How to Quote a Documentary in an Essay
To quote a documentary, put the spoken words in quotation marks, name the film in your sentence, and cite it with a timestamp instead of a page number. In MLA the in-text citation is the title (or director) plus the time, like (RBG 00:26:16–00:27:07). In APA it is the director and year, with the timestamp for the exact moment: (West & Cohen, 2018, 26:16). The works cited entry starts with whatever you used in-text, and lists the director as the main contributor.
How to Cite a Quote From a Documentary in MLA
MLA builds the citation around the first element of your Works Cited entry — usually the title for a documentary, since it is the work as a whole.
In-text: The film states that “the study of law was unusual for women of my generation” (RBG 00:26:16–00:27:07).
Works Cited: RBG. Directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, Magnolia Pictures, 2018.
The timestamp replaces the page number and points to the exact moment. Use a range (start–end) for a quote that runs several seconds. If you want to emphasize the director, you can start the entry with “West, Betsy, and Julie Cohen, directors,” and then cite (West and Cohen).
How to Cite a Documentary in APA
APA treats a documentary like a film, with the director in the author position.
In-text: (West & Cohen, 2018, 26:16).
References: West, B., & Cohen, J. (Directors). (2018). RBG [Film]. Magnolia Pictures.
APA puts the timestamp in the in-text citation for a direct quote and uses the [Film] bracket in the reference. For a documentary streamed online, add the platform and URL at the end.
Name the Documentary in Your Sentence
Introduce the quote so the reader knows it comes from film, not print. “In RBG, Ginsburg recalls…” or “The documentary argues…” sets up the source before the words arrive. This matters more with film than with books, because a reader cannot see quotation marks doing the work of a page reference. For the general technique, see how to introduce a quote.
Quoting a Narrator vs a Speaker
If the words come from the narration, attribute them to the film itself (“the documentary notes”). If they come from an interviewed subject on screen, name that person (“Ginsburg says”). Either way the in-text citation stays the same — title or director plus timestamp — because you are citing the documentary as the source. When you quote a subject’s exact speech, keep it in quotation marks like any direct quote; see direct quotes.
Citing a Documentary You Streamed Online
If you watched the documentary on a streaming service, add the platform and, in APA, the URL. The core citation stays the same; you are just noting where you accessed it.
MLA Works Cited: 13th. Directed by Ava DuVernay, Netflix, 2016. Netflix, www.netflix.com/title/80091741.
APA References: DuVernay, A. (Director). (2016). 13th [Film]. Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741
The in-text citation does not change — it is still the title or director plus a timestamp. Only the full reference entry gains the platform and link. If the same documentary is on multiple services, cite the one you actually watched, since runtimes and edits can differ slightly between them.
Finding the Timestamp
Use the playback time shown by your video player, in hours:minutes:seconds. Note the moment the quote begins and, for anything longer than a sentence, where it ends. If you are working from a DVD or streaming copy, the timestamp is whatever that player displays. Being off by a few seconds is fine; the point is to get the reader to the right scene. For how timestamps compare to page numbers across styles, see how to cite a quote.
FAQ
How do you quote a documentary in an essay?
Put the spoken words in quotation marks, name the film in your sentence, and cite it with a timestamp instead of a page number. Start the citation with whatever begins your Works Cited entry — usually the title or director.
How do you cite a documentary in MLA?
Works Cited: Title. Directed by [Director], Studio, Year. In-text: (Title timestamp), for example (RBG 00:26:16).
Do you use a timestamp when quoting a documentary?
Yes. Audio-visual sources use a timestamp (hours:minutes:seconds) in place of a page number to mark the exact moment of the quote.
Who is the author of a documentary in a citation?
The director is treated as the main contributor. MLA often starts with the film title instead; APA puts the director in the author position with “(Director).”