How to Cite a Lecture or Speech in Harvard

Cite a recorded or published lecture, keynote or set of slides. A live lecture nobody can retrieve is cited in the text only, as a personal communication (APA). This page follows Harvard (Cite Them Right), Cite Them Right, 12th edition.

Harvard format for a lecture or speech

Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Reference list entry

Pausch, R. (2007) ‘Really achieving your childhood dreams’. Journeys Lecture Series, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 18 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo.

In-text citation

(Pausch, 2007, 10:05)

Style: Harvard (Cite Them Right)

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Date given (required)

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Cite a specific place (optional)

Need the exact moment and wording? Get the full transcript with timestamps, then search it for the quote.

Preview: Harvard (Cite Them Right)

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    Where to find the details

    • Course codes and series names help your reader find the recording.
    • For slides on your course site, write "Lecture notes" or "PowerPoint slides" as the kind.

    Required in most styles: speaker, date given, title of the lecture, course, series or event, institution and city.

    Find the exact quote and timestamp

    Scrubbing through a recording for one sentence is slow. Get the full transcript with timestamps, search it, and paste the line and time into the generator.

    Free YouTube transcript generator

    Cite a lecture or speech in another style

    Other sources

    Questions

    What do I need to cite a lecture or speech in Harvard?

    At minimum: speaker, date given, title of the lecture, course, series or event, institution and city. Course codes and series names help your reader find the recording. For slides on your course site, write "Lecture notes" or "PowerPoint slides" as the kind.

    What does a lecture or speech look like in Harvard?

    Reference list entry: Pausch, R. (2007) ‘Really achieving your childhood dreams’. Journeys Lecture Series, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, 18 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo. In-text citation: (Pausch, 2007, 10:05)

    How do I cite a specific moment?

    Give the timestamp where the quote or point begins, in hours, minutes and seconds (for example 1:04:15). APA and Harvard put it in the in-text citation; MLA and Chicago put it after the title or in the note. Enter it in the pinpoint box and the generator places it correctly.

    Is this free?

    Yes. No account and no limit. Your bibliography is saved in this browser only, and you can export it to Word, BibTeX, RIS or CSL-JSON.

    Citations are formatted by citeproc-js by Frank Bennett (CPAL-1.0, or AGPL-1.0), the engine behind Zotero and Mendeley, running the official Citation Style Language styles (10,863 styles, commit 2e93558) and locales (commit a89adec), used under CC BY-SA 3.0. AGLC4 citations use the LexIntellect AGLC4 engine, checked against the Guide's worked examples. Always check a citation against the manual or your institution's guide before you submit.