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How to Cite a Lecture in APA For a Reference

In writing a research paper, it remains crucial to cite your sources, as doing so allows others to see what materials you have consulted in your research. In formatting citations, those writing in the field of psychology and other related social sciences are frequently asked to use the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide. While citing books and other frequently employed sources is relatively simple in APA style, referencing less frequently encountered references--like lectures--proves more challenging. The APA style guide does, however, provide a clean and simple method for properly citing lectures.

Things You'll Need

  • Name of lecturer
  • Date of lecture
  • Title of lecture
  • Title of symposium
  • Name of symposium organizer
  • Title of conference
  • Location of conference
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Instructions

    • 1

      Begin by listing the name of the lecturer. You should first list the lecturer's surname, followed by a comma and the person's first and middle initials. This portion of the citation concludes with a period. Thus, if the lecture was delivered by Nicholas Allen, the citation should begin as such: Allen, N.

    • 2

      Add the month and year in which the lecture was given in parenthesis. Inside the parenthesis, the year should be given first, followed by a comma and then the month. A period should be placed after the closing parenthesis. If the lecture was delivered in December 2009, the citation would read as follows: Allen, N. (2009, December).

    • 3

      Include the title of the lecture without italics or quotation marks, followed by a period. For example, if the lecture was entitled "Beckett in Crisis," this would be the citation: Allen, N. (2009, December). Beckett in Crisis.

    • 4

      List the name of the coordinator of the symposium if applicable, along with the coordinator's official title. The coordinator's first and middle initials should be employed directly before his or her last name, with his or her position listed in parenthesis immediately afterward. Place a period after the closing parenthesis. Thus, the reference would now read as follows: Allen, N. (2009, December). Beckett in Crisis. R.G. Feal (Director).

    • 5

      Add the title of the symposium at which the lecture was delivered. The title should be placed in italics and be immediately followed by a period. Consequently, if the name of the symposium is Theater after Beckett, the citation should read like this: Allen, N. (2009, December). Beckett in Crisis. R.G. Feal (Director). Theater after Beckett.

    • 6

      Identify the meeting at which this symposium was held. This portion should begin with the words "symposium conducted at the meeting of," followed by the name of the organization sponsoring the symposium and then a comma. For example, if the symposium was held as part of the MLA Convention, the citation should read as such: Allen, N. (2009, December). Beckett in Crisis. R.G. Feal (Director). Theater after Beckett. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the MLA Convention,

    • 7

      Conclude with the location of the conference, followed by a period. If the conference was held in Philadelphia, this would be the finished citation: Allen, N. (2009, December). Beckett in Crisis. R.G. Feal (Director). Theater after Beckett. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the MLA Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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