How to Cite a Podcast in APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard

Last updated: June 2026

A podcast is a published source like any article or interview, so when you quote one in academic or professional writing you have to reference it. The catch is that every style guide formats a podcast slightly differently, and the rules shift again depending on whether you cite a single episode or the whole series. This guide gives you the exact structure plus a worked example for APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard, the in-text rules, and clear answers to the two things people get wrong most: when to italicize and what to do when the host, date, or URL is missing.

Quick answer. Italicize the podcast series title in every academic style. The episode title goes in quotation marks (MLA, Chicago, Harvard) or plain sentence case (APA). Always cite the host or creator as the author, never the platform. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube are just where you accessed it.

The information you need before you cite

Whatever style you use, gather these six details first. You can find all of them on the episode page in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the show's website.

1. Host or creator (the author). Use the person who hosts or narrates, or the company name or username if no person is credited. Never list Spotify or Apple as the author.
2. Episode title. The title of the specific episode you are citing.
3. Podcast series title. The name of the show the episode belongs to.
4. Publisher or network. Who produces it, for example NPR, The New York Times, or an independent studio.
5. Publication date. The date the episode was released, not the date you listened. Note your access date too, since Harvard and MLA can use it.
6. URL. A stable link to the episode. If you only have an app, you can name the app (for example Spotify app) instead.

If you also want an episode number, a season number, or a timestamp for a direct quote, grab those now. They make a citation more precise and are required for in-text quotes in APA and MLA.

Throughout this guide we use one real example so you can compare the styles side by side: an episode of Hardcore History hosted by Dan Carlin.

How to cite a podcast in APA (7th edition)

APA cites the host as the author and labels their role in parentheses. The series title is italicized, the episode title is not, and you add a bracketed descriptor.

Episode format:

Host Last name, Initials. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. #) [Audio podcast episode]. In _Podcast title_. Publisher. URL

Episode example:

Carlin, D. (Host). (2021, January 12). Supernova in the East II (No. 64) [Audio podcast episode]. In _Hardcore History_. Dan Carlin. https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-64-supernova-in-the-east-ii/

Whole series format:

Host Last name, Initials. (Host). (Year to present). _Podcast title_ [Audio podcast]. Publisher. URL

Whole series example:

Carlin, D. (Host). (2006 to present). _Hardcore History_ [Audio podcast]. Dan Carlin. https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

In-text: parenthetical (Carlin, 2021) or narrative Carlin (2021). For a direct quote, add the timestamp: (Carlin, 2021, 14:05).

APA notes. Use [Video podcast episode] if you watched a video version, for example on YouTube. Omit the episode number if there is not one. If there is no date, use (n.d.). Episode titles stay in plain sentence case with no quotation marks.

How to cite a podcast in MLA (9th edition)

MLA puts the host in the contributor slot, the episode title in quotation marks, and the series title in italics. This is the format behind the popular search how to cite a podcast MLA.

Episode format:

Host Last name, First name, host. "Episode title." _Podcast title_, season #, episode #, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.

Episode example:

Carlin, Dan, host. "Supernova in the East II." _Hardcore History_, episode 64, Dan Carlin, 12 Jan. 2021, www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-64-supernova-in-the-east-ii/.

Whole series format:

Host Last name, First name, host. _Podcast title_. Publisher, year range, URL.

App instead of a URL (when you listened in an app and have no link):

Carlin, Dan, host. "Supernova in the East II." _Hardcore History_, episode 64, Spotify app, Dan Carlin, 12 Jan. 2021.

In-text: (Carlin) for a general reference, or add a timestamp for a quote, (Carlin 14:05). You do not include the year in MLA in-text citations.

How to cite a podcast in Chicago (17th edition)

Chicago uses footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography entry. The series is italicized and the episode is in quotation marks, in title case.

Footnote format:

First name Last name, "Episode title," Podcast title, hosted by Host name, Month Day, Year, podcast, audio, running time, URL.

Footnote example:

Dan Carlin, "Supernova in the East II," _Hardcore History_, January 12, 2021, podcast, audio, 4:43:00, https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-64-supernova-in-the-east-ii/.

Bibliography format:

Last name, First name. "Episode title." _Podcast title_. Month Day, Year. Podcast, audio. URL.

Bibliography example:

Carlin, Dan. "Supernova in the East II." _Hardcore History_. January 12, 2021. Podcast, audio. https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-64-supernova-in-the-east-ii/.

Chicago uses footnotes rather than in-text parentheticals, so the citation lives in the note. If your instructor wants Chicago author-date instead, the in-text form is (Carlin 2021).

How to cite a podcast in Harvard

Harvard is a referencing style rather than one single guide, so wording varies by institution, but the structure below is the common form. The series is italicized and the episode goes in single quotes.

Episode format:

Host Last name, Initials. (Year) 'Episode title', _Podcast title_, Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Episode example:

Carlin, D. (2021) 'Supernova in the East II', _Hardcore History_, 12 January. Available at: https://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-64-supernova-in-the-east-ii/ (Accessed: 16 June 2026).

In-text: (Carlin, 2021).

If your university uses a [Podcast] label, place it after the title: 'Episode title', Podcast title [Podcast]. Always check your department's exact Harvard variant before you submit.

Are podcast titles italicized?

This is the single most common formatting question, so here is the rule cleanly. Yes, the podcast series title is italicized in every academic style. What changes is how you mark the individual episode title.

So if you are asking do you italicize podcast titles in an essay, the answer for APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard is the same: italicize the show name, then quote or plain-format the episode depending on the style. The one outlier is AP style, used in journalism rather than academia, which puts everything in quotation marks and italicizes nothing.

In running prose outside a formal reference, the same logic applies: write Hardcore History in italics and the episode "Supernova in the East II" in quotation marks.

At a glance: all four styles compared

Edge cases and tricky sources

Citing a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. The platform is where you accessed the episode, not the author. Cite the host as usual and use the platform's episode URL as the location. In MLA you can name the app (for example Spotify app) if you have no link. For a video version on YouTube, APA uses [Video podcast episode] and you link to the version you actually watched.

No host or author listed. Start the reference with the episode title instead, and use the production company or network as the publisher. Your in-text citation then uses a shortened title.

No publication date. In APA use (n.d.) where the date would go. In MLA and Harvard, use the show's copyright year if there is no episode date, or note that the date is unavailable. Always include an access date in Harvard when the source could change.

Citing a guest, not the host. If the episode centers on a guest and that is who you are quoting, you can cite the guest as the author and note their role, or keep the host as author and let the episode title identify the guest. Be consistent across your bibliography.

Citing a specific quote. Add a timestamp in HH:MM:SS so a reader can find the moment. APA and MLA both expect a timestamp for direct quotes, for example (Carlin, 2021, 14:05) in APA or (Carlin 14:05) in MLA.

Citing a transcript. If you read a transcript rather than listened, APA swaps the descriptor to [Audio podcast transcript] and you link to where the transcript lives.

Your own podcast. Listing your show on a CV or in a portfolio follows the same shape: your role, the episode or segment title, the show name, the release date, and a link, for example: Last name, First initial. Host. "Episode title." Podcast title. Release date. URL.

Use a podcast citation generator to format it for you

If you would rather not assemble the reference by hand, a podcast citation generator takes the six details above and outputs a formatted citation in the style you pick. Tools like Scribbr, Cite This For Me, and Zotero all support podcasts. Whatever you use, double check the output against the rules above, because generators often miss the bracketed descriptor in APA or the host role in MLA, and a marker will spot it.