How to Cite a Documentary
Updated July 2026
A documentary cites like a film: the director (and/or production company) is the key contributor, with the title, year, and studio or distributor. If you watched it on a streaming platform, you add the platform, and quotes use a timestamp instead of a page number.
Here's the format in each style, plus how it differs from a YouTube video or a TV episode.
The format
A documentary follows the same film shape as the example above. APA leads with the director as author (Director, D. [Director]) and adds [Film]; MLA can lead with the title and credit the director as a contributor, or lead with the director when they're your focus.
Gerwig, G. (2019). Little Women. Columbia Pictures.
In-text(Gerwig, 2019)
Gerwig, Greta. "Little Women." Columbia Pictures, 2019.
In-text(Gerwig)
The pieces
- Director — the primary creator in APA's author slot; a contributor in MLA.
- Title — italicized in every style.
- Year — the release year.
- Studio / distributor — the production company or distributor (APA), publisher slot.
- Platform — Netflix, PBS, etc., if that's where you watched it.
Quoting a moment: timestamps
Point to the moment like a page number. APA: (Director, 2020, 14:32). MLA: (00:14:32) or a range. Use the timestamp from the player at the quoted moment. For a narrator's or interviewee's exact words, quote and timestamp just as you would a printed quote.
Documentary vs. YouTube vs. TV
A standalone documentary film uses the film format above. A documentary clip or short on YouTube is cited as a video with the channel as uploader — see How to Cite a YouTube Video. A documentary series episode cites the episode (with its title and number) within the series as the container, like a TV episode. Official guidance: the APA Style Blog and the MLA Style Center.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Who is the author of a documentary in APA?
- The director (and/or producer) takes the author position with a [Director] label, followed by the year, the title in italics with [Film], and the studio.
- Do I cite the streaming platform?
- Include it if that's where you watched it (e.g., Netflix as the source/site). The director, title, and year remain the core of the citation.
- How do I quote a specific moment in a documentary?
- Use a timestamp in place of a page number: (Director, 2020, 14:32) in APA, (00:14:32) in MLA.
- How is a documentary different from a YouTube video?
- A standalone documentary uses the film format (director/studio/year). A documentary clip posted on YouTube is cited as a video with the channel as uploader.