How do I cite an episode of a podcast?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

To cite a podcast episode that you streamed on the web, follow the MLA format template. List the narrator or host in the “Author” slot and the title of the podcast episode in the “Title of source” slot. Then list the name of the podcast as the title of the container, the season and episode number­­—if applicable—and the publisher. If a date is given for the episode, list it; otherwise, provide the copyright date of the website. Then provide the URL.

Gladwell, Malcolm, narrator. “The Lady Vanishes.” Revisionist History, season 1, episode 1, Slate Group, 2016, revisionisthistory.com/seasons?selected=season-1.

If the podcast is contained within a larger website–in the case of some news programs, for example–list the information for the larger website in a second container.

Chang, Ailsa, host. “Why Scientists Can’t Explain All the Appeal of an Eclipse.” Morning Edition, NPR, 11 Aug. 2017. NPR, www.npr.org/2017/
08/11/542753070/scientists-can-t-explain-all-the-appeal-of-an-eclipse.

If you listened to the podcast on an app such as iTunes, list the name of the app in the “Version” slot and provide the other information you see displayed on your device. In the app version of “The Lady Vanishes,” the season and episode numbers are not given and no publisher is listed, but a specific date is provided for the episode.

Gladwell, Malcolm, narrator. “The Lady Vanishes.” Revisionist History, iTunes app, 16 June 2016.