How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA

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Published July 21, 2014. Updated April 6, 2022.

While doing enquiry for a paper, you may find relevant YouTube videos that you want to cite. You may already know how to cite a website, but it tin exist difficult to know how to cite YouTube in APA style. Yous may as well want to cite quotes inside the video, user comments, or unabridged YouTube accounts.

This page contains everything you need to know to cite any sort of YouTube video content in APA fashion, both inside your newspaper and on your reference page. The guidelines cover APA 7th edition.

Guide Overview

Here'south a run-through of everything this folio includes:

  • Step-by-step instructions for a YouTube video citation in APA style
  • Basic YouTube video citation construction
  • Video with creator'southward existent name and screen mame
  • Video without uploader'southward real name OR video by an organization
  • Citing a YouTube channel
  • Citing a directly quote from a video
  • Citing a annotate on a YouTube video
  • Citing a TED talk constitute on YouTube
  • A note on APA 7th edition
  • Citing a YouTube video in APA
  • What you need
  • Troubleshooting
  • References

Step-past-step instructions for a YouTube video commendation in APA fashion

  1. Listing the existent concluding name of the video'south uploader, capitalizing the first alphabetic character. Place a comma after the last name and then list the first initial of their first name, followed by a period. If yous find their middle initial, list it later the starting time initial and period, as well followed by a period. If the creator'south proper name is unavailable, skip this step and begin your citation with the adjacent step.
  2. Adjacent, using brackets, listing the screen name of the video'south uploader as information technology is spelled on the page. Place a period afterwards the endmost bracket.
  3. Then, in parentheses, put the full numerical twelvemonth followed past a comma, the full written calendar month starting with a capital alphabetic character and followed by a comma, and the numerical 24-hour interval that the video was posted. Close the parentheses and follow with a catamenia.
  4. Put the title of the video in Italics and in sentence case (but capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns). Practice not place a period later on the title.
  5. Subsequently the championship, put the word Video (for the source format), capitalized, in normal font, and in brackets. Place a flow afterward the closing bracket.
  6. Put the word YouTube (for the website source name) as information technology is spelled here, followed by a flow.
  7. List the full URL for the web page containing the YouTube video you are citing. Practice non follow with a flow.

Notation that in your commendation, yous must indent whatsoever lines after the first line. APA-mode in-text citations for quoting and paraphrasing are the same for YouTube videos.

Basic YouTube video citation structure

Reference Folio
Construction

Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL
In-text citation
Construction

(Uploader Last Name OR Screen name, Year)

Video with creator's real name and screen name

Reference Page
Instance

Bissett, A. [Ariel Bissett]. (2016, May 28). Some thoughts on the catcher in the rye [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/picket?v=GRj4R0hgi8w
In-text citation
Instance

(Bissett, 2016)

Video without uploader'south real name OR video past an organization

If merely the screen name is bachelor, you put the screen name starting time in the citation and omit the "[Screen name]" part of the citation.

Reference Page
Instance

Chegg. (2018, November 15). How to cite quotes to avert plagiarism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/sentry?v=N4gmmme8HjQ

View Screenshot

In-text citation
Case

(Chegg, 2018)

View Screenshot

Citing a YouTube channel

At present that you know how to cite YouTube in APA fashion, you lot may need more specific information on citing channels, quotes, or comments.

Instead of citing one particular YouTube video, you lot may want to cite an entire YouTube channel. While the format is similar to citing a YouTube video, in that location are a few primal differences yous can see in the format guidelines below.

  • You will always apply "n.d." for "no date" because YouTube channels are undated.
  • The word "Home" is included because every YouTube channel's folio name is "Home" by default.
    • If yous are instead citing another tab of the account (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Discussion, About), put the correct tab proper noun instead of the word "Home."
  • Utilize the words "YouTube Aqueduct" instead of the name of whatever specific videos since you're citing a whole channel (not but one video).
Reference Page
Structure & Instance

YouTube Channel Uploader's Last Name, First Initial OR Screen proper noun. (due north.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. URL of YouTube aqueduct

The Guardian. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. https://www.youtube.com/guardian
In-text citation
Structure &

Example

(YouTube Channel Uploader'due south Last Name OR Screen proper noun, northward.d.)

(The Guardian, n.d.)

Citing a directly quote from a video

Yous may want to include a straight quote from a YouTube video within your paper. While your reference page citation for the quote will exist the same as a commendation for the whole video, your in-text citation will need a timestamp to aid readers hands access the quote (Publication Manual, p. 274). It is unremarkably accustomed to only include a timestamp for the beginning of the quote, merely you may utilise a timestamp range if you retrieve information technology would be helpful.

Reference Folio
Construction

Uploader's Terminal Name, Offset Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Twenty-four hours). Title of the video [Video]. Proper noun of website. URL
In-text commendation
Construction

(Writer/Creator Last Name OR screen proper name, Year, Timestamp 0:00)

While researching your topic, you may observe that y'all want to include a annotate left on a YouTube video. You will need to cite the comment itself rather than the YouTube video. The format for citing a YouTube annotate is similar to citing a YouTube video with a few primal differences.

Reference Folio
Structure & Example

Commentor'southward Last Proper noun, Beginning Initial. OR Commenter'southward Username. (Year, Month Day). Title of comment OR upwardly 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! 💕 [Annotate on video "Essentials for indoor true cat happiness"].YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/lookout man?five=EaVttlOqcX4
In-text citation
Structure &

Example

(Commentor'south Last Name OR Username, Year)

(Blanco, 2021)

Citing a TED talk found on YouTube

TED Talks are often slap-up sources of data, and they can exist found on both the TED website and on YouTube. When citing a TED Talk institute 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/sentinel?5=iCvmsMzlF7o
In-text citation
Structure

(TED, 2011)

A notation 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 yous need to cite YouTube video APA mode.

Notable seventh edition changes include:

  • Omission of "Retrieved from" before URLs
  • Improver of the website proper name
  • Uses "Video" instead of "Video file."
  • In-text citation format is the same,

APA 6th Edition Reference Page Format:

Last Name, Start Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen proper name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL

APA 7th Edition Reference Page Format:

Uploader Terminal Name, Showtime Initial. Heart 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 Terminal Name OR Screen proper name, Year)

Citing a YouTube video in APA

What you need

To cite YouTube videos in APA mode, you volition need certain information. If bachelor, find the post-obit to include in your citation:

  • Proper name of the individual(southward) or grouping who uploaded the video. If information technology's an individual, employ their real name.
  • Video uploader's screen name
  • Appointment attached to the video (including year, month, engagement)
  • Title of the video
  • URL of the video's webpage

If any of the above information is not bachelor on the aforementioned page as the YouTube video, you may need to do a trivial more enquiry to discover it. For instance, 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 proper noun in the bio.

If any of the information is not bachelor, even afterwards doing boosted enquiry, simply leave it out of the citation, but include the rest of the information following the club 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 "writer" of the video, even if they are not the creator of it.

Farther information on citing in APA tin exist establish in the Publication Transmission 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 establish

In APA

When y'all want to cite a video from YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video-hosting sites, but cannot find the uploader'due south real name, use their username in place of their bodily name in your APA works-cited citation.

If using a username in place of a typical name, go on 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'southward 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://world wide web.youtube.com/watch?5=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 sixteen, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-firm librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Commendation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.

APA Formatting Guide

What is the proper way to cite a YouTube video in APA?

To cite a YouTube video, y'all 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 (compatible 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 beneath.

In-text citation templates and examples:

Narrative:

Video uploader's name or Screen name (publication year)

Seburn (2020)

Parenthetical:

(Video uploader'south proper noun or Screen name, publication yr)

(Seburn, 2020)

Note that calendar month and day are not mentioned in in-text citations.

Reference listing entry template and example:

Video uploader'southward Surname F. M. [Screen proper name]. (Publication Year, Month Day). Video title [Video]. YouTube. URL

Seburn, C. [Smart Screen]. (2020, May xx). Welcome to the smart student! (Introductory video) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wz9kb_cQ57Y

If you want to include the screen name, include information technology in square brackets later the uploader's name. Set the title of the video in italics and sentence case. The word "Video" follows the title in foursquare brackets. Use the word "YouTube" before the URL.

How do I cite a picture, TV bear witness, or streaming video in APA fashion?

Moving picture

To cite a movie in APA style, information technology is important that you know basic data such equally the name of the managing director, the appointment, the title of the motion-picture show, and the name of the production company.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Director Surname (Year)

Coppola (1972)

Parenthetical:

(Managing director Surname, Year)

(Coppola, 1972)

Reference listing entry template and example:

Director'south Surname, F. One thousand. (Manager). (Twelvemonth). Title of the movie [Moving-picture show]. Production Company.

Coppola, F. F. (Director). (1972). The godfather [Picture]. Alfran Productions.

TV serial

To cite a Television set serial in APA way, information technology is important that you know basic information such as the proper name of the executive producer, the date, the title of the Television set 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, Yr/due south)

(Crane & Kauffman, 1994–2004)

Reference list entry template and example:

Executive Producer'south Surname, F. M. (Executive Producers). (Year). Title of the Goggle box show [Goggle box series]. Production Company.

Crane, D., & Kauffman, M. (Executive Producers). (1994–2004). Friends [Goggle box series]. Brilliant/Kauffman/Crane Productions.

Streaming video

To cite a streaming video in APA style, it is important that you know bones information such every bit 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'south surname or username, Year)

(Stanford, 2010)

Reference list entry template and example:

Video uploader's Surname F. M. [Username]. (Publication Yr, Month Day). Video title. [Video]. YouTube. URL

Stanford. [Smart Screen]. (2010, March 29). Introduction to human being behavioral biology. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/scout?v=NNnIGh9g6fA

If you want to include the username with the uploader's full name, include information technology in foursquare brackets after the uploader's name. Set the title of the video in italics and sentence instance. The word "[Video]" follows the title. Use the streaming service's title, "YouTube," before the URL.