing & APA style
• In-text citation
• Elements of a reference
• Format & examples of a reference list
• Conferences
• Reports & grey literature
• Figures (graphs and images)
• Theses and dissertations
• Audio works
• Films, TV & video
• Visual works
• Computer software, games & apps
• Lecture notes & Intranet resources
• Legal resources
• Personal communications
• Social media
• Specific health examples
• Standards & patents
• Websites & webpages
• Footnotes and appendices
• Frequently asked questions

Reference format for PowerPoint slides available online

• AUT Library recommends adding the paper code and title to the reference

PowerPoint slides online

Powerpoint slides come from a learning management system (e.g. canvas).

• If your audience are able to access to the resource, provide the name of the site and its URL
• If the slides are not available to be accessed by your reader, you may treat them as personal communication cited in text. Reference entry is not needed. See the personal communications page
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• Last Updated: Apr 15, 2024 3:37 PM
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• Faculty Portal

Reference List: Common Reference List Examples

Article (with doi).

Alvarez, E., & Tippins, S. (2019). Socialization agents that Puerto Rican college students use to make financial decisions. Journal of Social Change , 11 (1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.5590/JOSC.2019.11.1.07

Laplante, J. P., & Nolin, C. (2014). Consultas and socially responsible investing in Guatemala: A case study examining Maya perspectives on the Indigenous right to free, prior, and informed consent. Society & Natural Resources , 27 , 231–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2013.861554

Use the DOI number for the source whenever one is available. DOI stands for "digital object identifier," a number specific to the article that can help others locate the source. In APA 7, format the DOI as a web address. Active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list. Also see our Quick Answer FAQ, "Can I use the DOI format provided by library databases?"

Jerrentrup, A., Mueller, T., Glowalla, U., Herder, M., Henrichs, N., Neubauer, A., & Schaefer, J. R. (2018). Teaching medicine with the help of “Dr. House.” PLoS ONE , 13 (3), Article e0193972. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0193972

For journal articles that are assigned article numbers rather than page ranges, include the article number in place of the page range.

For more on citing electronic resources, see  Electronic Sources References .

Article (Without DOI)

Found in a common academic research database or in print.

Casler , T. (2020). Improving the graduate nursing experience through support on a social media platform. MEDSURG Nursing , 29 (2), 83–87.

If an article does not have a DOI and you retrieved it from a common academic research database through the university library, there is no need to include any additional electronic retrieval information. The reference list entry looks like the entry for a print copy of the article. (This format differs from APA 6 guidelines that recommended including the URL of a journal's homepage when the DOI was not available.) Note that APA 7 has additional guidance on reference list entries for articles found only in specific databases or archives such as Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, UpToDate, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global, and university archives. See APA 7, Section 9.30 for more information.

Found on an Open Access Website

Eaton, T. V., & Akers, M. D. (2007). Whistleblowing and good governance. CPA Journal , 77 (6), 66–71. http://archives.cpajournal.com/2007/607/essentials/p58.htm

Provide the direct web address/URL to a journal article found on the open web, often on an open access journal's website. In APA 7, active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list.

Weinstein, J. A. (2010).  Social change  (3rd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.

If the book has an edition number, include it in parentheses after the title of the book. If the book does not list any edition information, do not include an edition number. The edition number is not italicized.

American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.).

If the author and publisher are the same, only include the author in its regular place and omit the publisher.

Lencioni, P. (2012). The advantage: Why organizational health trumps everything else in business . Jossey-Bass. https://amzn.to/343XPSJ

As a change from APA 6 to APA 7, it is no longer necessary to include the ebook format in the title. However, if you listened to an audiobook and the content differs from the text version (e.g., abridged content) or your discussion highlights elements of the audiobook (e.g., narrator's performance), then note that it is an audiobook in the title element in brackets. For ebooks and online audiobooks, also include the DOI number (if available) or nondatabase URL but leave out the electronic retrieval element if the ebook was found in a common academic research database, as with journal articles. APA 7 allows for the shortening of long DOIs and URLs, as shown in this example. See APA 7, Section 9.36 for more information.

Chapter in an Edited Book

Poe, M. (2017). Reframing race in teaching writing across the curriculum. In F. Condon & V. A. Young (Eds.), Performing antiracist pedagogy in rhetoric, writing, and communication (pp. 87–105). University Press of Colorado.

Include the page numbers of the chapter in parentheses after the book title.

Christensen, L. (2001). For my people: Celebrating community through poetry. In B. Bigelow, B. Harvey, S. Karp, & L. Miller (Eds.), Rethinking our classrooms: Teaching for equity and justice (Vol. 2, pp. 16–17). Rethinking Schools.

Also include the volume number or edition number in the parenthetical information after the book title when relevant.

Freud, S. (1961). The ego and the id. In J. Strachey (Ed.),  The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud  (Vol. 19, pp. 3-66). Hogarth Press. (Original work published 1923)

When a text has been republished as part of an anthology collection, after the author’s name include the date of the version that was read. At the end of the entry, place the date of the original publication inside parenthesis along with the note “original work published.” For in-text citations of republished work, use both dates in the parenthetical citation, original date first with a slash separating the years, as in this example: Freud (1923/1961). For more information on reprinted or republished works, see APA 7, Sections 9.40-9.41.

Classroom Resources

Citing classroom resources.

If you need to cite content found in your online classroom, use the author (if there is one listed), the year of publication (if available), the title of the document, and the main URL of Walden classrooms. For example, you are citing study notes titled "Health Effects of Exposure to Forest Fires," but you do not know the author's name, your reference entry will look like this:

Health effects of exposure to forest fires [Lecture notes]. (2005). Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

If you do know the author of the document, your reference will look like this:

Smith, A. (2005). Health effects of exposure to forest fires [PowerPoint slides]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com  

A few notes on citing course materials:

• [Lecture notes]
• [Course handout]
• [Study notes]
• It can be difficult to determine authorship of classroom documents. If an author is listed on the document, use that. If the resource is clearly a product of Walden (such as the course-based videos), use Walden University as the author. If you are unsure or if no author is indicated, place the title in the author spot, as above.
• If you cannot determine a date of publication, you can use n.d. (for "no date") in place of the year.

Note:  The web location for Walden course materials is not directly retrievable without a password, and therefore, following APA guidelines, use the main URL for the class sites: https://class.waldenu.edu.

Citing Tempo Classroom Resources

Clear author: 

Smith, A. (2005). Health effects of exposure to forest fires [PowerPoint slides]. Walden University Brightspace. https://mytempo.waldenu.edu

Unclear author:

Health effects of exposure to forest fires [Lecture notes]. (2005). Walden University Brightspace. https://mytempo.waldenu.edu

Conference Sessions and Presentations

Feinman, Y. (2018, July 27). Alternative to proctoring in introductory statistics community college courses [Poster presentation]. Walden University Research Symposium, Minneapolis, MN, United States. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/symposium2018/23/

Torgerson, K., Parrill, J., & Haas, A. (2019, April 5-9). Tutoring strategies for online students [Conference session]. The Higher Learning Commission Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, United States. http://onlinewritingcenters.org/scholarship/torgerson-parrill-haas-2019/

Dictionary Entry

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Leadership. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary . Retrieved May 28, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leadership

When constructing a reference for an entry in a dictionary or other reference work that has no byline (i.e., no named individual authors), use the name of the group—the institution, company, or organization—as author (e.g., Merriam Webster, American Psychological Association, etc.). The name of the entry goes in the title position, followed by "In" and the italicized name of the reference work (e.g., Merriam-Webster.com dictionary , APA dictionary of psychology ). In this instance, APA 7 recommends including a retrieval date as well for this online source since the contents of the page change over time. End the reference entry with the specific URL for the defined word.

Discussion Board Post

Osborne, C. S. (2010, June 29). Re: Environmental responsibility [Discussion post]. Walden University Canvas.  https://waldenu.instructure.com  

Dissertations or Theses

Retrieved From a Database

Nalumango, K. (2019). Perceptions about the asylum-seeking process in the United States after 9/11 (Publication No. 13879844) [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

Retrieved From an Institutional or Personal Website

Evener. J. (2018). Organizational learning in libraries at for-profit colleges and universities [Doctoral dissertation, Walden University]. ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6606&context=dissertations

Unpublished Dissertation or Thesis

Kirwan, J. G. (2005). An experimental study of the effects of small-group, face-to-face facilitated dialogues on the development of self-actualization levels: A movement towards fully functional persons [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center.

For further examples and information, see APA 7, Section 10.6.

Legal Material

For legal references, APA follows the recommendations of The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation , so if you have any questions beyond the examples provided in APA, seek out that resource as well.

Court Decisions

Reference format:

Name v. Name, Volume Reporter Page (Court Date). URL

Sample reference entry:

Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/347us483

Sample citation:

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.

Note: Italicize the case name when it appears in the text of your paper.

Name of Act, Title Source § Section Number (Year). URL

Sample reference entry for a federal statute:

Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S.C. § 1400 et seq. (2004). https://www.congress.gov/108/plaws/publ446/PLAW-108publ446.pdf

Sample reference entry for a state statute:

Minnesota Nurse Practice Act, Minn. Stat. §§ 148.171 et seq. (2019). https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/148.171

Sample citation: Minnesota nurses must maintain current registration in order to practice (Minnesota Nurse Practice Act, 2010).

Note: The § symbol stands for "section." Use §§ for sections (plural). To find this symbol in Microsoft Word, go to "Insert" and click on Symbol." Look in the Latin 1-Supplement subset. Note: U.S.C. stands for "United States Code." Note: The Latin abbreviation " et seq. " means "and what follows" and is used when the act includes the cited section and ones that follow. Note: List the chapter first followed by the section or range of sections.

Unenacted Bills and Resolutions

(Those that did not pass and become law)

Title [if there is one], bill or resolution number, xxx Cong. (year). URL

Sample reference entry for Senate bill:

Anti-Phishing Act, S. 472, 109th Cong. (2005). https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/472

Sample reference entry for House of Representatives resolution:

Anti-Phishing Act, H.R. 1099, 109th Cong. (2005). https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/house-bill/1099

The Anti-Phishing Act (2005) proposed up to 5 years prison time for people running Internet scams.

These are the three legal areas you may be most apt to cite in your scholarly work. For more examples and explanation, see APA 7, Chapter 11.

Magazine Article

Clay, R. (2008, June). Science vs. ideology: Psychologists fight back about the misuse of research. Monitor on Psychology , 39 (6). https://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/06/ideology

Note that for citations, include only the year: Clay (2008). For magazine articles retrieved from a common academic research database, leave out the URL. For magazine articles from an online news website that is not an online version of a print magazine, follow the format for a webpage reference list entry.

Newspaper Article (Retrieved Online)

Baker, A. (2014, May 7). Connecticut students show gains in national tests. New York Times . http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/nyregion/national-assessment-of-educational-progress-results-in-Connecticut-and-New-Jersey.html

Include the full date in the format Year, Month Day. Do not include a retrieval date for periodical sources found on websites. Note that for citations, include only the year: Baker (2014). For newspaper articles retrieved from a common academic research database, leave out the URL. For newspaper articles from an online news website that is not an online version of a print newspaper, follow the format for a webpage reference list entry.

Online Video/Webcast

Walden University. (2013).  An overview of learning  [Video]. Walden University Canvas.  https://waldenu.instructure.com  

Use this format for online videos such as Walden videos in classrooms. Most of our classroom videos are produced by Walden University, which will be listed as the author in your reference and citation. Note: Some examples of audiovisual materials in the APA manual show the word “Producer” in parentheses after the producer/author area. In consultation with the editors of the APA manual, we have determined that parenthetical is not necessary for the videos in our courses. The manual itself is unclear on the matter, however, so either approach should be accepted. Note that the speaker in the video does not appear in the reference list entry, but you may want to mention that person in your text. For instance, if you are viewing a video where Tobias Ball is the speaker, you might write the following: Tobias Ball stated that APA guidelines ensure a consistent presentation of information in student papers (Walden University, 2013). For more information on citing the speaker in a video, see our page on Common Citation Errors .

Taylor, R. [taylorphd07]. (2014, February 27). Scales of measurement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDsMUlexaMY

Walden University Academic Skills Center. (2020, April 15). One-way ANCOVA: Introduction [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_XnNDQ5CNW8

For videos from streaming sites, use the person or organization who uploaded the video in the author space to ensure retrievability, whether or not that person is the speaker in the video. A username can be provided in square brackets. As a change from APA 6 to APA 7, include the publisher after the title, and do not use "Retrieved from" before the URL. See APA 7, Section 10.12 for more information and examples.

See also reference list entry formats for TED Talks .

Technical and Research Reports

Edwards, C. (2015). Lighting levels for isolated intersections: Leading to safety improvements (Report No. MnDOT 2015-05). Center for Transportation Studies. http://www.cts.umn.edu/Publications/ResearchReports/reportdetail.html?id=2402

Technical and research reports by governmental agencies and other research institutions usually follow a different publication process than scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. However, they present original research and are often useful for research papers. Sometimes, researchers refer to these types of reports as gray literature , and white papers are a type of this literature. See APA 7, Section 10.4 for more information.

Reference list entires for TED Talks follow the usual guidelines for multimedia content found online. There are two common places to find TED talks online, with slightly different reference list entry formats for each.

TED Talk on the TED website

If you find the TED Talk on the TED website, follow the format for an online video on an organizational website:

Owusu-Kesse, K. (2020, June). 5 needs that any COVID-19 response should meet [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/kwame_owusu_kesse_5_needs_that_any_covid_19_response_should_meet

The speaker is the author in the reference list entry if the video is posted on the TED website. For citations, use the speaker's surname.

TED Talk on YouTube

If you find the TED Talk on YouTube or another streaming video website, follow the usual format for streaming video sites:

TED. (2021, February 5). The shadow pandemic of domestic violence during COVID-19 | Kemi DaSilvalbru [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGdID_ICFII

TED is the author in the reference list entry if the video is posted on YouTube since it is the channel on which the video is posted. For citations, use TED as the author.

Walden University Course Catalog

To include the Walden course catalog in your reference list, use this format:

Walden University. (2020). 2019-2020 Walden University catalog . https://catalog.waldenu.edu/index.php

If you cite from a specific portion of the catalog in your paper, indicate the appropriate section and paragraph number in your text:

...which reflects the commitment to social change expressed in Walden University's mission statement (Walden University, 2020, Vision, Mission, and Goals section, para. 2).

And in the reference list:

Walden University. (2020). Vision, mission, and goals. In 2019-2020 Walden University catalog. https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=172&navoid=59420&hl=vision&returnto=search

Vartan, S. (2018, January 30). Why vacations matter for your health . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/why-vacations-matter/index.html

For webpages on the open web, include the author, date, webpage title, organization/site name, and URL. (There is a slight variation for online versions of print newspapers or magazines. For those sources, follow the models in the previous sections of this page.)

American Federation of Teachers. (n.d.). Community schools . http://www.aft.org/issues/schoolreform/commschools/index.cfm

If there is no specified author, then use the organization’s name as the author. In such a case, there is no need to repeat the organization's name after the title.

In APA 7, active hyperlinks for DOIs and URLs should be used for documents meant for screen reading. Present these hyperlinks in blue and underlined text (the default formatting in Microsoft Word), although plain black text is also acceptable. Be consistent in your formatting choice for DOIs and URLs throughout your reference list.

Related Resources

Knowledge Check: Common Reference List Examples

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Library Connect

How do I include references in my presentation slides?

• by The Library
• posted August 24, 2022

Have you got a presentation to do this trimester? If you’re planning on using PowerPoint for your presentation you might be wondering how to include referencing in your slides.     

Always check your assessment guidelines first or ask your lecturer if there is a particular way you should present the references in your PowerPoint.     

Your slides will likely have minimum text in order to communicate your message effectively. However, as with other assignment types you should provide in-text citations when paraphrasing or using direct quotes and reference any images or figures you include.  You will likely need to include a correctly formatted reference list or bibliography at the end of the PowerPoint presentation.     

The Referencing guides have in-text citation and reference list formats and include information and examples for referencing images and figures.    

For tips on creating an effective and engaging presentation check out Presentations – video, in-person, online .     

If you would like to learn more about referencing and assignment writing, you can join a Library workshop this trimester. If you need additional help with referencing you can request a consultation with a Librarian.    

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Does A Presentation Need References?

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation

The importance of including references is pretty obvious while you’re writing a research paper or article, be it for handing over to your teacher or publishing online by yourself. 

But what about a presentation? Do you still need to include references in your presentation? Are references in a presentation a necessity or merely a redundancy? If they’re an important part of the presentation, just how do you go about including them? 

Confusing, I know.

But that’s what this article is for! 

Now, time to answer the big questions…

Should A Presentation Contain References? 

Yes, absolutely. 

Referencing is a way to add credence to the claims and statements in your presentation by providing evidence of where you’ve sourced them from. There are millions and millions of places from which you can discover the references you wish to include in your presentation. 

If you’re going to be delivering a presentation in a professional or formal setting like a school or workplace, you should try to always include references in your presentation. This shows your audience that you have done your research and that you are crediting the source of your hard work instead of plagiarized stuff.

By citing the work of another author, you acknowledge and respect the hard work and intellectual property of another writer. This is a marker of trust and respect not just for the author you’re citing, but also for yourself. So to sum it up, adding references to your presentation, especially if it’s a formal one, is a good idea. 

Why You Need To Add References To Your Presentation 

Now that we know that referencing is an important part of any presentation, let’s move onto the next big question: why is it so important to include references in your presentation? There are many reasons for this, some of which I’ve listed below. 

1. Proof That You’ve Done Your Research 

As mentioned above, adding references to a presentation lets the audience know that you know what you’re talking about and that you’ve done your research on the topic. If you’re listening to a presentation that offers no sources at all, you might find yourself wondering: just how does this person know so-and-so to be true? Where did they get this information from? Is the information they’re giving true and reliable? 

By adding references to your presentation, you prevent this seed of doubt about your information’s authenticity from creeping into your audience’s mind. 

Now that the source of your presentation is on the table, they can turn their attention to more important stuff: your actual presentation. 

2. Helps You Filter Illegitimate Sources 

For any given topic, there are millions of articles or blogs, or other information sources on the internet that you can turn to. A common question that pops up while dealing with such a vast storehouse of resources is: how do I pick which information to include and which not to include? 

Most often, people tend to include the information that is the easiest to understand and access. However, just because an article is easy to access doesn’t necessarily mean that the information it contains is legitimate or true or based on a solid source of research work itself.

Most people often don’t bother to check the legitimacy of a source.

However, when you realize that you have the onus of providing your audience with the source of your information, the pressure to filter through all your sources and check whether they’re legit or not increases. 

After all, now you’re not the only person who’s going to know where your information is coming from. The audience will, too. 

This added responsibility works to make you more prudent while selecting which information to include in your presentation, and which to discard. 

3. Avoids Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own. If done deliberately, plagiarism is unprofessional and immoral. And even if you’re not doing it deliberately, nobody likes to see plagiarized stuff, doesn’t matter whether it’s for a project or article or in a presentation.

Indulging in plagiarism is not just morally bad, but it can also have real-life, legal repercussions, as plagiarizing someone else’s work is a legal offense. So, it’s better to stick to the safe side and add references wherever you feel it’s necessary to include them in your presentation. 

4. Gives Due Credit To The Source 

Nobody picks a source that doesn’t make sense or doesn’t add value to your presentation in any way. If you’re picking a source, it means that the source is good.

It means that they’re probably well-versed or even experts in their field, and have spent a lot of time doing their research on the topic at hand. Mentioning the source of your information, thus, is a way of acknowledging the hard work and efforts of the person behind it. It is a way of offering credit to the source where the credit is due.  

5. Helps Distinguish Your Own Ideas From Your Research 

Another reason why adding citations in a presentation is so essential is because it helps the audience distinguish between the original ideas provided by you, the presenter, and the ones that belong to someone else. 

This distinction is important, as not every piece of information that you choose to include in your presentation necessarily reflects your own point of view about the topic.

Sometimes, in fact, you might not agree with the ideas presented by a source, but you might need to provide different perspectives on a topic or simply explain something. 

Besides, another reason why it’s important to distinguish the original ideas of the presentation is because sometimes they can be unique and remarkable, and help you stand out from other presentators in terms of creativity and originality.

When the audience or the judges realize that a particular point or topic that they really like is coming from you , the person in front of them, and not some distant sources off of the internet, their opinion of you improves. 

And who doesn’t want that, right? 

When To And When Not To Include References In Your Presentation 

Now that we’ve wrapped up with the importance of adding references in a presentation, let’s move into the next commonly asked question:  when should you add references to a presentation? 

There are a few guidelines to keep in mind when you’re attempting to determine whether or not to add references to a presentation. 

A reference or citation should be used when you’re employing to support your point content that did not originate with you. 

Following are a few scenarios in which you might want to add references in your presentation: 

You Need To Add References…

1. when you’re paraphrasing or summarizing someone else’s words.

When you’re summarizing or paraphrasing what someone else said, it’s always good practice to add references for the same. That is because, even though you’re explaining their research in your own words, it is their research, after all. 

2. When you’re introducing information that is not common knowledge 

Another scenario where it’s wise to add references is when the information you’re introducing is not commonly known. So, if you’re saying something about, say, the theories of microeconomics, it’s important to cite where these theories are coming from. 

3. When you’re directly quoting someone else

  It’s essential to add a reference if you’re directly quoting what someone else said. If you’re saying word-to-word what someone else said, make sure to put those words in quotes and to give due credit to the original source or speaker. 

4. When you’re using facts that you’ve discovered in another source

  It’s always wise to mention clearly to the audience if the facts and/or statistics you’re using in your presentation are something that you assembled from another source. If the research is original (for eg: if you’ve carried out a survey yourself and are quoting the results of the same) then you don’t need to cite yourself.  

Confused how to add facts to your speech? Check out our article on 11 Steps To Add Facts In A Speech Without Making It Boring for some tips.

5. When you’re introducing something that’s highly debatable

Make sure to add references if you’re providing multiple points of view on topics that are highly debatable. It’s important for the listener to be able to distinguish what opinions and beliefs are held by you i.e their speaker and which ones are derived from other sources. 

Now, let’s move onto the next part: when should you not include references in your presentation? 

You do not need to include references if…

1. what you’re saying is your own insight.

You don’t need to include references when what you’re saying is something that you came up with on your own. While it’s important to use a vast array of resources to support your point, equally imperative is to include in the presentation your own thoughts and opinions on the topic. 

2. What you’re saying is common knowledge

There are many things that are common knowledge, and including citations for the is not necessary. For instance, if you’re staying something like, say, Mahatma Gandhi believed in non-violence, you don’t need to include a reference for your statement–after all, that’s a pretty well-known fact. 

However, while you’re ascertaining whether or not to include a reference for a statement in your presentation, it’s important to determine whom the piece of information is common knowledge for. Something that is popularly known in a particular field might not be that well known to common people. So, make sure to tread carefully. 

3. When You’re Using Your Own Artwork, Video, etc. :

You don’t need to include references when the image or other piece of media is something that you’ve created on your own. However, if you’re using someone else’s audio clip, image etc. make sure to add references for the same. 

4. When You’re Using Your Own Research 

As mentioned above, if you’re using your own research to support/contradict something, you don’t need to add references for the same. After all, the research is a product of your own effort and not someone else’s. 

How To Include References In Your Presentation

So now that you know the importance of adding references in your presentation and have filtered through what kind of information you need or don’t need to add references for, the next step is to figure out how to add the references in your presentation. 

A few guidelines for the same are as follows: 

In-Text Citations In A Presentation

You can use references within the text of your presentation slide itself. For this, you can follow the APA format for in-text citations (Author, Date) that is used in regular, written essays and research papers.

Or you can also go with any other format that you’re familiar and comfortable with. In-text citations are a great way to cite quotes, facts, statistics etc. However, while using in-text citations, don’t forget that you need to include the cited sources in your slide in your reference list as well. 

Using Reference Lists 

Reference lists are generally added at the end of the presentation to provide a summary of all the sources you’ve cited in the rest of your presentation. 

Make sure that both; your in-text citations and reference lists follow the same format. That is, if you’re using an APA format for your in-text citations, don’t use an MLA format for your reference list. Stick to the same format for your in-text citations and reference list. 

Don’t begin your presentation with a reference list–the list should be placed in a separate slide–or slides–at the end of your presentation. If you feel like your reference list is quite exhaustive, then you can skip adding it to your presentation and pass out a reference list handout to your audience instead. 

Adding References For Media 

If you wish to snag your audience’s attention and keep it with you during your presentation, it’s important to add visual stimuli like photographs, GIFs, etc. to your presentation. However, while using visual elements like photographs in your presentation, it’s important not to plagiarize them. Don’t just pick a random image off of Google. Instead, select pictures from sources that are open for “public use”. For example, Flickr. 

Also, since images are treated as figures in the APA style, you also need to add citations for them. 

You can do this by adding a footnote including the figure number and a description in the caption beneath the photograph. You could also create a separate slide with the title “Media Sources” or something similar and make a list of your image sources. 

How To Cite References In A Presentation With APA Format?  

Although the APA manual does not have a separate section on how to format a PowerPoint presentation, you can structure your presentation slides in such a way that they follow APA style guidelines.  To do this, keep in mind the following points: 

• On your title slide, include the same information that you would have on the title page of your research.  
• In-text citations are to be used if you’ve included any of the following in your presentation: quote, paraphrase, image, graph, table, data, audio, or video file. The following format is to be used for the in-text citations: Author, A. A. (year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Website Name.  https://xxxxx
• Do not use copyrighted images, as photographs are considered figures in APA style. If you’re using photographs produced from an outside source, make sure to cite it. 
• Place the reference list on the last slide of your presentation.  

To sum up, it’s important to add references in your presentation, as they not only avoid any unintentional plagarism on your part, but also act as proof of your research, help you filter illegitimate sources, and also distinguishes your original ideas from those that belong to someone else. Whether you need to include reference for a particular piece of information or not, however, depends on a variety of factors. Still, it is better to err on the side of caution. Over-referencing is better than under-referencing. 

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Harvard Reference Style

• Introduction
• Harvard in-text references
• Harvard reference list
• Films (Motion pictures)
• Government publications
• Images/Figures/Tables
• Journal articles
• Lecturer notes/handouts
• Magazine articles
• Newspaper articles
• Personal communication
• PowerPoint slides
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• Social media
• Television programmes
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Powerpoint slides: Reference format

A basic reference list entry for Powerpoint slides:

• Author or authors; the surname is followed by initials
• Year of compilation of Powerpoint slides 
• Title of presentation (in italics)
• [Lecturer notes or Powerpoint slides]
• Available: URL [Date of access]

Kunka, J.L. 2018.  Conquering the comma  [PowerPoint slides]. Available:  http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops//pp/index.html#presentations  [15 March 2018].

PowerPoint slides: Examples

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• Last Updated: Nov 21, 2022 12:04 PM
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Harvard Referencing Guide: PowerPoint Presentations

• Introduction to the Guide
• The Harvard Referencing Method
• Cite Them Right Style
• Referencing Example
• Cite-Them-Right Text Book
• Online Tutorials
• Reference List / Bibliography
• Introduction
• Short Quotations
• Long Quotations
• Single Author
• Two Authors
• Three Authors
• Four or More Authors
• 2nd Edition
• Chapter in an Edited Book
• Journal Article - Online
• Journal Article - Printed
• Newspaper Article - Online
• Newspaper Article - Printed
• Webpage - Introduction
• Webpage - Individual Authors
• Webpage - Corporate Authors
• Webpage - No Author - No Date
• Film / Movie
• TV Programme
• PowerPoint Presentations
• YouTube Video
• Images - Introduction
• Images - Figure from a book
• Images - Online Figure
• Images - Online Table
• Twitter Tweet
• Personal Communication
• Email message in a Public Domain
• Course notes on the VLE
• Computer Games
• Computer Program
• General Referencing Guide >>>
• APA Referencing Guide >>>
• IEEE Referencing Guide >>>
• Research Guide >>>
• PowerPoint Presentation

Audiovisual Media - Powerpoint Presentation

PowerPoint Pr esentation

E xample -  Presentation available online and accessible by anyone

The full reference should generally include

• Year (in round brackets)
• Title of the presentation (in italics)
• [PowerPoint presentation] in square brackets
• Available at: URL
• (Accessed: date)

In-text citation

Full reference for the Reference List

Example: PowerPoint presentation from a learning management system such as the VLE

• Author or tutor
• Year of publication (in round brackets)
• Title of the presentation (in single quotation marks)
• Module code: module title (in italics)
• Available at: URL of the VLE

Example : Full reference for the Reference List

Audiovisual Material

Film / movie

TV programme

PowerPoint presentation

YouTube video

Harvard Referencing Guide: A - Z

• APA Referencing Guide >>>
• Bibliography
• Books / eBooks - 2 Authors
• Books / eBooks - 2nd Edition
• Books / eBooks - 3 Authors
• Books / eBooks - Individual Chapter
• Books / eBooks - Introduction
• Books / eBooks - More than 3 Authors
• Books / eBooks - Single Author
• Chapter in an edited book
• Cite Them Right - Style
• Cite Them Right - Text book
• Conversation - Personal
• Direct Quotations - Introduction
• Direct Quotations - Long
• Direct Quotations - Short
• Emails - In a Public Domain
• Emails - Personal
• Fax message
• General Referencing Guide >>>
• Harvard Referencing Method
• Reference List
• Skype Conversation - Personal
• Support - 'Cite Them Right' textbook
• Support - Online tutorials
• Text Message
• Webpage - Corporate Author
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• Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 11:31 AM
• URL: https://libguides.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/HarvardReferencing

How to Reference in a PowerPoint Presentation Harvard

PowerPoint presentations are a popular tool for presenting information and data in a visually engaging way. However, with the vast amount of information that can be included in a presentation, it is important to ensure that all sources are properly cited. This is where the Harvard referencing system comes in. In this article, we will discuss the importance of Harvard referencing in PowerPoint presentations and provide a comprehensive guide on how to use it effectively.

Table of Contents

Why Harvard referencing is important in PowerPoint presentations

Harvard referencing is important in PowerPoint presentations because it helps to establish credibility and authenticity. When sources are properly cited, it shows that the presenter has conducted thorough research and has used credible sources to support their arguments. Additionally, Harvard referencing helps to prevent plagiarism by giving credit to the original authors of the information used in the presentation.

Furthermore, Harvard referencing also allows the audience to easily locate and access the sources used in the presentation. This is particularly important in academic or professional settings where the audience may want to further explore the topic or verify the information presented. By providing clear and accurate citations, the presenter is facilitating the audience’s ability to engage with the material beyond the presentation itself.

Understanding the Harvard referencing system

The Harvard referencing system is a widely used referencing system that uses brackets in the text to cite sources, and a reference list at the end of the presentation to provide more detail about each cited source. The reference list should be organized alphabetically by the author’s last name, or by the title if there is no author. Each reference should include the author’s name, publication date, title of the work, place and publisher of publication for books, and the URL for online sources.

It is important to note that the Harvard referencing system is not the only referencing system available. Other commonly used referencing systems include APA, MLA, and Chicago. It is important to check with your instructor or supervisor to determine which referencing system is preferred for your specific project or assignment. Additionally, there are many online tools and resources available to help with the formatting and organization of references in the Harvard referencing system, such as citation generators and reference management software.

How to format in-text citations in Harvard style

In-text citations in Harvard style should be placed in brackets immediately after the information being cited. The citation should include the author’s last name and the year of publication. If the author’s name is mentioned in the sentence, only the publication year needs to be included in the citation.

For example:

“According to Smith (2020), the use of PowerPoint presentations has increased in recent years.”

“The use of PowerPoint presentations has increased in recent years (Smith, 2020).”

It is important to note that in Harvard style, if you are citing a source with multiple authors, you should include all of their last names in the citation, up to three authors. If there are more than three authors, you can use “et al.” after the first author’s name. For example:

“Several studies have shown the benefits of regular exercise (Jones, Smith, & Lee, 2018)”

“The benefits of regular exercise have been well documented (Jones et al., 2018).”

How to create a bibliography in Harvard style for PowerPoint presentations

The bibliography in Harvard style should be included at the end of the presentation and should list all sources used in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.

The format for a book reference is as follows:

Last name, First initial. (Year published). Title of book. Publisher.

The format for an online source is as follows:

Last name, First initial. (Year published). Title of article. Website name. URL.

It is important to note that when citing sources in Harvard style, you should also include the page numbers for any direct quotes used. Additionally, if you are citing a source that has multiple authors, you should list all of their names in the order they appear on the source. If there are more than three authors, you can list the first author followed by “et al.” Finally, make sure to double-check your bibliography for accuracy and completeness before submitting your presentation.

Tips for citing sources in PowerPoint presentations using Harvard style

When citing sources in PowerPoint presentations, it is important to be consistent and use the same citation style throughout the presentation. Additionally, it is important to include all necessary information in the reference list to make it easier for readers to locate the sources.

One important aspect of citing sources in PowerPoint presentations using Harvard style is to include in-text citations for any information or ideas that are not your own. This helps to give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism. In-text citations should include the author’s last name and the year of publication, and should be placed within parentheses at the end of the sentence or phrase where the information is used.

Common mistakes to avoid when referencing in a PowerPoint presentation

Common mistakes when referencing in PowerPoint presentations include forgetting to include in-text citations, using incorrect formatting for references, and failing to include all necessary information in the reference list.

Another common mistake is not properly paraphrasing information from sources. It is important to put information into your own words and give credit to the original source. Simply copying and pasting information without proper citation is considered plagiarism and can have serious consequences.

Additionally, it is important to make sure that all sources used in the presentation are reliable and credible. Using sources that are not reputable can damage the credibility of the presentation and the presenter. It is important to do thorough research and use sources that are trustworthy and relevant to the topic being presented.

How to use Microsoft Office tools to create Harvard references in PowerPoint presentations

Microsoft Office tools such as Word and PowerPoint have built-in tools for creating references in Harvard style. To use these tools, select the “References” tab in PowerPoint and select the Harvard referencing style. You can then enter the necessary information for each source and let the software format the reference list for you.

It is important to note that while the software can format the reference list for you, it is still your responsibility to ensure that the references are accurate and complete. Make sure to double-check the information you enter and verify that it matches the source material. Additionally, if you are using sources that are not included in the software’s database, you will need to manually enter the reference information.

Examples of properly formatted Harvard references in PowerPoint presentations

Some examples of properly formatted Harvard references in PowerPoint presentations include:

Smith, J. (2020). The use of PowerPoint presentations. PublishingCo.

Online source:

Williams, S. (2019). The benefits of PowerPoint presentations. BlogName. https://www.blog.com/powerpoint-benefits/

Another example of a properly formatted Harvard reference in a PowerPoint presentation is:

Journal article:

Johnson, R. & Lee, K. (2018). The effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in the classroom. Journal of Education, 45(2), 67-78. doi: 10.1080/00220671.2018.1434345

This reference includes the author’s names, the year of publication, the title of the article, the name of the journal, the volume and issue number, and the page numbers. It also includes a digital object identifier (DOI) which is a unique identifier for the article.

Best practices for creating a professional and accurate reference list in PowerPoint presentations

Some best practices for creating a professional and accurate reference list in PowerPoint presentations include being consistent with the citation style, including all necessary information for each source, and double-checking all references for accuracy and proper formatting.

Another important aspect to consider when creating a reference list in PowerPoint presentations is to ensure that the sources cited are relevant and credible. It is important to use sources that are reputable and reliable, such as peer-reviewed articles, academic journals, and books from reputable publishers.

Additionally, it is important to properly format the reference list according to the citation style being used. This includes proper indentation, punctuation, and capitalization. It is also important to ensure that the reference list is presented in a clear and organized manner, making it easy for the audience to read and understand.

How to handle referencing different types of sources, such as books, journals, and websites, in a PowerPoint presentation

Referencing different types of sources may require slightly different formatting in Harvard style. For example, book references include the place and publisher of publication, while online sources include the URL. It is important to refer to a comprehensive style guide for Harvard referencing to ensure proper formatting for each type of source.

In addition to proper formatting, it is also important to accurately cite your sources in your PowerPoint presentation. This means including in-text citations on each slide where you use information from a source, as well as a complete reference list at the end of your presentation. Failure to properly cite sources can result in accusations of plagiarism and damage to your academic or professional reputation.

Importance of citing sources correctly to avoid plagiarism

Citing sources correctly is important to avoid plagiarism, which is the act of presenting someone else’s work as your own. Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and can lead to severe consequences. Proper citation gives credit to the original authors and helps to maintain academic integrity.

In addition to avoiding plagiarism and maintaining academic integrity, proper citation also allows readers to locate and verify the sources used in your work. This helps to establish the credibility and reliability of your research. Furthermore, citing sources correctly demonstrates your understanding and appreciation of the contributions made by other scholars in your field.

How to edit and update references in a PowerPoint presentation

To edit or update references in a PowerPoint presentation, open the reference list and make the necessary changes to the information. It is important to ensure that all references are consistent with the established citation style and that all necessary information is included.

Ways to integrate your references seamlessly into your PowerPoint presentation design

To integrate references seamlessly into a PowerPoint presentation, consider using footnotes instead of in-text citations, or displaying the references in a separate slide. It is also important to use a legible font size and format the reference list using clear headings and bullet points.

Creating an annotated bibliography using the Harvard referencing system for your PowerPoint presentation

An annotated bibliography is a list of sources with brief summaries or evaluations of each source. To create an annotated bibliography using Harvard referencing, include the same information as a standard reference, followed by a brief summary of the source. The annotation should be a maximum of 150 words.

Harvard referencing is an important aspect of PowerPoint presentations that helps to establish credibility, prevent plagiarism, and maintain academic integrity. By following the guidelines outlined in this article, you can effectively use Harvard referencing in your own presentations and ensure that all sources are properly cited.

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Top 5 Reference List Templates With Examples And Samples

Madhusheel Arora

There is something magical about referring someone for a job position that brings out the best in business people. The important thing, however, is whether one of your subordinates or colleagues think of you as enough of a role model to give you that chance.

If your name has to figure on a reference list, it better be on a professionally-designed, relevant document that cites you as an inspiration. In businesses, reference list is a must for recruiters to assess your background and get a first-hand experience of your skill set from people who have worked with you.

SlideTeam's reference list PowerPoint Templates give you the necessary edge in this field as you seek this essential document that completes the recruitment process. The key to a good recruitment reference list is the details that are shared and the format in which it is presented. Our templates help you exhibit your mastery in both these aspects.

Also, remember that reference lists are not just about recruitment, but are used across businesses and industries.

The 100% customizable nature of the templates provides you with the desired flexibility to edit your presentations. The content ready slides give you the much-needed structure.

A major area where lists work their magic is in the planning and execution of projects. Find the best-in-class templates on these with a click here.

The reference list templates, on their part, will help you stand out as a professional par excellence.

Let us take a tour of this universe.

Template 1: One-Page Job Reference List Presentation Report Infographic

Use this PowerPoint Presentation on job reference list to showcase needed information on how to showcase your referee for a job position. List seven important contact points of the reference you’re sharing including the name, title, company name, street address, telephone number, and email address. What's even more important these days is that you share the relationship that the two of you had. These full details are essential, and add to the quality of the reference list in an enormous manner. Download now.

Click here to download

Template 2: One-page Professional Job Reference List Presentation Report Infographic

This PowerPoint Presentation helps you illustrate up to four references who can vouch for your professional competence and core skills. The five columns delineated are reference names, the current position they hold (with the name of their company), and their contact details. As bonus, the five Dos for reference list are also highlighted, where the title to the page and checking source accuracy twice are major pieces. Download now to create an impression that truly lasts.

Template 3: Customer Reference List With Title Company Address Contact

It is important to have a complete list of references that customers provide to your business and have them mapped out. This kind of customer reference list ensures that your marketing team can always get to work on this company address and contacts to generate leads. This kind of reference list follows the three-stage process of customer references (as you have in this presentation template); the second stage to this template is customer experience presentation, and finally soliciting client reviews. The design is an added advantage and a visual treat for your audience. Download now.

Template 4: Reference List for Customer Buying Behavior Presentation Template

Businesses are always looking out for signs of buyer behavior in a customer, and how they can influence it to their advantage. This PPT Presentation provides your clients with the template for recording when, why, how, and where the customer is most likely to buy from you. This template is just one of the four stages that mark customer behavior. The stages are the reference list, planning, task, document and reference. Download this minimalist template in black and white to gain the upper hand in referencing customer buying behavior to boost your products or services sales. Get it now!

Template 5: One-page List of Reference For Potential Job Presentation Report Infographic

This one-pager presentation template on reference for potential job has the added functionality of mentioning previous job skills as well. This PPT Presentation is also different as it provides you the space to add note at the end of every reference you provide. This creates memorability and makes you stand out. In the job skills section, learn the art of using these as another important reference with only excellent competency areas highlighted. Download now to ensure landing that job and celebrating the success of your relationship with the references you provide.

IT IS A SOCIAL WORLD

Imagine a world in which there were no references lists. What will it be like? Well, it will be a drab, drab world with little to show in terms of comradeship and social behavior. If there were no reference lists asked for by businesses, it will be difficult for them to hire purely based on trust. Hence, our reference list templates are definitely a sign that the world is indeed a social place. We need to back each other and refer each other to important jobs and secure meaningful positions for your former colleagues or subordinates.

Another way in which social linkages play a part in business is the way organizations include diversity and inclusion as a policy mandate for themselves. To get a world-class, comprehensive curriculum on diversity and inclusion (with training material included), please click here .

FAQs on Reference Lists

What is an example of a reference list.

A reference list does not just refer to jobs, but is an important tool for success in varied varieties of life. It can include a referred set of books for research paper; a set of materials referred to build a new product or even a set of computer programs that you may have to refer to, to build a new code. Examples abound all around us, in our universities, research institutions, and defense services. What a reference list does is that it makes our lives a lot easier.

How do you write a reference list?

A reference list is a professional document that requires certain standards and norms to be followed for it to be considered valid. Before writing it, you need to follow these rules that start with putting all the information on record in brief (less than 20 words); organizing this in a format that is easily understood; citing important parameters that are being referenced and finally listing it on a reference sheet. The steps are not optional and should always be followed to create that perfect reference list that works for all situations.

What is the use of reference list?

The reference list has varied uses depending on the business in which it is being used. For a researcher, for instance, the reference list has to be of books that pointedly help them in them research, helping them ask better questions and frame a higher quality of hypothesis. Another use of reference list is in the field of recruiting as this entire blog has documented. Reference lists are also useful for other topics like population research, the sciences and of course, business.

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Reference List

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

References should be provided on a separate page at the end of your paper, with the title “References” at the top of the page. They should be listed and numbered in order of citation, not alphabetically. The numbers should be flush against the left margin, and separated from the body of the reference.

Some general notes on the format of references:

• Authors are always referred to by their surname and initials. Suffixes such as “Jr.” or “III” are included, but separated by a comma – e.g. “E. C. M. Boyle, III”.
• Any IEEE journals cited should be referred to by their official abbreviations, as listed by IEEE here .
• For references with up to six authors, list all authors in the order they are presented in the publication’s byline. Use the format “A. B. Author, C. D. Author, and E. F. Author”.
• For publications with seven or more authors, list the first author followed by “et al.”
• Titles of books, journals, and publications of similar size are set in title case.
• Titles of articles, technical reports, and publications of similar size are set in sentence case.
• If you are unsure whether to use sentence case or title case, err on the side of following the original capitalization.
• Names of months are shortened to 3-4 letters each: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.

The basic format for a book citation is as follows. As per usual, please note that any information not relevant to your citation should simply be left out – e.g., if there is only one edition of the book you are citing, don’t bother specifying “1 st  edition”.

If the book was accessed online, add “[Online]”, accompanied by the URL and date accessed, as follows:

Translators and editors can be added after the title, identified by the abbreviations “Trans.” or “Ed.”

If the volume is titled separately from the overall work, you can add the title of the series after the title of the volume.

To cite a specific chapter or section, add the title of the chapter/section before the book title, and include the chapter/section number and page range at the end. Use the abbreviations “ch.”, “sec.”, and “pp.”

Periodicals

Citing an article from a journal or other periodical is largely the same as citing a chapter in a book, as above – the only major difference is that one does not need to include a publisher when citing a periodical. One should, however, remember to check for official abbreviated versions of a journal’s title, especially if they are IEEE journals. Also, do include a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) whenever one is available.

Some periodicals use an “Article ID” rather than a DOI. In your reference list, treat this the same as a DOI, but label it “Art. no.” rather than “doi:”.

Any articles in another language should be presented with their title translated into the language of your paper, but with a parenthetical notation that they are, in fact, in another language so as to save your readers the trouble of tracking down an article only to find out they cannot read it.

However, an article that was originally written in another language but translated by someone else should have the translation information in parentheses at the end of the entry. The format of said information will vary depending on where the translation was printed – it should be essentially written as an entire reference entry in itself, just without a number.

The citation format for a website is straightforward, provided you remember that, if any information is unavailable (e.g. if a website lists no author), you can simply leave that out of your citation. You should also be willing to clean up the titles of webpages and websites if necessary – e.g., some web sources will have their titles set in all caps, but you need not retain that capitalization in citations.

Theses and Dissertations

The following guidelines apply to theses for bachelor’s or master’s degrees, as well as to PhD dissertations; these sources should, of course, only be used if there is not a formally-published version of the work, but often the only way to access certain information is through repository copies of dissertations.

Since they are not formally published, all publication information is replaced with information about the university department to which they were submitted. Note that names of departments and universities may be abbreviated wherever reasonable. It is also necessary to specify the distinction between a dissertation and a thesis. Where the template below has “document type”, you should not only specify one or the other, but also note the type of degree sought with said document – e.g. “B.S. thesis” or “PhD dissertation.”

In addition to the usual rule about the “state” field being optional if the document is from outside the United States, you should also omit the “state” field if the name of the state is contained within the name of the university – there is no need to specify that, for instance, the University of Maryland is located in Maryland. You do, however, have to retain the “city” field.

Note that if you are accessing this thesis or dissertation in an online repository, you must also include the URL, but an access date is optional.

Conferences and Presentations

To cite a presentation given at an academic conference, you must cite the name of the conference as well as the location where it took place. You should also include the date(s) on which the conference occurred. If the paper being presented has a “Paper Number”, as given at some IEEE conferences, then you should include that at the end of the citation. Conference names should be abbreviated where feasible.

Citing conference proceedings follows the same rules as citing any other periodical, with two exceptions. First, if the proceedings list an editor, they should be included. Second, you should include the location of the conference if known to you. If the conference proceedings you are citing have separate volume and series titles, follow the guidelines for volume/series distinctions under the Books section.

Note that the date in this citation is the publication date given for the proceedings, not the time of the original conference.

If the source is found online, include the URL or DOI as normal.

You may also cite a lecture or presentation given elsewhere, but it is encouraged that you only do so if the content of said lecture or presentation is available somewhere for your readers to see for themselves – otherwise, it’s not much of a source. IEEE guidelines presume that either the lecture or the lecturer’s notes are available online, and the citation is formatted as such.

In the case of lecture notes, you must specify the medium or the type of file – e.g., “PowerPoint slides” or “Plain Text Document”. If the full lecture is online as a recording, then the “Medium” field should simply read “Online”.

Technical Reports

To cite a technical report, you must cite not only the author and title, but the company, university, or other institution behind the report – such things are vitally important when citing information that has not been through the academic peer-review process. You should also cite the date and the report number.

Note that the name of the institution should be abbreviated where possible – e.g. “Corp.” rather than “Corporation”.   However, particularly when the institution in question is a university, you should try to include the name of the department or laboratory within the university responsible for the report – much like when citing a dissertation.

When using raw data compiled by someone else, you must cite the distributor, a URL or DOI, and a date accessed. If there are different versions of the dataset, be sure to include the version number in the title.

If the original compilers of the dataset have published their own paper on their results, it is generally wise to read and cite that source as well.

Government Documents

Generally, this refers to laws, bills, or similar. Government reports would fall under the “Reports” section above. Note that variation in format may be necessary when citing from governments outside the USA.

Manuals and Handbooks

The citation format of a manual varies slightly depending on whether it is being accessed in print or online. If it is online, the format is dependent on whether it is credited to a single author or to the institution as whole. The variants are as follows:

In the event you need to cite a patent document, the format is straightforward. You want the author, the patent title, the patent number, and the date it was filed. Note that patent numbering is specific to the country in which they were filed, so it is necessary to include the country in the patent number.

Unpublished Materials

There are a few different situations in which an unpublished document might need to be cited. If you are working with a paper that has yet to be published, but is being unofficially circulated – a situation that is fairly common given the long wait times involved in official publication – you should cite it as a normal journal article, but replace the specific volume / date information with “to be published”.

If the article has yet to even be accepted by a specific journal, replace all publication information with “submitted for publication”.

Perhaps you have access to a paper that is not even submitted for publication. In that case, it is simply cited as follows:

If the paper you want to cite is publicly available through an organization less official than a peer-reviewed journal, such as a paper repository or an open-access, non-peer-reviewed database, then you should specify where it can be found. This could be a URL, the name of a repository (include a paper number if available), or whatever other information seems necessary.

Another common form of unpublished reference is a “private communication”. If you’ve spoken to an expert in the field, in person or otherwise, and received insights that have not yet been published, you may cite them as follows:

(Our example continues to use the term “author” out of convenience, even if the reference in question is not written down.)

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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