How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA 7
How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA 7
In APA 7, a YouTube video is cited by the account that uploaded it, with the upload date, the title in italics, the bracketed label [Video], and the URL. The uploader counts as the author even when you know the real person's name, because APA wants readers to find the exact source you used.
The basic format
Reference list entry:
Uploader Name or Channel. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxxxx
In-text citation:
(Uploader, Year) or Uploader (Year)
Worked example
Say you watched a TED talk uploaded to the TED channel on March 14, 2022, titled "How to spot a liar."
Reference list:
TED. (2022, March 14). How to spot a liar [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_6vDLq64gE
In-text:
Research on micro-expressions suggests deception leaves visible traces (TED, 2022).
That is the whole pattern. Now the details that trip students up.
Who is the "author"?
The uploader. Not the speaker, not the filmmaker, not the person interviewed. If a Harvard lecture is uploaded by the "Harvard University" channel, Harvard University is the author. If the same lecture is uploaded by a random viewer's account, that account name is the author.
When the uploader uses a real name and a handle
If the channel shows a real name followed by a username (e.g., "Jane Smith [SmithVlogs]"), APA 7 says to write the real name in the author position and include the username in square brackets:
Smith, J. [SmithVlogs]. (2023, August 9). Title [Video]. YouTube. https://...
If only a username is visible, use the username alone with no brackets:
SmithVlogs. (2023, August 9). Title [Video]. YouTube. https://...
When the speaker matters
If you need to credit the speaker in your sentence (a professor, an author, a politician), name them in the narrative and still cite the uploader in parentheses:
Chomsky argued that language acquisition is innate (MIT OpenCourseWare, 2019).
The date
Use the upload date shown on YouTube, formatted (Year, Month Day). Not the date the talk was originally given. If you need to make the original date clear, write it into your sentence.
If no upload date is visible, use (n.d.) in place of the date.
The title
Italicize the video title. Capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns (sentence case, not title case). Keep any odd capitalization the uploader used only if it is a proper noun or acronym. Strip emoji and clickbait punctuation from the title as you would for any source.
Right after the title, add the bracketed label [Video]. The label is not italicized.
The source and URL
After [Video], write "YouTube." (with a period), then the full URL to the specific video. Use the standard watch URL, not a shortened youtu.be link, so readers can find the source even if the shortener breaks. Do not add "Retrieved from" before the URL; APA 7 dropped that phrasing for stable web sources.
Quoting or timestamping a specific moment
For a direct quote or a reference to a specific moment, add a timestamp instead of a page number:
"We lie more to strangers than to loved ones" (TED, 2022, 3:42).
Format the timestamp as it appears on YouTube (m:ss or h:mm:ss).
Live streams, Shorts, and unlisted videos
Live streams and Shorts follow the same format with [Video] as the bracketed label. Private or unlisted videos that your reader cannot access should generally be cited as personal communication in text only, with no reference list entry, because APA reference lists are for sources readers can retrieve.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing the speaker as the author when they did not upload the video.
- Writing the original lecture date instead of the upload date.
- Forgetting the [Video] label, which is what tells the reader the format.
- Using a youtu.be short link or a timestamped URL like ...&t=222s instead of the clean watch URL.
- Putting "YouTube" in italics. The platform name is plain text.
Recommended
If you cite often, the manual on your shelf saves a lot of second-guessing.
Publication Manual of the APA, 7th edition (affiliate link — you pay the same price, we earn a small commission).