How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA

If you want to use information from a PowerPoint presentation in your essay, you’ll need to cite it properly to get the marks you deserve. In this post, we’ll show you how to do that in line with the referencing system of the American Psychological Association (APA), using the 7th edition.

When to Cite the PowerPoint

First, a word of caution: If the information you want to cite from the PowerPoint originally comes from another source – if, for example, it is a quote from a book – you need to follow the guidance for citing that source type.

If the PowerPoint itself is the original source of the information you want to cite, you need to follow the guidance in this post.

Where to Cite the PowerPoint

In APA style, you’ll need to cite the PowerPoint in the text and, in some cases, include it in the reference list at the end of your essay. Let’s look at each of those in turn and see why sometimes the presentation has no place in the reference list.

In-Text Citation

APA uses an author–date style for in-text citations (those that appear in the body of your essay). But for PowerPoints, an added consideration will determine whether details other than the name of the author and the year of the presentation are needed: does your audience have access to the PowerPoint?

If Your Audience Has Access to the PowerPoint

• For a parenthetical citation, you’ll need to include the author’s surname and the year in parentheses, like this:

(Carter, 2023)

• For a narrative citation, you’ll need to include the year in parentheses immediately after naming the author in the text, like this:

Carter (2023)

If Your Audience Does Not Have Access to the PowerPoint

If your audience does not have access to the PowerPoint, it is effectively a personal communication. Therefore, you’ll need to follow the same system used for other such communications, a process that will involve more detail, as described below.

• For a parenthetical citation, you’ll need to give the author’s initial(s) and surname, the phrase personal communication, and as precise a date as possible. It should look something like this:

(D. Carter, personal communication, February 21, 2023)

• For a narrative citation, you’ll need to write the phrase personal communication and the date of the presentation in parentheses after the author’s name, like this:

D. Carter (personal communication, February 21, 2023)

If You’re Quoting Directly From the PowerPoint

To include a direct quote from a written source, you would include a page number. The equivalent for a PowerPoint presentation is to include the slide number after the year, like this:

(Carter, 2023, slide 6)

or

Carter (2023, slide 6)

Reference List

When it comes to whether and how to include the PowerPoint in your reference list, the crucial question, again, is whether your audience will have access to it. There are three possibilities, which we’ll look at in turn.

PowerPoint Slides Available Online to Anyone

If the PowerPoint you wish to cite is freely available online, then you’ll need to follow this basic format:

Author Surname, First Initial. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Host Site. URL

PowerPoint Slides Available Online With Log-In

If the PowerPoint you wish to cite is, for example, on a classroom website and can be accessed by your audience using a log-in, then you’ll need to follow this basic format:

Author Surname, First Initial. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Site Name. URL

Because the site requires the user to log in, you’ll need to make sure the URL links to the login page.

PowerPoint Slides Not Available to Your Audience

If you cited the PowerPoint as a personal communication, it will not be available to your audience. Remember that the purpose of the reference list is to allow your audience to find the same source. If they can’t access it, don’t include it.

Summary

Following this guidance, you should be able to cite a PowerPoint in APA style confidently. Remember to ask yourself the following:

• Is the PowerPoint the original source of the information?
  • If so, follow the guidance in this post to cite the PowerPoint itself.
  • If not, follow the separate guidance for how to cite the original source of the information.
• Will your audience be able to access the PowerPoint?
  • If so, provide an in-text citation and include the source in your reference list.
  • If not, include additional detail in the in-text citation and don’t put the source in your reference list.

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