how to cite a quote from a person's speech

Citing Sources: Citing Orally in Speeches

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Citing Orally in Speeches

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General Tips:

Tell the audience your source before you use the information (the opposite of in-text citations).

Do not say, “quote, unquote” when you offer a direct quotation. Use brief pauses instead.

Provide enough information about each source so that your audience could, with a little effort, find them. This should include the author(s) name, a brief explanation of their credentials, the title of the work, and publication date.

 “In the 1979 edition of The Elements of Style, renowned grammarians and composition stylists Strunk and White encourage writers to ‘make every word tell.’”

If your source is unknown to your audience, provide enough information about your source for the audience to perceive them as credible. Typically we provide this credentialing of the source by stating the source’s qualifications to discuss the topic.

“Dr. Derek Bok, the President Emeritus of Harvard University and the author of The Politics of Happiness argues that the American government should design policies to enhance the happiness of its citizens.”

Provide a caption citation for all direct quotations and /or relevant images on your PowerPoint slides.

Direct Quotations:

These should be acknowledged in your speech or presentation either as “And I quote…” or “As [the source] put it…”

Include title and author: “According to April Jones, author of Readings on Gender…”

Periodical/Magazine:

Include title and date: “Time, March 28, 2005, explains…” or “The New York Times, June 5, 2006, explained it this way…”

Include journal title, date, and author: “Morgan Smith writes in the Fall 2005 issue of Science…”

For organizational or long-standing website, include title: “The center for Disease Control web site includes information…” For news or magazine websites, include title and date: “CNN.com, on March 28, 2005, states…” (Note: CNN is an exception to the “don’t use the address” rule because the site is known by that name.)

Interviews, lecture notes, or personal communication:

Include name and credentials of source: “Alice Smith, professor of Economics at USM, had this to say about the growth plan…” or “According to junior Speech Communication major, Susan Wallace…”

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Citations & Avoiding Plagiarism

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• Verbal Citations in Speeches
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Why use Verbal Citations?

• Adds credibility.
• Shows your work.
• Avoids plagiarism by giving credit to others for their work/ideas.
• Shows timeliness of research and resources.

Creating an Verbal Citation

General guidelines.

Be brief, but p rovide enough information that your audience can track down the source.

Highlight what is most important criteria for that source.

Include who/what and when.

• Author 
• Author's credentials
• Title of Work
• Title of Publication
• Date of work/publication/study

Use an introductory phrase for your verbal citation.

According to Professor Jane Smith at Stanford University.... (abbreviated verbal citation)

When I interviewed college instructor John Doe and observed his English 101 class...

Jason Hammersmith, a journalist with the Dallas Times, describes in his February 13, 2016 article....  (Full verbal citation)

Full vs. abbreviated verbal citations

Full verbal citations  include all the information about the source thereby allowing the source to be easily found.  ex. According to Harvard University professors, Dr. Smith and Dr. Jones research on this topic published in the Summer 2015 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine....

Abbreviated verbal citations  include less information about the source, but still includes the most important aspects of that specific source.  ex. A 2015 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that Harvard University professors....

• FILE: Guide to Oral Footnoting (a/k/a verbal citations) This document from Matt McGarrity, a University of Washington communication instructor, provides examples and tips on how to verbally cite information in a speech.

Speaking a Verbal Citation

Verbal citations should come at the beginning of the cited idea or quotation..

It is a easier for a listening audience to understand that what they hear next is coming from that source. 

Introduce the quote (ex "And I quote" or "As Dr. Smith stated"...) PAUSE. Start quotation. PAUSE at the end of the quotation.

Introduce the quote. Say QUOTE. Start quotation. Say END QUOTE. 

Example 1 : Listen to the first few minutes of this video to hear how the speaker incorporates a verbal citation.

2018 NSDA Informative Speech Champion Lily Indie's "Nobody puts Baby in a closet"  has examples of verbal citations. Listen to two verbal citations starting at the 5:30 mark and running until 6:50 mark in this YouTube video.

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A direct quotation reproduces words verbatim from another work or from your own previously published work. It is best to paraphrase sources rather than directly quoting them because paraphrasing allows you to fit material to the context of your paper and writing style.

Use direct quotations rather than paraphrasing:

• when reproducing an exact definition (see Section 6.22 of the Publication Manual ),
• when an author has said something memorably or succinctly, or
• when you want to respond to exact wording (e.g., something someone said).

Instructors, programs, editors, and publishers may establish limits on the use of direct quotations. Consult your instructor or editor if you are concerned that you may have too much quoted material in your paper.

This page addresses how to format short quotations and block quotations. Additional information is available about how to:

• include page numbers for quotations
• cite quotations from material without page numbers
• cite quotations that include errors
• indicate changes to quotations
• present quotations from research participants

Quotations are covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Sections 8.25 to 8.35 and the Concise Guide Sections 8.25 to 8.34

Related handout

• In-Text Citation Checklist (PDF, 227KB)

Short quotations (fewer than 40 words)

For quotations of fewer than 40 words, add quotation marks around the words and incorporate the quote into your own text—there is no additional formatting needed. Do not insert an ellipsis at the beginning and/or end of a quotation unless the original source includes an ellipsis.

Effective teams can be difficult to describe because “high performance along one domain does not translate to high performance along another” (Ervin et al., 2018, p. 470).

For a direct quotation, always include a full citation ( parenthetical or narrative ) in the same sentence as the quotation, including the page number (or other location information, e.g., paragraph number).

• Place a parenthetical citation either immediately after the quotation or at the end of the sentence.
• For a narrative citation, include the author and year in the sentence and then place the page number or other location information in parentheses after the quotation.
• If the quotation precedes the narrative citation, put the page number or location information after the year and a comma.
• If the citation appears at the end of a sentence, put the end punctuation after the closing parenthesis for the citation.
• If the quotation includes citations, see Section 8.32 of the Publication Manual .
• If the quotation includes material already in quotation marks, see Section 8.33 of the Publication Manual .
• Place periods and commas within closing single or double quotation marks. Place other punctuation marks inside quotation marks only when they are part of the quoted material.

Block quotations (40 words or more)

Format quotations of 40 words or more as block quotations:

• Do not use quotation marks to enclose a block quotation.
• Start a block quotation on a new line and indent the whole block 0.5 in. from the left margin.
• Double-space the entire block quotation.
• Do not add extra space before or after it.
• If there are additional paragraphs within the quotation, indent the first line of each subsequent paragraph an additional 0.5 in. See an example in Section 8.27 of the Publication Manual .
• Either (a) cite the source in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation or (b) cite the author and year in the narrative before the quotation and place only the page number in parentheses after the quotation’s final punctuation.
• Do not add a period after the closing parenthesis in either case.

Block quotation with parenthetical citation:

Researchers have studied how people talk to themselves:

Inner speech is a paradoxical phenomenon. It is an experience that is central to many people’s everyday lives, and yet it presents considerable challenges to any effort to study it scientifically. Nevertheless, a wide range of methodologies and approaches have combined to shed light on the subjective experience of inner speech and its cognitive and neural underpinnings. (Alderson-Day & Fernyhough, 2015, p. 957)

Block quotation with narrative citation:

Flores et al. (2018) described how they addressed potential researcher bias when working with an intersectional community of transgender people of color:

Everyone on the research team belonged to a stigmatized group but also held privileged identities. Throughout the research process, we attended to the ways in which our privileged and oppressed identities may have influenced the research process, findings, and presentation of results. (p. 311)

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October 19, 2009

How to cite a speech in apa style.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. made this famous declaration on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It may be the most famous American speech ever given , and it’s certainly oft-quoted. 

But how do you properly cite a speech in APA Style?  The answer may surprise you. You don’t reference the speech itself!

Even for a speech you may know by heart, you should find an authoritative source for the text. Then you simply reference the book, video documentary, website, or other source for the quotation. The reference format you need will depend on the type of document you’ve used. 

For example, if you’ve found Dr. King’s speech in a book of great speeches, your reference might be as follows. 

The in-text citation would include the surname of the author or editor of the source document and the year of publication.  For example, your sentence might look like this: 

Of course, you can find speeches in a wide variety of sources. Consider two ends of the spectrum: You might find an embedded video in a blog post and use Example 76 (“Blog post,” p.  215 of the Publication Manual ), or you might find a lone, dusty copy of an audiotape in an archive and use Example 69 (“Interview recorded and available in an archive,” p. 214). 

What’s your favorite source for great speeches?

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Speech from an edited book

Reference the source in which you found the speech.

Reference elements

In-text citation

• Citations need to include both the original author of the speech and the secondary source in which the speech was found (e.g. an edited anthology of speeches).

• In the reference list, you will need to cite only the secondary source (i.e. the edited book) in which you found the citation.

Speech from a web source

• If you want to acknowledge the speech's title, make sure to do so in  italics . 

Speech from YouTube

• Citations need to include both the original author of the speech and the secondary source in which the speech was found (e.g. an edited anthology of speeches). 
• Because the British Broadcasting Corporation is known in its abbreviated form, the 2nd citation onwards should be shortened to BBC (2020) or (BBC, 2020). See:  in-text citation formats  for more information. 
• When quoting directly from a YouTube video, provide a time stamp.

• In the reference list, you will need to cite only the secondary source (i.e. the YouTube video ) in which you found the citation. 
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MLA Citation Guidelines (9th Edition): Quotations

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A quotation (or direct quotation) copies the exact words, including punctuation, from the original source and encloses them in quotation marks. Quotations are best used in papers for when you want to reproduce an exact definition, when an author of a work has said something memorable, or when you want to respond to the exact wording (something someone said) from an author in your paper.

When not using a quotation for one of the above reasons, it is best to paraphrase information. Additionally, you should check with your instructor to see if they limit the number of quotations you are allowed to use.

Quotations must be cited in-text with either a parenthetical or narrative citation.

Short quotations:   if a prose quotation runs no more than four lines in your paperand requires no special emphasis, place it in quatation marks and incorporate it into your prose. 

Example of a short quotation:  

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," wrote Charles Dickens of the revolutionary moment during the eighteenth century. 

You may put a quotation at the beginning, middle, or end of your sentence or, divide it by your own words, for the sake of variety, clarity, desired emphasis, or elegance. 

Example of a short quotation divided by your own words:  

"He was obeyed." writes Joseph Conrad of the company manager in  Heart of Darkness , "yet he inspired neither love nor fear, nor event respect" (87).

Long quotations   (block quotations)  runs more than four lines in your prose. Block quotations should be set off the text as a block indented half an inch (0.5) from the left margin. Do not indent the first line an extra amount or add quotation marks not present in the source. Your prose introducing a quotation displayed in this way should end with a colon, except when the grammatical connection between your introductiory wording and the quotation requires a different mark of punctuation or none at all. 

A parenthetical citation for a prose quotation set off from the text follows the last line of the quotation. The punctuation mark concluding the quotation comes before the parenthetical citation; no punctuation follows the citation. 

Example block quotation with citation: 

They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

(See sections 6.34 & 6.35 of the  MLA Handbook, 9th ed.)

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How to Cite a Speech

Last Updated: July 6, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was reviewed by Gerald Posner and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 33,264 times.

Speeches can provide a lot of great information, but citing them can seem hard. Luckily, there are ways for you to cite that information. If you find the speech in a book, then you can cite the book as an edited book, using the correct writing style. Otherwise, you can follow the speech citation guidelines for the style guide you're using. Also, you can cite a speech in-text in the same way you would any other source.

Using MLA Format

• If the speech had two authors, you'd alphabetize it using the first author's last name. Then, write "and" and the second author's name. For example: Lopez, Ana and Sam Robinson.
• If you found the speech in a book, then you can format your citation for a book, using the book’s information.
• You’d start your citation like this: Weber, Alex.

• For example, you might find Alex Weber’s speech titled as “Building a Robot.”
• In cases where there is no speech name given, you can note this by giving it an appropriate title. For example, “Keynote Speech at National Robotics Conference.” In this case, you’re telling the audience that the information is from an unnamed speech you heard the author give at the National Robotics Conference.
• Your citation would like like this so far: Weber, Alex. "Building a Robot."

• For example, Alex Weber may have been presenting at the National Robotics Conference, which is the name you’d use.
• If you’re citing a class lecture, you can list the course name and course number for this entry. [4] X Research source
• At this point, your citation should look like this: Weber, Alex. "Building a Robot." National Robotics Conference,

• For a class lecture, you’d use your university. [6] X Research source
• Your citation should now look like this: Weber, Alex. “Building a Robot.” National Robotics Conference, Center for Robotics,

• Here's an example of the citation up to this point: Weber, Alex. “Building a Robot.” National Robotics Conference, Center for Robotics, 8 January 2018,

• You do not need to include the city if it’s specified in the name of the venue. [8] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source As an example, you would not need to specify Houston, TX, if the venue name was Houston Civic Center.
• This citation would like like this so far: Weber, Alex. “Building a Robot.” National Robotics Conference, Center for Robotics, 8 January 2018, George R. Brown Center, Houston, TX.

• Your final citation will look like this: Weber, Alex. “Building a Robot.” National Robotics Conference, Center for Robotics, 8 January 2018, George R. Brown Center, Houston, TX. Keynote Address.

Following APA Format

• If you can't find a transcript, you can look for a video of the speech. As another alternative, you can look for a book that uses excerpts of the speech or look for the sources the speaker used to support the material in the speech, which you can use instead of the speech itself.
• If you find your transcript, you can cite the speech appropriately using the format of an edited book, article, or website.
• For example: Lamar, Amy. Influential speeches on robotics . Atlanta, GA: B&B Publishers.

• This works for both a recording of the speech or a transcript.
• If you found the speech on YouTube, you should start your citation entry with the name of the posting account.
• Your citation should look like this so far: Jackson, Malik.

• For instance, the Center for Robotics may have uploaded Malik Jackson’s speech on June 3, 2018, right after its delivery.
• Here's an example: Jackson, Malik. (2018, June).

• If you watched a video of the speech, label it as a video file after the title, like this: [Video file]. In this case, you should put your period after [Video file].
• For example, your citation might look like this so far: Jackson, Malik. (2018, June). Repairing Surgical Machines [Video File].

• Your final entry might look like this: Jackson, Malik. (2018, June). Repairing Surgical Machines [Video File]. Retrieved from www.centerforrobotics.com/speeches/repairing_surgical_machines.

Citing in Chicago Style

• You can use the name of the speaker first, no matter what your source type is. However, the rest of your citation can vary, depending on the source where you found the speech. If you found the transcript in a book, the rest of the citation should be formatted like an edited book. [16] X Trustworthy Source Purdue Online Writing Lab Trusted resource for writing and citation guidelines Go to source
• Your citation should look like this so far: Ray, Jane.

• Here's an example: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.”

• If the speech was a class lecture, you should label it “Classroom discussion” instead of “Speech.” You should also include the name of your course. [18] X Research source
• For instance: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.” Speech,

• Write it like this: Houston, TX,
• Your citation would look like this so far: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.” Speech, Houston, TX,

• The entry will look like this: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.” Speech, Houston, TX, January 8, 2018.

• For instance, format it like this: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.” Speech, Houston, TX, January 8, 2018. EBSCO Database.

• For example, you could write your citation like this: Ray, Jane. "Choosing Robot Components.” Speech, Houston, TX, January 8, 2018. Robot Science. http://www.centerforrobotics.com/speeches/building_a_robot.

Creating In-Text Citations

• For example, you could write it like this: “According to Weber’s research, metal components can create more durable robots than plastic components.”
• For APA, you should also include the year in parentheses after the name. You would write, "According to Ray (2018), metal components are a better option than plastic components."
• For Chicago Style, you can use endnotes to provide the rest of the source information.

• Your passage might look like this: “Studies show that metal components last 4 times as long as plastic components (Weber).”
• For APA, you should also include the year after the last name, separating them with a comma. It will look like this: (Weber, 2018).

• For example, let’s say Amy Lamar compiled several speeches about robotics into a book, including Alex Weber’s speech. You’d include a parenthetical citation at the end of the information you took from Weber’s speech, and it would look like this: (Lamar).
• For APA formatting, you should also include the year of the publication after the author’s last name, separated by a comma. For example, (Lamar, 2018). If you’re providing a direct quote, include the page number, as well. Separate each item with a comma. For example, (Lamar, 2018, p. 45). [26] X Research source
• As above, Chicago Style will use normal endnotes.

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://style.mla.org/citing-a-copy-of-a-speech/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_formatting_and_style_guide/mla_works_cited_other_common_sources.html
• ↑ https://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/mla/lectures-speech-reading-address
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/transcript-audiovisual-work-references
• ↑ https://libanswers.snhu.edu/faq/195652
• ↑ https://library.menloschool.org/chicago/speech
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/miscellaneous.html
• ↑ https://penandthepad.com/cite-speech-using-mla-format-4450320.html
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/cite-speech-mla/
• ↑ https://penandthepad.com/cite-speech-apa-1310.html

About this article

To cite a speech in MLA format, start by writing the speaker’s last name, followed by the first name and a period. Then, write the name of the speech title with quotation marks around it. Put a period after the speech title, making sure that the period goes inside the quotation mark. After that, list the name of the event where the speech occurred, the name of the host organization, and the date of the event, all separated by commas. Following the date, you’ll need to list the venue and the city and state where it’s located, with a period after the state. Finish by writing the type of speech you’re citing, such as “Keynote Address” or “Lecture.” To learn more, like how to cite a speech in APA or Chicago Style, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Citing lectures, speeches, or conference proceedings: MLA (9th ed.) citation guide

This guide is based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 9th ed. and provides selected citation examples for common types of sources.  For more detailed information, please consult the full manual: available in print and online .

Lecture, speech, reading or address

When citing a live presentation like a speech or lecture from a conference or an event, include the name of the sponsoring/presenting organization (after the title), and the venue (after date and before the wider location) in your works cited. 

Parenthetical (in-text) 

The presenter went to great lengths to prove his point regarding how your brain has been shaped by evolution (Crespi). 

Works cited 

A live lecture  .

Crespi, Bernie. "Darwin and Your Brain." Vancouver Evolution Festival . Simon Fraser University and University of British Columbia, 12 Feb. 2009, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver.

An online recording of a live presentation

Parker, Pardis. “Why Being a Billionaire is a Joke.” TED , Oct. 2022, www.ted.com/talks/pardis_parker_why_being_a_billionaire_is_a_joke.

Conference proceedings

A conference proceeding is the published record of a conference, congress, symposium, or other meeting sponsored by a society or association. The document will look similar to an article or book chapter (and it may in fact be a chapter in a book). To cite a conference proceeding, provide the same information as when citing a book or article , but also include additional information such as the title and date of the conference.

You may be citing an edited book of proceedings (see Edited print books ) or a single presentation, in which you would cite the author(s)/presenter(s), the title of the presentation, and the conference proceeding details similar to a book chapter or journal article .

Parenthetical (in-text)

Social media provides a platform for more minority groups to speak out (Fu).

Works cited

Whole proceedings.

Chang, Steve S., et al., editors. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fifth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, February 12–15, 1999: General Session and Parasession on Loan Word Phenomena . Berkeley Linguistics Society, 2000.

A single presentation

Fu, Yige, et al. “Research on the Influences of Social Media to Gender Equality.” SHS Web of Conferences , vol. 148, EDP Sciences, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202214803026.

Still using MLA 8?

We've now updated our citation guides to MLA 9, but you can still use the printable version of our MLA 8 citation guide. 

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• MLA Citation Style Overview
• In-Text Citations - MLA
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• ONLINE SOURCES - MLA Works Cited
• OTHER SOURCES - MLA Works Cited
• MLA Formatted Paper Example
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Verbal Citations in Speeches and Presentations

What should you include in a verbal citation, when you give a speech....

(click on image to enlarge)

Why cite sources verbally?

• to c onvince your audience  that you are a  credible  speaker.  Building on the work of others lends authority to your presentation
• to prove that your information comes from solid,  reliable sources that your audience can trust.
• to give credit to others for their ideas, data, images (even on PowerPoint slides), and words to  avoid plagiarism.
• to  leave a path for your audience  so they can locate your sources.

What are tips for effective verbal citations?

When citing books:

• Ineffective : “ Margaret Brownwell writes in her book Dieting Sensibly that fad diets telling you ‘eat all you want’ are dangerous and misguided.” (Although the speaker cites and author and book title, who is Margaret Brownwell?  No information is presented to establish her authority on the topic.)
• Better : “Margaret Brownwell, professor of nutrition at the Univeristy of New Mexico , writes in her book, Dieting Sensibly, that …” (The author’s credentials are clearly described.)

When citing Magazine, Journal, or Newspaper articles

• Ineffective : “An article titled ‘Biofuels Boom’ from the ProQuest database notes that midwestern energy companies are building new factories to convert corn to ethanol.” (Although ProQuest is the database tool used to retrieve the information, the name of the newspaper or journal and publication date should be cited as the source.)
• Better : “An article titled ‘Biofuels Boom’ in a September 2010 issue of Journal of Environment and Development” notes that midwestern energy companies…” (Name and date of the source provides credibility and currency of the information as well as giving the audience better information to track down the source.)

When citing websites

• Ineffective : “According to generationrescue.org, possible recovery from autism includes dietary interventions.” (No indication of the credibility or sponsoring organization or author of the website is given)
• Better : “According to pediatrician Jerry Kartzinel, consultant for generationrescue.org, an organization that provides information about autism treatment options, possibly recovery from autism includes dietary interventions.” (author and purpose of the website is clearly stated.)

Note: some of the above examples are quoted from: Metcalfe, Sheldon. Building a Speech. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. Google Books. Web. 17 Mar. 2012.

Video: Oral Citations

Source: "Oral Citations" by COMMpadres Media , is licensed under a Standard YouTube License.

Example of a Verbal Citation

Example of a verbal citation from a CMST 238 class at Green River College,  Auburn, WA, February 2019

What to Include in a Verbal Citation

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• Last Updated: Sep 17, 2024 7:44 PM
• URL: https://libguides.greenriver.edu/citations

How to Cite a Speech in MLA Style

Speeches are important sources for academic writing and research. Citing speeches in MLA style requires specific elements: speaker’s name, speech title, event name, date, location, and type of speech. For recorded speeches, include the medium and URL if available. These details apply to both in-text citations and Works Cited entries. Proper citation ensures credit to speakers and maintains academic integrity.

Components of a Speech Citation in MLA

Speaker’s Name

The speaker’s name is the first element in an MLA citation for a speech. This identifies the individual responsible for the content of the speech. For example:

Smith, John.

Title of the Speech

The title of the speech is placed in quotation marks. If the speech does not have a formal title, create a descriptive title. For instance:

“Reflections on Modern Democracy.”

Title of the Container

The container refers to where the speech was published or presented. This can vary based on the medium.

If the speech was delivered at a live event, include the name of the event, followed by the location and date. For example:

Delivered at the Annual Conference on Modern Governance, City Hall, 15 March 2023.

Online Video

For speeches found online, include the website or platform name in italics, followed by the URL. For instance:

YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=example.

Published Text

If the speech is included in a book or journal, cite the title of the book or journal in italics. Example:

Published in The Collected Works of John Smith .

Date of the Speech

The date of the speech is crucial for citation. Use the day-month-year format. For example:

15 March 2023.

Location of the Speech

Including the venue’s name and location adds precision to your citation. For example:

City Hall, New York.

Formatting Speech Citations in MLA

In-text citations.

In-text citations in MLA style are concise. Include the speaker’s last name and the speech title in parentheses. For example:

(Smith, “Reflections on Modern Democracy”).

Works Cited Entry

The full citation in the Works Cited section provides complete details about the speech.

Example for a Speech from a Live Event

Smith, John. “Reflections on Modern Democracy.” Delivered at the Annual Conference on Modern Governance, City Hall, 15 March 2023.

Example for a Speech from an Online Source

Smith, John. “Reflections on Modern Democracy.” YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=example. Accessed 15 March 2023.

Example for a Speech Published in a Book or Journal

Smith, John. “Reflections on Modern Democracy.” Published in The Collected Works of John Smith , edited by Jane Doe, Random House, 2023, pp. 45-67.

Citing Different Types of Speeches

Citing a speech from a conference or public event.

When citing speeches from conferences or public events, include the event name, location, and date. For example:

Smith, John. “Future of Urban Development.” Presented at the International Urban Planning Summit, Washington D.C., 10 June 2022.

Citing a Speech from an Online Platform (e.g., YouTube)

For online platforms, include the platform name and URL. For example:

Smith, John. “Sustainable Living.” YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=example. Accessed 20 June 2022.

Citing a Speech Included in a Book or Anthology

When a speech is part of a published collection, cite the book or anthology. For instance:

Smith, John. “Innovations in Renewable Energy.” Published in Environmental Advances , edited by Sarah Green, Oxford University Press, 2022, pp. 100-120.

Additional Tips for Accurate MLA Citations

For accurate citations, you can take help from WriterBuddy’s MLA Speech Citation tool. This tool simplifies the citation process and ensures that all necessary elements are included.

How do I cite a speech found on YouTube in MLA style?

To cite a speech found on YouTube, include the speaker’s name, title of the speech in quotation marks, the platform name in italics, the URL, and the access date. For example: Smith, John. “Sustainable Living.” YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=example. Accessed 20 June 2022.

What details are necessary to cite a speech from a live event?

When citing a speech from a live event, you need the speaker’s name, title of the speech in quotation marks, the event name in italics, the location, and the date of the event. For example: Smith, John. “Reflections on Modern Democracy.” Delivered at the Annual Conference on Modern Governance, City Hall, 15 March 2023.

What is the correct format for the date in MLA citations for speeches?

In MLA citations, the date should be formatted in the day-month-year format. For instance, 15 March 2023.

Can I cite a speech included in a book or anthology?

Yes, to cite a speech in a book or anthology, include the speaker’s name, title of the speech in quotation marks, title of the book or anthology in italics, editor’s name, publisher, year of publication, and page numbers. For example: Smith, John. “Innovations in Renewable Energy.” Published in Environmental Advances , edited by Sarah Green, Oxford University Press, 2022, pp. 100-120.

Accurate citation of speeches in MLA format is crucial for academic credibility. Following these guidelines helps properly attribute ideas to speakers and provides readers with necessary source information.

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The Ultimate Guide to Citing Speeches in APA, MLA, and Chicago

Updated 19 Sep 2024

Citing speeches in academic writing requires careful attention to the specific citation style—APA, MLA, or Chicago—each of which has its own set of guidelines. The APA 7th edition focuses on including details like the speaker’s name, date, and format of the speech, whether it’s an audio recording or a transcript. MLA style, on the other hand, emphasizes the type of source, such as a live event, transcript, or recording, and often uses more abbreviated book titles. Chicago style offers flexibility, with distinct approaches for footnotes, bibliography entries, and author-date citations, depending on whether the speech was attended in person or accessed through a transcript or recording. This guide explores how to accurately cite speeches across these three major citation styles, ensuring your references are both precise and properly formatted by following format guidelines.

How to Cite a Speech in APA: Essential Guidelines

Citing a speech in APA 7th edition can be challenging, especially when you need to support an argument or idea. For students majoring in Law or Political Science, referencing speeches is a common requirement. The APA 7th edition manual provides clear guidelines for creating accurate citations, but the approach depends on the type of speech and the format of the source.

To cite a speech, you should include the speaker’s name, the recording date, the speech title in italics, and specify the type of speech in square brackets (e.g., [Speech audio recording]). Additionally, include the website or platform name where the speech is accessible and provide the URL. Adding a timestamp for in-text citations can help your readers locate the specific part of the speech. Remember to include the publication date in your reference to ensure academic integrity and clarity.

Here’s a summary of the key points:

Speaker’s Name : Start with the name of the person delivering the speech.

Date of Recording : Include the date when the speech was recorded or delivered.

Title in Italics : The title of the speech should be italicized.

Speech Type in Brackets : Use square brackets to describe the type of speech (e.g., [Speech audio recording]).

Source and URL : Mention the platform or website where the speech can be found and provide the URL.

By following these steps, you can ensure your APA citations are accurate and complete, allowing your readers to easily locate the referenced speech.

APA Speech Template

Speaker’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year, Month Day). Title of your speech . [Speech audio recording]. Website’s Name. URL

APA Speech Reference

Luther King, M. Jr. (1968 April 4). I’ve been to the Mountaintop . [Speech audio recording]. American Rhetoric. https://www.learnoutloud.com/Catalog/History/-/Ive-Been-to-the-Mountaintop/16724

(Luther King, 1968, 2:17)

As for the other types and formats of a speech that can be cited in APA style, you may be dealing with a conference, a paper presentation, or deal with the personal communication source. Now, if you have to cite a TED Talk or something that has been uploaded to YouTube, you must use the referencing conventions for video citations since it is a different quote type.

Citing a Paper Presentation

When you are asked to cite a paper presentation that is related to an academic conference by turning to APA 7th edition style , you should use the following rules. Such presentations are often found in a book, especially in conference proceedings. Remember to include the date by stating the range of days as you can see below:

APA Citation Template

Author’s Last Name, Initial(s). (Year, Month Day-Day).  Title of the Document  [Paper presentation]. Conference Name, City, State, Country. URL

APA Citation Reference

Holmes, N. (2015, May 11-15).  Social disparity and the challenges of the school attendance problem in Scotland  [Paper presentation]. SSNCV 2015: Education in Scotland Open Conference, Aberdeen, UK.

APA Speech in-Text

(Holmes, 2015) Note:* when you have to cite a published conference that comes from an academic journal or a book that is available in print, the APA 7th manual recommends using the relevant citation rules for each specific source. Using APA how to cite a speech rules means that you should either choose the book citation style or the academic journal referencing system.*

Citing Speeches as Personal Communications

In certain situations, you may need to cite a speech that hasn’t been recorded or officially transcribed, such as a speech given at a private event. In these cases, APA style considers the speech as a personal communication. Since personal communications are not retrievable by your audience, they should only be cited in the text and not included in the reference list. Simply mention the speaker, the nature of the communication, and the date within your in-text citation.

Personal Communication Citation Example: 

The subject of domestic violence in Chicago's suburbs has been researched in the speech (R. Barley, personal communication, June 4, 2022). 

Citing a speech in APA format can be tricky, so if you need assistance, you might consider hiring a professional speech writer to ensure your citations are accurate and properly formatted.

How to Cite a Speech in MLA Style

When citing a speech in MLA style, the format depends on whether you accessed the speech live, via a transcript, or through a recording. Here’s a guide to help you cite each type correctly:

1. Citing a Speech You Attended:

Format: Speaker’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Speech . Title of the Event, Date, Location.

Example: Smith, John. The Future of Technology . Tech Innovation Conference, 5 May 2023, Silicon Valley Conference Center.

2. Citing a Transcribed Speech in a Book:

Format: Speaker’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Speech.” Title of the Book , edited by Editor’s Name, Publisher, Year, page numbers.

Example: King, Martin Luther Jr. “I Have a Dream.” Speeches That Changed the World , edited by Jon Smith, Penguin Books, 2020, pp. 45-50.

3. Citing a Recorded Speech:

Format: Speaker’s Last Name, First Name. Title of the Speech . Date of Speech. Title of the Website/Platform , URL.

Example: Obama, Barack. Farewell Address . 10 Jan. 2017. YouTube , www.youtube.com/watch?v=obama_farewell .

These examples should help you accurately cite speeches in MLA format, depending on the source and context, and ensure you include the book title when citing transcribed speeches.

How to cite a speech in Chicago style

When citing contemporary speeches in Chicago style, it’s crucial to follow the correct format based on how you accessed the speech. If you attended the speech in person, include details about the event’s location and date. For transcribed or recorded speeches, the citation should match the format of the source type, such as a website or book, and must include the publisher name.

Understanding these distinctions ensures accurate citation, helping readers locate the original source of the speech. Let’s explore the key details and Chicago requirements for referencing speeches effectively.

How to Cite a Recorded or Transcribed Speech

When citing a video recording or online transcript, it’s essential to follow the correct format based on where you accessed the material. Start with the speaker’s name and ensure that punctuation and quotation marks are correctly used.

For a Transcript in a Book:

Use the standard book citation format, but begin with the speaker’s name instead of the book authors. Include the title of speech, title, page range, and chapter (if relevant), along with the book’s publication details. This approach provides a clear reference that aligns with the source type.

Bibliography:

Black, Jane. “The New Year Speech.” In Best Speeches , edited by Ronald Grey, 115-118. Newtown: Doe Publishers, 2022.

Jane Black, “The New Year Speech,” in Best Speeches ed. Ronald Grey (Newtown: Doe Publishers, 2022), 115-118.

Short note:

Black, “The Speech,” 115-118.

Citing a speech transcript found on a website

For this type of quote, it’s important to prioritize the speaker’s name over the website owners. While following the general guidelines of the Chicago style (which differ from those you follow to cite a speech in APA), emphasize the speaker.

Obama, Barack. “A More Perfect Union.” Transcript of speech delivered at the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, 18 March 2008. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamaamoreperfectunion.htm .

Barack Obama,  “A More Perfect Union,” transcript of speech delivered at the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, 18 March, 2008, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamaamoreperfectunion.htm .

Obama, “A More Perfect Union”.

For historical speeches, such as George Washington's Farewell Address, you can reference the Avalon Project for the source. For example, in APA style, you would cite it as: Washington, G. (1796). Farewell Address. Retrieved from avalon.law.yale.edu 18th_century washing.asp.

Citing from a video on a website

Video presentations often provide condensed and valuable information for essays. Here is a sample of citing video content found on a website.

Smith, Emily. "The Science of Climate Change." Lecture, Environmental Studies Seminar, University of California, filmed March 12, 2022. Video of lecture, 1:25:37. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYZ12345 .

1. Emily Smith, "The Science of Climate Change," Lecture, Environmental Studies Seminar, University of California, filmed March 12, 2022, video of lecture, 1:25:37, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYZ12345 .

Smith, “Climate Change,” 1:23:35.

Citing a lecture you attended

You may need to reference a lecture, conference presentation, or public talk you attended. The format is relatively straightforward since no published materials are involved in this case. You should indicate the following information:

name of the speaker;

"Lecture" label;

details about the institution hosting the conference (its name, location);

Johnson, Lisa. “Globalization and Its Impact on Modern Society.” Lecture, Global Studies Seminar, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, March 5 2022.

1. Liza Johnson, “Globalization and Its Impact on Modern Society” (lecture, Global Studies Seminar, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, March 5, 2022).

Johnson, “Globalization.”

Citing speeches in Chicago author-date style

When asked how to cite a speech in Chicago style, many students are often interested in creating in-text quotes and a works cited entry using an author-date format. For that, it’s necessary to follow the pattern:

Obama, Barack. 2008. “A More Perfect Union.” Transcript of speech delivered at the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, 18 March 2008. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barackobama/barackobamaamoreperfectunion.htm .

In-text citation in an author-date format:

(Obama, 2008)

The difference is that you need to add the year right after the author’s name.

Citing a speech: Chicago format for best academic papers

Accurately citing your sources is an essential aspect of any academic writing task. In this article, we’ve covered the essentials of citing speeches in Chicago style. We discussed the general rules and delved into specific formatting variations for different scenarios. To make your writing process easier and faster, we recommend using our Chicago style citation generator to create correct citations in one mouse click. Take advantage of our effective tool elaborated by EduBirdie specialists and complete outstanding academic papers in Chicago style! Citing a speech in Chicago style can be intricate, so if you're struggling with it, you might consider the option to pay someone to do my homework to ensure your citations are correctly formatted.

What to do if the date is not indicated?

In cases where the lecture or conference you referenced does not have a listed date, you should use “n.d.” in your citation. This abbreviation means “no date.”

What are the formatting requirements if there’s no author mentioned?

When no author is indicated for the lecture or speech you quote, you can start your reference with the title. As for other details, follow the typical requirements when citing speeches or lectures.

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Written by Brandon Kryeger

Brandon Kryeger is an innovative writer specializing in creating in-depth guides on various academic tasks, including creative projects, multimedia presentations, and research papers. With a unique blend of creativity and academic rigor, Brandon provides students with practical tips and strategies to enhance their learning experience. Beyond his writing expertise, Brandon is passionate about the intersection of music and education, often exploring how hip-hop can be used as a powerful tool for student engagement and learning.

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How to Cite a Lecture or Speech in APA Format

In academic writing , whether it’s a research paper , a lab report, or an essay , citing the sources you use correctly is a critical part of the assignment. “Correctly” means according to the specific citation guide you’re using, like APA , MLA , or The Chicago Manual of Style . 

APA format is typically used for work in psychology , engineering, nursing , and the social sciences. Because of this, the format includes citation guidelines for the kinds of sources students and researchers are likely to encounter, like technical reports and research papers . As a student, you might also find yourself citing a class lecture given by your professor or a guest speaker.  Give your writing extra polish Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly

Citing an in-person speech or lecture in APA format

In APA format, like in other style guides, there are two ways to cite a source : in text and in the bibliography. 

In-text citation formats for lectures

In APA format, the only citation you need for content sourced from an in-class lecture is an in-text citation. This receives a simple citation in the following format:

“Content from in-class lecture” (Lecturer’s first initial(s). Last name, personal communication, date of lecture)

“Without nitrogen, the seeds can’t sprout” (I. Schachtel, personal communication, April 6, 2022)

If your content includes the lecturer’s name, either because you’re paraphrasing their lecture or using a direct quote as part of a sentence that includes their name, simply format your in-text citation like this: (personal communication, date of lecture). 

For in-text citations of lectures and speeches that weren’t personal communications between you and the lecturer, the standard format is this: (Lecturer’s last name, year).

However, if you listened to a recording of the lecture, the in-text citation format is this: (Lecturer’s last name, time stamp of the content cited).

There’s no need to start a new paragraph after an in-text citation. 

Reference-page citations for lectures and speeches attended or accessed

If the lecture you’re citing was recorded or transcribed, you must cite it on your reference page. When citing sources on your references page, list them in alphabetical order by the surname of the speaker or author.

The format for citing speeches and lectures on a reference page is as follows: 

Speaker’s last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Lecture title [Speech audio recording]. Name of website where you accessed it. URL of website where it can be accessed

Garcia, L. (2018, February 2). Unraveling string theory [Speech audio recording]. Physics for the Rest of Us. www.physicsfortherestofus.com/ audio- recordings/unraveling-string-theory

For papers presented as lectures, the format for citing them is as follows:

Author’s last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Paper title [Paper presentation]. Conference Name, City, State, Country. URL

Feliz, M. (2021, July 10). Waterproofing Modern Foundations [Paper presentation]. GAIn Academy, Newark, NJ, USA. www.gainacademynj.org/2021/speakers /feliz- waterproofing

Here’s a tip: Grammarly’s  Citation Generator  ensures your essays have flawless citations and no plagiarism. Try it for tricky APA citations like conferences , dissertation abstracts , and famous sayings .

How to cite a remote lecture in APA format

In today’s world, many lectures are delivered via online learning platforms . Here’s how to format your bibliography citations for these: 

Lecturer’s last name, First initial. (Year, Month Day of lecture). Lecture Title  [lecture recording]. Online learning platform. URL of platform’s login page

Hirsch, N. (2020, November 4). Modernizing COBOL [lecture recording]. Code Temple. www.codetemple.com/login/

Similarly, if the lecturer used PowerPoint and delivered the lecture via a learning platform, write “PowerPoint slides” in the bracketed section of this format. 

How to cite a lecture delivered via online slideshow

Citing lectures delivered via PowerPoint Online and Google Slides is similar to citing lectures delivered remotely via online learning platforms. This format is as follows: 

Lecturer’s last name, First initial. (Presentation/slide date). Lecture title  [Lecture’s file format, i.e., PowerPoint or Google Slides]. Name of website. URL

What if there’s no date listed?

In APA format, dates are listed like so:

Month and day, year 

September 9, 2006

When you don’t know the date of the lecture you’re citing, simply write “n.d.” for “no date” in your citation. 

Cite your sources with confidence

No matter what kind of academic writing you’re doing, citing your sources correctly is a critical part of the assignment. Before you submit your work to your instructor, always double-check that your references are cited correctly—and that your work is free from grammatical and spelling mistakes. 

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How to Cite a Speech in Harvard Style?

Published by Alaxendra Bets at August 30th, 2021 , Revised On August 23, 2023

There are several ways to cite and reference a speech in Harvard style. It all depends on the mode of delivery. Speeches can be in the form of live speeches that one hears in person, or they can be online recordings of a speech that was given live. In research, a respondent’s answers can also be considered his or her speech.

Therefore, depending on how it was delivered and where it was retrieved from, a speech can be cited and referenced in different ways according to Harvard style.

Types of Speeches and How They’re Cited with Examples

1.    citing a live (in-person) speech.

The basic format for such a source in Harvard style is:

In-text citation: ( Speaker Surname Year speech was delivered)

Reference entry list: Speaker Surname, Speaker Initial(s). Year speech was delivered.  Title of speech in italics. Date of speech, location of the speech.

For example:

In-text citation: (Obama 2008)

Reference entry list: Obama, B. 2008. A more perfect union . 18 March, National Constitution Centre, Philadelphia.

2.    Citing an online recorded speech

The Harvard citation and referencing style for this type of source is:

In-text citation: (Speaker Surname Year speech was delivered)

Reference entry list: Speaker Surname, Speaker Initial(s). Year speech was delivered. Title of speech in italics. [Online]. Date of speech, location of the speech. [Date accessed]. Available from: URL

Reference entry list: Obama, B. 2008. A more perfect union . [Online]. 18 March, National Constitution Centre, Philadelphia. [Accessed 10 June 2017]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHuDLM-xiBo

3.    Citing a speech broadcasted on television or radio

The format for such a source according to Harvard style is:

Reference entry list: Speaker Surname, Speaker Initial(s). Year speech was delivered. Title of speech. Date of speech, location of the speech. Title of programme in italics. Transmitting organisation/TV or radio channel. Date of the original transmission.

Reference entry list: Obama, B. 2008. A more perfect union. 18 March, National Constitution Centre, Philadelphia. Newsnight . BBC. 1 September 2008.

4.    Citing a transcribed speech

The basic format for this type of source as per Harvard style is:

In-text citation: (Speaker Surname Year speech was delivered or transcribed, whichever is available)

Reference entry list: Speaker Surname, Speaker Initial(s). Year speech was delivered/transcribed. Title of the speech. In: Transcriber’s or Editor’s Surname, Initial(s). edn(s). Year transcribed material was published. Title of source containing the transcription, e.g., a book, in italics. Place of publication: Publisher, p.# for a single page or pp.# for page range.

In-text citation: (Clinton 2011)

Reference entry list: Clinton, H. 2011. Strength in resilience. In: Wilson, H. ed. 2012. Representative American speeches 2011-2012. Ipswich, MA.: H.W. Wilson, pp.97-100.

Citing Speeches with Multiple Speakers

In such a case, the citation, as well as reference list formats, are the same as those for citing and referencing a book with multiple authors.

Citing Speeches from Personal Communications

If a research participant’s or respondent’s direct quotes are being cited, the same format as that of citing personal communications is followed according to Harvard style.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Harvard style, cite a speech with the speaker’s last name, year of speech in parentheses, speech title in italics, event details, and URL if online. Example: Smith (2023) “Empowering Innovations” at Tech Summit [Online]. Available: URL

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MLA Tricky Citations

Most sources you come across for will follow the basic structure for an MLA citation. Even sources you might think are unusual, like a pamphlet, a magazine advertisement, or a message posted to a discussion forum, all can be cited using the same format outlined in our resource on MLA citation basics . There are however, a few sources and situations that might require a slight change to the format. The following examples should help with some of the more common, but still tricky, citations you may be faced with.

Note : All MLA documents, Works Cited pages included, should be double-spaced. The following examples are single-spaced for the purposes of this resource only.

Group/corporate author

When a source has a group or corporation as an author, cite that group name the same as you would an individual author. For Works Cited entries, when the author and publisher are the same, skip the author, and list the title first. Then list the corporate author only as the publisher.

Food literacy can help mitigate childhood obesity because “being food literate empowers us to make informed choices” (Food Literacy Center).

Works cited:

“What is Food Literacy?” Food Literacy Center , 2015, http://www.foodliteracycenter.org/what-food-literacy. Accessed 28 Nov. 2016.

Multiple sources by the same author

To distinguish a source from others by the same author, include a shortened title for the work you are quoting. In the Works Cited, only give the author’s name in the first entry. For all following entries, replace the author’s name with three hyphens. These entries should be alphabetized by title.

We will be better equipped to design valuable education plans at each level if we understand that becoming an effective writer is a long-term, multidimensional process of development (Bazerman, “Understanding”).

Bazerman, Charles. “Understanding the Lifelong Journey of Writing Development.” Infancia y Aprendizaje , vol. 36, no. 4, Nov. 2013, pp. 421-441.

---. “Writing with Concepts: Communal, Internalized, and Externalized.”  Mind, Culture, and Activity , vol. 19, no. 3, 2012, pp. 259-272,  ERIC , doi: 10.1080/10749039.2012.688231.

Speeches, lectures, or other oral presentations

To cite a speech, lecture, or other oral presentation, cite the speaker’s name and the title of the speech (if any) in quotation marks. Follow with the title of the particular conference or meeting, the name of the organization, and the venue and its city (if the name of the city is not listed in the venue’s name). Use the descriptor that appropriately expresses the type of presentation (e.g., Lecture, Reading, Conference Presentation, etc.).

Losh, Elizabeth. “Leave No Trace: Digital Erasure and the Composition Classroom.” Western States Rhetoric and Literacy Conference, 21 Oct. 2016, University of California, San Diego. Keynote Address.

Government document

Cite the author of the publication if the author is identified. Otherwise, start with the name of the national government, followed by the agency (including any subdivisions or agencies) that serves as the organizational author. For congressional documents, include the number of the Congress and the session when the hearing was held or resolution passed as well as the report number.

United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearing on the Geopolitics of Oil. Government Printing Office, 2007. 110th Congress, 1st session, Senate Report 111-8.

To cite an interview you conducted, list the person you interviewed (last name first), identify it as a “Personal Interview” (if conducted in-person), an “Email Interview,” or a “Telephone Interview,” and provide the date of the interview.

Sloane, Sarah. Personal Interview. 12 May 2015.

Dissertation or master's theses

To cite a published dissertation or master's thesis, cite the work as you would a book (with an italicized title), but include the designation Dissertation (or MA/MS thesis) followed by the degree-granting school and the year the degree was awarded. You may also include the University Microfilms International (UMI) order number.

Bishop, Karen Lynn. Documenting Institutional Identity: Strategic Writing in the IUPUI Comprehensive Campaign . Dissertation, Purdue University, 2002. UMI, 2004.

To cite an unpublished dissertation or master's thesis, put the title in quotation marks and end with the date the degree was awarded.

Works  cited:

Graban, Tarez Samra. "Towards a Feminine Ironic: Understanding Irony in the Oppositional Discourse of Women from the Early Modern and Modern Periods." Dissertation, Purdue University, 2006.

Work of art

To cite an original work of art (the primary source, not a reproduction in a book), provide the artist's name, the title of the artwork in italics, the date of composition, and the medium of the piece. Finally, name the institution that houses the artwork followed by the location of the institution (unless the location is included in the title of the institution, e.g., Los Angeles County Museum of Art).

Chagall, Marc.  Rain . 1911, oil and charcoal on canvas, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

Indirect source

To cite a source quoted within another source, identify the original source in your sentence to introduce the quotation and use "qtd. in" to indicate the source you actually consulted. For the Works Cited page, cite the source you consulted not the original source (in this case, cite Koosed and Schumm).

According to Hardin and Hardin, “respect for authority, individualism, sacrifice 'for the team,' and hard work" are key values that come out of American sports and sports media (qtd. in Koosed and Schumm).

Multiple sources in one sentence

To cite multiple sources in the same in-text citation, separate the sources by a semi-colon.

Playing a “pro-social” video game can increase the perceptions of a player’s humanity and increase positive humanity traits (Greitmeyer; Happ, Melzer, and Steffgen).

Authors with the same last name

If two or more authors have the same last name, provide both authors' first initials (or their full names if different authors share initials) in your in-text citation. In the Works Cited page, alphabetize these sources by first name (e.g., Brown, Penelope would come before Brown, Thomas).

Mitigating devices can also show up as hedges (e.g.,  perhaps ) or other means of impersonalizing (P. Brown).

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MLA Formatting Quotations

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When you directly quote the works of others in your paper, you will format quotations differently depending on their length. Below are some basic guidelines for incorporating quotations into your paper. Please note that all pages in MLA should be double-spaced .

Short quotations

To indicate short quotations (four typed lines or fewer of prose or three lines of verse) in your text, enclose the quotation within double quotation marks. Provide the author and specific page number (in the case of verse, provide line numbers) in the in-text citation, and include a complete reference on the Works Cited page. Punctuation marks such as periods, commas, and semicolons should appear after the parenthetical citation.

Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage, but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text.

For example, when quoting short passages of prose, use the following examples:

When using short (fewer than three lines of verse) quotations from poetry, mark breaks in verse with a slash, ( / ), at the end of each line of verse (a space should precede and follow the slash). If a stanza break occurs during the quotation, use a double slash ( // ).

Long quotations

For quotations that are more than four lines of prose or three lines of verse, place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit quotation marks. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented 1/2   inch  from the left margin while maintaining double-spacing. Your parenthetical citation should come  after the closing punctuation mark . When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks. (You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.)

For example, when citing more than four lines of prose, use the following examples :

Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78)

When citing long sections of poetry (four lines of verse or more), keep formatting as close to the original as possible.

In his poem "My Papa's Waltz," Theodore Roethke explores his childhood with his father:

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We Romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. (qtd. in Shrodes, Finestone, Shugrue 202)

When citing two or more paragraphs, use block quotation format, even if the passage from the paragraphs is less than four lines. If you cite more than one paragraph, the first line of the second paragraph should be indented an extra 1/4 inch to denote a new paragraph:

In "American Origins of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Movement," David Russell argues,

Writing has been an issue in American secondary and higher education since papers and examinations came into wide use in the 1870s, eventually driving out formal recitation and oral examination. . . .

From its birth in the late nineteenth century, progressive education has wrestled with the conflict within industrial society between pressure to increase specialization of knowledge and of professional work (upholding disciplinary standards) and pressure to integrate more fully an ever-widening number of citizens into intellectually meaningful activity within mass society (promoting social equity). . . . (3)

Adding or omitting words in quotations

If you add a word or words in a quotation, you should put brackets around the words to indicate that they are not part of the original text:

If you omit a word or words from a quotation, you should indicate the deleted word or words by using ellipses, which are three periods ( . . . ) preceded and followed by a space. For example:

Please note that brackets are not needed around ellipses unless they would add clarity.

When omitting words from poetry quotations, use a standard three-period ellipses; however, when omitting one or more full lines of poetry, space several periods to about the length of a complete line in the poem:

Frequently asked questions

How do i cite a quote from a video or audio source in apa style.

When you need to highlight a specific moment in a video or audio source, use a timestamp in your APA in-text citation . Just include the timestamp from the start of the part you’re citing. For example:

Frequently asked questions: APA Style

APA footnotes use superscript numbers and should appear in numerical order. You can place footnotes at the bottom of the relevant pages, or on a separate footnotes page at the end:

• For footnotes at the bottom of the page, you can use your word processor to automatically insert footnotes .
• For footnotes at the end of the text in APA, place them on a separate page entitled “Footnotes,” after the r eference page . Indent the first line of each footnote, and double-space them.

For both approaches, place a space between the superscript number and the footnote text.

APA Style requires you to use APA in-text citations , not footnotes, to cite sources .

However, you can use APA footnotes sparingly for two purposes:

• Giving additional information
• Providing copyright attribution

Yes, APA language guidelines state that you should always use the serial comma (aka Oxford comma ) in your writing.

This means including a comma before the word “and” at the end of a list of three or more items: “spelling, grammar, and punctuation.” Doing this consistently tends to make your lists less ambiguous.

Yes, it’s perfectly valid to write sentences in the passive voice . The APA language guidelines do caution against overusing the passive voice, because it can obscure your meaning or be needlessly long-winded. For this reason, default to the active voice in most cases.

The passive voice is most useful when the point of the sentence is just to state what was done, not to emphasize who did it. For example, “The projector was mounted on the wall” is better than “James and I mounted the projector on the wall” if it’s not particularly important who mounted the projector.

Yes, APA language guidelines encourage you to use the first-person pronouns “I” or “we” when referring to yourself or a group including yourself in your writing.

In APA Style, you should not refer to yourself in the third person. For example, do not refer to yourself as “the researcher” or “the author” but simply as “I” or “me.” Referring to yourself in the third person is still common practice in some academic fields, but APA Style rejects this convention.

If you cite several sources by the same author or group of authors, you’ll distinguish between them in your APA in-text citations using the year of publication.

If you cite multiple sources by the same author(s) at the same point , you can just write the author name(s) once and separate the different years with commas, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021).

To distinguish between sources with the same author(s) and  the same publication year, add a different lowercase letter after the year for each source, e.g., (Smith, 2020, 2021a, 2021b). Add the same letters to the corresponding reference entries .

According to the APA guidelines, you should report enough detail on inferential statistics so that your readers understand your analyses.

Report the following for each hypothesis test:

• the test statistic value
• the degrees of freedom
• the exact p value (unless it is less than 0.001)
• the magnitude and direction of the effect

You should also present confidence intervals and estimates of effect sizes where relevant.

The number of decimal places to report depends on what you’re reporting. Generally, you should aim to round numbers while retaining precision. It’s best to present fewer decimal digits to aid easy understanding.

Use one decimal place for:

• Standard deviations
• Descriptive statistics based on discrete data

Use two decimal places for:

• Correlation coefficients
• Proportions
• Inferential test statistics such as t values, F values, and chi-squares.

No, including a URL is optional in APA Style reference entries for legal sources (e.g. court cases , laws ). It can be useful to do so to aid the reader in retrieving the source, but it’s not required, since the other information included should be enough to locate it.

Generally, you should identify a law in an APA reference entry by its location in the United States Code (U.S.C.).

But if the law is either spread across various sections of the code or not featured in the code at all, include the public law number in addition to information on the source you accessed the law in, e.g.:

You should report methods using the past tense , even if you haven’t completed your study at the time of writing. That’s because the methods section is intended to describe completed actions or research.

In your APA methods section , you should report detailed information on the participants, materials, and procedures used.

• Describe all relevant participant or subject characteristics, the sampling procedures used and the sample size and power .
• Define all primary and secondary measures and discuss the quality of measurements.
• Specify the data collection methods, the research design and data analysis strategy, including any steps taken to transform the data and statistical analyses.

With APA legal citations, it’s recommended to cite all the reporters (publications reporting cases) in which a court case appears. To cite multiple reporters, just separate them with commas in your reference entry . This is called parallel citation .

Don’t repeat the name of the case, court, or year; just list the volume, reporter, and page number for each citation. For example:

In APA Style , when you’re citing a recent court case that has not yet been reported in print and thus doesn’t have a specific page number, include a series of three underscores (___) where the page number would usually appear:

In APA style, statistics can be presented in the main text or as tables or figures . To decide how to present numbers, you can follow APA guidelines:

• To present three or fewer numbers, try a sentence,
• To present between 4 and 20 numbers, try a table,
• To present more than 20 numbers, try a figure.

Since these are general guidelines, use your own judgment and feedback from others for effective presentation of numbers.

In an APA results section , you should generally report the following:

• Participant flow and recruitment period.
• Missing data and any adverse events.
• Descriptive statistics about your samples.
• Inferential statistics , including confidence intervals and effect sizes.
• Results of any subgroup or exploratory analyses, if applicable.

When citing a podcast episode in APA Style , the podcast’s host is listed as author , accompanied by a label identifying their role, e.g. Glass, I. (Host).

When citing a whole podcast series, if different episodes have different hosts, list the executive producer(s) instead. Again, include a label identifying their role, e.g. Lechtenberg, S. (Producer).

Like most style guides , APA recommends listing the book of the Bible you’re citing in your APA in-text citation , in combination with chapter and verse numbers. For example:

Books of the Bible may be abbreviated to save space; a list of standard abbreviations can be found here . Page numbers are not used in Bible citations.

Yes, in the 7th edition of APA Style , versions of the Bible are treated much like other books ; you should include the edition you used in your reference list .

Previously, in the 6th edition of the APA manual, it was recommended to just use APA 6 in-text citations to refer to the Bible, and omit it from the reference list.

To make it easy for the reader to find the YouTube video , list the person or organization who uploaded the video as the author in your reference entry and APA in-text citation .

If this isn’t the same person responsible for the content of the video, you might want to make this clear in the text. For example:

To include a direct quote in APA , follow these rules:

• Quotes under 40 words are placed in double quotation marks .
• Quotes of 40 words or more are formatted as block quote .
• The author, year, and page number are included in an APA in-text citation .

APA doesn’t require you to include a list of tables or a list of figures . However, it is advisable to do so if your text is long enough to feature a table of contents and it includes a lot of tables and/or figures .

A list of tables and list of figures appear (in that order) after your table of contents, and are presented in a similar way.

Copyright information can usually be found wherever the table or figure was published. For example, for a diagram in a journal article , look on the journal’s website or the database where you found the article. Images found on sites like Flickr are listed with clear copyright information.

If you find that permission is required to reproduce the material, be sure to contact the author or publisher and ask for it.

If you adapt or reproduce a table or figure from another source, you should include that source in your APA reference list . You should also include copyright information in the note for the table or figure, and include an APA in-text citation when you refer to it.

Tables and figures you created yourself, based on your own data, are not included in the reference list.

An APA in-text citation is placed before the final punctuation mark in a sentence.

• The company invested over 40,000 hours in optimizing its algorithm (Davis, 2011) .
• A recent poll suggests that EU membership “would be backed by 55 percent of Danish voters” in a referendum (Levring, 2018) .

In an APA in-text citation , you use the phrase “ as cited in ” if you want to cite a source indirectly (i.e., if you cannot find the original source).

Parenthetical citation: (Brown, 1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) Narrative citation: Brown (1829, as cited in Mahone, 2018) states that…

On the reference page , you only include the secondary source (Mahone, 2018).

Popular word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs can order lists in alphabetical order, but they don’t follow the APA Style alphabetization guidelines .

If you use Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator to create citations, references are ordered automatically based on the APA guidelines, taking into account all the exceptions.

Order numerals as though they were spelled out:

• “20 tips to relax” is ordered on the “T” of “Twenty”.
• “100 cities you should visit” is ordered on the “O” of “One hundred”.

Read more about alphabetizing the APA reference page .

If the author of a work is unknown, order the reference by its title. Disregard the words “A”, “An”, and “The” at the beginning of the title.

• The privacy concerns around social media
• Teens, social media, and privacy

Yes, if relevant you can and should include APA in-text citations in your appendices . Use author-date citations as you do in the main text.

Any sources cited in your appendices should appear in your reference list . Do not create a separate reference list for your appendices.

When you include more than one appendix in an APA Style paper , they should be labeled “Appendix A,” “Appendix B,” and so on.

When you only include a single appendix, it is simply called “Appendix” and referred to as such in the main text.

Appendices in an APA Style paper appear right at the end, after the reference list and after your tables and figures if you’ve also included these at the end.

An appendix contains information that supplements the reader’s understanding of your research but is not essential to it. For example:

• Interview transcripts
• Questionnaires
• Detailed descriptions of equipment

Something is only worth including as an appendix if you refer to information from it at some point in the text (e.g. quoting from an interview transcript). If you don’t, it should probably be removed.

If you adapt or reproduce a table or figure from another source, you should include that source in your APA reference list . You should also acknowledge the original source in the note or caption for the table or figure.

APA doesn’t require you to include a list of tables or a list of figures . However, it is advisable to do so if your text is long enough to feature a table of contents and it includes a lot of tables and/or figures.

A list of tables and list of figures appear (in that order) after your table of contents , and are presented in a similar way.

In an APA Style paper , use a table or figure when it’s a clearer way to present important data than describing it in your main text. This is often the case when you need to communicate a large amount of information.

Before including a table or figure in your text, always reflect on whether it’s useful to your readers’ understanding:

• Could this information be quickly summarized in the text instead?
• Is it important to your arguments?
• Does the table or figure require too much explanation to be efficient?

If the data you need to present only contains a few relevant numbers, try summarizing it in the text (potentially including full data in an appendix ). If describing the data makes your text overly long and difficult to read, a table or figure may be the best option.

In an APA Style paper , the abstract is placed on a separate page after the title page (page 2).

An APA abstract is around 150–250 words long. However, always check your target journal’s guidelines and don’t exceed the specified word count.

In APA Style , all sources that are not retrievable for the reader are cited as personal communications . In other words, if your source is private or inaccessible to the audience of your paper , it’s a personal communication.

Common examples include conversations, emails, messages, letters, and unrecorded interviews or performances.

Interviews you conducted yourself are not included in your reference list , but instead cited in the text as personal communications .

Published or recorded interviews are included in the reference list. Cite them in the usual format of the source type (for example, a newspaper article , website or YouTube video ).

To cite a public post from social media , use the first 20 words of the post as a title, include the date it was posted and a URL, and mention the author’s username if they have one:

Dorsey, J. [@jack]. (2018, March 1). We’re committing Twitter to help increase the collective health, openness, and civility of public conversation, and to hold ourselves publicly [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/jack/status/969234275420655616

To cite content from social media that is not publicly accessible (e.g. direct messages, posts from private groups or user profiles), cite it as a personal communication in the text, but do not include it in the reference list :

When contacted online, the minister stated that the project was proceeding “according to plan” (R. James, Twitter direct message, March 25, 2017).

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:

(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).

Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable.

If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

APA Style usually does not require an access date. You never need to include one when citing journal articles , e-books , or other stable online sources.

However, if you are citing a website or online article that’s designed to change over time, it’s a good idea to include an access date. In this case, write it in the following format at the end of the reference: Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html

The 7th edition APA Manual , published in October 2019, is the most current edition. However, the 6th edition, published in 2009, is still used by many universities and journals.

The APA Manual 7th edition can be purchased at Amazon as a hardcover, paperback or spiral-bound version. You can also buy an ebook version at RedShelf .

The American Psychological Association anticipates that most people will start using the 7th edition in the spring of 2020 or thereafter.

It’s best to ask your supervisor or check the website of the journal you want to publish in to see which APA guidelines you should follow.

If you’re citing from an edition other than the first (e.g. a 2nd edition or revised edition), the edition appears in the reference, abbreviated in parentheses after the book’s title (e.g. 2nd ed. or Rev. ed.).

In the 7th edition of the APA manual, no location information is required for publishers. The 6th edition previously required you to include the city and state where the publisher was located, but this is no longer the case.

In an APA reference list , journal article citations include only the year of publication, not the exact date, month, or season.

The inclusion of volume and issue numbers makes a more specific date unnecessary.

In an APA journal citation , if a DOI (digital object identifier) is available for an article, always include it.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a database or in print, just omit the DOI.

If an article has no DOI, and you accessed it through a website other than a database (for example, the journal’s own website), include a URL linking to the article.

You may include up to 20 authors in a reference list entry .

When an article has more than 20 authors, replace the names prior to the final listed author with an ellipsis, but do not omit the final author:

Davis, Y., Smith, J., Caulfield, F., Pullman, H., Carlisle, J., Donahue, S. D., James, F., O’Donnell, K., Singh, J., Johnson, L., Streefkerk, R., McCombes, S., Corrieri, L., Valck, X., Baldwin, F. M., Lorde, J., Wardell, K., Lao, W., Yang, P., . . . O’Brien, T. (2012).

Include the DOI at the very end of the APA reference entry . If you’re using the 6th edition APA guidelines, the DOI is preceded by the label “doi:”. In the 7th edition , the DOI is preceded by ‘https://doi.org/’.

• 6th edition: doi: 10.1177/0894439316660340
• 7th edition: https://doi.org/ 10.1177/0894439316660340

APA citation example (7th edition)

Hawi, N. S., & Samaha, M. (2016). The relations among social media addiction, self-esteem, and life satisfaction in university students. Social Science Computer Review , 35 (5), 576–586. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439316660340

When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:

• Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15).
• Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section)
• Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)

Always include page numbers in the APA in-text citation when quoting a source . Don’t include page numbers when referring to a work as a whole – for example, an entire book or journal article.

If your source does not have page numbers, you can use an alternative locator such as a timestamp, chapter heading or paragraph number.

Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.

No publication date

If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).

The abbreviation “ et al. ” (meaning “and others”) is used to shorten APA in-text citations with three or more authors . Here’s how it works:

Only include the first author’s last name, followed by “et al.”, a comma and the year of publication, for example (Taylor et al., 2018).

APA Style papers should be written in a font that is legible and widely accessible. For example:

• Times New Roman (12pt.)
• Arial (11pt.)
• Calibri (11pt.)
• Georgia (11pt.)

The same font and font size is used throughout the document, including the running head , page numbers, headings , and the reference page . Text in footnotes and figure images may be smaller and use single line spacing.

The easiest way to set up APA format in Word is to download Scribbr’s free APA format template for student papers or professional papers.

Alternatively, you can watch Scribbr’s 5-minute step-by-step tutorial or check out our APA format guide with examples.

You need an APA in-text citation and reference entry . Each source type has its own format; for example, a webpage citation is different from a book citation .

Use Scribbr’s free APA Citation Generator to generate flawless citations in seconds or take a look at our APA citation examples .

APA format is widely used by professionals, researchers, and students in the social and behavioral sciences, including fields like education, psychology, and business.

Be sure to check the guidelines of your university or the journal you want to be published in to double-check which style you should be using.

Yes, page numbers are included on all pages, including the title page , table of contents , and reference page . Page numbers should be right-aligned in the page header.

To insert page numbers in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, click ‘Insert’ and then ‘Page number’.

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Scribbr’s Plagiarism Checker is powered by elements of Turnitin’s Similarity Checker , namely the plagiarism detection software and the Internet Archive and Premium Scholarly Publications content databases .

The add-on AI detector is powered by Scribbr’s proprietary software.

The Scribbr Citation Generator is developed using the open-source Citation Style Language (CSL) project and Frank Bennett’s citeproc-js . It’s the same technology used by dozens of other popular citation tools, including Mendeley and Zotero.

You can find all the citation styles and locales used in the Scribbr Citation Generator in our publicly accessible repository on Github .