How to Cite a PowerPoint in APA, MLA and Chicago
To cite a PowerPoint presentation, give the author, date, title, a description such as "[PowerPoint slides]" or "PowerPoint presentation," and where it can be found. In APA 7th edition the format is Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of presentation [PowerPoint slides]. Source. URL. In MLA 9th edition it is Last, First. "Title of Presentation." Course or Event, Date, Location. PowerPoint presentation. For slides you saw only in person and can't share with the reader, APA usually treats them as a personal communication. This guide covers each case, plus how to cite a single slide and how to cite sources inside your own presentation.
The examples use invented names and presentations.
The details you need
- Presenter or author name(s)
- Date of the presentation or upload
- Title of the presentation
- Where it was presented (course, conference, meeting) or where it's hosted (a course site, a slide-sharing website, an organisation's website)
- URL, if it's online
- Slide number, for quotes or specific points
APA 7th edition
Slides available online
Morales, D. (2025, May 8). Designing accessible forms [PowerPoint slides]. Web Standards Collective. https://www.example.org/slides/accessible-forms
If the slides were created in another program, use an accurate description such as [Google Slides] or [Keynote slides].
Slides from a course site
When your instructor posts slides on a learning management system and you're writing for that class:
Patel, N. (2026). Introduction to cell signalling [PowerPoint slides]. Department of Biology, Riverside College. Moodle. https://moodle.riverside.example/
Use the LMS login page URL if the specific link requires a login.
Conference presentation
Okafor, A. (2025, September 18). Mapping flood risk in growing cities [Conference presentation]. Annual Urban Resilience Conference, Leeds, United Kingdom. https://www.example.org/proceedings/okafor
If the slides themselves are online, you can describe them as [PowerPoint slides] and link to them instead.
Slides you saw but can't share
If the reader can't access the slides, for example an internal company meeting, APA suggests a personal communication citation in the text only:
(D. Morales, personal communication, May 8, 2025)
APA in-text citations
- (Morales, 2025)
- Morales (2025) recommends...
- With a slide number for a quote: (Morales, 2025, Slide 12)
MLA 9th edition
Slides presented in class
Patel, Nisha. "Introduction to Cell Signalling." Biology 120: Cell Biology, 14 Jan. 2026, Riverside College. PowerPoint presentation.
Slides available online
Morales, Diego. "Designing Accessible Forms." Web Standards Collective, 8 May 2025, www.example.org/slides/accessible-forms.
You can add "PowerPoint presentation" as a description at the end if it helps the reader.
Conference presentation
Okafor, Ada. "Mapping Flood Risk in Growing Cities." Annual Urban Resilience Conference, 18 Sept. 2025, Leeds. PowerPoint presentation.
MLA in-text citations
Presentations rarely have page numbers. Use the author's surname:
(Morales)
If you want to point to a specific slide, MLA allows labelled locators such as (Morales, slide 12).
Chicago 17th edition
Footnote
- Diego Morales, "Designing Accessible Forms" (PowerPoint presentation, Web Standards Collective, May 8, 2025), slide 12, https://www.example.org/slides/accessible-forms.
Short form:
- Morales, "Designing Accessible Forms," slide 14.
Bibliography
Morales, Diego. "Designing Accessible Forms." PowerPoint presentation, Web Standards Collective, May 8, 2025. https://www.example.org/slides/accessible-forms.
Quick comparison
| APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 17 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title format | Italics, sentence case | Quotation marks, title case | Quotation marks, title case |
| Format label | [PowerPoint slides] in brackets | "PowerPoint presentation" at end | "PowerPoint presentation" after title |
| Slide locator | Slide 12 | slide 12 | slide 12 |
Citing sources inside your own PowerPoint
Students often need the reverse: citations inside a presentation they're giving.
On the slides: Add a short in-text citation next to any quote, statistic, chart or image you didn't create, using the same style as your written work. For APA that might be "(Morales, 2025)" under a quote, or "Note. Adapted from..." beneath a chart.
Images: Put a short credit directly under the image, such as "Photo by [Photographer] / [Site]" or a style-specific in-text citation. Check the image's licence permits your use.
Final slide: Include a "References" (APA), "Works Cited" (MLA) or "Bibliography" (Chicago) slide with full entries. Use a smaller font if necessary, but keep it readable.
Speaker notes: Some instructors accept detailed citations in speaker notes, but it's safer to keep at least short citations visible on the slides.
If you're building a presentation, Inkwell's AI presentation maker can draft slide text from your notes. Add citations for any sourced material yourself, and check every fact.
Google Slides, Keynote and other formats
The same patterns apply whatever software built the deck. Only the description changes. In APA, swap the bracket for an accurate label such as [Google Slides] or [Keynote slides]; if you're unsure what program was used, [Slides] or [Presentation slides] is acceptable. In MLA and Chicago, "PowerPoint presentation" can become "Slide presentation" or simply "Presentation." What matters most is that the reader understands they're looking for a set of slides rather than a written article, and can find them from the details you give.
If the slides were shared through a link that only your class can open, treat them like course material and name the platform, or use a personal communication citation in APA if your reader genuinely can't access them.
Cite the slides or the original source?
Slides frequently summarise other people's research. If a slide reports a study, a statistic or a quote from someone else, track down the original and cite that. Cite the slides when you're using the presenter's own synthesis, examples or framework, or when the original source isn't identifiable.
Common mistakes
- Citing a slide-sharing website as the author. The author is the person who made the presentation.
- Leaving out the format description, so the reader assumes it's an article.
- Forgetting the date, which matters when presenters update slides over time.
- Using slide content as evidence for factual claims without checking the original source.
The APA citation generator and MLA citation generator can format references from the details you enter; compare the output with the examples above.
FAQ
How do I cite a specific slide?
Add the slide number to the in-text citation: (Morales, 2025, Slide 12) in APA, or (Morales, slide 12) in MLA. In Chicago notes, add "slide 12" before the URL.
How do I cite lecture slides from my professor?
If your reader can access them, for example on the course site, cite them with a [PowerPoint slides] description and the LMS name. If not, APA treats them as a personal communication.
What if the presentation has no date?
Use "n.d." in APA. In MLA, leave the date out, and consider adding an access date at the end for online slides.
Do I need to cite images in my PowerPoint?
Yes, if you didn't create them. Add a short credit on the slide and a full entry on your reference slide, and make sure the licence allows reuse.