Chicago 17th Edition — Lectures & Slides

Chicago Citation Generator for Lectures and PowerPoints

Cite class lectures, recorded talks, conference papers, and PowerPoint slides in Chicago Manual of Style. Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date — both supported.

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How to cite a lecture or powerpoint in Chicago

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Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

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Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

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Get the complete Chicago citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

Chicago Format for Lectures and Slides

University lecture (Notes-Bibliography footnote):

First Last, "Title of Lecture" (lecture, Department, University, City, Month Day, Year).

University lecture (Bibliography):

Last, First. "Title of Lecture." Lecture, Department, University, City, Month Day, Year.

YouTube / public video lecture:

Last, First. Year. "Title." YouTube video, hh:mm:ss. Posted by "Channel," Month Day. URL.

Conference presentation:

Last, First. "Title." Paper presented at Conference Name, City, Month Day–Day, Year.

Chicago Lecture Citation Examples

University lecture (Notes-Bibliography footnote)

Jane Smith, "Introduction to Romantic Poetry" (lecture, Department of English, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, March 15, 2024).

Standard Chicago humanities format

University lecture (Bibliography)

Smith, Jane. "Introduction to Romantic Poetry." Lecture, Department of English, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, March 15, 2024.

Bibliography entry — invert author name

YouTube lecture (Author-Date)

Last, First. 2024. "Title of the Lecture." YouTube video, 47:23. Posted by "MIT OpenCourseWare," March 15. https://youtube.com/watch?v=exampleID.

Include duration and channel — Chicago is precise

PowerPoint slides (publicly retrievable)

Lastname, First. "Title of Slides." PowerPoint presentation, University Name, 2024. https://open-site.edu/slides/example.pptx.

Note "PowerPoint presentation" descriptor

Conference paper

Lastname, First. "Title of Conference Paper." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Modern Language Association, Philadelphia, January 4–7, 2024.

Use "Paper presented at" for conference talks

Examples formatted in Chicago style

Chicago vs. APA: Lecture Rules

Chicago is more permissive than APA on non-retrievable sources. APA pushes closed-LMS lectures to in-text personal communications (no reference entry). Chicago lets you cite them with full bibliographic detail, no URL required.

Chicago — full bibliography entry

In-person and recorded lectures (with or without URL)
Conference papers and presentations
PowerPoint slides (public or institutional)
Closed-LMS lectures (with descriptive details)

APA — personal communication only

Closed-LMS lectures: in-text only
In-person classes without recording: in-text only
One-on-one discussions: in-text only
Public retrievable lectures: full reference

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you cite a lecture in Chicago Notes-Bibliography style?

Footnote: First Last, "Title of Lecture" (lecture, Department, University Name, City, Month Day, Year). Bibliography: Last, First. "Title of Lecture." Lecture, Department, University Name, City, Month Day, Year. Use Notes-Bibliography for humanities papers; the format is descriptive rather than retrievable.

How do you cite a lecture in Chicago Author-Date style?

In-text: (Last Year). Reference list: Last, First. Year. "Title of Lecture." Lecture, Department, University Name, City, Month Day. Author-Date is more common in social-science Chicago papers; format is otherwise the same as Notes-Bibliography.

How do you cite a PowerPoint in Chicago style?

For publicly retrievable slides: First Last, "Title of Slides" (PowerPoint presentation, University Name, Year), URL. For closed-LMS slides, treat as unpublished material and cite in a footnote with access details, or as personal communication if requested by your instructor. CiteMe generates the public-retrievable Chicago format from a slide-deck URL.

Should I include a URL for an online lecture in Chicago?

Yes. Chicago 17th edition includes URLs for retrievable online sources at the end of the citation. Format: ..., accessed Month Day, Year, https://example.com/lecture. The "accessed" date is recommended when the source has no fixed publication date.

How do you cite a YouTube lecture in Chicago?

Footnote: First Last, "Title of Lecture," YouTube video, hh:mm:ss, posted by "Channel Name," Month Day, Year, URL. Bibliography: Last, First. "Title of Lecture." YouTube video, hh:mm:ss. Posted by "Channel Name," Month Day, Year. URL. Include the video duration when available — Chicago is precise about runtime.

Do I cite a class lecture in the bibliography?

Chicago is more permissive than APA. Even non-retrievable lectures (in-person classes, closed-LMS recordings) can appear in the bibliography if they are central to your argument, with details like "Lecture, Department, University, City, Date" — no URL required. The reader cannot retrieve the source, but the citation documents your evidence trail.

How do I cite a conference presentation in Chicago?

Footnote: First Last, "Title of Presentation" (paper presented at Conference Name, City, Month Day–Day, Year). Bibliography: Last, First. "Title of Presentation." Paper presented at Conference Name, City, Month Day–Day, Year. Add URL if the presentation is online.