How to Cite a YouTube Video (All Major Styles)

YouTube has become a legitimate academic source. Lectures, documentaries, conference talks, and expert demonstrations hosted on the platform are regularly cited in research papers, essays, and dissertations. But every citation style handles video sources differently - and getting the format wrong can cost you marks or undermine your credibility.

This guide covers the exact citation format for YouTube videos in six major styles: APA 7th Edition, MLA 9th Edition, Chicago Notes-Bibliography, Harvard, IEEE, and Vancouver. Each section includes a general template, a fully worked example using a real video, and the corresponding in-text or footnote citation. We also cover special cases like timestamp citations, TED Talks, music videos, and deleted videos.

If you want to skip the manual formatting, paste any YouTube URL into the AllCitations generator and get a correctly formatted citation in seconds.

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APA 7th Edition

APA 7 treats YouTube videos as audiovisual works. The format follows Section 10.12 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

General format:

Author, A. A. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL

When only the screen name is known (no real name), use the screen name without brackets in the author position.

Worked example:

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell [Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell]. (2022, September 13). You are not where you think you are [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Because the channel does not list an individual's real name, the screen name appears in both positions. If you know the creator's real name - for example, Michael Stevens of Vsauce - the entry would look like this:

Stevens, M. [Vsauce]. (2015, August 1). The Banach–Tarski paradox [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

In-text citation:

• Parenthetical: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2022)
• Narrative: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (2022) explains that...

For more on APA formatting, see our APA 7 citation generator or the APA Style Blog.

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MLA 9th Edition

MLA 9 uses a container model. YouTube is the container, and the video title is treated as a shorter work within that container. This approach is outlined in the MLA Handbook (9th ed.), Section 5.

General format:

"Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, URL.

Worked example:

"The Unexpected Math Behind Van Gogh's 'Starry Night.'" YouTube, uploaded by TED-Ed, 30 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

Note that MLA style omits the https:// protocol from URLs and uses the day-month-year date format. Month names longer than four letters are abbreviated.

In-text citation:

• Parenthetical: ("Unexpected Math")
• Narrative: The TED-Ed video "The Unexpected Math Behind Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'" illustrates...

Because YouTube videos rarely have page numbers, MLA in-text citations typically include only the shortened title. If you need to point the reader to a specific moment, include the timestamp: ("Unexpected Math" 00:02:15–00:02:45).

Try our MLA 9 citation generator to format MLA entries automatically.

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Chicago Notes-Bibliography (17th Edition)

Chicago style cites YouTube videos using footnotes (or endnotes) plus a corresponding bibliography entry. This follows Section 14.261 of The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.), which covers multimedia sources.

General footnote format:

Author/Channel Name, "Title of Video," Month Day, Year, video, duration, URL.

General bibliography format:

Author/Channel Name. "Title of Video." Month Day, Year. Video, duration. URL.

Worked example (footnote):

CrashCourse, "The Renaissance: Was It a Thing?," November 4, 2012, video, 11:32, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

Worked example (bibliography):

CrashCourse. "The Renaissance: Was It a Thing?" November 4, 2012. Video, 11:32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

Shortened footnote (for subsequent references):

CrashCourse, "The Renaissance."

Chicago is the only style covered here that requires the video duration. You can find it directly below the video player on YouTube.

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Harvard

Harvard referencing is widely used in UK, Australian, and some European universities. Although there is no single authoritative Harvard manual, most institutional guides follow a consistent pattern for online video sources.

General format:

Screen name (Year) Title of video [Video]. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

If the author's real name is known, list it first with the screen name in parentheses.

Worked example:

Vsauce (2023) The riddle that seems impossible even if you know the answer [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ (Accessed: 3 March 2026).

With a known real name:

Stevens, M. (Vsauce) (2023) The riddle that seems impossible even if you know the answer [Video]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ (Accessed: 3 March 2026).

In-text citation:

• Parenthetical: (Vsauce, 2023)
• Narrative: Vsauce (2023) demonstrates...

Harvard is the only style here that requires an access date for online sources. Always record the date you viewed the video.

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IEEE

IEEE style is used in engineering, computer science, and technical fields. References are numbered in the order they appear in the text, following the IEEE Reference Guide.

General format:

[#] Channel Name. "Title of video." Month Day, Year. [Online Video]. Available: URL.

Worked example:

[1] 3Blue1Brown. "But what is a neural network?" Oct. 5, 2017. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

IEEE abbreviates all month names to three letters (Jan., Feb., Mar., etc.) and uses sentence-case capitalization for video titles. The [Online Video] descriptor is essential to identify the source type.

In-text citation:

IEEE uses bracketed reference numbers: [1]. For a specific passage, add a timestamp: [1, 3:42].

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Vancouver

Vancouver style is the standard in medicine, nursing, and health sciences. Like IEEE, it uses numbered references, but the formatting differs. Vancouver follows the guidelines set out in Citing Medicine (2nd ed.) by the National Library of Medicine.

General format:

Channel Name. Title of video [Video]. Year Month Day [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL.

Worked example:

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. The immune system explained [Video]. 2014 Jun 26 [cited 2026 Mar 3]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

Vancouver does not italicize titles or place them in quotation marks. It requires both the publication date and a cited date (access date). Month names are abbreviated to three letters without a period.

In-text citation:

Vancouver uses superscript or bracketed numbers depending on the journal: ^1 or (1). The number corresponds to the position in the reference list.

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Quick Comparison Table

This table summarizes the key formatting differences across all six styles:

Browse our full list of supported formats on the citation styles page.

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Special Cases

Citing a Specific Timestamp

When you reference a particular moment in a video rather than the video as a whole, include the timestamp in your in-text citation. The reference list entry stays the same - you only modify the in-text or footnote citation.

• APA 7: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2022, 4:32)
• MLA 9: ("You Are Not" 00:04:32)
• Chicago: Add the timestamp in the footnote: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, "You Are Not Where You Think You Are," September 13, 2022, video, 4:32, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.
• Harvard: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2022, 4:32)
• IEEE: [1, 4:32]
• Vancouver: (1, 4:32) or as a superscript note

For a deeper look at in-text citation mechanics, see our complete guide to in-text citations.

TED Talks on YouTube vs. TED.com

Many TED Talks appear on both YouTube and the official TED website. The citation format depends on where you accessed the talk. If you watched the talk on YouTube, cite YouTube as the source. If you watched it on TED.com, cite TED as the publisher and use the TED.com URL.

YouTube version (APA 7):

TED [TED]. (2018, November 28). Can you solve the bridge riddle? - Alex Gendler [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

TED.com version (APA 7):

Gendler, A. (2015). Can you solve the bridge riddle? [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_gendler_can_you_solve_the_bridge_riddle

Notice the difference: on YouTube, the uploader is the TED channel. On TED.com, you can attribute the talk to the individual speaker. Always cite the version you actually watched.

Channel Name vs. Real Name

Some YouTube creators are widely known by their real names (e.g., Michael Stevens of Vsauce, Hank Green of CrashCourse), while others operate exclusively under a channel name (e.g., Kurzgesagt, 3Blue1Brown). Here is the rule of thumb:

• APA 7 and Harvard: If the real name is publicly known and listed on the channel, use it with the screen name in brackets - Stevens, M. [Vsauce]. If no real name is available, use the screen name alone.
• MLA 9, Chicago, IEEE, and Vancouver: Use whichever name the channel presents as its primary identity. If the channel is called "CrashCourse," use CrashCourse. If the channel displays "Hank Green," use Green, Hank (MLA) or Hank Green (Chicago/IEEE/Vancouver).

When in doubt, use the name displayed on the YouTube channel page. Consistency is more important than detective work.

Music Videos

Official music videos are cited like any other YouTube video, but you should list the artist as the author. If the video was uploaded by a record label's channel (e.g., "TaylorSwiftVEVO"), the artist is still the author.

APA 7: Lamar, K. [KendrickLamarVEVO]. (2022, May 8). N95 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

MLA 9: "N95." YouTube, uploaded by KendrickLamarVEVO, 8 May 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ.

Live Streams and Premieres

For YouTube live streams, treat the broadcast date as the publication date. If the stream has been archived and is still accessible, cite it as a standard video. Add "[Live stream]" or "[Livestream]" as the format descriptor instead of "[Video]" if you want to signal to the reader that the content was originally broadcast live.

APA 7: NASA [NASA]. (2024, April 8). Total solar eclipse 2024: Through the eyes of NASA [Live stream]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

Unavailable or Deleted Videos

If a video has been removed from YouTube after you cited it, keep the citation in your reference list. APA 7 does not require you to note that the source is no longer available, but adding a note can be helpful to your reader. Chicago recommends appending a note like "(video no longer available)" after the URL. For MLA, the Purdue OWL recommends including whatever information you have even if the source is no longer accessible.

Always save or screenshot key information (title, uploader, upload date, URL) when you first access a YouTube video for research. Videos can be removed without warning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a specific timestamp in a YouTube video?

Include the timestamp only in the in-text or footnote citation, not in the reference list entry. In APA 7, this looks like (Stevens, 2015, 12:08). In MLA, place the timestamp after the shortened title: ("Banach–Tarski" 00:12:08). In Chicago, incorporate the timestamp into the footnote alongside the other details. The reference list or bibliography entry always refers to the video as a whole. Timestamps use the format shown on the YouTube player - typically minutes:seconds or hours:minutes:seconds for longer content.

Can I cite a YouTube video in an academic paper?

Yes, YouTube videos are acceptable sources in academic writing when they provide substantive content relevant to your argument. University lectures, expert interviews, conference presentations, and official organizational content are generally considered credible. However, you should evaluate YouTube sources with the same critical eye you apply to any other reference. Consider the authority of the uploader, whether the information is supported by other sources, and whether your instructor or journal has specific restrictions on multimedia sources. Many style manuals, including APA and Chicago, include dedicated guidance for citing online videos.

What if I do not know the upload date of a YouTube video?

If no upload date is visible on the video page, use "n.d." (no date) in APA and Harvard. In MLA, simply omit the date element from the citation. In Chicago, write "n.d." where the date would normally appear. For IEEE and Vancouver, omit the date and note that the video is undated if your style guide requires it. YouTube occasionally hides the exact date for very old videos, but you can sometimes find it by checking the video description or using a third-party metadata tool.

Should I include the video length in my citation?

Only Chicago Notes-Bibliography style requires the video duration as a standard part of the citation. None of the other five styles covered in this guide require it. That said, including the duration is never wrong - it provides additional context that helps the reader locate and evaluate the source. If your instructor or publisher requests it, add the duration after the format descriptor (e.g., [Video, 11:32] in APA).

How do I cite a YouTube Shorts video?

Cite a YouTube Shorts video exactly the same way you would cite a standard YouTube video. The format, title, and URL structure are the same. There is no special citation category for short-form video content. Use the full URL of the Shorts video (which may contain /shorts/ in the path) as it appears in your browser.

Is there a difference between citing a YouTube video and an embedded YouTube video on another website?

Yes. If you watched a YouTube video embedded on a different website, cite the website where you found it - not YouTube. The hosting platform matters because URLs differ, and the context in which the video is presented may affect how your reader interprets the source. If the same video is available directly on YouTube, you may choose to cite either version, but always cite the one you actually viewed. Be consistent throughout your paper.

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Generate Your Citations Automatically

Formatting YouTube citations by hand is tedious and error-prone. The AllCitations citation generator lets you paste a YouTube URL, select your style, and get a correctly formatted reference list entry and in-text citation instantly. We support all major citation styles including APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, and Vancouver.