Citing a Speech in Chicago Style | Format & Examples
In Chicago notes and bibliography style, the format for citing a speech or lecture depends on whether you viewed it in person or accessed it in a recording or transcript.
- To cite a recorded or transcribed speech, follow the format for the relevant source type (e.g., website, book).
- To cite a speech you viewed in person, give information about where and when it took place.
Citing a recorded or transcribed speech
To cite a transcript or video recording of a speech, follow the format appropriate to the source type where you found it, always starting with the speaker’s name. Pay attention to the punctuation (e.g., commas, quotation marks, and periods) in your citation.
Formats and examples for various source types are shown in the tabs below.
Recorded or transcribed speech citation examples
| Chicago bibliography | Speaker last name, First name. “Video Title.” Lecture Series, University Name, filmed Month Day, Year. Video of lecture, Video length. URL.
Shapiro, Ian. “Lecture 1: Introduction to Power and Politics in Today’s World.” DeVane Lectures, Yale University, filmed August 29, 2019. Video of lecture, 56:14. https://youtu.be/BDqvzFY72mg. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Speaker first name Last name, “Video Title,” Lecture Series, University Name, Month Day, Year, video of lecture, Video length or Timestamp(s), URL.
1. Ian Shapiro, “Lecture 1: Introduction to Power and Politics in Today’s World,” DeVane Lectures, Yale University, filmed August 29, 2019, video of lecture, 56:14, https://youtu.be/BDqvzFY72mg. |
| Short note | Speaker last name, “Shortened Video Title,” Timestamp(s).
2. Shapiro, “Power and Politics,” 14:40. |
| Chicago bibliography | Speaker last name, First name. “Speech Title.” Recorded at Location, Month Day, Year. URL.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” Recorded at Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963. https://archive.org/details/MLKDream?_ga=2.40689319.403758245.1621009795-1614779249.1621009795. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Speaker first name Last name, “Speech Title,” recorded at Location, Month Day, Year, Timestamp(s), URL.
1. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” recorded at Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963, 1:15, https://archive.org/details/MLKDream?_ga=2.40689319.403758245.1621009795-1614779249.1621009795. |
| Short note | Speaker last name, “Shortened Speech Title,” Timestamp(s).
2. King, “I Have a Dream,” 4:40. |
| Chicago bibliography | Speaker last name, First name. “Speech Title.” Transcript of speech delivered at Location, Month Day, Year. URL.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” Transcript of speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Speaker first name last name, “Speech Title,” transcript of speech delivered at Location, Month Day, Year, URL.
1. Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream,” transcript of speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963, https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. |
| Short note | Speaker last name, “Shortened Speech Title.”
2. King, “I Have a Dream.” |
| Chicago bibliography | Author last name, first name. “Speech Title.” In Book Title: Subtitle, edited by Editor first name last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.
Roosevelt, Theodore. “The Doctrine of the Strenuous Life.” In The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches, rev. ed., edited by Brian MacArthur, 1–4. London: Penguin, 2017. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Author first name last name, “Speech Title,” in Book Title: Subtitle, ed. Editor first name last name (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), Page number(s).
1. Theodore Roosevelt, “The Doctrine of the Strenuous Life,” in The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches, rev. ed., ed. Brian MacArthur (London: Penguin, 2017), 3. |
| Short note | Speaker last name, “Shortened Speech Title,” Page number(s).
2. Roosevelt, “Strenuous Life,” 4. |
Citing a lecture you attended
When you’re citing a lecture you attended (e.g., a class lecture, a public talk, a conference presentation), list the speaker’s name, the title, the descriptive label “Lecture,” the name and location of the institution or event hosting the lecture, and the date it took place.
| Chicago bibliography | Speaker last name, First name. “Lecture Title.” Lecture, Institution Name or Event Name, Location, Month Day, Year.
Smith, John. “The Causes and Consequences of the Spanish Civil War.” Lecture, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, April 25, 2019. |
|---|---|
| Full note | Speaker first name Last name, “Lecture Title” (lecture, Institution Name or Event Name, Location, Month Day, Year).
1. John Smith, “The Causes and Consequences of the Spanish Civil War” (lecture, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, April 25, 2019). |
| Short note | Speaker last name, “Shortened Lecture Title.”
2. Smith, “Spanish Civil War.” |
Citing speeches in Chicago author-date style
In Chicago author-date style, cite speeches and lectures using author-date in-text citations and reference list entries. A reference list entry is formatted very similarly to a bibliography entry, except that the year comes straight after the author’s name.
Explore the tabs below to see how to cite speeches in various formats in author-date style.
Author-date speech citation examples
| Chicago author-date format | Speaker last name, First name. Year. “Video Title.” Lecture Series, University Name, filmed Month Day, Year. Video of lecture, Video length. URL. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Shapiro, Ian. 2019. “Lecture 1: Introduction to Power and Politics in Today’s World.” DeVane Lectures, Yale University, filmed August 29, 2019. Video of lecture, 56:14. https://youtu.be/BDqvzFY72mg. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Shapiro 2019, 33:11) |
| Chicago author-date format | Speaker last name, First name. Year. “Speech Title.” Recorded at Location, Month Day, Year. URL. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1963. “I Have a Dream.” Recorded at Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963. https://archive.org/details/MLKDream?_ga=2.40689319.403758245.1621009795-1614779249.1621009795. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (King 1963, 4:15) |
| Chicago author-date format | Speaker last name, First name. Year. “Speech Title.” Transcript of speech delivered at Location, Month Day, Year. URL. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1963. “I Have a Dream.” Transcript of speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, August 28, 1963. https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (King 1963) |
| Chicago author-date format | Author last name, first name. Year. “Speech Title.” In Book Title: Subtitle, edited by Editor first name last name, Page range. Place of publication: Publisher. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Roosevelt, Theodore. 2017. “The Doctrine of the Strenuous Life.” In The Penguin Book of Modern Speeches, rev. ed., edited by Brian MacArthur, 1–4. London: Penguin. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Roosevelt 2017, 3) |
| Chicago author-date format | Speaker last name, First name. Year. “Lecture Title.” Lecture, Institution Name or Event Name, Location, Month Day, Year. |
|---|---|
| Chicago reference entry | Smith, John. 2019. “The Causes and Consequences of the Spanish Civil War.” Lecture, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, April 25, 2019. |
| Chicago author-date citation | (Smith 2019) |
Cite this Scribbr article
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Caulfield, J. (2022, December 05). Citing a Speech in Chicago Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/lectures-and-speeches/
