Academic conferences are where new research first sees the light of day — often months or years before it appears in a journal. If you attended a conference, watched a recorded presentation, or found conference proceedings in a database, you may need to cite that work.
APA 7th edition treats conference contributions as a distinct source type, with specific formats depending on the type of presentation and whether it was published. The key distinction: was the work presented at a conference or published in conference proceedings?
Conference Paper Presentation
This is the most common format — a paper that was presented (read aloud or discussed) at a conference but not formally published in proceedings.
Reference list:
Rivera, L. M., & Nguyen, T. H. (2024, April 18–20). Implicit bias in hiring: A longitudinal study of structured interview outcomes [Paper presentation]. Annual Convention of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicago, IL, United States.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Rivera & Nguyen, 2024)
Narrative:Rivera and Nguyen (2024) presented findings showing that…
Key details:
- The author(s) are the presenter(s) of the paper.
- The date includes the specific dates of the conference (use the range if it spans multiple days).
- The title is italicized and in sentence case, followed by [Paper presentation] in square brackets.
- The conference name is in title case (capitalize major words).
- Include the location — city, state (abbreviated), and country.
- No URL unless the presentation is available online.
With a URL
If the conference paper slides or recording are available online:
Rivera, L. M., & Nguyen, T. H. (2024, April 18–20). Implicit bias in hiring: A longitudinal study of structured interview outcomes [Paper presentation]. Annual Convention of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Chicago, IL, United States. https://example.com/conference-paper
Poster Presentation
Poster sessions are a staple of academic conferences. The format is nearly identical to a paper presentation, with a different bracket label.
Reference list:
Okafor, C. N. (2025, May 22–25). Sleep architecture changes in shift workers: A polysomnography study [Poster presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, Seattle, WA, United States.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Okafor, 2025)
Narrative:Okafor (2025) reported that shift workers exhibited…
Key details:
- The bracket label is [Poster presentation] instead of [Paper presentation].
- Everything else follows the same format — authors, date, italicized title, conference name, location.
When the Poster Is Available as a PDF
If the poster file is publicly available (e.g., on the presenter's website or a conference archive):
Okafor, C. N. (2025, May 22–25). Sleep architecture changes in shift workers: A polysomnography study [Poster presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, Seattle, WA, United States. https://example.com/poster-pdf
Symposium Contribution
A symposium is a curated session at a conference where multiple presenters contribute talks on a related theme. Each individual contribution is cited separately, noting the symposium it was part of.
Reference list:
Tanaka, M. (2024, August 8–11). Cultural variations in parenting self-efficacy among immigrant families [Paper presentation]. In R. K. Desai (Chair), Parenting across cultures: New perspectives on family resilience [Symposium]. Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Seattle, WA, United States.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Tanaka, 2024)
Narrative:Tanaka (2024) explored how cultural background shapes…
Key details:
- The individual presenter is the author.
- The individual contribution's title is italicized, followed by [Paper presentation].
- The symposium information follows "In" with the chair's name and the symposium title italicized, followed by [Symposium] in brackets.
- The overall conference name and location follow.
This format distinguishes the individual contribution from the broader symposium, telling readers exactly where to find the specific presentation.
Keynote Address
Keynote speeches are a single invited presentation, typically by a prominent researcher or public figure.
Reference list:
Dweck, C. S. (2024, March 14). Rethinking talent: Growth mindset in organizational contexts [Keynote address]. Annual Conference of the Association for Talent Development, Denver, CO, United States.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Dweck, 2024)
Narrative:In her keynote address, Dweck (2024) argued that…
Key details:
- The bracket label is [Keynote address].
- The date is the specific date of the keynote (not the full conference date range).
- If the keynote is available as a video, include the URL.
Published Conference Proceedings
When conference papers are collected and published — either as a book or in a journal — use the format for the publication type (book chapter or journal article), not the conference presentation format.
Published in a Book
If the proceedings are published as an edited volume, treat each paper as a chapter in an edited book:
Kim, J., & Patel, S. R. (2023). Machine learning approaches to behavioral sleep data. In A. Morales & C. T. Lin (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Sleep and Technology (pp. 145–162). Springer. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/978-3-030-12345-6_8
In-text: (Kim & Patel, 2023)
Published in a Journal
If the proceedings are published as a journal issue or supplement, treat each paper as a journal article:
Fernandez, R., & Washington, A. M. (2024). Community-based interventions for food insecurity: A participatory approach. Journal of Community Health, 49(Suppl. 1), S23–S38. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/s10900-024-01234-5
In-text: (Fernandez & Washington, 2024)
The logic:Once a conference paper is published, it's no longer just a presentation — it's a published work. Cite it in the format that matches how it was published.
Unpublished Conference Paper
If you have access to a conference paper that was neither presented at the time you're writing about it nor published in proceedings (e.g., an accepted but not yet presented paper, or a manuscript distributed at a conference):
Reference list:
Hartley, E. (2025). Environmental justice and urban planning: A mixed-methods analysis [Unpublished conference paper]. Department of Urban Studies, Portland State University.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Hartley, 2025)
Narrative:Hartley (2025) proposed a framework for…
Key details:
- The bracket label is [Unpublished conference paper].
- Include the department and institution where the author is affiliated.
- No conference name is included because it hasn't been presented yet.
Quick-Reference Table
| Source Type | Bracket Label | Key Source Info |
|---|---|---|
| Paper presentation | [Paper presentation] | Conference Name, City, State, Country |
| Poster presentation | [Poster presentation] | Conference Name, City, State, Country |
| Symposium contribution | [Paper presentation] + [Symposium] | Chair, Symposium Title, Conference Name, Location |
| Keynote address | [Keynote address] | Conference Name, City, State, Country |
| Published proceedings (book) | None (use book chapter format) | Editors, Book Title, Pages, Publisher, DOI |
| Published proceedings (journal) | None (use journal article format) | Journal Name, Volume, Pages, DOI |
| Unpublished conference paper | [Unpublished conference paper] | Department, Institution |
Common Mistakes
These are the conference paper citation errors we see most often:
Using the conference presentation format for published proceedings. If the paper was published in a book or journal, cite it as a book chapter or journal article — not as a conference presentation.
Omitting the conference location. City, state (or province), and country are required for unpublished conference presentations. Don't leave them out.
Forgetting the bracket label. [Paper presentation], [Poster presentation], or [Keynote address] is required — it tells the reader what type of conference contribution this was.
Using the conference date range when citing a specific presentation. For a single presentation, use the specific date if known. For the overall conference, the date range is fine.
Formatting the conference name in sentence case. Conference names are proper nouns — use title case: "Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association," not "Annual convention of the American psychological association."
Including the conference name for published proceedings. When proceedings are published in a book or journal, the publication information replaces the conference information. You don't need to list the conference separately.
What's Next
Now that you know how to cite conference papers, explore these related topics:
- APA Reference List — how to format and organize all your reference entries
- How to Cite a Journal Article in APA Format — for conference papers published in journals
- How to Cite a Book in APA Format — for conference papers published as book chapters
Archivero identifies conference papers and automatically applies the correct format — whether it's an unpublished presentation, a poster session, or published proceedings — so you can cite your conference sources with confidence.
