Published on July 27th, 2023
YouTube now serves as a valuable source of knowledge and information for academic or professional work.
You can find YouTube tutorials, documentaries, lectures, or interviews to include in your work. So, when you use information from the YouTube website videos in your project, how do you credit the creators of these clips and their account?
Of course, you reference the source. One of the most commonly used methods for citation is the APA format. The APA has specific rules and guidelines for citing different types of sources, including YouTube videos.
If you don’t know how to cite a YouTube video in APA style, this post is for you. We’ll cover everything from how to reference a YouTube comment, video title, and even the whole channel, giving specific reference examples for each.
We also provide tips for parenthetical citations. Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the APA format for YouTube video citation, let’s first understand what APA is.
What Is The “APA Format?”
The acronym stands for the American Psychological Association; it’s the association’s official writing style. This writing style is used by professionals and students worldwide for academic documents such as scholarly articles and journals.
Using this style, you can cite your sources clearly and consistently to avoid plagiarism.
The APA publication manual has evolved with new additions that you need to always know for proper citation of sources.
For example, the 7th edition of the APA manual, published in 2020, differs slightly from the preceding edition. You must always stay abreast of the latest publication manual.
The major challenge with using the APA citation style is understanding how to cite different sources. The way you’ll cite a book is different from how you’ll cite electronic sources like YouTube channels and videos.
So, you need to know all the guidelines for citing online content with your preferred reference style.
Now, learn more about how you cite a YouTube video in APA format and more details to cite a YouTube video.
Pieces Of Data You Need For The APA Format For YouTube Video
To reference a YouTube video in APA style, you’ll need the following pieces of data:
- Uploader’s real name
- YouTube channel name
- Specific date of upload or retrieval date
- Video name or title
- Website name or Streaming service (in this case, it’s YouTube)
- The Video URL
For in-text citations, you need just the author’s real name and year of publication. If you’re confused about the term “author” here, note that the APA publication manual refers to the uploader of the video file as the author.
Now with practical examples, let’s see how you can use these pieces of data to cite a YouTube video in APA style.
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How To Cite YouTube Videos In The APA Format
There are various aspects of YouTube videos that you can cite using the APA format. The following steps will help you with relevant examples.
Basic Format To Cite A YouTube Video Title With The APA Format
Here are seven simple steps to follow when referencing a video from YouTube (also known as streaming video) in APA format:
- Start with the name of the person or group that uploaded the video. Use the real name of the uploader if they are an individual. You can check their bio to get this data if the real name is not the channel name. Sometimes, you may not be able to find the uploader’s real name in their bio or channel. In this case, you’ll need to do additional research to get their real name.
- Add the channel name only when it’s different from the name of the person who uploaded the video.
- Add the upload date (in parenthesis).
- Next, include the title of the video (in italics).
- Spell out “Video” enclosed in square brackets.
- Add the site name (YouTube in this case).
- Finally, end with the video URL.
Putting this together, we have a structure that looks like this:
Last name, Initials. [Channel name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the Video [Video]. YouTube. URL
- James, G. [FunnyCats]. (2021, August 18). Funny moments of cats compilation [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=67890
Then, for the in-text citation based on the above example; (Uploader’s last name, year)
- (James, 2021)
Keep in mind that other video websites follow the same format.
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Citing A YouTube Channel With The APA Format
Sometimes, you may need to cite the YouTube channel rather than a particular video. To do that, follow this style for reference entries:
Last name, Initials. (n.d). Home [YouTube Channel]. YouTube. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL of the YouTube channel
For example,
- Grisham, J. (n.d.). Home [YouTube Channel]. YouTube. Retrieved March 14, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/@grisham
For in-text citation, use the uploader’s name or screen name followed by n.d. in parenthesis. Using the example above, the in-text citation will be (Grisham, n.d.)
Steps to Cite a Direct Quote from a YouTube Video
To cite a direct quote from a video from YouTube on your reference page, follow the format for citing the whole video. But the in-text citation will need a timestamp so readers can easily find the quote in the video.
Apa in-text citations for direct quotes follow the style:
(Creator’s real last name or screen name, Year, Timestamp 0:00)
An example is;
- (Johnson, 2022, 05:25)
How To Cite A Comment From A YouTube Video
If you find vital information in the comment section of a YouTube video and want to include it in your research, here’s the structure for citing the comment:
Last Name of the commenter, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Comment’s title [Comment on the video “Video’s title”]. YouTube. URL of the video
Note that you can use their username if you don’t find the commenter’s name. Also, you can substitute the title of the comment for up to the first 20 words of the comment.
See an example;
- Maxwell, E. (2021, May 12). The best cat… in the world! [Comment on the video “Cute cat is something to me”]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79cy5
The structure for the in-text citation is simply the commenter’s last name or username and the year in brackets. Using the above example;
- (Maxwell, 2021)
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How To Cite A YouTube Video Podcast With The APA Format
There isn’t much difference between the style for citing a regular video and a podcast in the APA. Here’s the structure for a YouTube podcast;
Last name of the host, initials. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of the episode (episode number) [Video podcast]. In Name of the video podcast. YouTube. URL
For in-text citations; (Host’s last name, year)
See these examples;
- James, I. (Host). (2022, July 19). Talk Smart (No. 3) [Video podcast]. In Communication Techniques. YouTube. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy67_99
- (James, 2022)
Steps To Cite A YouTube Video Without Author’s Name (In The APA Format)
If you don’t get the author/creator’s name of the video, you want to cite, no problem. Just use their screen name like in the example below.
- Markiplier. (2019, April 22). Mannequin [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5f61_ht
This example follows the format;
Screen name. (Year, Month Day). Video name [Video]. YouTube. URL
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FAQs About the APA Style for YouTube Videos
Still, do you have questions about the APA format for the YouTube video on your reference page? Let’s answer a couple of questions below.
How To Do APA Style For YouTube Videos
Start with the last name of the uploader, followed by their first initial. Then add the channel name (if different from the uploader’s name) in square brackets, the upload date, the title of the video with the file type in square brackets, the name of the site, and then the video’s URL.
What Is The Author Of A YouTube Video?
The author of a YouTube video is the person who uploaded the video on YouTube.