84 MLA: Citing Audiovisual Works
Sarah Bailey; Kara Blizzard; Doris Wagner; and Christina Frasier
Audiovisual works can include a wide variety of sources such as films, TV episodes, online videos, music recordings, performances, and more. The citation elements vary depending on the source.
The examples below will guide you through the elements you might need for citations of audiovisual works.
Audiovisual citation examples
The next examples show citations of some common types of audiovisual sources.
Online video
The following example is for a YouTube video. If there is not a clearly named author, skip the author element and start with the title, like in this example. The individual who uploaded the video is included under the Contributor element.
“Literary Devices in Pop Culture.” YouTube, uploaded by bcwalden43, 11 Jul. 2012, https://youtu.be/U_pxfifB6Co.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Title of Source. | “Literary Devices in Pop Culture.” |
| Container, | YouTube, |
| Contributor, | uploaded by bcwalden43, |
| Publication Date, | 11 Jul. 2012, |
| Location. | https://youtu.be/U_pxfifB6Co. |
Film
The following example is for a film watched on the Netflix app.
Room. Performance by Brie Larson, Element Pictures, 2015. Netflix app.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Title of Source. | Room. |
| Contributor, | Performance by Brie Larson, |
| Publisher, | Element Pictures, |
| Publication Date. | 2015. |
| Supplemental element (platform). | Netflix app. |
Audio recording
This example is for a podcast episode, streamed from the host’s website. The publisher’s name is excluded because it is the same as the container.
McMahon, Ryan. “A Letter to the Puzzle People.” The Red Man Laughing Podcast, season 8, 14 Apr. 2020, https://redmanlaughing.squarespace.com/listen/2020/4/red-man-laughing-a-letter-to-the-puzzle-people.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Authors. | McMahon, Ryan. |
| Title of Source. | “A Letter to the Puzzle People.” |
| Container, | The Red Man Laughing Podcast, |
| Number, | season 8, |
| Publication Date, | 14 Apr. 2020, |
| Location. | https://redmanlaughing.squarespace.com/listen/2020 /4/red-man-laughing-a-letter-to-the-puzzle-people. |
TV episode
The next example is for an episode of a TV series, watched on a streaming website.
“It’s Comedy or Cabbage.” The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, season 3, episode 5, Amazon, 2019. Amazon Prime, www.primevideo.com.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Title of Source. | “It’s Comedy or Cabbage.” |
| Container, | The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, |
| Number, | season 3, episode 5, |
| Publisher, | Amazon, |
| Publication Date. | 2019. |
| Second Container, | Amazon Prime, |
| Location. | www.primevideo.com. |
Image
For some images you may be able to find full citation details, and for others it might be harder. The next example is for an untitled image within a magazine article, where a description is given in place of a title.
Savage, Jim. Margaret Atwood at 14 on a dock. Flare, 15 Sep. 2013, https://www.flare.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Attwood-5.jpg.
The example above includes these citation elements:
| Citation Element | Example |
|---|---|
| Author. | Savage, Jim. |
| Title of Source. | Margaret Atwood at 14 on a dock. |
| Container, | Flare, |
| Publication date, | 15 Sep. 2013, |
| Location. | https://www.flare.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Attwood-5.jpg. |
MLA Style Citation Tutorial, 9th ed. by Sarah Bailey; Kara Blizzard; and Doris Wagner, CC BY-SA 4.0
