Conference Presentations & Proceedings

Conference presentations and their published proceedings are vital channels for the dissemination of new research, scholarly dialogue, and emerging ideas within academic and professional fields. Presentations at conferences offer a platform for researchers to share findings and receive feedback before formal publication, while published proceedings serve as a collection of these contributions, making them accessible to a wider audience. These sources often represent the cutting edge of research and can include papers, keynote addresses, workshops, and poster sessions. Properly citing conference presentations and proceedings in MLA style is crucial for acknowledging the contributions of presenters and editors, establishing the timeliness and relevance of your research, and enabling your readers to trace the origins of the information. Given the varied formats in which conference materials can appear—from formally published volumes to online abstracts or even just the record of an oral presentation—it's important to provide clear and accurate citation details.

This section provides comprehensive guidelines on how to cite various forms of conference-related materials according to the conventions of MLA 9th Edition. It covers citations for individual presentations published in conference proceedings (both print and online), unpublished conference presentations (including oral papers, keynote addresses, and poster presentations), and entire published conference proceedings. The guidelines detail the core elements required for each type of citation, ensuring you can accurately document these valuable scholarly sources.

Basic Formats

  • Individual Presentation in Published Conference Proceedings:
    Presenter Last Name, First Name. "Title of Presentation." Title of Published Proceedings, edited by Editor First Name Last Name, Publisher, Date of Publication, pp. Page Numbers. DOI (if available) or URL. Accessed Date (if online and no DOI).
  • Unpublished Conference Presentation (e.g., oral presentation, keynote, poster):
    Presenter Last Name, First Name. "Title of Presentation." Name of Conference, Date of Conference, Venue, City. Description of Presentation. URL (if from a website). Accessed Date (if online).
  • Entire Published Conference Proceedings (as a whole volume):
    Editor Last Name, First Name, editor(s). Title of Published Proceedings. Publisher, Date of Publication.

Detailed Explanation of Elements

Detailed Examples

  • Published Print Proceedings:
    Patel, Aanya, and Ben Carter. "Sustainable Urban Development in Smart Cities." Proceedings of the International Conference on Urban Planning and Infrastructure, edited by Laura Green, Urban Studies Press, 2023, pp. 112-29.
  • Published Online Proceedings with DOI:
    Chen, Wei, et al. "Advancements in Machine Learning for Healthcare Analytics." IEEE International Conference on Data Science Proceedings, edited by Samuel Kirby, IEEE Press, 2024, pp. 45-58. doi:10.1109/ICDS.2024.12345.
  • Published Online Proceedings with URL (No DOI):
    Rodriguez, Sofia. "The Role of Narrative in Virtual Reality Games." Selected Papers from the Annual Media Studies Conference, edited by Mark Evans, Media Scholars Collective, 2022, www.mediascholars.org/conference2022/papers/rodriguez.pdf. Accessed 15 May 2024.
  • Unpublished Oral Presentation:
    Kim, Jisoo. "Bridging the Digital Divide: Strategies for Inclusive Technology." Annual Symposium on Technology and Society, 5 Oct. 2023, Stanford University, Palo Alto. Paper presentation.
  • Unpublished Keynote Address (from Conference Website):
    Davis, Michael. "Innovations in Renewable Energy Sources." Global Summit on Environmental Sustainability, 12 Apr. 2024, International Convention Centre, Berlin. Keynote address. globalsummitenv.org/program/davis-keynote. Accessed 18 May 2024.
  • Unpublished Poster Presentation:
    Lee, Min-Jun. "Nanoparticle Delivery Systems for Targeted Drug Therapy." Future of Pharma Conference, 20 July 2023, Pharma Expo Hall, New York. Poster session.
  • Entire Published Conference Proceedings:
    Johnson, Emily, and David Miller, editors. Innovations in Engineering Education: Proceedings of the 2023 ASEE Annual Conference. American Society for Engineering Education, 2023.

In-Text Citation (Detailed)

  • Basic Format (Published Presentation with Page Numbers): (Presenter Last Name Page Number)
    Example: (Patel and Carter 115), (Chen et al. 52)
  • Basic Format (Unpublished Presentation or No Page Numbers): (Presenter Last Name)
    Example: (Kim), (Davis)
  • Multiple Presenters: Two Presenters: (Patel and Carter 115); Three or More: (Chen et al. 52)
  • Citing Entire Proceedings (Edited Volume): If referring to the work as a whole, use the editor(s)' name(s). Example: (Johnson and Miller vii)
  • Same Last Names: Include first initial for clarity. Example: (J. Lee), (M. Lee)
  • Multiple Works by the Same Presenter: Include a shortened title. Example: (Davis, "Innovations") and (Davis, "Future Trends")

Additional Notes

  • Abstracts: Indicate "Abstract" after the title if only citing an abstract.
  • Distinguishing Presentations from Proceedings: Be clear whether you are citing an individual talk/poster or the published collection.
  • Online Availability: If you accessed a recording, transcript, or slides online, use the URL and access date; cite the event details first.
  • Container System: Remember MLA's container system: a presentation is often contained within published proceedings, which may be contained within a website or database.