Harvard - Cite Them Right - Lectures

Free Harvard Lecture Referencing Generator

Lecture notes, slides, and presentations are unpublished sources that require the module code, institution, and date of delivery in a Harvard reference. Enter the details below to generate a correctly formatted Cite Them Right lecture reference.

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How to cite a lecture or powerpoint in Harvard

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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 Harvard citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

Harvard Lecture Reference Format

Unpublished Lecture:

Lecturer (Year) 'Title of lecture'. Module code: Module name. Institution. Date of lecture. [Unpublished].

Lecture Slides on VLE:

Lecturer (Year) 'Title of lecture'. Module code: Module name. Institution. Available at: VLE name (Accessed: day month year).

Guest Lecture:

Speaker (Year) 'Title of lecture'. Module code: Module name. Institution. Date. [Guest lecture].

Harvard Lecture Reference Examples

Lecture (Unpublished)

Brown, A. (2024) 'Introduction to research methods'. PS101: Psychology Research Methods. University of Manchester. 10 October. [Unpublished].

In-text: (Brown, 2024)

Lecture Slides on VLE

Williams, K. (2024) 'Qualitative data analysis'. SOC202: Research Methods in Sociology. University of Birmingham. Available at: Canvas (Accessed: 20 November 2024).

In-text: (Williams, 2024)

Guest Lecture

Chen, L. (2024) 'Data ethics in practice'. CS200: Computer Science Ethics. University of Leeds. 5 November. [Guest lecture].

In-text: (Chen, 2024)

Recorded Lecture (Online)

Patel, S. (2024) 'Foundations of macroeconomics'. EC100: Introduction to Economics. London School of Economics. Available at: Moodle (Accessed: 8 December 2024).

In-text: (Patel, 2024)

Examples formatted in Harvard style

Special Cases for Lectures

Lecture recordings on YouTube or Panopto If the lecture is publicly available as a recording, reference it as a video instead. Use the Harvard video format with the platform name and URL.
Conference presentations For conference papers or presentations, use: Author (Year) 'Title of paper'. Paper presented at Conference Name, Location, Date. If published in proceedings, cite the proceedings instead.
Personal communications with lecturers If you are citing information from a conversation with a lecturer (not a formal lecture), use personal communication format: (Brown, 2024, personal communication, 10 October). These are typically cited in-text only and not included in the reference list.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reference lecture slides in Harvard style?

Use the format: Lecturer (Year) 'Title of lecture'. Module code: Module name. Institution. Date of lecture. [Unpublished]. Example: Brown, A. (2024) 'Introduction to research methods'. PS101: Psychology Research Methods. University of Manchester. 10 October. [Unpublished].

How do I cite a university lecture in Harvard?

In-text, use the standard author-date format: (Brown, 2024). In the reference list, include the lecturer name, year, lecture title in single quotes, module code and name, institution, date, and [Unpublished] if not publicly available.

Do I need to include the module code in a lecture reference?

Yes, Cite Them Right recommends including the module code and name to help readers identify the source. If you do not know the module code, include the module name alone.

How do I reference lecture notes available on a VLE (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle)?

If the lecture notes are available on a VLE, reference them as online lecture materials. Add: Available at: VLE name (Accessed: day month year). Example: Brown, A. (2024) 'Research design'. PS101: Psychology. University of Manchester. Available at: Blackboard (Accessed: 15 October 2024).

How do I reference a guest lecture or seminar in Harvard?

Reference a guest lecture the same way, using the guest speaker as author. Add [Guest lecture] or [Seminar] after the date if you want to clarify the type. Example: Chen, L. (2024) 'Data ethics in practice'. CS200: Computer Science Ethics. University of Leeds. 5 November. [Guest lecture].