Citing audiovisual media in APA format follows a similar principle to citing written sources, acknowledging the creators and production details. However, the specific format varies depending on the type of media. Generally, you’ll need to include the title of the work (italics for most), year of creation/release (if known), and creator information (artist, director, network, etc.). For episodic content like TV shows, you might also include the episode title and season number. Pay attention to punctuation and brackets used to differentiate elements within the reference. By following these guidelines, you can ensure your reference list accurately reflects the diverse audiovisual sources you’ve referenced in your document.
Citing an Album
Cite an album by listing the recording artist(s), year, title of the album in italics, format in brackets, and the recording label.
Format:
Recording Artist(s). (Year). Title of album [Album]. Recording Label.
Examples:
- Swift, T. (2020). Folklore [Album]. Republic Records.
- The Beatles. (1967). Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band [Album]. Parlophone.
- Lamar, K. (2017). DAMN. [Album]. Top Dawg Entertainment.
Citing Artwork
Cite artwork by listing the artist, year, title of the work in italics, format in brackets, and the museum or collection name, along with the city.
Format:
Artist, A. A. (Year). Title of artwork [Format]. Museum/Collection, City, State/Country.
Examples:
- Van Gogh, V. (1889). The Starry Night [Painting]. Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, USA.
- Da Vinci, L. (1503). Mona Lisa [Painting]. Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
- Kahlo, F. (1939). The Two Fridas [Painting]. Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City, Mexico.
Citing a Film
Cite a film by listing the producer(s) and director(s), year, title in italics, format in brackets, production company, and URL if available.
Format:
Producer, A. A. (Producer), & Director, B. B. (Director). (Year). Title of film [Film]. Production Company. URL
Examples:
- Spielberg, S. (Producer & Director). (1993). Schindler’s List [Film]. Universal Pictures.
- Nolan, C. (Director). (2010). Inception [Film]. Warner Bros. https://www.example.com/inception
- Coogler, R. (Director). (2018). Black Panther [Film]. Marvel Studios.
Citing a Photograph
Cite a photograph by listing the photographer, year, title of the photograph in italics, format in brackets, and the URL if available.
Format:
Photographer, A. A. (Year). Title of photograph [Photograph]. URL
Examples:
- Adams, A. (1942). Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico [Photograph]. https://www.example.com/moonrise
- Lange, D. (1936). Migrant Mother [Photograph]. https://www.example.com/migrantmother
- Leibovitz, A. (1991). John Lennon and Yoko Ono [Photograph]. https://www.example.com/lennonono
Citing a Song (from an album)
Cite a song by listing the recording artist(s), year, title of the song, title of the album in italics, format in brackets, and the recording label.
Format:
Recording Artist(s). (Year). Title of song. On Title of album [Song]. Recording Label.
Examples:
- Swift, T. (2020). Cardigan. On Folklore [Song]. Republic Records.
- The Beatles. (1969). Here Comes the Sun. On Abbey Road [Song]. Apple Records.
- Lamar, K. (2017). HUMBLE. On DAMN. [Song]. Top Dawg Entertainment.
Citing a Television Series
Cite a television series by listing the executive producer(s), year range, title of the series in italics, format in brackets, and production company.
Format:
Executive Producer, A. A. (Executive Producer). (Year–Year). Title of television series [TV series]. Production Company.
Examples:
- Gilligan, V. (Executive Producer). (2008–2013). Breaking Bad [TV series]. Sony Pictures Television.
- Shore, D. (Executive Producer). (2004–2012). House [TV series]. Fox Broadcasting Company.
- Harmon, D. (Executive Producer). (2009–2015). Community [TV series]. NBC.
Citing a TV Episode
Cite a TV episode by listing the writer(s) and director(s), year, title of the episode, season and episode number, title of the series in italics, format in brackets, production company, and URL if available.
Format:
Writer, A. A. (Writer), & Director, B. B. (Director). (Year). Title of episode (Season No., Episode No.) [TV series episode]. In A. Executive Producer (Executive Producer), Title of television series. Production Company. URL
Examples:
- Gilligan, V. (Writer & Director). (2013). Felina (Season 5, Episode 16) [TV series episode]. In M. Johnson (Executive Producer), Breaking Bad. Sony Pictures Television. https://www.example.com/felina
- Daniels, G. (Writer), & Kwapis, K. (Director). (2005). Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV series episode]. In G. Daniels (Executive Producer), The Office. NBC. https://www.example.com/pilot
- Meyer, J. (Writer), & Lee, S. (Director). (2017). The Spoils of War (Season 7, Episode 4) [TV series episode]. In D. Benioff (Executive Producer), Game of Thrones. HBO. https://www.example.com/spoilsofwar
Citing a YouTube Video
Cite a YouTube video by listing the author or screen name, year, month, day, title of the video in italics, format in brackets, website name, and URL.
Format:
Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL
Examples:
- Smith, J. [TechGuru]. (2023, March 10). How to build a PC [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
- Johnson, L. [CookingWithLyn]. (2022, July 25). 10 easy dinner recipes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
- Brown, T. [TravelWithTom]. (2021, October 5). Exploring the Grand Canyon [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
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