How to Cite a Podcast in MLA | Format & Examples

To cite a podcast episode accessed online in MLA style, list the host of the episode as the author, followed by the episode title, podcast name, the season and episode numbers if available, the publisher, the date, and the URL.

If you need to highlight a specific quote in an in-text citation, use a timestamp.

MLA format Host last name, First name, host. “Episode Title.” Podcast Name, season number, episode number, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
MLA Works Cited entry Vogt, P. J., and Alex Goldman, hosts. “On the Inside.” Reply All, episode 64, Gimlet, 12 May 2016, gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/brho4v/64-on-the-inside.
MLA in-text citation (Vogt and Goldman 11:34)

Citing an entire podcast series

If it’s not a specific episode but a whole podcast series that you need to cite, the format is slightly more straightforward. Note that a space is left after the dash in the date range here because the series is still ongoing.

MLA format Host last name, First name, host. Podcast Name. Publisher, year range, URL.
MLA Works Cited entry Adumbrad, Jad, host. Radiolab. WNYC, 2002– , www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab.
MLA in-text citation (Adumbrad)

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Citing a podcast from an app

If you accessed the podcast not from a website but from an app like iTunes or Spotify, list the app as the version and include whatever information you have access to.

Details like the publisher and season and episode numbers might be unavailable on the app; omit them if they aren’t listed.

MLA format Host last name, First name, host. “Episode Title.” Podcast Name, App Name app, season number, episode number, Publisher, Day Month Year.
MLA Works Cited entry Barbaro, Michael, host. “Hacked, Again.” The Daily, iTunes app, 16 Dec. 2020.
MLA in-text citation (Barbaro 18:13)

Labeling the author of a podcast

The host of a podcast is generally listed as the author, unless you focus on someone else’s contribution—a guest, a narrator (i.e. when the podcast just tells a story, with no guests), or a producer.

Regardless of whom you list as author, a label identifying their role should follow their name. Feel free to be flexible with these labels to describe the person’s role as clearly as possible.

Author labels
  • Glass, Ira, host.
  • Gladwell, Malcolm, narrator.
  • Sanger, David E., guest.
  • Lechtenberg, Suzie, producer.

Frequently asked questions about MLA citations

Who is listed as the author of a podcast in MLA?

It’s standard to list the podcast’s host in the author position, accompanied by the label “host,” in an MLA Works Cited entry. It’s sometimes more appropriate to use the label “narrator,” when the podcast just tells a story without any guests.

If your citation of the podcast focuses more on the contribution of someone else (e.g. a guest, the producer), they can be listed in the author position instead, with an appropriate label.

How do I cite a source with no author or page numbers in MLA?

If a source has no author, start the MLA Works Cited entry with the source title. Use a shortened version of the title in your MLA in-text citation.

If a source has no page numbers, you can use an alternative locator (e.g. a chapter number, or a timestamp for a video or audio source) to identify the relevant passage in your in-text citation. If the source has no numbered divisions, cite only the author’s name (or the title).

If you already named the author or title in your sentence, and there is no locator available, you don’t need a parenthetical citation:

  • Rajaram argues that representations of migration are shaped by “cultural, political, and ideological interests.”
  • The homepage of The Correspondent describes it as “a movement for radically different news.”

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Caulfield, J. (2022, June 16). How to Cite a Podcast in MLA | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved November 28, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/mla/podcast-citation/

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Jack Caulfield

Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes for Scribbr about his specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, citations, and plagiarism. In his spare time, he reads a lot of books.