How do you cite PowerPoint slides in an APA format? It depends on whether you are creating your PowerPoint presentation or working from one created by someone else. In this guide, we learn how to cite a PowerPoint in APA style.
To reference a PowerPoint presentation in APA style, include the name of the author (who presented the PowerPoint), the date of the presentation, the title (italicized), the “Powerpoint slide” in square brackets, the name of the department, and university, and the URL where PowerPoint can be found.
| Format | Author name, Initial(s). Date of publication/presentation. PowerPoint title [PowerPoint slides]. Place of publication/where the presentation was given. URL (if used to locate the presentation) |
| Reference Entry | Andrew, B. A. (2017). Cite a PowerPoint in APA [PowerPoint slides]. New York, NY, United States. https://icncomputer.com/ |
How to Cite an Online PowerPoint in APA?
An online PowerPoint is easily retrievable. That means it’s not password protected or part of a source that your readers do not have access to.
In-text citation
In-text citations are citations within the main body of the text and refer to a direct quote or paraphrase. They correspond to a reference in the main reference list. These citations include the surname of the author and date of publication only. Using an example author James Mitchell, this takes the form:
(Author, year)
The structure of this changes depending on whether a direct quote or parenthetical is used:
- Direct Quote: The citation must follow the quote directly and contain a page number after the date, for example (Mitchell, 2017, p.104). This rule holds for all of the variations listed.
- Parenthetical: The page number not needed.
Two Authors:
The surname of both authors stated with either ‘and’ or an ampersand between. For example:
Mitchell and Smith (2017) state… Or …(Mitchell & Smith, 2017).
Three, Four, or Five Authors:
For the first cite, all names should be listed:
Mitchell, Smith, and Thomson (2017) state… Or …(Mitchell, Smith, & Thomson, 2017).
Further cites can be shorted to the first author’s name followed by et al:
Mitchell et al (2017) state… Or …(Mitchell et al, 2017).
No Authors:
If the author is unknown, the first few words of the reference will used. This is usually the title of the source.
Suppose the title of a book, periodical, brochure, or report, italicized. For example:
(A guide to citation, 2017).
If this is the title of an article, chapter, or web page, it should be in quotation marks. For example:
(“APA Citation”, 2017).
Paraphrase
Freud believed that dreams allow people to act out unconscious turmoil, impulses, and uncertainty that they experience during their daily lives (Mitchell, 2017).
Quotation
For quotations, the slide number should be provided in the in-text citation.
Sainath stated that when Freud, “began his study of hysteria, he believed that brain physiology was the definitive scientific approach and that it alone yielded a truly scientific understanding” (Mitchell, 2017, slide 9).
Reference list
When providing the URL from a source, you no longer have to write “Retrieved from” before it.
Author’s Last name, First initial. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Website Name. URL
For example:
Mitchell, N. (2017). Sigmund Freud the father of psychoanalysis [PowerPoint slides]. SlideShare.
How do you cite a PowerPoint in APA with no URL?
One might wonder how to reference a PowerPoint presentation without the URL if they are citing it by itself, but typically there is no need. APA formatting requires only that you include the author’s name, the year of publication, and either presentation or lecture. However, some professors may want you to include a URL as well.