When Broadcast Sources Enter Malaysian Research
Malaysian postgraduate researchers in media studies, communication, public health, education, and cultural studies sometimes need to cite television broadcasts, radio programmes, and streaming series as primary sources — particularly when analysing media representations, public communication campaigns, or the content of broadcast journalism. Knowing how to cite television and radio programmes in APA correctly ensures these broadcast sources are attributed with appropriate specificity.
The APA 7th Format for Television Episodes
For a specific episode of a television series, APA 7th cites the episode writer or director as the primary author, the executive producer as a secondary contributor, and the production company as the publisher. The format is: Writer Last Name, First Initial. (Writer), & Director Last Name, First Initial. (Director). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (Season X, Episode X) [TV series episode]. In Executive Producer First Initial. Last Name (Executive Producer), Title of series. Production Company.
For Malaysian television programmes where individual episode writers are not credited: Production Company. (Year, Month Day). Episode title or description (Series name, Season X, Episode X) [TV series episode]. Broadcasting organisation.
Example: RTM. (2024, March 10). Doctoral life: Challenges and triumphs (Perspektif, Season 3, Episode 4) [TV series episode]. Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
The APA 7th Format for Radio Episodes and Podcast Episodes
Radio episodes follow the same general format as television episodes, with [Radio broadcast] or [Audio podcast episode] as the descriptor. The presenter or host is typically the primary author. Example: Ahmad, Z. (Host). (2024, June 5). The state of postgraduate research in Malaysia [Radio broadcast]. BFM 89.9.
For entire series rather than individual episodes — when you are citing the programme generally rather than a specific episode — the executive producer or production company serves as the author: Production Company. (Year). Programme title [TV series or Radio programme]. Broadcasting Organisation.
In-Text Citations for Broadcast Sources
In-text citations for television and radio programmes follow the standard APA author-date format. When citing a specific episode, the author is the episode writer or director. When citing the series generally, the author is the executive producer or production company. In your text, briefly contextualise the nature of the source: “In a documentary episode examining postgraduate wellbeing in Malaysia (RTM, 2024)…” This framing signals to the reader that the source is broadcast media rather than a published academic source, allowing appropriate evaluation of its evidential status in the argument you are making.
