APA Citation for a YouTube Video
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0 sourcesAPA Citation YouTube Video references use the account that posted the clip as author: Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL. The title is italicised in sentence case, followed by the bracketed [Video] descriptor.
What is the APA format for a YouTube video?
The APA 7th-edition reference for a YouTube video has five elements: the uploader as author, the date in parentheses, the italicised video title with a [Video] descriptor, the site name YouTube, and the direct URL. No period follows the URL.
Write the pattern as: Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ID. Capitalise the title in sentence case (only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon). Keep the [Video] bracket immediately after the title, before the site name.
- Uploader — the channel or person who posted the video, used as author, ending in a period.
- Date — full upload date shown on the video page, as (Year, Month Day).
- Title — italicised, sentence case, with [Video] in square brackets right after.
- Site name — the word YouTube, treated as the publisher.
- URL — the direct watch link, with no closing period.
Who counts as the author of a YouTube video?
APA uses the account that uploaded the video as the author, not the person appearing on screen. When the channel is a person and you know their real name, list the name first and the username in square brackets. When only a username exists, use it alone with no brackets.
| Uploader type | Author element |
|---|---|
| Organisation / brand channel | TED. |
| Individual, real name known | Fogarty, M. [Grammar Girl]. |
| Individual, only a handle | Grammar Girl. |
Do not cite the interviewee, presenter, or subject as the author when they did not post the video. If a scholar is featured in a channel’s clip, the channel remains the author; you may mention the speaker in your sentence text.
How do you write the in-text citation and timestamps?
The APA in-text citation shows the author and year: (Harvard University, 2019) in parentheses, or Harvard University (2019) in narrative form. Match the first element of the reference exactly, so a username-only author appears as (Grammar Girl, 2016).
To quote or point to a specific moment, add the timestamp where the passage begins after the year: (Harvard University, 2019, 1:14). When the author is an individual listed as name plus handle, the in-text form uses the surname only: a reference of Fogarty, M. [Grammar Girl] becomes (Fogarty, 2016).
APA YouTube citation examples
These are complete, copy-ready APA references covering the common cases. Reference-list entries use a hanging indent and go in alphabetical order by the first element.
Organisation channelTED. (2012, March 16). Susan Cain: The power of introverts [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4
University channelUniversity of Oxford. (2018, December 6). How do geckos walk on water? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm1xGfOZJc8
Individual, real name + handleFogarty, M. [Grammar Girl]. (2016, September 30). How to diagram a sentence [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bpjb7Hgg4Xw
Handle onlyVeritasium. (2021, January 27). The bizarre behavior of rotating bodies [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VPfZ_XzisU
In-text, general(University of Oxford, 2018)
In-text, timestamp(TED, 2012, 3:22)
What mistakes should you avoid?
The most frequent APA errors involve the author and the descriptor. Attributing the video to the speaker instead of the uploader, dropping the [Video] bracket, or title-casing the title all break the format. Small punctuation slips also cost marks.
- Wrong author. Cite the channel that posted the clip, not the interviewee shown on screen.
- Missing [Video]. The descriptor is required and sits between the title and the period.
- Title case. APA video titles use sentence case, not headline capitalisation.
- Period after the URL. APA references end after the URL with no trailing period.
- Year only. Use the full upload date (Year, Month Day), which appears under the video.
- “Retrieved from” wording. APA 7 dropped that phrase; give the bare URL.
How accurate is this guide, and its limits?
This page follows the APA Publication Manual (7th edition) and matches the official APA Style examples for video on a website. The structure is stable and applies to nearly every public YouTube upload you will cite in coursework or a thesis.
Edge cases still need judgement. A private, unlisted, or deleted video may require an in-text personal-communication note instead of a reference. Non-English titles keep their original wording with a bracketed translation. When an assignment specifies an older edition or a house style, defer to that brief, and confirm your instructor’s preference for retrieval dates on content likely to change.
Frequently asked questions
Do I italicise the YouTube video title in APA?
Yes. The video title is italicised and written in sentence case, followed immediately by the [Video] descriptor in square brackets, which is not italicised.
Who is the author of a YouTube video in APA?
The account that uploaded the video is the author. Use the real name plus username in brackets for an individual, or the handle alone when no real name is available.
How do I cite a specific moment in a YouTube video?
Add the start timestamp to the in-text citation after the year, such as (TED, 2012, 3:22). No timestamp is needed in the reference-list entry itself.
Does APA 7 still use “Retrieved from” before the URL?
No. APA 7th edition removed “Retrieved from” for stable content. Give the direct watch URL with no label and no period after it.
What is the [Video] bracket for?
It is the APA content descriptor identifying the source format. It tells the reader the reference is an audiovisual work, and it goes between the title and the site name.
How do I write the in-text citation for a YouTube video?
Use the author and year: (Harvard University, 2019) in parentheses or Harvard University (2019) in your sentence, matching the reference’s first element exactly.