The APA (American Psychological Association) style is the gold standard for academic institutions, journals, articles, and books. Today, valuable insights also appear in PowerPoint and Keynote presentations packed with research and data.
If you're drawing on that knowledge for your papers, proper citation is essential. As experienced academic writers know, following APA rules builds credibility. Citation tools like Zotero or EndNote streamline the process, ensuring accurate references and bibliographies even for complex sources.
1. Cite in the references list. Treat it like any online document (e.g., PDF): note the file format in square brackets and include the 'Retrieved from' URL.
APA Style recommends this format for web-available presentations:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://xxxxxFor example:
Torrance, S. (2014). 143 visuals, doodles and sketches to inspire [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/Bclari25/educational-technology-ppt2. Cite in the text. For instructor slides not publicly available online, treat as personal communication—include only in-text, not the references.
Cite with the presenter's last name, 'personal communication,' and exact date:
(Author's Last Name, personal communication, Publication Date), "Paraphrased idea"For example:
According to Torrance (personal communication, December 17, 2017), "there is a chronic disconnect between what people intend to do and what they actually achieve in life."Key tips from APA guidelines:
These guidelines align with official APA recommendations. For more scenarios, Purdue OWL offers a trusted, concise APA resource trusted by scholars worldwide.
Struggling with citations? Practice makes perfect—master APA for polished, professional papers.