How to APA Reference a PowerPoint

When using information from a PowerPoint presentation in your academic work, it's important to cite it properly in APA format.

APA (American Psychological Association) referencing style provides guidelines for citing both published and unpublished PowerPoint slides.

This step-by-step guide will help you reference a PowerPoint correctly in APA 7th edition.

Steps to APA Reference a PowerPoint

Step 1: Determine if the PowerPoint is Published or Unpublished

If the PowerPoint is available online (e.g., a university website, conference site, or learning platform), it is published.

If the PowerPoint is shared privately (e.g., via email, in a classroom, or on internal platforms like Blackboard), it is unpublished.

Step 2: Gather Required Information

For a proper APA citation, you need the following details:

Author(s) or Presenter(s) (Last name, First initial)

Year of publication

Title of the PowerPoint (italicized)

Slide type (e.g., [PowerPoint slides])

Retrieval source (for published slides)

Step 3: Format the Citation for a Published PowerPoint

If the PowerPoint is available online, use this format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Source/Website. URL

Example:

Smith, J. (2023). Introduction to business management [PowerPoint slides]. Harvard University. https://www.harvard.edu/lectures

Step 4: Format the Citation for an Unpublished PowerPoint

If the PowerPoint was only shared privately, use this format:

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Course Name, Institution Name.

Example:

Doe, M. (2023). Psychology of learning [PowerPoint slides]. PSY101, Stanford University.

Step 5: Use In-Text Citations

When referencing PowerPoint content within your writing, use the author’s last name and the year in parentheses:

Example:

(Smith, 2023)

For direct quotes, include a slide number if available:

Example:

(Smith, 2023, slide 5)

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Conclusion

Citing PowerPoint presentations in APA format ensures academic integrity and gives proper credit to the original source.

By following these guidelines, you can reference both published and unpublished presentations correctly in your work.

FAQs are here to help!

How do I cite a PowerPoint with multiple authors in APA?

List all authors up to 20 in the reference. If more than 20, list the first 19, then use “... & Last Author.”

Example:

Brown, T., Green, L., & White, S. (2023). Marketing strategies [PowerPoint slides]. University of Oxford.

How do I cite a PowerPoint with no author?

Use the title in place of the author and follow the same format.

Example:

Effective teaching methods [PowerPoint slides]. (2023). Harvard University.

Can I cite a PowerPoint in APA if I don’t have a URL?

Yes, if the PowerPoint is unpublished, include the course name and institution instead of a URL.