Are Podcast Titles Italicized?
MLA documentation distinguishes a podcast series from an individual episode: the series functions as the larger container, while the episode is the shorter source. In MLA-style prose, italicize the series title and use quotation marks for the episode title.
In MLA-style writing, italicize the podcast series title and put an individual episode title in quotation marks.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
Distinguish the series from the episode before choosing the formatting, and follow a required house or citation style if it differs.
Further guidance
Example
MLA-style invented example: *Signal Path* is the podcast series, while “The Last Mile” is an episode of that series.
Practical Application
In MLA-style writing, first identify the title level: italicize the podcast series as the larger work and put the title of an individual episode in quotation marks.
Reader Check
Ask whether you are naming the whole podcast or one episode. The same words “podcast title” are often used loosely for both, but MLA treats them differently.
Recommendation
In MLA-style writing, italicize the podcast series title and put an individual episode title in quotation marks.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- How do I cite an episode of a podcast? (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · MLA Style Center example treating an individual podcast episode as the title of source and the podcast series as its container, supporting separate styling of episode and series titles.
- How do I style the title of a work published online? (opens in a new tab)Modern Language Association · Style guidance distinguishing italicized titles of independent works such as movies and television series from quoted episode titles