How to cite a YouTube video in APA, MLA, and Chicago
YouTube videos are now standard academic sources — TED talks, recorded lectures, primary news footage. Each style has its own conventions for the uploader-as-author rule, screen names, and timestamps. This guide covers APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago (NB and AD), and Harvard. Our free citation generator formats any YouTube URL automatically.
What information you need
YouTube videos require six fields: the uploader (channel or person), the screen name (if different from the real name), the upload date, the video title, the platform (YouTube), and the full URL. If you cite a specific moment, also note the timestamp.
The uploader is treated as the author. If the channel name is a real name (Robert Sapolsky), use it directly. If it's a screen name (3Blue1Brown), use the screen name. If both are listed, put the real name first and the screen name in brackets.
How to cite a YouTube video in APA 7
APA italicizes the video title and adds [Video] in square brackets after the title. The platform name (YouTube) precedes the URL.
Uploader, A. A. [Screen Name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx
TED-Ed. (2022, September 8). How does caffeine keep us awake? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs
Sapolsky, R. [Stanford]. (2011, February 1). Introduction to human behavioral biology [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNnIGh9g6fA
Timestamps for in-text citations
When you quote a specific moment, include a timestamp in hours:minutes:seconds form in place of a page number.
Sapolsky (2011) opens the lecture by warning students against "categorical thinking" in biology (3:42).
How to cite a YouTube video in MLA 9
MLA's flexible core-elements system makes the uploader the author when no clear creator is named. The video title goes in quotation marks; YouTube is the platform/container.
Uploader. "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Uploader, Day Month Year, URL.
TED-Ed. "How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?" YouTube, uploaded by TED-Ed, 8 Sept. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs.
Distinguishing creator and uploader
If the video creator differs from the uploader (e.g., a documentary by one person uploaded to a media outlet's channel), MLA puts the creator in the author position and notes the uploader after the title.
Herzog, Werner. Cave of Forgotten Dreams. YouTube, uploaded by IFC Films, 14 Apr. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx.
How to cite a YouTube video in Chicago
Chicago notes-bibliography
1. TED-Ed, "How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?" YouTube video, 5:01, September 8, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs.
TED-Ed. "How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?" YouTube video, 5:01. September 8, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs.
Chicago author-date
TED-Ed. 2022. "How Does Caffeine Keep Us Awake?" YouTube video, 5:01. September 8, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs.
How to cite a YouTube video in Harvard
TED-Ed (2022) How does caffeine keep us awake? 8 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLf5Bi9qXs (Accessed: 30 April 2026).
Edge cases
Live streams and premieres
Cite the date of the original stream/premiere. If the video is later edited, use the upload date of the version you actually watched.
Embedded YouTube videos on other sites
If you encountered the video embedded on a news site, cite the YouTube source directly — not the embedding page.
Deleted or private videos
If a cited video is deleted, retain the citation in your reference list. If you have access to an archived snapshot (e.g., via the Wayback Machine), link to that and note it in brackets.
Music videos
Music videos in MLA can be cited under the artist or band name as author, with the production company noted as the uploader.
Common mistakes
Citing the YouTube channel rather than the specific video
A reference points to a single video URL. Citing only the channel makes the source unverifiable.
Forgetting the timestamp for direct quotes
Without a timestamp, the reader can't locate the quote in a 90-minute lecture.
Treating the upload date as the production date
They are sometimes years apart — historical footage can be uploaded long after it was filmed. Cite the upload date for the YouTube source; if the date of original production matters, mention it in your prose.
Quick reference
| Style | Bracketed descriptor | Special notes |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | [Video] | Italicize title; timestamp replaces page in citation |
| MLA 9 | — | Use core elements; YouTube as container |
| Chicago NB | — | Note duration: "YouTube video, 5:01" |
| Chicago AD | — | Year right after author |
| Harvard | — | Italicize title; access date required |
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