How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA

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Published July 21, 2014. Updated April 16, 2022.

While doing research for a newspaper, you may find relevant YouTube videos that you lot want to cite. You may already know how to cite a website in APA, simply it can be difficult to know how to cite YouTube in APA style. You may also desire to cite quotes within the video, user comments, or entire YouTube accounts.

The guidelines of this folio cover APA seventh edition and specifies what y'all need to know to cite any various YouTube video content in APA fashion. For like only different media, similar citing a picture in APA or a tv testify,  you lot'll need to visit some other guide.

Guide Overview

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

  • Footstep-by-stride instructions for a YouTube video citation in APA style
  • Basic YouTube video commendation structure
  • Video with creator's existent name and screen mame
  • Video without uploader's existent name OR video by an arrangement
  • Citing a YouTube channel
  • Citing a straight quote from a video
  • Citing a annotate 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 lot demand
  • Troubleshooting
  • References

Step-past-step instructions for a YouTube video citation in APA mode

  1. List the real concluding proper noun of the video's uploader, capitalizing the first alphabetic character. Place a comma afterward the final name and then list the first initial of their first name, followed by a period. If you observe their middle initial, list information technology after the first initial and menses, as well followed by a menstruum. If the creator'due south proper noun is unavailable, skip this stride and begin your citation with the next pace.
  2. Side by side, using brackets, list the screen name of the video's uploader as information technology is spelled on the folio. Place a period after the closing bracket.
  3. 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 menstruation.
  4. Put the title of the video in Italics and in judgement case (just capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns). Practise not place a menstruum after the title.
  5. After the title, put the word Video (for the source format), capitalized, in normal font, and in brackets. Place a period after the endmost subclass.
  6. Put the discussion YouTube (for the website source name) every bit it is spelled here, followed by a flow.
  7. List the full URL for the web folio containing the YouTube video you are citing. Practice not follow with a period.

Note that in your commendation, you must indent any lines afterwards the first line. APA-style in-text citations for quoting and paraphrasing are the aforementioned for YouTube videos.

Bones YouTube video citation construction

Reference Folio
Structure

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

(Uploader Final Proper noun OR Screen name, Yr)

Video with creator's existent proper 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'due south real name OR video by an organization

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

Reference Page
Example

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

View Screenshot

In-text commendation
Instance

(Chegg, 2018)

View Screenshot

Citing a YouTube channel

Now that you know how to cite YouTube in APA way, you may need more specific information on citing channels, quotes, or comments.

Instead of citing one detail YouTube video, you may want to cite an entire YouTube channel. While the format is like to citing a YouTube video, there are a few key differences you can run into in the format guidelines below.

  • You lot will always use "northward.d." for "no date" considering YouTube channels are undated.
  • The give-and-take "Dwelling house" is included because every YouTube aqueduct's folio name is "Home" by default.
    • If you are instead citing another tab of the business relationship (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Discussion, Nearly), put the right 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 Concluding Proper name, First Initial OR Screen name. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. URL of YouTube channel

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

Example

(YouTube Channel Uploader's Last Proper noun OR Screen name, n.d.)

(The Guardian, northward.d.)

Citing a direct quote from a video

You may desire to include a direct quote from a YouTube video within your newspaper. While your reference page citation for the quote volition be the same as a citation for the whole video, your in-text commendation volition need a timestamp to help readers hands access the quote (Publication Manual, p. 274). Information technology is commonly accepted to only include a timestamp for the get-go of the quote, simply you may use a timestamp range if you retrieve information technology would be helpful.

Reference Page
Structure

Uploader's Terminal Name, Get-go Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Twelvemonth, Calendar month Day). Championship of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL
In-text commendation
Construction

(Author/Creator Final Name OR screen proper noun, Year, Timestamp 0:00)

While researching your topic, you lot may find that you want to include a comment left on a YouTube video. You volition 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 central differences.

Reference Folio
Structure & Instance

Commentor's Final Name, First Initial. OR Commenter's Username. (Year, Month Day). Title of annotate OR up to the showtime 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/spotter?v=EaVttlOqcX4
In-text citation
Structure &

Instance

(Commentor'due south Final Name OR Username, Year)

(Blanco, 2021)

Citing a TED talk plant on YouTube

TED Talks are frequently great sources of data, and they tin can be found on both the TED website and on YouTube. When citing a TED Talk constitute on YouTube, listing TED as the author for the in-text citation and the reference page.

Reference Page
Construction

TED (2011, January 3). The power of vulnerability [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/picket?five=iCvmsMzlF7o
In-text citation
Construction

(TED, 2011)

A note on APA seventh edition

The 7th edition of the APA Manual came out in 2020, replacing the 6th edition that came out in 2009. At that place are a few changes in the newest manual that apply when y'all 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:

Terminal Name, First Initial. Center Initial. [Screen proper noun]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL

APA 7th Edition Reference Page Format:

Uploader Concluding Proper noun, Start Initial. Heart Initial. [Screen proper noun]. (Year, Calendar month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL

In-text Citation Format (6th AND 7th Edition):

(Author/Creator Final Proper noun OR Screen proper noun, Year)

Citing a YouTube video in APA

What you need

To cite YouTube videos in APA style, you volition need certain information. If available, find the post-obit to include in your commendation:

  • Proper name of the private(southward) or group who uploaded the video. If it'due south an individual, use their existent proper noun.
  • Video uploader'due south screen proper name
  • Date attached to the video (including year, month, date)
  • Title of the video
  • URL of the video'southward webpage

If whatsoever of the above information is not available on the same page as the YouTube video, you lot may need to do a little more than research to find it. For example, to notice the real proper name of the video'southward uploader, yous can click on the screen name to view the creator'due south account where you might find their existent proper name in the bio.

If any of the data is not available, even after doing boosted research, merely leave it out of the citation, but include the rest of the data post-obit the club of the bones format below.

Who is the author?

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Clan(2020, p. 344) clarifies that the uploader of the video is used as the "writer" of the video, fifty-fifty if they are not the creator of it.

Further information on citing in APA tin exist constitute in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association in Section 10.12.

Troubleshooting

Solution #ane: How to cite a video when the uploader's real name cannot exist plant

In APA

When you want to cite a video from YouTube, Vimeo, or any other video-hosting sites, just cannot find the uploader'south real proper name, use their username in place of their actual name in your APA works-cited commendation.

If using a username in place of a typical name, continue the aforementioned format and instance of the username as it is discovered online, and omit the bracketed "username" part of your APA commendation in your bibliography.

Employ the username in identify 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?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 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.

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 engagement the video was uploaded, the title of the video, and the URL (compatible resource locator). If any of these details are not bachelor, y'all tin 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'southward proper name or Screen name (publication year)

Seburn (2020)

Parenthetical:

(Video uploader's name or Screen name, publication twelvemonth)

(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 proper name]. (Publication Year, Month 24-hour interval). Video title [Video]. YouTube. URL

Seburn, C. [Smart Screen]. (2020, May 20). Welcome to the smart educatee! (Introductory video) [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/wz9kb_cQ57Y

If yous want to include the screen proper name, include it in square brackets subsequently the uploader's name. Fix the title of the video in italics and judgement case. The word "Video" follows the title in foursquare brackets. Apply the word "YouTube" before the URL.

How do I cite a pic, Telly show, or streaming video in APA style?

Movie

To cite a movie in APA manner, it is of import that you know basic information such as the name of the director, the appointment, the title of the movie, and the proper noun of the production company.

In-text citation template and instance:

Narrative:

Manager Surname (Year)

Coppola (1972)

Parenthetical:

(Manager Surname, Year)

(Coppola, 1972)

Reference listing entry template and example:

Manager's Surname, F. M. (Director). (Yr). Title of the motion-picture show [Moving-picture show]. Product Visitor.

Coppola, F. F. (Managing director). (1972). The godfather [Film]. Alfran Productions.

Telly series

To cite a Boob tube 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 visitor.

In-text citation template and example:

Narrative:

Executive Producer Surname(southward) (Year/s)

Crane and Kauffman (1994–2004)

Parenthetical:

(Executive Producer Surnames, Year/s)

(Crane & Kauffman, 1994–2004)

Reference listing entry template and example:

Executive Producer'due south Surname, F. M. (Executive Producers). (Yr). Championship of the Television testify [TV serial]. Production Company.

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

Streaming video

To cite a streaming video in APA style, information technology is of import that you know basic information such as the name of the person or group who uploaded the video (or their username), the yr, 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'southward surname or username (Year)

Stanford (2010)

Parenthetical:

(Video uploader's surname or username, Year)

(Stanford, 2010)

Reference listing entry template and example:

Video uploader'due south Surname F. M. [Username]. (Publication Twelvemonth, Month Day). Video title. [Video]. YouTube. URL

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

If you lot want to include the username with the uploader's total name, include it in square brackets after the uploader'due south proper name. Set up the championship of the video in italics and sentence case. The word "[Video]" follows the championship. Utilize the streaming service's championship, "YouTube," before the URL.