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How to Cite a YouTube Video | MLA, APA & Chicago

Published on March 17, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.

To cite a video from YouTube or another video sharing site, you need an in-text citation with a corresponding reference listing the uploader, the publication date, the video title, and the URL.

The format varies depending on the citation style you use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago style .

Use the interactive example generator below to explore the APA and MLA formats or use Scribbr’s Citation Generator .

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Table of contents

Citing a video in mla style, citing a video in apa style, citing a video in chicago style, where to find the information for a youtube citation, frequently asked questions about citations.

An MLA Works Cited entry for an online video begins with the name of the video’s author (the person who created it). The uploader is listed later, after the name of the site. The video title appears in quotation marks, the site name in italics.

In the in-text citation, list the author’s last name and the timestamp of the relevant part of the video.

Videos with the same author and uploader

When the person who created the video (the author) is the same person who uploaded it, MLA recommends starting the Works Cited entry with the title so as not to repeat the name in both the author and the uploader position.

This means that the in-text citation for a video like this begins with the title, shortened if it is a long title.

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In an APA Style reference entry for a video , the person or organization that uploaded the video is always listed in the author position, even if they didn’t create the video. The video title appears in italics, followed by “Video” in square brackets.

A timestamp may be used in the in-text citation to show the location of a particular quote .

Note that if the uploader’s real name is known and is different from the name of their channel, both should be included—the real name first, then the channel name in brackets.

To cite an online video in Chicago style , include a bibliography entry listing full details of the video, and a footnote where you cite it in the text.

The bibliography entry shows the video title in quotation marks, as well as specifying that the source is a video and stating its total length.

The footnote may list a timestamp if it’s necessary to highlight the location of a specific part of the video.

Chicago also offers an author-date citation style . An example of how to cite YouTube videos in this style can be found here .

All the key information needed to cite a YouTube video is displayed below the video itself on the site:

  • The video title
  • The uploader’s username
  • The upload date
  • The timestamp of the relevant part of the video
  • The URL (it’s best to use the one given when you click on “Share”)

If the uploader’s name is not the same as their username, or if you need information about the video’s original creator, this information may be available in the description or in the video itself.

The image below shows where to find the relevant information below the video on YouTube; other video sites tend to follow a similar layout.

APA YouTube

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The main elements included in a YouTube video citation across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the name of the author/uploader, the title of the video, the publication date, and the URL.

The format in which this information appears is different for each style.

All styles also recommend using timestamps as a locator in the in-text citation or Chicago footnote .

In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.

If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:

  • In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference.
  • In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead.

If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.

When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)

In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.

For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.

Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.

  • APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences.
  • MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities.
  • Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history.
  • Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences.

Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.

The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a YouTube Video | MLA, APA & Chicago. Scribbr. Retrieved February 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-a-video/

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APA Video Citation

Videos are categorized under audiovisual media along with audios and television broadcasts. Though this medium is usually associated with entertainment, it can also be a valuable source of information. In this article, we will discuss how to cite videos.

Let’s begin with the guides in citing the author/s:

Table of Content

  • 1.1 One Author
  • 1.2.1 Two to Seven Authors
  • 1.2.2 More than Seven Authors
  • 2 In-Text Citation
  • 3.2 Video Blog Post
  • 3.3 Video Podcast

Citing the Author

Multiple authors , two to seven authors, more than seven authors, in-text citation.

  • The in-text citation is written inside a parenthesis with the last name of the author and year, separated by a comma.

(Santos, 2010)

  • If the name of the author is included within the text, only the year is written inside the parenthesis.

Santos (2010)

Reference List

Below are the important elements of an APA video citation.

  • Year or date
  • Title of video

And here are simple guides in citing a video in the reference list:

  • Include as much information available from the source.
  • The authors are usually the Producers, Directors and the person who posted the video. Indicate their contributions in a parenthesis after their names.
  • Include the format or description of form inside a bracket after the title. The first word of the format starts with a capital letter and the next word is in lowercase (e.g. Video file and Video podcast).
  • Use the screen name if the full name of the author is not available.
  • For videos posted online, list the exact date of posting with the year first followed by the month and date.
  • List the URL for videos retrieved from the web.

Basic Formats: Author (Producer or Director). (Year). Title of Video [Format]. Country: Studio.

Examples: Spielberg, S., Royce, I., Gordon, M., & Levinson, G. (Producers), & Spielberg, S. (Director). (2004).  Saving Private Ryan  [DVD]. United States: Universal.

Basic Formats (if it is available on-line): Author (Producer or Director). (Year). Title of Video [Format]. Available from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Examples: American Psychological Association (Producer). (2000). Responding therapeutically to patient expressions of sexual attraction [DVD]. Available from http://www.apa.org/videos/

Note: After the name, indicate whether the person/s is the Producer or Director in a parenthesis. The name of the Producer/s is listed first before the name of the Director/s.

Video Blog Post

Basic Format: Author. (Date). Title of Video [Format]. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

Example: Norton, R. (2006, November 4). How to train a cat to operate a light switch [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vja83KLQXZs

Note: Titles of videos from online communities such as blogs, newsgroups, and forums are not italicized.

Video Podcast

Example: Dunning, B. (Producer). (2011, January 12) inFact: Conspiracy theories [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://itunes.apple.com

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Q. How do I reference an online video (e.g., YouTube, TED Talk, or webinar) in APA Style?

  • 2 Academic Integrity
  • 47 Academic writing
  • 40 APA Style
  • 33 APA Style: Formatting
  • 108 APA Style: In-text citations
  • 106 APA Style: References
  • 18 Legal citations
  • 15 Paraphrasing
  • 10 Punctuation
  • 24 Quotations
  • 16 Writing Centre information
  • 63 Writing Centre resources

Answered By: Theresa Bell (she/her/hers) Last Updated: Aug 29, 2023     Views: 415630

APA Style (7th ed.)

Lastname, A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video]. Streaming video site name. URL

  • In-text citation: (Screen name, year, time stamp) 
  • See page 344 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.).

If the video was retrieved from the TED website:

Robinson, K. (2006, February). Ken Robinson: How school kills creativity [Video]. TED Conferences.  http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

  • In-text citation: (Robinson, 2006, 15:45)

If the TED video was posted on YouTube and that's where you retrieved it (versus directly from ted.com):

TED. (2007, January 6). Do schools kill creativity | Sir Ken Robinson  [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

  • In-text citation: (TED, 2007, 1:15)

For more information, see page 343 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.).

YouTube Video

Fields, J. (2012, October 3). Brene Brown on the power of being vulnerable [Video]. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd3DYvBGyFs

  • In-text citation: (Fields, 2012, 45:02)
  • See page 344 in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.) for more information.

TikTok Video

IndigenousLibrarian. [@indigenouslibrarian]. (2021, September 26). Lorisia McLeod’s templates for citing Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers (2021) #greenscreensticker [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@indigenouslibrarian/video/7012486813788933382?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7265774825921332742

  • In-text citation: (IndigenousLibrarian, 2021, 00:33)
  • See the APA Style website's  TikTok References  for more information.

If an archived webinar is recoverable online, it can be cited as an online video as well. For example:

Axe, J., & Bell, T. (2017, March 27). Lunch and learn: Giving feedback on student writing [Webinar]. Royal Roads University. https://livestream.com/royalroads/events/7167907/videos/152782627

  • In-text citation: (Axe & Bell, 2017, 18:05)

If the webinar is livestreamed but not recorded, or if the recording is not publicly accessible, it is not included in a reference list, but cited as personal communication instead (American Psychological Association, 2020, p. 344).

American Psychological Association. (2020).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association  (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

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APA 7th Edition Citation Examples

  • Volume and Issue Numbers
  • Page Numbers
  • Undated Sources
  • Citing a Source Within a Source
  • In-Text Citations
  • Academic Journals
  • Encyclopedia Articles
  • Book, Film, and Product Reviews
  • Online Classroom Materials
  • Conference Papers
  • Technical + Research Reports
  • Court Decisions
  • Treaties and Other International Agreements
  • Federal Regulations: I. The Code of Federal Regulations
  • Federal Regulations: II. The Federal Register
  • Executive Orders
  • Charter of the United Nations
  • Federal Statutes
  • Dissertations and Theses

Format for streaming videos

  • Interviews, E-mail Messages + Other Personal Communications
  • Social Media
  • Business Sources
  • PowerPoints
  • AI: ChatGPT, etc.

Author last name, first initial. (Date).  Title of video [Video]. Host site. URL

  • Author:  List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See  Authors  for more information. The person or group who uploaded the video should be credited as the author for citation purposes, even if that person or group did not create the video. If an author's real name isn't known, provide the user name. If both the real name and user name are known, provide the real name followed by the user name between brackets.
  • Date:  List the date between parentheses, followed by a period.
  • Title of video:  In italics. Capitalize the first word of the title, subtitle, and proper nouns, followed by [Video] and then a period.
  • Host site: List the name of the site that hosts the video, followed by a period.
  • URL:  List URL.

See specific examples below.

Heffernan, M. (2015, May). Why it's time to forget the pecking order at work [Video]. Ted Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_why_it_s_time_to_forget_the_pecking_order_at_work

Fogarty, M. [Grammar Girl]. (2020, April 23). Why are we overwhelmed and not just whelmed? [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/zgCjEdVAnaQ

See  Publication Manual , 10.12.

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Cite a YouTube Video

    To cite a video from YouTube or another video sharing site, you need an in-text citation with a corresponding reference listing the uploader, the publication date, the video title, and the URL. The format varies depending on the citation style you use.

  2. APA Video Citation

    APA Video Citation. Posted on November 19, 2013 by thewriter in Citation Format. Videos are categorized under audiovisual media along with audios and television broadcasts. Though this medium is usually associated with entertainment, it can also be a valuable source of information.

  3. Q. How do I reference an online video (e.g., YouTube, TED Talk

    How do I reference an online video (e.g., YouTube, TED Talk, or webinar) in APA Style? Browse: All Answered By: Theresa Bell (she/her/hers) Aug 29, 2023 414167 APA Style (7th ed.) Lastname, A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video]. Streaming video site name. URL In-text citation: (Screen name, year, time stamp)

  4. UMGC Library: APA 7th Edition Citation Examples: Videos

    Format for streaming videos Format: Author last name, first initial. (Date). Title of video [Video]. Host site. URL Elements: Author: List the last name, followed by the first initial (and second initial). See Authors for more information.

  5. How to Cite an Online Video in APA

    To cite an online video in APA on the References page, follow this formula: [Username]. Creator's Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Website Name. URL In-Text Citation Rules An online video in APA has a simple citation format for in-text citations.