How to Cite a Podcast in Harvard Style?

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a digital audio file of two or more people speaking, much like a song instead of someone singing. It’s an audio version of a video interview, in other words.

Podcasts are easily downloadable on a user’s device. They can be heard whenever and wherever.

Most podcasts are interviews. Citing podcasts is very similar to citing a video, except that the term ‘podcast’ is written in the format in the references.

In-Text Citation and Reference Formats with Examples

Harvard referencing uses the following format for in-text citations and reference list entries for podcasts:

In-text citation: (Author Surname, Year Published)

Reference list entry: Author Surname, Author Initial(s). (Year of Publication). Title of the Podcast in italics. [podcast] Publication Title. Available at: http://Website URL [Accessed Date Accessed].

For example:

In-text citation: Every text is a product of its time (Baggini, 2014).

Reference list entry: Baggini, D. (2014). Understanding Sacred texts. [podcast] Authority and belief. Available at: http://www.bl.uk/learning/cult/sacred/understanding/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].

There’s also something called a vodcast. It is the video version of a podcast, as the name suggests. Most vodcast, too, is interviewed.

Vodcasts are different from every other kind of video in the sense that they are mainly podcasts but in video form. However, the average video can contain any content. It can be a music video, an advertisement, an entire movie, or television program, and so on.

Both podcasts and vodcasts are grouped under the umbrella term, audio and video sources, while citing and referencing in a text.

Citing a vodcast according to Harvard referencing is like citing a podcast, as the format and example below show. The main difference lies in the term ‘vodcast’ instead of ‘podcast’ written in the format within the reference list entry.

In-text citation: (Author Surname Year)

Reference list entry: Author Surname, Initial(s) Year, Title of the vodcast in italics, vodcast, Publisher (if applicable), Place of Publication (if applicable), viewed Day, Month Year, <URL>.

For example:

In-text citation: (Bragg 2014)

Reference list entry: Bragg, S 2014, Inventory variances, podcast, viewed 8 March 2015, <http://traffic.libsyn.com/stevebragg/Episode186L.mp3>.

Important points to note: Firstly, the term ‘vodcast’ for denoting the format may or may not be enclosed in []. It must be checked with one’s host institutions and what it specifies in its referencing guidelines.

Furthermore, if it’s indeed to be enclosed within [], it should be done so consistently throughout one’s manuscript.

And secondly, if a specific part of a podcast/vodcast is being referred to in the text, the corresponding timestamp must be provided but only for in-text citations. This is done in the same way as a movie’s in-text citation containing a timestamp according to Harvard style. For example:

“Neil Gaiman says writers need to work hard (Tennant, 2020, 00:36:39).”

The reference list entry for a citation containing a timestamp is not affected. Its format is the same as that mentioned above for podcasts and vodcast.

Frequently Asked Questions