How to Cite a Podcast: A Complete Guide with Examples

Podcasts are everywhere these days. Everyone watches them to get a fresh perspective and new information, including professionals, students, and teachers. Since podcasts are perfect for sharing expert opinions and real facts, they are now used as sources in research projects and school papers. Some students also use them for their presentations. This is why it's important to know how to cite a podcast. When you cite the podcasts properly, you show that you are sharing credible information. With this article, we are sharing a complete guide on citing the podcast, along with different citation styles for different types of projects.

Part 1: Everything You Need to Know About Podcast Citations

Why Cite a Podcast?

Citing the information from podcasts is as important as citing information from research journals, books, and websites. This is for everyone who wonders, "How do you cite a podcast?"When you take information or ideas from a podcast, you must show where you got the information from.

1. Acknowledging Original Creators

Podcasts take hard work to create. Hosts plan scripts, interview guests, edit episodes, and share useful information. By citing a podcast, you respect the creator's time and effort.

2. Respecting Intellectual Property

Ideas belong to the people who created them. When you cite a podcast, you avoid plagiarism, which happens when you use ideas without giving credit.

3. Enhancing Credibility

When you include reliable sources, your writing becomes stronger. Teachers, classmates, and readers will trust your work more because it is backed by dependable information.

4. Supporting Academic or Professional Work

Many schools and workplaces require proper citation. Learning how to cite a podcast helps you follow those rules and prepares you for future writing tasks.

Common Citation Styles for Podcasts

1. APA (American Psychological Association)

APA is mainly used in the social sciences, such as psychology, education, and sociology. When citing a podcast in APA style, the focus is on the date of publication, since podcasts often share time-sensitive information or recent expert interviews. APA also requires listing the host, the episode title in sentence case, the podcast name in italics, and the URL when you learn how to APA cite a podcast.

2. MLA (Modern Language Association)

MLA is often used in humanities subjects like English, literature, and cultural studies. For podcasts, MLA highlights the creator or host, the episode title, and the podcast name. MLA is also one of the few styles that encourages adding time stamps when quoting directly from audio sources, making it especially useful for podcast episodes where specific moments matter.

3. Chicago Style

The Chicago Style is popular in history and nonfiction writing. When citing podcasts, Chicago offers flexibility through either the Notes and Bibliography system or the Author-Date system. In both cases, the citation typically includes the host, episode title, episode number, podcast name, publisher, date, and URL. This style works well for long-form podcasts that include historical content or detailed research. If you want to learn how to reference a podcast, this style works well.

4. Harvard

Harvard style is widely used in colleges around the world. It works similarly to APA with its author-date format, which makes it simple to cite podcasts by listing the host or creator first, followed by the publication date, episode title, podcast name, publisher, and URL. Harvard is suitable for academic assignments that rely on audio-based research.

5. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)

IEEE is commonly used in engineering, technology, and computer science fields. For podcasts, IEEE uses numbered references, which means each podcast episode you cite is assigned a number that corresponds to the reference list. IEEE citations typically include the host, episode title, podcast name, publisher, date, and URL, formatted in a clean, technical style.

6. AMA (American Medical Association)

AMA is used in medical and health science writing. For podcast citations, AMA uses superscript numbers in the text and a detailed reference list entry. This is helpful for medical or scientific podcasts where accuracy and source tracking are essential. AMA entries usually include the host's name, episode title, podcast name, publisher, date published, date accessed, and URL.

7. ACS (American Chemical Society)

ACS is used in chemistry and related fields. When citing podcasts, ACS prioritizes clarity and precision, requiring elements such as the host's name, episode title, podcast name, publisher, date, and URL. This style is especially useful for science podcasts that discuss chemical research, laboratory techniques, or scientific breakthroughs.

8. Bluebook

Bluebook is the main citation style used in law and legal writing. Although it is known for citing cases and statutes, it also gives rules for citing modern digital materials, including podcasts. A Bluebook podcast citation usually includes the host or speaker, episode title, podcast name, publisher, date, and URL. This style is helpful when podcasts discuss legal issues, court opinions, or policy debates.

Part 2: How to Cite a Podcast (Step-by-Step Guide)

Step 1: Collect All Key Information

Before you format your citation or learn how to cite a podcast in text, gather these important details:

• Podcast name: The main title of the show so readers know which podcast it came from.
• Episode title and number: It helps identify the exact episode you used.
• Host(s) and/or guest(s): It shows who shared the information or led the discussion.
• Publication date: This tells readers when the episode was released.
• Publisher or platform: It shows where the podcast was produced or where it can be found.
• URL (if available): A direct link that helps readers access the episode easily.

Having this information ready will make the citation process much smoother, especially when you are learning how to cite a podcast in APA or other styles.

Step 2: Choose a Citation Style

Your teacher, professor, or assignment may tell you which style to use. If not, choose the style that best fits your subject area. Social sciences often use APA, while literature assignments typically use MLA. Engineering uses IEEE, and legal work uses Bluebook.

Step 3: Format Your Citation

Below are full examples of podcast citations in eight different styles. For the examples, the sample podcast is:

• Podcast: Embedded
• Episode: The Network
• Publisher: NPR
• Date (from the URL): July 17, 2025
• URL: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded

1. APA (7th Edition)

Format: Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In the Podcast name. Publisher. URL

Example: NPR. (2025, July 17). The network [Audio podcast episode]. In Embedded. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded

2. MLA (9th Edition)

Format: "Episode Title." Podcast Name, hosted by Host's Full Name, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.

Example: "The Network." Embedded, NPR, 17 Jul. 2025, https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded.

3. Chicago Style (17th Edition)

Format (Bibliography): Host Last Name, First Name. "Episode Title." Podcast Name. Podcast audio, Episode number. Publisher, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example: NPR. "The Network." Embedded. July 17, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded.

4. Harvard

Format: Host Last Name, Initial(s). Year of publication, Episode title, Podcast, Podcast name, Publisher, viewed Day Month Year, <URL>.

Example: NPR 2026, The Network, Embedded, viewed 17 Nov. 2025, https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded.

5. IEEE

Format: [Reference number] Host First Initial. Last Name, "Episode Title," Podcast Name, Publisher, Date. [Online]. Available: URL.

Example: [[1] NPR, "The Network," Embedded, Jan. 1, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded. 

6. AMA

Format: Host Last Name First Initial. Episode Title. Podcast Name. Publisher. Published Month Day, Year. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Example: NPR. The Network. Embedded. Published July 17, 2025. Accessed November 17, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded. 

7. ACS (American Chemical Society)

Format: Host, A. A. Episode Title. Podcast Name [Podcast], Publisher, Date. URL.

Example: NPR. The Network. Embedded [Podcast], July 17, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded.

8. Bluebook

Format: Host Name, Episode Title, Podcast Name (Publisher, Date), URL.

Example: NPR, The Network, Embedded (Jan. 1, 2026), https://www.npr.org/2026/01/01/1256998301/-the-network-from-nprs-embedded.

Step 4: Cite Within the Text

When writing your paper, you should also include in-text citations.

APA In-Text Citation

• Format: (Host's Last Name, Year)
  
• Example: (Estrada, 2025)

MLA In-Text Citation with Time Stamps

• Format: (Host's Last Name 00:00:00–00:00:00)
• Example: (Martinez 00:12:14–00:13:02) 

Part 3: FAQs About How to Cite a Podcast

1. How do I APA cite a podcast?

To cite a podcast in APA format, start with the host's name, the date, the episode title, the episode number, the podcast name, and the URL. Use this pattern: Host, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Name. Publisher. URL

2. How do I cite a source in a podcast?

If you are quoting something a podcast host said, include an in-text citation with the host's last name and the publication year. In MLA, you can include a time stamp to show exactly where the information was said.

3. How do I reference a podcast in a sentence?

You can bring the podcast naturally into your writing by naming the show, the episode, or the speaker. For example: "In the episode The Network from NPR's Embedded, the hosts explore how a medical discovery spread across the world."

4. Can I cite a podcast in an academic paper?

Yes! Podcasts are acceptable sources, especially when they feature experts, scientific discussions, or historical explanations. Just make sure the podcast is credible and your citation style is correct.

5. How do I cite a podcast with no host?

If no host is listed, use the producer, creator, or podcast title as the author. Try to include as much information as possible, like the episode title and publication date.

Conclusion

Learning how to cite a podcast is an important skill for students, writers, and anyone who works with information. Podcasts can be great sources of knowledge, and citing them correctly shows respect for creators while strengthening your own work. In this article, you learned why podcast citations matter, the eight major citation styles, and how to format each one. You also discovered how to gather the right information, create in-text citations, and handle common questions students often ask. Whether you are writing a research paper, school essay, or online article, proper podcast citations help make your work more professional, trustworthy, and accurate.