How to Cite a Documentary

Knowing how to cite a documentary starts with four details: the director, the title in italics, the production company, and the year of release. Each style then arranges those pieces differently, because APA 7 starts with the director, MLA 9 usually starts with the title, and Chicago starts with the director followed by “dir.” The details also change when you watched on Netflix or YouTube, or when the documentary is a TV series with separate episodes, so this guide covers feature-length films, streaming versions and series in all three styles.

Core Components of a Documentary Citation

Before you build the citation, gather the key details, which most documentaries show in the opening or closing credits and which the film’s official website or a database such as IMDb can confirm. These pieces are the skeleton of every reference below.

A quick tip: If you’re streaming the documentary, keep the browser tab open so you can easily grab the URL and the exact title if you need them for your citation.

Who Counts as the Author of a Documentary?

A documentary has no single writer, so each style picks a different creator to represent the work. Choosing the right one decides how your entry is alphabetized and what appears in your in-text citation.

Style	Who comes first	When to use someone else
APA 7	The director, labeled (Director). For a series, the executive producer, labeled (Executive Producer).	Not applicable. If there is no clear director, start with the title.
MLA 9	The title. The director follows it as a contributor (“Directed by”).	If your paper focuses on one person, such as the director or the narrator, you can start with that name and role.
Chicago	The director, followed by “dir.” in the bibliography. Notes begin with the title.	Start with the producer or another contributor if your discussion centers on their role.

When a documentary has two directors, list both in every style, as with Ricciardi and Demos below. A producer or narrator never replaces the director unless your instructor or your own focus calls for it.

Citing a Documentary in MLA Format

MLA 9 is common in the humanities. Because a film is made by many people, the Works Cited entry begins with the title and lists the director as a contributor. The structure is easy to follow once you can see the parts.

For your Works Cited page, the MLA format for a documentary looks like this:

“Documentary Title. Directed by First Name Last Name, Production Company, Year Published.”

Example: Blackfish. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Magnolia Pictures, 2013.

The MLA in-text citation uses the title in parentheses, or a shortened version of a long title. If you quote or point to a specific scene, add the time range from the film, such as (Blackfish 12:30-14:10). If you name the title in your sentence, the parentheses can hold only the time stamp.

Example of an in-text citation: The documentary reveals the complex issues surrounding killer whales in captivity (Blackfish 12:30-14:10).

If you list the film under the director’s name instead, the in-text citation uses the director’s last name. The MLA Style Center shows both approaches in its guidance on in-text citations for a film. The title-first pattern is also used when you learn how to cite a movie.

Citing a Documentary in APA Style

APA 7 is frequently used in the social sciences and puts the date right after the creator. For a documentary, the director’s name comes first with the label (Director) in parentheses, followed by the year.

Here is the standard format for an entry on your reference page:

“Director Last Name, F. (Director). (Year). Documentary title [Film]. Production Company.”

Example: Cowperthwaite, G. (Director). (2013). Blackfish [Film]. Magnolia Pictures.

The APA in-text citation includes the director’s last name and the year of publication. Use the parenthetical form when the name is not part of your sentence, and the narrative form when it is.

Type	Example
Parenthetical	The film argues that captivity can have severe psychological effects on orcas (Cowperthwaite, 2013).
Narrative	Cowperthwaite (2013) argues that captivity can have severe psychological effects on orcas.
Two directors	(Ricciardi & Demos, 2015)

The American Psychological Association’s page on Film and Television References provides further examples. If you want to check your formatting, the APA citation generator builds the entry for you, and our overview of APA style explains the wider rules.

Citing a Documentary in Chicago Style

Chicago offers two systems: Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date. The Notes-Bibliography system is the usual choice for film in the humanities. The first footnote is detailed, later notes are shortened, and the bibliography gives the full entry for your reader.

Here’s how to structure a bibliography entry for a documentary film:

“Director Last Name, First Name, dir. Documentary Title. Production Company, Year.”

Part of the citation	Example
Bibliography	Cowperthwaite, Gabriela, dir. Blackfish. Magnolia Pictures, 2013. 1 hr., 23 min.
First footnote	1. Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Magnolia Pictures, 2013), 1:05:20.
Shortened footnote	2. Blackfish, 1:12:40.
Author-Date reference	Cowperthwaite, Gabriela, dir. 2013. Blackfish. Magnolia Pictures.
Author-Date in-text	(Cowperthwaite 2013, 1:05:20)

The time stamp in a footnote shows the reader exactly where the passage appears. You can find more specific examples on the official Chicago Manual of Style website, and our guide to Chicago style covers the system in more detail.

How to Cite a Documentary on Netflix or YouTube

A documentary you watched on a streaming platform uses the same core entry as a film, with a few changes. The version you watched can differ from the original release, so the platform helps your reader find the right source.

Style	Netflix documentary example	What changes
APA 7	DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). 13th [Film]. Netflix.	For a Netflix original, list Netflix as the studio. Do not add the platform separately, but add the URL if you want readers to find it.
MLA 9	13th. Directed by Ava DuVernay, Netflix, 2016. Netflix.	Add the platform as the final “container” in italics. A URL is optional.
Chicago	DuVernay, Ava, dir. 13th. Netflix, 2016. 1 hr., 40 min.	Add the running time and, if you like, the service name or URL at the end.

A full documentary uploaded to YouTube needs more detail, because anyone can post a copy. Give the film’s entry first, then the site, the name of the uploader, the upload date and the URL. In MLA this reads: Title. Directed by Name, Company, Year. YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Mon. Year, URL. Citing a clip works differently, so follow the rules for citing YouTube videos when you only used a short excerpt.

If the documentary is not a Netflix original, list the production company or distributor as normal. Streaming catalogs change often, so choose the platform you actually used and never guess a URL.

Citing a Documentary Series or TV Episode

A documentary series is cited like a TV show. You can cite the whole series or one episode. Cite the episode when you rely on that one part, and cite the series when you discuss it as a whole. The examples below use Making a Murderer, a Netflix documentary series.

Style and scope	Reference entry
APA, episode	Ricciardi, L., & Demos, M. (Directors). (2015, December 18). Eighteen years lost (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In L. Ricciardi & M. Demos (Executive Producers), Making a Murderer. Netflix.
APA, whole series	Ricciardi, L., & Demos, M. (Executive Producers). (2015-2018). Making a Murderer [TV series]. Netflix.
MLA, episode	“Eighteen Years Lost.” Making a Murderer, created by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, season 1, episode 1, Netflix, 2015. Netflix.
Chicago, episode	Making a Murderer. Season 1, episode 1, “Eighteen Years Lost.” Directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos. Aired December 18, 2015, on Netflix.

The in-text citation follows the first element of the entry. In APA it is (Ricciardi & Demos, 2015). In MLA it is (“Eighteen Years Lost”), or add a time stamp for a quote. In Chicago you use a footnote with the series, season, episode and time stamp. For the wider rules, see our guide on how to cite a TV show.

Common Documentary Citation Mistakes

Mistake	Why it matters and how to fix it
Listing the platform as the author	Netflix and YouTube are where you watched it, not who made it. Start with the director or the title, and place the platform at the end (or as the studio for a Netflix original in APA).
Using the narrator instead of the director	A narrator is a performer. Include one only when your paper focuses on that person, and then label the role.
Forgetting the time stamp	Films have no page numbers. Add the time range in MLA and the footnote in Chicago when you quote or paraphrase a scene.
Citing an episode as the whole series	If you rely on one episode, give its title and the season and episode numbers. Otherwise, the reader cannot find your source.

Frequently Asked Questions About Citing a Documentary