apa 7 guidelines for powerpoint presentation

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Formatting a Powerpoint Presentation in APA 7th Style

The apa 7th manual and the apa website do not provide any specific rules about using apa format or citation in powerpoint slides. , here are some recommended guidelines:, 1. always follow any specific instructions given by your instructor., 2. you will need in-text citations on a powerpoint slide where you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing someone else's ideas. , 3. you also will include a reference list as your powerpoint's last slide (or slides). , this youtube video from smart student shows you how to create apa7th in-text citations and a reference list: .

• Citing and Referencing in Powerpoint Presentations | APA 7th Edition This video will show you how to create APA 7th in-text citations and a Reference page for your PowerPoint presentation.
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• Last Updated: Apr 17, 2024 2:30 PM
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APA for PowerPoint Presentations

Using powerpoint for beginners.

The APA manual does not have a section on how to format a PowerPoint presentation, but y ou can follow APA style guidelines within your PowerPoint . For example:

• Include the same information on your title slide that you would have on a title page. 
• Include in-text citations for any quote, paraphrase, image, graph, table, data, audio or video file that you use within your presentation. Please note that photographs are considered figures in APA style. 
• The last slide will be your References List. 
• “No citation, permission, or copyright attribution is necessary for clip art from programs like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint” (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, p. 346).
• Do not reproduce images without permission from the creator or owner of the image. See section 12.15 of the APA manual for more information about this.

Resource: Goodwin University Library. 2019. How to format a PowerPoint presentation in APA Style. Goodwin University.   https://goodwin.libguides.com/apastyle   

• Citing Business Sources in APA Style Brock University's guide to citing business information sources according the the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Includes citing sources in presentations
• << Previous: Additional APA Resources
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Citing Sources in PowerPoint Slides

• PowerPoint - In-text Citations
• PowerPoint - References List

Note:  APA does not have specific rules about the format of PowerPoint slides.  Rasmussen University does have recommended guidelines outlined below and in the attached PPT presentation.

PowerPoint slides  may   need citations, depending on what type of information is included on the slide.

If the text on a slide is a quote (someone else's words, verbatim) or someone else's ideas in the presenter's own words, then a citation is needed.

If the text placed on a slide is simply a word or phrase that represents a topic that the presenter will be discussing in greater detail, then a citation is not needed.

The table below includes two PowerPoint slides (left side). The column on the right tells whether or not the information would need to be cited and why.

Speaker Notes:  Some assignments require text in the Speaker Notes area of the PowerPoint slide. If information from a source is quoted, summarized, or paraphrased in that area, an in-text citation and reference will likely be required. Ask your instructor for clarification.

• Presentations & APA Citation Style at Rasmussen University Great resource to share with students if they are having struggles with APA in PPTs.

PowerPoint Slides - References

There are two ways to include the Reference list in your presentation:

• Coordinating reference lists are typically handed out during or after the presentation either in print if presenting in person, or electronically if presenting online. This is the preferred method of including a Reference list of the sources cited in your slide deck.
• Include a Reference list in the last slide of the presentation. This is an acceptable method if there are not many resources to include. Avoid adding so many resources to the list that the type is not legible to those attending the presentation

Creating the Reference List Slide

• If you use outside sources in your presentation (noted in your in-text citations), you must cite those sources on a References page/slide.
• Your Reference page can be created in NoodleTools, exported to Microsoft Word, and distributed or submitted with your slides to those who attend your presentation. Ask your instructor if they would like a Reference slide as the last slide of your presentation. Note that you may need more than one slide depending on how many references are needed.

See the slide deck below for more information.

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• Last Updated: Apr 24, 2024 9:10 AM
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APA and Presentations

APA has a lot of rules for formatting and citing papers. They don't really have rules for when you are creating a presentation or infographic. What we recommend is a blending of the rules APA has set out for papers and best practices for creating presentations and infographics.

In other words, you are going to bend the rules of APA to what looks best in your presentation. For example, the initial slide of your PowerPoint should contain the same information as your title page. The formatting will probably be different as 10-12 point font (as required by papers) is probably too small to be easily read during a presentation. You also probably don't want full paragraphs on your slides. People end up reading the slide, rather than listening to you, and it is visually unappealing.

You still need to cite ! Yes, that includes images. Unless they are stock or clip art images from within the program you are using, you will need an in-text citation and corresponding reference. Visit the other sections of this guide for examples on how to cite.

If your instructor has provided any guidelines, follow them.

This video provides a great example on how to create a PowerPoint incorporating APA guidelines. A few things to clarify:

• Use an in-text citation with figures and images. A corresponding reference should be on your References slide.
• Do not lump in-text citations together, each line that has a quote or paraphrase needs an in-text citation.

• Research Template This is a Powerpoint template created for use in the Research Exhibition
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• Last Updated: Apr 18, 2023 5:31 PM
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APA Citation Guide (7th edition) : Powerpoint Presentations

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Powerpoint presentations - what do i need to cite, powerpoint presentations - where do my citations go, other digital assignments - where do my citations go, quick rules for an apa reference list.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. Here are nine quick rules for this Reference list.

• Start a new page for your Reference list. Centre the title, References, at the top of the page.
• Double-space the list.
• Start the first line of each reference at the left margin; indent each subsequent line five spaces (a hanging indent).
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the reference. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first (and middle, if listed) initials followed by periods.
• Italicize the titles of these works: books, audiovisual material, internet documents and newspapers, and the title and volume number of journals and magazines.
• Do not italicize titles of most parts of works, such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document.
• In titles of non-periodicals (books, videotapes, websites, reports, poems, essays, chapters, etc), capitalize only the first letter of the first word of a title and subtitle, and all proper nouns (names of people, places, organizations, nationalities).
• If a web source (not from the library) is not a stable archived version, or you are unsure whether it is stable, include a statement of the accessed date before the link.

What am I legally required to cite in my digital assignment?

According to the Copyright Act, you must cite the sources (images, videos, books, websites, etc.) that you used in your digital assignment ( 29.21(1)(b) ). You must cite the source (where you got the information from) and the creator of the content (if available). You must also make sure that any copyrighted materials you used in your assignment meet the conditions set out in section  29.21  of the Copyright Act. For a list of conditions and more information, please visit:  http://studentcopyright.wordpress.com/mashups/

What citation style do I use for the sources in my digital assignment?

There is no one required citation style, so please defer to your instructor's directions and citation style preference.

List your sources in a slide at the end of the Powerpoint presentation, with footnotes throughout your presentation as applicable.

You could also provide a print copy of the sources you used to those attending your presentation.

Seneca Libraries has the following recommendations for how to organize your list of sources for digital assignments. Please check with your instructor first:

Videos you create: 

List your sources in a credits screen at the end of the video.

Websites you create:

• For images, include a citation under each image using this format “From: XXXX” and then make the image a link back to the original image ( example  - picture of little girl). Or list the citation at the bottom of the web page.
• For quotes or material from other sources, include an in-text citation that links back to the original material ( example  – second paragraph).

Images you create: 

If possible list your sources at the bottom or side of the image ( example ). Otherwise, include a list of citations alongside the image wherever it’s uploaded (e.g. Flickr, Blackboard).

**Please note that the above are recommendations only and your instructor may have a preference and directions for how and where you list your sources for your assignment.**

If you don't receive specific instructions from your instructor, try to include your citations in a way that doesn't impact the design of your digital assignment.

For more information please contact Seneca Libraries copyright team at  [email protected]

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• Last Updated: Apr 15, 2024 11:26 AM
• URL: https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa

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APA 7th Referencing Style Guide

Powerpoint slides.

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Reference format for PowerPoint slides available online

• AUT Library recommends adding the paper code and title to the reference

PowerPoint slides online

Powerpoint slides come from a learning management system (e.g. canvas).

• If your audience are able to access to the resource, provide the name of the site and its URL
• If the slides are not available to be accessed by your reader, you may treat them as personal communication cited in text. Reference entry is not needed. See the personal communications page
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• Last Updated: Apr 15, 2024 3:37 PM
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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition)

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How to format a PowerPoint presentation in APA Style:

The APA manual does not have a section on how to format a PowerPoint presentation, but y ou can follow APA style guidelines within your PowerPoint . For example:

• Include the same information on your title slide that you would have on a title page. 
• Include in-text citations for any quote, paraphrase, image, graph, table, data, audio or video file that you use within your presentation. Please note that photographs are considered figures in APA style. See section 7.30 of the APA manual for more information about this.
• The last slide will be your References List. 
• “No citation, permission, or copyright attribution is necessary for clip art from programs like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint” (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020, p. 346).
• Do not reproduce images without permission from the creator or owner of the image. See section 12.15 of the APA manual for more information about this.

How to cite PowerPoint slides in your References List

You will use the following format to cite PowerPoint slides:

Author, A. A. (year).  Title of presentation  [PowerPoint slides]. Website Name. https://xxxxx

Please note that “if the slides come from a classroom website, learning management system [e.g., Blackboard], or company intranet and you are writing for an audience with access to that resource, provide the name of the site and its URL (use the login page URL for sites requiring login)” (APA, 2020, p. 347). Don't forget to indent the second and subsequent lines.

Goodwin University. (n.d.).  Social media and marketing communications: Written/Oral project outline . [PowerPoint slides]. Blackboard. https://goodwin.blackboard.com

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APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

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Format for PowerPoint presentations

How to format your powerpoint in apa style.

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Author last name, first initial. (Date). Title of the PowerPoint  [PowerPoint slides]. Host site. URL

Thomes, C. (n.d.). UMGC Library APA citation basics [PowerPoint slides]. University of Maryland Global Campus. https://libguides.umgc.edu/ld.php?content_id=68264148

In-text citation:

(Thomes, n.d.)

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How do I use APA Style in PowerPoint?

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Answered By: Matt Stevons Last Updated: Oct 28, 2021     Views: 23782

While not extensively covered in the APA Style 7th Edition manual,  the APA website's page on citing PowerPoint slides  does briefly address applying APA Style to a PowerPoint you are making for an assignment.  In general, many rules and guidelines on the citation of sources or writing style can be adapted to make an effective presentation formatted in APA Style, at least as much as PowerPoint can allow given the differences between a slide presentation and an academic paper.  For example, a common element you may be asked to include is a References slide at the end of your presentation, similar to the References section of your academic papers. 

However, since APA Style wasn't developed for PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other slide presentation software, there may be some instances where there isn't a specific rule governing what you want to do.  About this point, APA advises that  "decisions about font size, amount of text on a slide, color scheme, use of animations, and so on are up to writers; these details are not specified as part of APA Style."  In general, if you are asked to apply APA Style to your PowerPoint presentation, if a rule can be reasonably adapted you should try to follow it, but there may be some situations where rules are not clear or be cumbersome to follow.  In these cases, it will be up to you to decide how best to proceed and we advise working with your instructor in these instances for their preferences on what to do.  

For an example of how to integrate APA Style 7th Edition rules into your PowerPoint presentation, including how to set up the title slide and a references list slide, see the video below from the PG Writing Center.  

Links & Files

• APA Style Website: PowerPoint Slide or Lecture Note References
• PG Writing Center: Formatting Graphics and Visuals (Tables and Figures) in APA 7th Edition

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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Presentations and Class Notes

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In-Text Citation or Reference List?

Handouts distributed in class and presentation slides such as PowerPoint should be cited both in-text and on the Reference list.

Your own notes from lectures are considered personal communications in APA style. They are cited within the text of your assignment, but do not get an entry on the Reference list.

Presentation Slides from a Website

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Title of presentation  [Lecture notes, PowerPoint Slides, etc.]. Publisher. URL

Kunka, J. L. (n.d.). Conquering the comma [PowerPoint presentation]. Purdue Online Writing Lab. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/pp/index.html#presentations

Presentation Slides from WebCampus (Canvas)

Instructor, I. I. (Year Presentation Was Created).  Title of presentation  [PowerPoint presentation]. WebCampus. URL

Graham, J. (2013).  Introduction: Jean Watson  [PowerPoint presentation]. WebCampus. https://unr.instructure.com/login/canvas

Note : The first letter of the word Watson is capitalized as it is part of a person's name.

Class Handouts from WebCampus (Canvas)

Instructor, I. I. (Year Handout Was Created if known).  Title of handout  [Class handout]. WebCampus. URL

Magowan , A. (2013).  Career resources at the library   [Class handout]. WebCampus. https://unr.instructure.com/login/canvas

Class Handout in Print

Instructor, I. I. (Year Handout Was Created if known).  Title of handout  [Class handout]. University Name, Course code.

Wood, D. (2013).  Laboratory safety overview  [Class handout]. University of Nevada, Reno,  BIO173.

Class Lectures (Notes from)

Note : Your own notes from a lecture are considered personal communications in APA style. They are cited within the text of your assignment, but do not get an entry on the Reference list. Put the citation right after a quote or paraphrased content from the class lecture.

(I. I. Instructor who gave lecture, personal communication, Month Day, Year lecture took place)

"Infections are often contracted while patients are recovering in the hospital" (J. D. Black, personal communication, May 30, 2012).

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• Academic Writing / APA 7th Ed

APA Style Formatting in PowerPoint

by Purdue Global Academic Success Center and Writing Center · Published October 9, 2020 · Updated October 9, 2020

We all know the challenges of following APA Style when writing a paper using Microsoft Word, but those challenges often become greater when applying the formatting guidelines to other software. 

In the following video, Purdue Global Learning and Development Specialist, Chrissine Cairns, demonstrates how to format a PowerPoint applying APA Style (7th Edition) to a title slide; body slides using bullet points, figures, tables, and copyright statements; and a reference list with hanging indentations.

Until next week–

Kurtis Clements

Visit the APA Style Formatting in PowerPoint webpage here.

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