Study · guide
How to cite a YouTube video: what APA and MLA each put first
By Alberto Gulotta · Updated · 10 min read
How to cite a YouTube video depends on the style. APA starts with the uploading account, then the upload date, the title in italics, [Video], YouTube and the URL. MLA can start with a clear creator, copies the title as YouTube shows it, quoted in its examples, then YouTube in italics, the date and the URL.
| Element | APA | MLA |
|---|---|---|
| First in the entry | The name of the account that uploaded the video | The creator, when the creator is clear; otherwise MLA says you could begin with the title |
| Date | The specific upload date: (2019, August 28) | The date listed below the video: 24 Apr. 2014 |
| Title | In italics, then [Video] in square brackets | Copied exactly as it appears on YouTube; in quotation marks in MLA’s video examples, in italics for a whole film |
| YouTube | The site name, after the title | The container, in italics |
| The uploader, when it is not the author | The account is the author; APA says to explain in your text if that matters | “uploaded by” and the account name, in the Contributor element |
| Location | The URL of the video | The URL of the video |
Two styles here. In our reading, both entries take their details from the YouTube page: the account, the title, the date and the address. A web page that isn’t a video is in how to cite a website, and each style’s wider rules are in APA style and MLA style. Chicago is in Chicago style; this page doesn’t give a Chicago entry.
Building the APA reference
- Write the account name. APA says to use the name of the account that uploaded the video as the author, such as Harvard University in its own example.
- Add the upload date. APA asks for the specific date on which the video was uploaded, in parentheses: (2019, August 28).
- Write the title in italics. APA’s example is Soft robotic gripper for jellyfish.
- Add [Video]. The description goes in square brackets after the title.
- Finish with YouTube and the URL. The site name, then the address of the video.
![Drawn flow of an APA YouTube reference: account name, upload date, title in italics, [Video], YouTube and URL](img/study-cite-youtube-video/02-apa-order.webp)
APA: the account is the author
The reference. APA’s own example reads: Harvard University. (2019, August 28). Soft robotic gripper for jellyfish [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guRoWTYfxMs — and its in-text citations are (Harvard University, 2019) in parentheses, or Harvard University (2019) as part of the sentence.
When the account didn’t make the video. APA says to explain this in the text if it is important for readers to know. If citing that account would mean citing a source that appears unauthoritative, APA suggests looking for the author’s YouTube channel, official website or other social media, to see whether the same video is available elsewhere.
Quoting someone who speaks in the video. Name or describe the person in your sentence, then give the parenthetical citation for the video. APA’s example is an interview on the Asian Boss account with the director general of the International Vaccine Institute: the speaker goes in the sentence, the account in the citation.
Which edition. APA’s page says YouTube references are covered in the seventh edition, in the Publication Manual section 10.12 and the Concise Guide section 10.10, and that this guidance is new to the 7th edition. It says the same format can be used for a site such as Vimeo that hosts user-generated videos.
Building the MLA entry
MLA: the creator first, if the creator is clear
The entry. MLA’s example for a video whose creator is clear is: Beyoncé. “Beyoncé – Pretty Hurts (Video).” YouTube, 24 Apr. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXXQLa-5n5w. MLA says the title is copied exactly as it appears on YouTube, the container is YouTube, and then come the date listed below the video and the URL.
When the creator isn’t clear. MLA says you could leave out the Author element and begin with the title of the video, and give the name of the account that uploaded it in the Contributor element, after YouTube: “Capybara Eat Huge Pumpkin.” YouTube, uploaded by Alex Smith, 12 Jan. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YNwxZnABzA. MLA adds that you might include the uploading account even when the author is clear, if it gives helpful information.
A whole film on YouTube. MLA cites what the YouTube page shows: the film’s title, its director, studio and year from the description below the video, then YouTube as a second container with its own date and URL. Its example begins Moby Dick. Directed by John Huston, MGM, 1956.
Which edition. MLA’s post on YouTube videos was published on 30 March 2022 and, unlike four older MLA posts read for this page, carries no note pointing to the eighth edition.
In the text, and the time stamp
MLA. MLA’s overview of in-text citations, written for the ninth edition, says a citation begins with whatever comes first in the works-cited entry, the author’s name or the title. When a specific part of a work is quoted or paraphrased and the work has a way to point to that place, such as a time stamp, MLA says that location marker must be included in parentheses.
An older MLA example. A post that MLA marks as relating to the eighth edition cites a moment in a YouTube upload as (Night 1:09-12): in our reading, a shortened title, then the time. Another post from the same edition says a time stamp could help your reader find a scene even when you paraphrase.
APA. APA’s YouTube page gives the in-text citations with the account and the year. Its page on quoting material without page numbers could not be read for this page on 9 October 2026, so this page does not state APA’s rule on time stamps.
A channel, a livestream, interviews and TV episodes
A channel. APA cites a channel with (n.d.) for the date, the tab as the title in italics, such as Home or Playlists, then [YouTube channel], YouTube, and a retrieval date before the URL, because the content is designed to change over time and is not archived.
A livestream that wasn’t archived. APA says a livestream that its platform did not archive, and that cannot be retrieved any other way, is cited as a personal communication.
Interviews and TV episodes. MLA’s YouTube post points to separate posts for an interview on YouTube and for a TV episode published there; this page doesn’t cover those two cases.
The same video, both ways. Put together from APA’s pattern, the Harvard video in its example would read in MLA, by our reading of MLA’s post: Harvard University. “Soft robotic gripper for jellyfish.” YouTube, 28 Aug. 2019, and the URL. MLA wants the title exactly as YouTube shows it, while APA’s page on reference elements says a work that stands alone takes sentence case, so the capital letters on the video itself may differ; the order is MLA’s. Where the entries go at the end of the paper is in writing a bibliography, and a footnote style is in footnotes.
Where to start
Five ways in.
- “My teacher wants APA.”
- The APA steps — apa steps
- “Who is the author here?”
- APA’s answer — apa
- “It’s for MLA.”
- The MLA entry — mla
- “I’m quoting a minute of it.”
- Time stamps — time stamps
- “It’s a whole channel.”
- Channels and livestreams — channel
Other citation guides
The styles a YouTube entry belongs to, and the other sources they cover.
Questions people also ask
How to cite a YouTube video in MLA?
If the creator is clear, MLA says you can start with the creator, then the title as shown on YouTube, quoted in its example, YouTube in italics, the date listed below the video and the URL. If not, MLA says you could begin with the title and give the uploading account after YouTube, as uploaded by and the name.
How to APA citation for a YouTube video?
APA’s pattern is the uploading account as the author, the specific upload date in parentheses, the title in italics, [Video] in square brackets, then YouTube and the URL. The in-text citation is the account name and the year, such as (Harvard University, 2019).
Can a YouTube video be a credible source?
Neither style page reviewed here rates YouTube as a source. APA says that when the account did not create the video and citing it would mean citing a source that appears unauthoritative, you might also look for the same video on the author’s own channel, official website or other social media.
How do I create a citation for a video?
In our reading, take the details from the page that hosts the video. APA says its YouTube format also works for a site such as Vimeo that hosts user-generated videos. In MLA, an older post for the eighth edition puts the video’s title in the title slot and the site in the container slot.
Not covered here. It does not cover Chicago, Harvard or other styles for a video, interviews or TV episodes posted on YouTube, or citation generators.
Sources
- APA Style — YouTube Video References — apastyle.apa.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — How do I cite YouTube videos? (30 March 2022) — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — In-Text Citations: An Overview — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — How do I treat the title of a work uploaded to a video sharing site? (eighth edition) — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — Should I include a time stamp for time-based media when I am paraphrasing rather than quoting? (eighth edition) — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — Should a time stamp be given in an in-text citation for a video regardless of whether the video is viewed online or on a DVD? (eighth edition) — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
- APA Style — Elements of reference list entries — apastyle.apa.org, read 9 October 2026.
- MLA Style Center — How do I cite an online video? (eighth edition) — style.mla.org, read 9 October 2026.
Written by Alberto Gulotta
Founder and editor of AI Tools Primer, writing from Palermo, Italy. Thirty-five years of taking computers apart, starting with a Commodore 64 — the long version is on the about page.
Something wrong on this page? Write to aitoolsprimer@gmail.com and it gets fixed.
Written on 9 October 2026.
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