Are Podcast Titles Italicized? (APA, AP, MLA, and Chicago)

Despite the increased popularity of podcasts in recent years, many people still do not know how to cite a podcast in an essay or whether it should be in italics. This page explains how to cite a podcast title in formal writing. 

Are Podcast Titles Italicized?

You should use italics for the titles of podcasts in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. However, if you refer to the individual episode of a podcast series, the episode should not be in italics. Furthermore, for AP Style, you would not use italics for any part of a podcast title.

When citing a one-off episode or the title of a podcast series in a text that follows APA, MLA, or Chicago, you should use italics for the title. For the individual episodes, the format varies slightly between the three.

For individual episodes in APA, you should use parenthesis, whilst for MLA and Chicago styles, you should use quotation marks for the individual episodes.

Please note that for AP Style, you would not use italics on any part of the podcast title; instead, you should use quotation marks.

Here are some examples of in-text citations and references for the three styles:

APA Style

• Brian Cox laid out his theory concerning life on other planets (Rogan, 2019, 11.20 – 15.00)

• Rogan, J, (2019, Jan 28^th) (The Joe Rogan Experience – Brian Cox) (ep. 610), {Video podcast} in The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lmJenV6c0Y55KcFZzRpdA

MLA Style

• Brian cox laid out his theory concerning life on other planets. (Joe Rogan Experience 11.20 – 14.50)

• Rogan, Joe, speaker. “The Joe Rogan Experience: Brian Cox.” The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify, January 28^th2019, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lmJenV6c0Y55KcFZzRpdA

Chicago Style

• In this episode of the podcast, Joe talks to renowned scientist Brian Cox, who offers his theory on alien life (Joe Rogan Experience, 2019).
• Rogan, Joe, host. “The Joe Rogan Experience: Brian Cox”, The Joe Rogan Experience (podcast). January 28^th 2019. Accessed 17/08/22. https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lmJenV6c0Y55KcFZzRpdA

Are Podcast Titles Quoted?

In general, podcast titles are not quoted. However, there are some exceptions to this rule.

For example, in AP Style, the title of a podcast is in quotation marks, not italics. Furthermore, for MLA and Chicago, the titles of individual episodes should be in quotation marks, whilst the title of the podcast itself should not.

Here are some examples of how to reference a podcast and which part would be in quotes:

MLA Style:

• Barbaro, M, Chokshi, N, speakers. “The Summer of Airline Chaos.” The Daily, Spotify, August 17^th 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j8d9N8LQaIokklokEsFcI

AP Style:

• Michael Barbaro talks to a special guest on the podcast “The Daily” about travel delays post-COVID.

Are Podcast Titles Italicized in APA Style?

If you are citing a podcast in an essay that follows the APA Style, you should use italics for the main title of the podcast or series.

However, if you are citing an individual episode of a podcast series, then the episode should be placed in parenthesis before the name of the podcast title. Furthermore, for APA Style, you need to specify whether the podcast comes in “video” or “audio” format.

• Barbaro, M, (2022 Aug 17^th) (The Summer of Airline Chaos) {Audio podcast} in The Daily, Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j8d9N8LQaIokklokEsFcI

• Rogan, J, (2019, Jan 28^th) (The Joe Rogan Experience – Brian Cox) (ep. 610), {Video podcast} in The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lmJenV6c0Y55KcFZzRpdA

Are Podcast Titles Italicized in AP Style?

AP Style is mainly used by press and media organizations to write news stories. It is not common in this style to use italics for anything; instead, quotation marks are used.

Podcast titles are no exception, and they would appear in quotation marks rather than italics. Furthermore, it is not common for podcasts to have a reference page, so most citations appear in-text rather than at the end of the document.

• The host of the “Joe Rogan Experience” has come under criticism for questioning the effectiveness of the COVID vaccine.

• On this week’s “The Daily” podcast, the topic of discussion is the ongoing travel chaos.

Are Podcast Titles Italicized in Chicago Style?

When citing a podcast in a paper that follows Chicago Style formatting, you should always put the main title of the podcast in italics.

However, the individual episodes of the podcast should not be in italics, and you should use quotation marks instead.

Here are some examples of how a citation would look in Chicago Style:

• In the latest episode of the NY Times podcast, the topic of discussion is the ongoing travel chaos (The Daily, 2022)

• Barbaro, M, host. Chokshi, N, guest. “The Summer of Airline Chaos” in The Daily (podcast), Aug 17^th 2022. Accessed 17/08/22. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j8d9N8LQaIokklokEsFcI

Are Podcast Titles Italicized in MLA Style?

When you want to cite a podcast in MLA Style, the main title of the podcast should be in italics. However, individual episodes should not be in italics; instead, you should use quotation marks.

Here are some examples of how a podcast would look in MLA:

• Barbaro, M, Chokshi, N, speakers. “The Summer of Airline Chaos.” The Daily, Spotify, August 17^th 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/5j8d9N8LQaIokklokEsFcI

• The guest speaker explains why he thinks airports have not been able to cope with the resurgence of tourism. (The Daily)

• Rogan, Joe, speaker. “The Joe Rogan Experience: Brian Cox.” The Joe Rogan Experience, Spotify, January 28^th2019, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lmJenV6c0Y55KcFZzRpdA

Final Thoughts

When citing a podcast in APA, MLA, or Chicago styles, you should always use italics for the main title of the podcast. However, for specific episodes, you should use quotation marks for Chicago and MLA and parenthesis for APA. For AP, podcast references are in quotation marks and not italics.