How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA
While doing research for a paper, you may find relevant YouTube videos that you want to cite. You may already know how to cite a website in APA, but it can be difficult to know how to cite YouTube in APA style. You may also want to cite quotes within the video, user comments, or entire YouTube accounts.
The guidelines of this page cover APA 7th edition and specifies what you need to know to cite any various YouTube video content in APA style. For similar but different media, like citing a movie in APA or a tv show, you’ll need to visit another guide.
Guide Overview
Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for a YouTube video citation in APA style
- Basic YouTube video citation structure
- Video with creator’s real name and screen mame
- Video without uploader’s real name OR video by an organization
- Citing a YouTube channel
- Citing a direct quote from a video
- Citing a comment on a YouTube video
- Citing a TED talk found on YouTube
- A note on APA 7th edition
- Citing a YouTube video in APA
- What you need
- Troubleshooting
- References
Step-by-step instructions for a YouTube video citation in APA style
- List the real last name of the video’s uploader, capitalizing the first letter. Place a comma after the last name and then list the first initial of their first name, followed by a period. If you find their middle initial, list it after the first initial and period, also followed by a period. If the creator’s name is unavailable, skip this step and begin your citation with the next step.
- Next, using brackets, list the screen name of the video’s uploader as it is spelled on the page. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Then, in parentheses, put the full numerical year followed by a comma, the full written month starting with a capital letter and followed by a comma, and the numerical day that the video was posted. Close the parentheses and follow with a period.
- Put the title of the video in Italics and in sentence case (only capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns). Do not place a period after the title.
- After the title, put the word Video (for the source format), capitalized, in normal font, and in brackets. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Put the word YouTube (for the website source name) as it is spelled here, followed by a period.
- List the full URL for the web page containing the YouTube video you are citing. Do not follow with a period.
Note that in your citation, you must indent any lines after the first line. APA-style in-text citations for quoting and paraphrasing are the same for YouTube videos.
Basic YouTube video citation structure
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
(Uploader Last Name OR Screen name, Year) |
Video with creator’s real name and screen name
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Example |
Bissett, A. [Ariel Bissett]. (2016, May 28). Some thoughts on the catcher in the rye [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj4R0hgi8w |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Example |
(Bissett, 2016) |
Video without uploader’s real name OR video by an organization
If only the screen name is available, you put the screen name first in the citation and omit the “[Screen name]” part of the citation.
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Example |
Chegg. (2018, November 15). How to cite quotes to avoid plagiarism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4gmmme8HjQ |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Example |
(Chegg, 2018) |
Citing a YouTube channel
Now that you know how to cite YouTube in APA style, you may need more specific information on citing channels, quotes, or comments.
Instead of citing one particular YouTube video, you may want to cite an entire YouTube channel. While the format is similar to citing a YouTube video, there are a few key differences you can see in the format guidelines below.
- You will always use “n.d.” for “no date” because YouTube channels are undated.
- The word “Home” is included because every YouTube channel’s page name is “Home” by default.
- If you are instead citing another tab of the account (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Discussion, About), put the correct tab name instead of the word “Home.”
- Use the words “YouTube Channel” instead of the name of any specific videos since you’re citing a whole channel (not just one video).
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Structure & Example |
YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial OR Screen name. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. URL of YouTube channel The Guardian. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. https://www.youtube.com/guardian |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Structure &
Example |
(YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name OR Screen name, n.d.) (The Guardian, n.d.) |
Citing a direct quote from a video
You may want to include a direct quote from a YouTube video within your paper. While your reference page citation for the quote will be the same as a citation for the whole video, your in-text citation will need a timestamp to help readers easily access the quote (Publication Manual, p. 274). It is commonly accepted to only include a timestamp for the beginning of the quote, but you may use a timestamp range if you think it would be helpful.
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
(Author/Creator Last Name OR screen name, Year, Timestamp 0:00) |
Citing a comment on a YouTube video
While researching your topic, you may find that you want to include a comment left on a YouTube video. You will need to cite the comment itself rather than the YouTube video. The format for citing a YouTube comment is similar to citing a YouTube video with a few key differences.
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Structure & Example |
Commentor’s Last Name, First Initial. OR Commenter’s Username. (Year, Month Day). Title of comment OR up to the first 20 words of the comment [Comment on the video “Title of video”]. YouTube. URL of YouTube video Blanco, B. (2021, November 21). My favorite Jackson… in the entire Galaxy! |
[Comment on video “Essentials for indoor cat happiness”]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaVttlOqcX4| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Structure &
Example |
(Commentor’s Last Name OR Username, Year) (Blanco, 2021) |
Citing a TED talk found on YouTube
TED Talks are often great sources of information, and they can be found on both the TED website and on YouTube. When citing a TED Talk found on YouTube, list TED as the author for the in-text citation and the reference page.
| Reference Page | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
TED (2011, January 3). The power of vulnerability [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvmsMzlF7o |
| In-text citation | |
|---|---|
| Structure |
(TED, 2011) |
A note on APA 7th edition
The 7th edition of the APA Manual came out in 2020, replacing the 6th edition that came out in 2009. There are a few changes in the newest manual that apply when you need to cite YouTube video APA style.
Notable 7th edition changes include:
- Omission of “Retrieved from” before URLs
- Addition of the website name
- Uses “Video” instead of “Video file.”
- In-text citation format is the same,
APA 6th Edition Reference Page Format:
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL
APA 7th Edition Reference Page Format:
Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL
In-text Citation Format (6th AND 7th Edition):
(Author/Creator Last Name OR Screen name, Year)
Citing a YouTube video in APA
What you need
To cite YouTube videos in APA style, you will need certain information. If available, find the following to include in your citation:
- Name of the individual(s) or group who uploaded the video. If it’s an individual, use their real name.
- Video uploader’s screen name
- Date attached to the video (including year, month, date)
- Title of the video
- URL of the video’s webpage
If any of the above information is not available on the same page as the YouTube video, you may need to do a little more research to find it. For example, to find the real name of the video’s uploader, you can click on the screen name to view the creator’s account where you might find their real name in the bio.
If any of the information is not available, even after doing additional research, simply leave it out of the citation, but include the rest of the information following the order of the basic format below.
Who is the author?
The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2020, p. 344) clarifies that the uploader of the video is used as the “author” of the video, even if they are not the creator of it.
Further information on citing in APA can be found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association in Section 10.12.
Troubleshooting
Solution #1: How to cite a video when the uploader’s real name cannot be found
In APA
When you want to cite a video from YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video-hosting sites, but cannot find the uploader’s real name, use their username in place of their actual name in your APA works-cited citation.
If using a username in place of a typical name, keep the same format and case of the username as it is discovered online, and omit the bracketed “username” part of your APA citation in your bibliography.
Use the username in place of the author’s name for your in-text citation.
Example in-text citation:
(videogamedunkey, 2021)
Example reference:
videogamedunkey. (2021, September 21). Originality in video games [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQzTtsr3AQ
References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10/1037/0000165-000
Published July 21, 2014. Updated April 16, 2020.
Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.
- What is the proper way to cite a YouTube video in APA?
-
To cite a YouTube video, you need to have the name of the uploader or the screen name, the full date the video was uploaded, the title of the video, and the URL (uniform resource locator). If any of these details are not available, you can skip it and add only the available information. The templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of a YouTube video along with examples are given below.
In-text citation templates and examples:
Narrative:
Video uploader’s name or Screen name (publication year)
Seburn (2020)
Parenthetical:
(Video uploader’s name or Screen name, publication year)
(Seburn, 2020)
Note that month and day are not mentioned in in-text citations.
Reference list entry template and example:
Video uploader’s Surname F. M. [Screen name]. (Publication Year, Month Day). Video title [Video]. YouTube. URL
Seburn, C. [Smart Screen]. (2020, May 20). Welcome to the smart student! (Introductory video) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wz9kb_cQ57Y
If you want to include the screen name, include it in square brackets after the uploader’s name. Set the title of the video in italics and sentence case. The word “Video” follows the title in square brackets. Use the word “YouTube” before the URL.
- How do I cite a movie, TV show, or streaming video in APA style?
-
Movie
To cite a movie in APA style, it is important that you know basic information such as the name of the director, the date, the title of the movie, and the name of the production company.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Director Surname (Year)
Coppola (1972)
Parenthetical:
(Director Surname, Year)
(Coppola, 1972)
Reference list entry template and example:
Director’s Surname, F. M. (Director). (Year). Title of the movie [Film]. Production Company.
Coppola, F. F. (Director). (1972). The godfather [Film]. Alfran Productions.
TV series
To cite a TV series in APA style, it is important that you know basic information such as the name of the executive producer, the date, the title of the TV series, and the name of the production company.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Executive Producer Surname(s) (Year/s)
Crane and Kauffman (1994–2004)
Parenthetical:
(Executive Producer Surnames, Year/s)
(Crane & Kauffman, 1994–2004)
Reference list entry template and example:
Executive Producer’s Surname, F. M. (Executive Producers). (Year). Title of the TV show [TV series]. Production Company.
Crane, D., & Kauffman, M. (Executive Producers). (1994–2004). Friends [TV series]. Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions.
Streaming video
To cite a streaming video in APA style, it is important that you know basic information such as the name of the person or group who uploaded the video (or their username), the year, month, and day the video was uploaded, the title of the video, the streaming service, and the URL.
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Video uploader’s surname or username (Year)
Stanford (2010)
Parenthetical:
(Video uploader’s surname or username, Year)
(Stanford, 2010)
Reference list entry template and example:
Video uploader’s Surname F. M. [Username]. (Publication Year, Month Day). Video title. [Video]. YouTube. URL
Stanford. [Smart Screen]. (2010, March 29). Introduction to human behavioral biology. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA
If you want to include the username with the uploader’s full name, include it in square brackets after the uploader’s name. Set the title of the video in italics and sentence case. The word “[Video]” follows the title. Use the streaming service’s title, “YouTube,” before the URL.