You need to cite a podcast. It’s a common task in academic writing today, as podcasts have colonized our commutes and study sessions with valuable information. Knowing how to cite a podcast properly is not just about avoiding plagiarism; it’s about giving credit where it’s due and showing that you ground your work in credible sources. The process is straightforward once you know what to look for. Every citation style, from APA style to MLA, asks for the same core pieces of information.
Before you begin to format anything, you must gather the key details from the podcast episode you plan to cite. Think of it as a pre-writing scavenger hunt. You’ll need:
- The Host or Creator’s Name
- The Guest’s Name (if you’re citing them)
- The Episode Title
- The Podcast Name (the overall podcast series)
- The Production Company or Publisher (like NPR or The New York Times)
- The Publication Date (day month year if possible)
- The Episode Number (and season number, if applicable)
- The URL where you listened to the episode
Tip: Feeling overwhelmed already? A good citation generator can be a lifesaver. You input the data, and it organizes the reference for you. It’s a great way to check your work, but you should still understand the rules yourself.
The Big Three: APA, MLA, and Chicago Style
Academic writing generally relies on one of three main formatting styles. While they share similarities, their rules for how to cite a podcast have specific differences in punctuation and order. We will break down each one for an individual podcast episode and an entire podcast series.
1. APA Style (7th Edition)
The APA style is common in the social sciences. It emphasizes the publication date, placing it prominently after the author’s name. When you cite a podcast, the “author” is typically the podcast host. If the podcast has varying hosts or is more of a group effort, you can list the executive producer instead.
Citing a Specific Podcast Episode:
The format treats the episode like an article in a larger journal. You must specify that it is an [Audio podcast episode] or a [Video podcast episode] in square brackets. This description helps readers understand the type of media.
Host Last Name, F. M. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title [Audio podcast episode]. In Title of the Podcast. Production Company. URL
Example:
Abdelfatah, R., & Arablouei, R. (Hosts). (2023, August 24). The uprising [Audio podcast episode]. In Throughline. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195034873/throughline-the-uprising
Citing a Whole Podcast Series:
If your research paper discusses the podcast as a complete work, you should cite the entire podcast series. Here, you will use a year range to show the period the podcast has been active.
Host Last Name, F. M. (Host). (Year range). Podcast name [Audio podcast]. Production Company. URL
Example:
Abdelfatah, R., & Arablouei, R. (Hosts). (2017–present). Throughline [Audio podcast]. NPR. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline
In-Text Citation:
For in-text citations, you include the host’s last name, the year, and a timestamp if you are quoting from a specific moment. You can almost hear the host’s distinct cadence as you transcribe the quote, and the timestamp helps your reader find that exact soundbite.
(Abdelfatah & Arablouei, 2023, 10:15)
For more detailed questions on APA Style, the official Podcast References guide is the ultimate authority.
2. MLA Style (9th Edition)
MLA is the standard for the humanities. It focuses on the author and title of the work. When you cite a podcast in MLA, the episode title appears in quotation marks, while the overall podcast title is italicized. This visual distinction is a hallmark of the style.
Citing a Specific Podcast Episode:
MLA is more flexible with contributor roles. You can add “host,” “creator,” or “narrator” after the person’s name. If you listened on a specific app like Spotify or Apple Podcasts, you can mention the app name as the publisher.
Host Last Name, First Name, role. “Episode Title.” Podcast Name, Production Company, Day Month Year, URL.
Example:
Abdelfatah, Rund, and Ramtin Arablouei, hosts. “The Uprising.” Throughline, NPR, 24 Aug. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195034873/throughline-the-uprising.
Citing a Whole Podcast Series:
When citing the entire podcast series, the structure simplifies. You just list the host, the podcast name, the production company, and the year range.
Host Last Name, First Name, role. Podcast Name. Production Company, Year range.
Example:
Abdelfatah, Rund, and Ramtin Arablouei, hosts. Throughline. NPR, 2017-present.
In-Text Citation:
MLA’s in text citations are simple, often just requiring the host’s last name in parentheses. For an audio podcast or video podcast, it’s helpful to include a time range.
(Abdelfatah and Arablouei 10:15-10:45)
The MLA’s official site offers a great page on how to cite an episode of a podcast.
3. Chicago Style (17th Edition)
Chicago style is popular in history and the fine arts. It offers two systems: notes-bibliography and author-date. For a podcast, the notes-bibliography format is most common. This means you use footnotes or endnotes for your in text citation and a full bibliography at the end of your paper.
Citing a Podcast Episode (Notes and Bibliography):
The first note for a source is detailed. Subsequent notes for the same source can be shortened. The bibliography entry is slightly different, with the author’s name inverted.
Note: 1. Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei, “The Uprising,” Throughline, podcast audio, August 24, 2023, https://www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195034873/throughline-the-uprising.
Bibliography: Abdelfatah, Rund, and Ramtin Arablouei. “The Uprising.” Throughline. Podcast audio. NPR, August 24, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/08/21/1195034873/throughline-the-uprising.
For more Chicago style examples, this guide on citing podcasts is a useful reference.
Advanced Scenarios: Beyond the Basics
But what happens when things get complicated? Knowing how to cite a podcast is one thing, but modern media presents unique challenges. Here’s how to handle them.
Who Is the Author? A Hierarchy of Credit
The most confusing part of citing podcasts is often figuring out who to list as the primary contributor. I once spent an hour trying to find the right person to credit for a complex investigative podcast. A frustrating but necessary bit of detective work. Here’s a simple hierarchy to follow:
| Priority | Contributor | When to Use Them |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Guest | If you are citing the guest’s specific ideas or quotes directly. Their voice is the source. |
| 2 | The Host/Narrator | This is the default “author” for most podcast episode citations. They guide the narrative. |
| 3 | The Executive Producer | Use the executive producer (or producer last name) when the podcast has multiple, rotating hosts or no clear single host. |
| 4 | The Production Company | If no individuals are listed, the company that created the podcast (e.g., Gimlet Media) can serve as the author. |
Citing a Video Podcast
A video podcast, often found on platforms like YouTube or Spotify, follows the same citation rules as an audio podcast with one small change. In your reference, you simply change the description in the square brackets.
- APA: [Video podcast episode] or [Video podcast]
- MLA: The format doesn’t require a media descriptor, but you can add “Video.” at the end of the entry before the URL.
- Chicago: You would write “Video” instead of “Podcast audio.”
This small detail gives your reader crucial context about the source. A video podcast is a different experience from an audio podcast episode.
What About AI-Generated Content or Dynamic Ads?
Here we enter a strange new territory. Some podcasts use AI-generated voices or summaries. Others use dynamic ad insertion, meaning the ads you hear might be different from what someone else hears. If you need to cite content from such a podcast episode, transparency is key. In a footnote or a parenthetical aside, you should note the nature of the content.
For example: (Smith, 2024, 12:45). Note that this segment may be followed by a dynamically inserted advertisement not present for all listeners.
This proactive clarification shows academic rigor. It acknowledges the fluid nature of new media. Just the facts, and the context around them.
Learning how to cite a podcast correctly strengthens your academic work. It’s a skill that bridges classic scholarship with modern media consumption. Each podcast you cite, whether it’s a deep-dive interview or a fun narrative episode, becomes a legitimate part of your research conversation. If you have more specific citation questions, exploring further resources is always a good idea. The goal is to create a clear, honest bibliography that reflects the breadth of your research.