It’s not hard at all.
by Kevin Convery, Contributor
You might think of PowerPoint presentations mainly as the domain of corporate marketing departments or startups seeking funding. But academia has been using PowerPoint for years now. Most of the major style books used by the publishing industry have codified a protocol for citing a PowerPoint presentation. In dissertations, academic journals, and other publications, there is now a standardized way to cite a PowerPoint.
Listing every style book that covers PowerPoints would make a very long article, and be somewhat counterproductive. The styles prescribed by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Modern Language Association (MLA), and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) are by far the most popular, and often required for certain subjects. Let’s go over the basics of these three styles, lest you lose points on an otherwise good paper for citation errors.
QUICK ANSWER
To cite a PowerPoint presentation that is available online in APA style, you provide the author’s name and credentials, the date of the presentation in parentheses, the title of the presentation followed by [PowerPoint slides], then the department name, the university name, and the URL where the PowerPoint can be viewed.
How to cite a PowerPoint presentation in Chicago style
If the PowerPoint is available online
If the PowerPoint you are citing is available on the web, you would cite it like this:
Author name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Presentation Title [PowerPoint slides].
Department Name, University Name. URL.
If the PowerPoint is not available online
If the presentation is not available on the web, you need to consider who will read the paper. For a class, use the method described above. For a journal, you may have to cite the presentation as a personal communication. With this method, you would quote the presentation in your text, followed by “(personal communication, [date]).”
In-text citation
If you have the PowerPoint properly cited on your reference page, then all you need for an in-text cite is the author’s last name and the date of the presentation. For example, it might look like this: (Franken, 2020).
How to cite a PowerPoint presentation in MLA style
If the PowerPoint is available online
If one can view the PowerPoint online, then your reference page citation should follow this structure:
Author last name, first name. “Presentation Title.”
Website Name, Day Month, Year, URL.
If the PowerPoint is not available online
If this is a PowerPoint you saw in person and it is not available on the web, use this format:
Author last name, first name. “Presentation Title.”
Course Name, Day Month, Year, University Name, City. PowerPoint presentation.
In-text citation
To refer to a PowerPoint in your text, just use the author’s last name and the presentation date in parentheses. Here’s an example: “The professor said the current evidence contradicted everything that came before it (Smith, 2004).” This gives enough information to find the source on your reference list.
How to cite a PowerPoint presentation in Chicago style
Chicago style is most often used by professionals and graduate students, and has some similarities with MLA style. Chicago style can be used in both reference lists and bibliographies; the format is the same either way.
If the PowerPoint is available online
Like the previous two styles, if the presentation is available online, you’re going to want to give the link to it. Follow this template:
Lecturer’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Presentation.” (PowerPoint presentation)
Location or presentation, Month Day, Year. URL.
If the PowerPoint is not available online
Just give all the information you did in the previous example, but leave off the URL:
Lecturer’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Presentation.” (PowerPoint presentation)
Location or presentation, Month Day, Year.
In-text citation
After the text that cites the source, simply put (Presenter’s Last Name Month Day, Year). You can also put the presenter’s name in the text and refer to the PowerPoint source by year, like in this example: “Professor Hill (2007) measured the difference between the northernmost and southernmost points.”
FAQs
Is a PowerPoint presentation given the same weight as, for example, a published paper?
Assuming the presenter of the PowerPoint has the proper credentials to speak authoritatively on the subject, then yes, a PowerPoint is a legitimate source for dissertations and professional papers, and is not considered lesser than data published in more traditional formats.
How should I decide what style to use?
You don’t. The instructor of the course or the publisher of the paper will dictate what style they want you to use. If it is not listed, ask, for there will always be a preferred style.
published on February 6, 2023 at www.androidauthority.com