MLA Citation
MLA 9th Edition Guide
lecture

How to Cite a Lecture or Speech in MLA 9.

Lectures, speeches, and presentations in MLA 9 are cited by the speaker, with the lecture title in quotation marks. The event name and venue provide the container context.

Updated January 15, 2024

MLA 9 lecture citation format

Speaker Last, First. “Lecture or Speech Title.” Event Name, Venue, City, Day Month Year.

Example:

Chomsky, Noam. “Language and the Human Mind.” Linguistics Symposium, MIT, Cambridge, 12 Apr. 2019.


Online lecture / recorded talk

Speaker Last, First. “Talk Title.” Event or Platform, Day Month Year. URL.

Example:

Robinson, Ken. “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” TED, Feb. 2006, www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.


Class lecture / course material

Instructor Last, First. “Lecture Title.” Course Name, Institution, Day Month Year.

Example:

Williams, Patricia. “The History of Civil Rights Law.” Constitutional Law, Columbia Law School, 5 Mar. 2023.


Key rules

  • Speaker — Last, First format
  • Lecture title — in quotation marks
  • Event — conference name, TED, course name, etc.
  • Venue and city — for in-person lectures
  • Date — Day Month Year

In-text citation

(Chomsky) or (Robinson)

For a recorded lecture you can add a timestamp: (Robinson 4:12)

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