APA (American Psychological Association) 7th is an author-date referencing style where you have an in-text citation and a related entry in a reference list at the end of your document.

APA 7th - lecture or speech

Lectures/Speeches are treated as personal communications i.e. they only appear in the text, and are not included in the reference list. 

However, if the lecturer/speaker has posted the lecture/speech publicly online or in a published form then you can cite it and it would appear in your reference list.

Add a reference list entitled References at the end of your essay, citing all sources used in the body of your writing, except for personal communications.

The reference list should be in alphabetical order by the first author's surname (last name).

The first line of each reference should be aligned with the left margin. Second and subsequent lines should be indented seven spaces (1.27cm).

An example reference list

See also: multiple works by the same author, one source cited in another, similar information from multiple works, abbreviations.

When you use another person’s ideas or words in your text include the author’s name and publication date in brackets (Parenthetical Citation).

If you use the author’s name as part of a sentence, include the date of publication in brackets (Narrative Citation).

Lecture Notes or powerpoint slides of a lecture retrieved online

As indicated in their lecture... (Ibrahim & Welday, 2008).

Unpublished speech: (No corresponding Reference List entry)

In a speech it was reiterated that... (Dr Li Wang, personal communication, August 14, 2016).

Speech reproduced in a published source:

Dr. Martin Luther King stated, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed” (Smith, 2009, p. 219).

See also: Multiple works by the same author, Similar information from multiple works, One source quoted in another

An example paragraph

See also: more on paraphrasing ...

Direct quotes of less than 40 words require quotation marks and the page number/s. For audio recording use the time stamp.

• Describes the occasion of the coronation of the Queen as "Westminster Abbey bares witness to that glorious and wonderful pageant" (Ehau, 1953, 10.08).
• Ehau (1953) stated in his coronation speech to Queen Elizabeth II that "in the name of the Maori race we salute you ... we proclaim our loyalty ... we claim you our Queen" (13.23).

See also: more on quoting, including long quotes ...

This material is based on the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2020). For further information, please consult the manual directly.