How do I reference…when delivering a presentation?
19/01/2026
Just as you cite and reference sources in written work, you should also acknowledge the sources you use or quote in oral presentations. Citing your sources in presentations provides your audience with information about the supporting evidence in the sources you are using and brings a touch of professionalism to your delivery.
However, the methods used for referencing in presentations are slightly different to those used in written work.
There are two methods for citing and referencing in presentations:
1. In-text citations on the slides
Use small fonts, superscript, or numbers to maintain visual appearance of the presentation, then add:
a) A small font reference as a footnote on the same slide as the citation (see Fig. 1 and 2), OR
b) A list of all the references used on the last slide (see Fig. 3 and 4)
Fig 1. Example of in-text citations and footnotes on a presentation slide.
Fig 2. Example of using numbers and footnotes to indicate source.
Fig 3. Example of simplified referencing using just in-text citations, this must be paired with a full reference list at the end (see Fig. 4).
Fig 4. Full reference list on final slide of the presentation.
2. Verbal citations
Provide citations verbally to your audience in your speech and include full details written on the final slide (see Fig. 4 and 5). In your speech, provide if you can:
a) Date
b) Name of author
c) Publication
d) Credentials of author
e) Add a full reference list on the last slide
Remember, you need to provide enough information to your audience to make your claims credible.
- Don’t verbally state an author name without any credentials.
- If you provide a statistic, back it up with a source.
Fig 5. How to present verbal citations correctly. Adapted from Davison (2015).
Final points
You can choose to use the method you are most comfortable with or mix and match. The key thing to remember is to cite and reference your sources to avoid plagiarism and inform your audience.
Please note: Cranfield supports two different referencing styles – APA7 (Author-date) and Numbered (NLM). Please make sure you use the style preferred by your supervisor or lecturer.
References
Davison, J. (2015, April 24). Orally citing a source in a speech [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/eP0bfnRlJVY?si=_AkvaGf8saW0D3gl
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