How to Cite TV Sources

Everything used as a source of information for an academic paper must be cited. Failure to do so could be misconstrued as plagiarism. Non-text sources such as television programs must be cited along with text-based sources. The format for citing a telecast as a reference depends on whether you adhere to MLA or APA guidelines.

Instructions

Citing a Television Program in MLA Style

1. List the name of the episode in quotation marks, followed by a period. For example:

   "The Gang Gets Invincible."

2. List the name of the program in italics, followed by a period. For example:

   It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

3. List the network, followed by a period. For example:

   FX.

4. List the call letters of the station that broadcast the episode, followed by a comma and the city where the station is based. For example: WLBZ, Bangor.

5. List the date of the broadcast, followed by a period. List the day first, followed by the month and the year. The names of months other than May should be abbreviated. For example: 9 Jul. 2009.

6. List the medium, television, followed by a period. The complete citation should read:

   "The Gang Gets Invincible." It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. FX. WLBZ, Bangor. 9 Jul. 2009. Television.

Citing a Television Program in APA Style

1. List first the writer then the director of the episode, last names followed by first initials. For example: Smith, J. (Writer), & Jones, A. (Director).

2. List the date on which the episode aired, the year first, followed by a comma, then the month and day, all in parentheses, followed by a period. For example: (2009, July 9).

3. List the title of the episode, followed by Television series episode in brackets, then a period. Capitalize only the first letter of the title, as well as any proper nouns. For example: The gang gets invincible [Television series episode].

4. List the first initial and last name of the producer, preceded by the word "In" and followed by the word "producer" in parentheses, followed by a comma. For example:

   In A. Brown (Producer),

5. List the title of the series in italics, followed by a period. Capitalize only the first letter of the title and the first letters of any proper nouns. For example: It's always sunny in Philadelphia.

6. List the city and state in which the series is produced, followed by a colon, then the name of the studio that produces it and a period. For example: New York, NY: FX Studios. The finished citation reads: Smith, J. (Writer), & Jones, A. (Director). (2009, July 9). The gang gets invincible [Television series episode]. In A. Brown (Producer), It's always sunny in Philadelphia. New York, NY: FX Studios.

References

• Purdue OWL: MLA Other Common Sources
• Purdue OWL: APA Other Non-Text Sources