Success Strategy for Students : How to Cite Class Notes

by Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD.

Did you know that you may need to properly cite informal materials in

your academic papers? For example, let’s say you have taken a class on

Rennaissance English Literature and you took really good notes in that

class. The next semster you take a class on English Literature from the

Romantic period.

You want to refer to the historical context and include references to the

notes you took from your previous course. Many professors may ask you,

“Where did you learn this? What sources did you refer to?”

You may also need to cite other informal materials such as:

personal communications (letters, e-mails, etc.)

postings to an electronic discussion board, chat room or forum

notes from professional meetings (providing they are not

confidential, of course!)

There are various formats on how to do in-text citations and references.

There are 3 key points to keep in mind:

Citatation style

Does your professor require you to cite references in APA, MLA, Chicago

style or some other style? Ask what style is preferred, if you don’t know.

Sarah Elaine Eaton 2010 Page 1 of 2

Citation format

For example in APA format, you are required to cite class notes in the

body of your paper, but not in the list of references at the end. The reason

for this is that the references should include “retrievable” information.

Essentially, the reader should be able to find all the sources in your

reference list. Class notes, however, are your own privately-owned

material. Citing them in the body of your paper shows respect for the

original speaker.

Other citation styles (e.g. MLA style) may do it differently. Be sure you

know the format for the stye required in your class. If you don’t know,

look it up.

Here are some examples on how to cite class notes in APA format:

Example 1:

“In a lecture on November 7, 2007, to a GDER 605 class, Dr. Richard

Heyman said” (Univeristy of Calgary, n.d.)

Example 2:

“Your quotation from the notes here, followed by” (Heyman, R., GDER

605 lecture, November 7, 2007).

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Professor’s or Faculty requirements or preferences

Some professors prefer that you do not cite class notes. This can get

confusing. The best idea is to ask your professor if citation of class notes is

expected for that class.

References

Vansickle, C. (n.d.) How to Cite a Class Lecture in MLA Format.

eHow.com. Retrieved November 6, 2010 from http://www.ehow.com/

how_4443410_cite-class-lecture-mla-format.html

Univeristy of British Columbia (UBC) (n.d.) APA Citation Style. Retrieved

November 6, 2010 from http://web.ubc.ca/okanagan/library/citations/

apa.html

Reprint permission:Permission is granted to use this article, providing that the author, Sarah Elaine Eaton, is credited.

Are you citing this article in your own research? Here is APA Citation information for this article:

Eaton, S.E. (2010). "Success Strategy for Post-Secondary Students: How to Cite Class Notes". Retrieved from: (Insert the URL of this website here.)

Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton is a speaker, author, researcher and scholar. She began her teaching career in 1994 and has taught hundreds of students at the post-secondary level. In 2005 she was nominated by her students for a University of Calgary Teaching Excellence Award.

Want to read similar articles? Check out the author’s blog “Literacy, Languages and Leadership” http://www.drsaraheaton.wordpress.com

________________________________________________________________________

T +1. 403. 390. 3999 E sarahelaineeaton@gmail.com W www.eatonintl.comBlog: www.drsaraheaton.wordpress.com

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Sarah Elaine Eaton 2010 Page 3 of 2