If you refer to a podcast in an essay or another piece of academic writing, it’s important to cite it correctly so that your readers can easily trace the source of your information. In this post, we’ll show you how to cite a podcast in the MLA referencing style.
To cite a specific episode of a podcast, you only need to include the surname of the host in the in-text citation:
The book is a unique combination of allegory, satire, and fable (Miller).
However, if you quote directly from the recording, or you wish to highlight a specific part, you should add a timestamp:
Orwell’s own point of view is expressed by the character of Benjamin, “who is, in effect, the animal with which the reader is invited to identify” (Miller 26:30).
The time stamp indicates that the quoted words occur 26 minutes and 30 seconds into the episode.
You should then add the full source information to the Works Cited list at the end of your paper.
This is the format for citing a specific episode of a podcast:
Surname, First name, role. “Title of the Episode.” Title of the Podcast. Season number, episode number, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
So, our example would appear in the Works Cited list like this:
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Miller, John J., host. “Animal Farm by George Orwell.” The Great Books, episode 213, National Review, 1 February 2022, https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/the-great-books/episode-213-animal-farm-by-george-orwell/.
If any of the citation elements don’t apply, you can simply leave them out. In the example above, we omitted the seasons because there are no seasons in the podcast we’re referring to.
Sometimes, it makes more sense to refer to someone other than the host. If you’re focusing on the contribution of a guest or narrator, or the work of the producer, you should name them instead and indicate their role accordingly (i.e., guest, narrator, or producer).
If you accessed the podcast through an app rather than a website, you should include the name of the app in italics after the title of the podcast, followed by the word “app” (e.g., Spotify app). Sometimes, apps don’t include all of the source details. For example, the publisher or season number might not be included. If that’s the case, don’t worry—just include all the source information you have access to.
Finally, if you want to cite an entire series and not just a single episode, simply omit the episode details and replace the date with the range of years during which the podcast ran:
Judge, Phoebe, host. Criminal. Voxmedia Podcast Network, 2014– , https://thisiscriminal.com/episodes.
In this example, we’ve indicated that the series is still running by placing a space after the start year and en-dash.
Hopefully, you now feel ready to cite a podcast in your next assignment. If you’d like to have your referencing checked by an expert, though, our proofreaders are always available to help. Upload your first document for free and find out how we can help you polish your writing.
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