Lectures in Harvard referencing are treated as unpublished or internally distributed sources — they are typically available only to students enrolled in a module, not to the general public. The reference list entry identifies the lecturer, the year, the lecture title, the format (e.g., lecture slides, lecture notes), the module name, the institution, and the date the lecture was delivered. Because lectures are not widely accessible, some markers prefer that you cite the published source the lecturer drew from rather than the lecture itself.
Published Lecture Slides (on a VLE)
When lecture slides are uploaded to a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) such as Blackboard, Moodle, or Canvas, they have a URL — but it is usually behind a login wall, so only enrolled students can access it.
Reference list:
Ahmed, S. (2025) 'Week 3: Supply and demand' [Lecture slides]. EC1010: Introduction to Economics. University of Leeds. 28 January. Available at: https://minerva.leeds.ac.uk/ec1010/week3 (Accessed: 2 February 2025).
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Ahmed, 2025)
Narrative:Ahmed (2025) identifies three conditions under which demand curves shift…
Key Elements
| Element | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Author | Lecturer's surname and initials |
| Year | Year the lecture was delivered |
| Title | Lecture title in single quotation marks |
| Format | [Lecture slides] in square brackets |
| Module | Module code and name |
| Institution | University or college name |
| Date | Day and month the lecture was delivered |
| URL | VLE link (if available) |
| Access date | When you accessed the slides |
Lecture You Attended (Unpublished)
If you attended a lecture but no slides or notes were distributed, treat it as an unpublished source. The reference list entry is similar but omits the URL:
Reference list:
Fernandez, R. (2025) 'Cognitive biases in decision-making' [Lecture]. PS2040: Cognitive Psychology. University of Manchester. 14 February.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Fernandez, 2025)
Narrative:Fernandez (2025) outlined five cognitive biases that affect everyday judgement…
Tip:If the lecture drew on published research, consider citing the original study instead of (or in addition to) the lecture. This gives your reader access to a verifiable source and demonstrates deeper engagement with the literature.
Lecture Notes
Lecture notes — whether distributed as a handout, uploaded as a PDF, or written by the lecturer as a companion to the slides — are referenced with the format identifier [Lecture notes]:
Reference list:
Chen, L. (2025) 'Introduction to qualitative research methods' [Lecture notes]. RS3010: Research Skills. University of Bristol. 6 March. Available at: https://blackboard.bristol.ac.uk/rs3010/notes (Accessed: 10 March 2025).
In-text:
(Chen, 2025)
Guest Lecture or Invited Talk
When a guest speaker delivers a lecture in your module, the guest speaker is the author — not the module leader who invited them.
Reference list:
Okafor, D. (2025) 'Data ethics in healthcare AI' [Guest lecture]. CS3050: Artificial Intelligence. King's College London. 20 March.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Okafor, 2025)
Narrative:Okafor (2025) argued that algorithmic bias in healthcare AI disproportionately affects marginalised communities…
If the guest speaker's affiliation is different from the host institution, you may note this in the text for clarity — but the reference list entry stays with the host institution and module.
Lecture Recording (Video or Audio)
Many lectures are recorded and made available through the VLE or a lecture capture system (e.g., Panopto, Echo360). Reference them with [Lecture recording]:
Reference list:
Torres, M. (2025) 'Week 7: Climate policy and international agreements' [Lecture recording]. GG2020: Global Environmental Change. University of Edinburgh. 10 March. Available at: https://echo360.ed.ac.uk/gg2020/week7 (Accessed: 15 March 2025).
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Torres, 2025)
With a timestamp:(Torres, 2025, 23:15)
Use a timestamp instead of a page number when referring to a specific moment in a recorded lecture.
Conference Presentation
Conference presentations differ from lectures because they are delivered to a professional or academic audience, not to students in a module. The reference identifies the speaker, the presentation title, the conference name, and the location and date.
Reference list:
Patel, N. (2024) 'Reimagining urban green spaces for mental health', British Psychological Society Annual Conference. Nottingham, 15–17 May.
In-text citations:
Parenthetical:(Patel, 2024)
Narrative:Patel (2024) presented preliminary findings suggesting that access to urban green space was positively correlated with…
Conference Presentation Available Online
If the presentation or its slides are available online, add the URL and an access date:
Patel, N. (2024) 'Reimagining urban green spaces for mental health', British Psychological Society Annual Conference. Nottingham, 15–17 May. Available at: https://www.bps.org.uk/conference2024/patel (Accessed: 22 June 2025).
Note:If a conference paper is published in proceedings, it follows a different format — see How to Reference a Conference Paper in Harvard Style.
PowerPoint or Slide Deck
Sometimes you need to cite a slide deck that is not tied to a specific lecture — for example, a set of slides shared by a colleague or downloaded from an organisation's website.
Reference list:
World Health Organization (2024) Global health priorities 2025–2030 [PowerPoint presentation]. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/slides/global-health-priorities (Accessed: 8 January 2025).
In-text:
(World Health Organization, 2024)
For slide decks that are part of a module, use the lecture slides format described above.
Summary: Lecture and Presentation Reference Formats at a Glance
| Source Type | Reference List Format |
|---|---|
| Lecture slides (VLE) | Lecturer (Year) 'Title' [Lecture slides]. Module. Institution. Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Lecture (unpublished) | Lecturer (Year) 'Title' [Lecture]. Module. Institution. Day Month. |
| Lecture notes | Lecturer (Year) 'Title' [Lecture notes]. Module. Institution. Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Guest lecture | Speaker (Year) 'Title' [Guest lecture]. Module. Institution. Day Month. |
| Lecture recording | Lecturer (Year) 'Title' [Lecture recording]. Module. Institution. Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
| Conference presentation | Speaker (Year) 'Title', Conference Name. Location, Day–Day Month. |
| Slide deck (online) | Author/Organisation (Year) Title [PowerPoint presentation]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). |
Common Mistakes With Lecture Citations
| Mistake | Why It's Wrong | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Citing the module leader for a guest lecture | The guest speaker is the author of their own presentation | Use the guest speaker as the author |
| Omitting the module name and institution | The reader needs context to identify the source | Always include the module name/code and institution |
| Using the lecture date as the year | The year goes in parentheses after the author; the full date appears later in the entry | Include the year after the author and the day/month at the end |
| Not including a format identifier | Without [Lecture slides], [Lecture], etc., the source type is unclear | Always add the format in square brackets |
| Citing lecture slides when a published source exists | Lecturers often summarise published research — the original is more authoritative | Cite the published source whenever possible |
What's Next?
Now that you know how to reference lectures and presentations, explore these related guides:
- How to Reference a Conference Paper in Harvard Style — formats for published proceedings and presented papers
- How to Reference a Video in Harvard Style — formats for recorded talks, TED Talks, and other audiovisual sources
- Harvard Format Paper — page layout, headings, and overall paper formatting
- Harvard Reference List — the complete guide to formatting your reference list
