On this page
Updated . Example details checked against the MLA Handbook (9th ed.) example for a talk.
The Harvard format
Pattern
Last name, Initial. (Year) ‘Title of talk’ [Lecture]. Module code: Module title. Institution. Day Month Year.
- Kind of talk in square brackets: [Lecture], [Recorded lecture], [Keynote address].
- Module or event in italics. For a class lecture, the module code and title: PM3PY2: Clinical therapeutics 3.
- Host: the university or organization, and the place for a public talk.
- Date in full at the end, day month year.
A real example
Reference list entry
Stein, B. (2009) ‘Reading and writing in the digital era’ [Keynote address]. Discussion Series. Digital Humanities Center, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City. 3 May 2009.
In-text citation
(Stein, 2009)
When details are missing
- A recording on your course site: add Available at: URL (Accessed: date), as Cite Them Right’s recorded lecture example does.
- No title: describe the talk in the brackets and leave out the quotation marks.
- Slides only: cite the slides, with [PowerPoint presentation] in the brackets.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the kind of talk. The brackets tell the reader whether it was a lecture, a keynote or a recording.
- Only the year. A talk happens on one day; give the full date at the end.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Lecture or speech and fill in the speaker, title, kind of talk, event, host, place and date. Format writes the Reference list entry and the in-text citation in Harvard, exactly as shown above, and builds the Reference list page when you export to Word or PDF. Harvard is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Can I cite my lecturer’s class?
Yes, Cite Them Right gives a form for it. Many lecturers prefer you cite the reading the lecture was based on; ask yours.
How do I cite something said in the lecture?
Name the speaker and year: (Stein, 2009). There are no page numbers.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Harvard
Every source kind is on the Harvard page, and every style is on How to cite.