How to Cite a Lecture in MLA

• Hannah Berry (Ph.D.)
• Published on 06/20/2025

When citing a lecture in MLA, it is important to include specific information to allow readers to access or understand the source. MLA style provides an easy format for citing oral presentations such as lectures, talks, speeches, and guest seminars.

Key Citation Elements

The following information should be included when citing a lecture in MLA format in the order shown below:

• Speaker’s Last Name, First Name. The person who delivered the lecture. Start the citation with the speaker’s full name. The last name first is for alphabetizing.
• Title of the Lecture in Quotation Marks. The title of the lecture must be in quotation marks to indicate it is part of a larger event or course.
• Course or Event Title. If the lecture is from a course, class, or event, list the title of the event or course.
• Lecture Date (Day Month Year format). It should be complete, with day followed by month (e.g., 16 May 2018), in MLA style.
• Location (e.g., university, museum, gallery, or auditorium). The physical location where the lecture was presented.
• City. The city where the venue is located.

Example 1: Guest Lecture at a Public Event

Citation	Mbembe, Achille. “Decolonizing Knowledge and the Question of the Archive.” African Studies Centre Seminar Series, 25 October 2015, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Structure	Speaker Surname, First name. “Lecture Title.” Event or Course Name, Day Month Year, Venue, City.

This example features a well-known public intellectual and uses a lecture from a documented academic conference. Let me know if you’d like the article updated with this replacement.

Example 2: University Guest Lecture (No Online Access)

Citation	Singh, Ravi. “AI and the Ethics of Automation.” Philosophy Department Guest Lecture Series, 4 April 2024, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
Structure	Speaker Surname, First name. “Lecture Title.” Event or Course Name, Day Month Year, Venue, City.

Example 3: In-Class University Lecture

Citation	Miller, Rebecca. “Postmodernism and the Fragmented Narrative.” English Literature 402: Advanced Fiction, 10 October 2023, King’s College London, London.
Structure	Speaker Surname, First name. “Lecture Title.” Course Name, Day Month Year, Venue, City.

When citing a lecture that was delivered within the context of a regular course, the class name serves as the event name. The citation includes the lecturer’s name, session title, class name, date, venue, and city.

Example 4: Live Online Lecture (Not Recorded)

If a lecture is watched live online but not recorded or openly available afterward, the citation remains similar to an in-person lecture. “Online” may be included at the end to indicate the format.

Citation	Hernandez, Luis. “Climate Policy After COP29.” International Policy Webinar Series, 8 December 2024, Online.
Structure	Speaker Surname, First name. “Lecture Title.” Event or Course Name, Day Month Year, Online.

Example 5: Lecture with No Formal Title

If the lecture does not have a formal title, a brief description may be used in place of the title, without quotation marks or italics.

Citation	Taylor, Michelle. Guest lecture on feminist pedagogy. Gender Studies Seminar, 17 March 2023, University of Manchester, Manchester.
Structure	Speaker Surname, First name. Brief description of lecture. Event or Course Name, Day Month Year, Venue, City.

This example has a lower-case description of the lecture rather than an official title. It still includes all the information needed.

No Publisher Required: Lectures are unpublished sources unless they are recorded and publicly sold. Because of this, there is no need to include a publisher, distributor, or sponsoring institution as you would in the citation of a book or journal. The only date to include is the one on which the lecture was delivered and should be written in the day-month-year format, as specified by MLA. Including other publication details would not only not be in line with MLA standards but also confuse the reader about the nature of the source. Titles of Lectures: If a lecture has a formal title (e.g., on an event program, presentation slides, or university timetable), this is put in quotation marks, in title case. However, if no formal title is provided, don’t invent one or insert a creative title. For a lecture without a formal title, provide a brief, descriptive summary of the lecture in lowercase, without quotation marks or italics. This assists in providing accuracy and transparency. If the Lecture is Online: When the lecture is recorded and made available on the Internet (e.g., on YouTube or a university webpage), it will be referenced as an online video rather than a lecture. Double Space and Hanging Indent: Double-space the entire entry when including the lecture citation on the Works Cited page with a hanging indent. The initial line of the citation should be flush with the left margin, while the remaining lines should have an indentation of 0.5 inches. This makes the reading easier as well as adhering to standard MLA formatting. Alphabetize by Speaker’s Last Name: Always alphabetize the Works Cited list entry by the speaker’s last name, not by the event name or lecture title. Even if you quote multiple lectures, list them by the first speaker’s last name to maintain correct MLA organization.