How to Cite a Professor's Lecture

There are several ways to cite a professor's lecture.

A professor's lecture is a form of research that fits under the personal communication category. Personal communication refers to resources such as letters, interviews or any other communication between two parties. Because a professor is lecturing to other people, the class lecture fits this category. Citing a professor's lecture is important because it gives credit to the instructor for the information shared. If you are referencing a professor's lecture and don't give credit, you could be committing plagiarism. Citing personal communication is an easy process, so don't risk the consequences of skipping it

Instructions

1. Cite a lecture using Modern Language Association, or MLA, style in the bibliography and in the text. For the bibliography, list the name of the speaker, the title of the lecture (if available and in italics), the name of the organization (in most cases the university), the location of the lecture and the date it was given. You should also specify that this was a lecture, and not a speech, reading, presentation or other form of address. For example:

   Smith, Carol. History of the Byzantine Empire. Columbia University. History Building, New York City, NY. 7 April 2009. Lecture.

2. Mention the professor in the text of the paper for an in-text MLA citation. For example: Carol Smith gave a lecture on the Byzantine Empire that discussed several aspects of the empire.

3. Make an in-text citation with American Psychological Association, or APA, formatting by putting the author's last name, first initial, the words "personal communication" and the date the lecture was given in parentheses. For example: (C. Smith, personal communication, April 7, 2009). You do not cite personal communication in a bibliography in APA style.

4. Cite with Chicago style by using footnotes in-the text. You need the professor's name, the name of the lecture, the type of address, the location and the date. For example: Carol Smith, "History of the Byzantine Empire" (lecture, Columbia University, New York City, NY, April 7, 2009). The bibliography listing is the same as the footnote but with the last name first. For example: Smith, Carol instead of Carol Smith.

References

• Purdue Online Writing Lab; APA Formatting and Style Guide; In-Text Citations: Author/Authors; Elizabeth Angeli; May 3, 2011
• Purdue Online Writing Lab; MLA Works Cited: Other Common Sources; Tony Russell, et al.; Feb. 9, 2011
• Purdue Online Writing Lab; MLA In-Text Citations: The Basics; Tony Russell, et al.; June 14, 2011
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Chicago Manual of Style 16th Edition; Lectures and Papers Presented at Meetings; Jessica Clements, et al.; Dec. 7, 2010