How to Cite a Podcast in APA 7th Edition

Podcasts are increasingly cited as academic sources, appearing in research on media studies, psychology, public health, education, and countless other disciplines. Whether you are referencing a single interview episode or an entire long-running series, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) provides clear rules in Section 10.13 for citing audio and video podcasts. This guide walks through the official templates, eight worked examples covering every common scenario, special cases, frequent mistakes, and a quick-reference table so you can format any podcast citation with confidence.

If you want to skip the manual formatting, you can use the AllCitations APA 7 generator to build a correctly formatted reference in seconds. For guidance on citing other source types, see our guide on How to Cite a Book in APA 7th Edition. But understanding the underlying rules is essential for catching errors, especially with podcasts where host roles, episode numbers, and platform URLs can create confusion.

The Official APA Rule

According to Section 10.13 of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed.), there are two standard reference formats for podcasts depending on whether you are citing a single episode or an entire series.

Single episode:

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (No. episode number) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast name. Publisher. URL

Entire series:

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year–present). Podcast name [Audio podcast]. Publisher. URL

Several important principles govern these templates:

• Host is listed in the author position with the role label "(Host)" in parentheses after the name. If there are multiple hosts, list them all. If the host is also the producer, you may use "(Host)" alone unless a different contributor deserves credit.
• Date for a single episode includes the year, month, and day the episode was published. For an entire series, use the year range (e.g., 2017–present) or the start and end years if the podcast has concluded.
• Title of a single episode is not italicized (it is part of a larger work). The title of an entire podcast series is italicized.
• Episode number is included in parentheses after the episode title when available: (No. 42). Omit this element if episodes are not numbered.
• Format descriptor appears in square brackets: [Audio podcast episode] for a single episode, [Audio podcast] for a full series, or [Video podcast episode] for a video podcast.
• "In" and podcast name — for single episodes, the podcast series name follows "In" and is italicized, just as a chapter appears "In" an edited book.
• Publisher is the production company or network. If the host self-publishes the podcast, you may omit the publisher or list the host's production entity.
• URL should link to the episode or series. Use a stable, direct link rather than a platform-specific URL when possible.

For a broader overview of how APA compares to other styles, see our guide on APA vs. MLA: Which Citation Style Should You Use?.

---

Worked Examples

Below are eight worked examples covering the most common podcast citation scenarios. Each example includes both the reference list entry and the corresponding in-text citations.

1. Single Podcast Episode

The most straightforward case: a single episode from an ongoing podcast with one host.

Reference entry:

Vedantam, S. (Host). (2021, April 12). The secret to great teams (No. 178) [Audio podcast episode]. In Hidden Brain. Hidden Brain Media. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-secret-to-great-teams/

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Vedantam, 2021)
• Narrative: Vedantam (2021) explored the dynamics that distinguish high-performing teams from average ones.

2. Entire Podcast Series

When citing an entire podcast rather than a specific episode, the podcast name moves into the title position and is italicized. The format descriptor changes to [Audio podcast].

Reference entry:

Vedantam, S. (Host). (2015–present). Hidden Brain [Audio podcast]. Hidden Brain Media. https://hiddenbrain.org/

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Vedantam, 2015–present)
• Narrative: Vedantam (2015–present) has examined the unconscious patterns that shape human behavior across hundreds of episodes.

3. Episode with Multiple Hosts

When a podcast has two or more hosts, list all of them in the author position, each followed by "(Host)." In in-text citations, follow the standard APA rules for multiple authors.

Reference entry:

Abdelfatah, R. (Host), & Arablouei, R. (Host). (2023, September 7). The myth of the American dream (No. 214) [Audio podcast episode]. In Throughline. NPR. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Abdelfatah & Arablouei, 2023)
• Narrative: Abdelfatah and Arablouei (2023) traced how the concept of the American dream has shifted across generations.

4. Episode with a Guest Speaker

When citing an episode primarily for a guest's contribution, you still credit the host in the author position because the host is the consistent creator of the podcast. Mention the guest in the narrative text rather than the reference entry.

Reference entry:

Gross, T. (Host). (2020, September 15). Ta-Nehisi Coates on police brutality, the confederate flag, and reparations (No. 4512) [Audio podcast episode]. In Fresh Air. NPR. https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Gross, 2020)
• Narrative: In an interview with Gross (2020), Ta-Nehisi Coates discussed the historical roots of systemic inequality.

If the guest is the primary focus and the podcast credits them as a co-creator or presenter of that episode, you may include them: Gross, T. (Host), & Coates, T. (Guest). However, this is uncommon; most APA examples credit only the host.

5. Episode from a Network or Organization

When the podcast is produced by an organization and no individual host is prominently credited, use the organization as the author.

Reference entry:

BBC World Service. (2022, June 3). The climate debate we need to have [Audio podcast episode]. In The Climate Question. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvbc

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (BBC World Service, 2022)
• Narrative: BBC World Service (2022) examined the tensions between economic growth and climate commitments.

6. Podcast Episode with No Episode Number

Some podcasts do not number their episodes. In this case, simply omit the episode number from the reference. The format is otherwise identical.

Reference entry:

Harris, S. (Host). (2022, March 14). The boundaries of self [Audio podcast episode]. In Making Sense. https://www.samharris.org/podcasts

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Harris, 2022)
• Narrative: Harris (2022) explored the philosophical implications of dissolving the boundary between self and world.

Note that no publisher is listed because the host self-publishes the podcast. When there is no separate production company, the publisher can be omitted.

7. Podcast Episode Transcript

When you consult a written transcript of a podcast episode rather than (or in addition to) the audio, indicate this in the format descriptor. Use [Audio podcast transcript] to signal that you accessed the text version.

Reference entry:

Duckworth, A. (Host). (2023, January 10). How to stop procrastinating (No. 205) [Audio podcast transcript]. In No Stupid Questions. Freakonomics Radio Network. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-stop-procrastinating/

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Duckworth, 2023)
• Narrative: Duckworth (2023) outlined research-backed strategies for overcoming procrastination.

8. Video Podcast Episode

If the podcast is published as a video (for example, on YouTube), change the format descriptor to [Video podcast episode]. Otherwise the format remains the same.

Reference entry:

Fridman, L. (Host). (2023, June 5). Sam Altman on OpenAI, GPT-5, and the future of AI (No. 367) [Video podcast episode]. In Lex Fridman Podcast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example

In-text citations:

• Parenthetical: (Fridman, 2023)
• Narrative: Fridman (2023) conducted an in-depth interview covering the trajectory of artificial intelligence research.

---

Special Cases

Podcasts with No Named Host

Some podcasts are produced by a team and do not credit a named host. In this case, use the production company or organization in the author position, just as you would for a group author in a book reference. If a narrator or presenter is credited on the episode itself, you may use their name with the appropriate role label.

Non-English Podcasts

When citing a podcast in a language other than English, provide the original title and include an English translation in square brackets immediately after it: Titulo del podcast [Podcast Title]. The format descriptor and other elements remain in English (e.g., [Audio podcast episode]).

Podcasts That Have Ended

If a podcast has concluded and is no longer producing new episodes, use the year range of the entire run rather than "present." For example, a podcast that ran from 2016 to 2021 would use (2016–2021) as the date. This signals to the reader that the series is complete.

Bonus or Special Episodes

Bonus episodes, trailer episodes, or special installments should be cited using whatever label the podcast uses. If the episode is labeled "Bonus" or "Special," include that information where the episode number would normally appear: (Bonus episode) or (Special). If a bonus episode has a number, use it: (No. 42, Bonus).

Podcasts on Private or Subscription Platforms

If a podcast is available only on a private or subscription platform (such as Patreon or a university intranet), include the URL and note in the narrative that access may be restricted. APA does not require a special notation for restricted-access sources in the reference entry itself, but readers should be informed that they may not be able to retrieve the source.

---

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Citing the platform instead of the podcast. A common error is listing Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or another platform as the publisher. The publisher is the production company or network that creates the podcast, not the app that distributes it. Spotify and Apple Podcasts are delivery platforms, much like a library is not the publisher of the books it holds. Use the actual production company (e.g., NPR, Gimlet Media, Wondery) or omit the publisher if the host self-publishes.

Incorrect role labels. APA requires the role label "(Host)" after the host's name in the author position. A frequent mistake is omitting this label entirely or using incorrect labels such as "(Presenter)" or "(Creator)." Use "(Host)" for hosts and "(Narrator)" for narrators. If someone served as both host and producer, "(Host)" is sufficient.

Missing episode number. When an episode has a number, include it in the reference: (No. 42). Omitting the episode number makes it harder for readers to locate the specific episode. If the podcast does not number its episodes, omission is appropriate, but check the podcast's website or RSS feed before assuming there is no number.

Confusing the podcast name with the episode title. The episode title and the podcast name are two different elements. The episode title is not italicized and appears in the title position. The podcast name is italicized and appears after "In." Swapping these elements or italicizing the episode title instead of the podcast name is a common formatting error.

Not including the episode format in brackets. The format descriptor in square brackets (e.g., [Audio podcast episode]) is a required element. It tells the reader what type of source they are looking at. Omitting it leaves ambiguity about whether the source is audio, video, or a transcript.

For a deeper dive into in-text citation rules, including how to handle multiple authors, secondary sources, and more, see our Complete Guide to In-Text Citations.

---

Quick-Reference Table

The following table summarizes the key podcast citation variations at a glance:

---