Citation guides
How to Cite a YouTube Video: APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago
How to reference a YouTube video in APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard and Chicago: in-text citations, timestamps, channel names, and a missing date or video.
Videos are legitimate academic sources when used well, and every major style has a clear pattern for them. The key facts you need: the channel (the uploader is the author in APA and Harvard), the upload date, the video title and the URL.
APA 7th edition
The channel is the author, the title is in italics followed by [Video], and YouTube is named as the platform. More patterns live in the APA citation generator.
APA reference list entry
When a personal channel belongs to a known person, give the real name first and the channel name in square brackets:
APA, person with a channel handle
APA in-text citation, with timestamp for a quote
MLA 9th edition
When the creator is not clear, MLA leads with the video title in quotation marks, names YouTube as the container and credits the uploader. If the creator is clear, the creator comes first. The MLA citation generator formats the day-month-year date for you.
MLA works cited entry
MLA in-text citation, with time range (hours:minutes:seconds)
Harvard style
Harvard treats the channel as author and ends with the URL and an accessed date, like any other online source. Variants differ slightly, so check yours or use the Harvard reference generator.
Harvard reference list entry
Harvard in-text citation
Chicago style
Chicago (18th edition) names the speaker or creator as the author, puts the video title in quotation marks, then gives the date it was posted, the channel after "by", YouTube, the length of the video and the URL. In a shortened note, a time for a specific moment follows "at".
Chicago, first note
Chicago, bibliography
Chicago, shortened note for a specific moment
Specific situations
Video with no upload date
Check the video description and the channel's full upload history, which often shows a date that is hidden on the watch page itself. If there is genuinely none, put "n.d." where the year goes and lean on your access date instead.
APA template, no date
Video deleted, privated or taken down after you cited it
Keep the citation: it records what you watched at the time. Check whether the Wayback Machine archived a copy and cite that instead if your course requires a retrievable source. Some instructors ask you to add a note that the video is no longer available.
Quoting someone interviewed in the video
In APA and Harvard the uploader stays the author, because they published the video. Name the speaker in your sentence and let the citation point at the video, with a timestamp so the reader can hear it themselves.
Naming the speaker in the sentence
Live stream or premiere
Cite the archived recording exactly like a normal video, using the date it was streamed. If the stream was never archived your reader cannot retrieve it, so it becomes personal communication in APA (cited in text only) rather than a reference-list entry.
YouTube Short
A Short is cited exactly like any other video. Keep the /shorts/ URL as it appears, and describe it as [Video] in APA, the same as full-length content.
Video in another language
Give the title in the original language, then a translation in square brackets. APA and Harvard both expect the bracketed translation; MLA leaves it optional.
APA template, translated title
Whole channel
Cite a whole channel only when the channel itself is your source. In APA the channel name goes in the title position with [YouTube channel] after it, the date is (n.d.), and you add the date you retrieved it, because a channel keeps changing.
APA template, whole channel
Recorded university lecture
Cite it like any other video, with the university or department channel as the uploader. If the recording sits behind a login or is unlisted your reader cannot retrieve it, so many guides treat it as lecture material instead. Check your course rules.
Quoting from auto-generated captions
Do not trust them. Auto-captions regularly mishear technical terms and names. Listen to the passage and transcribe it yourself, then cite the video with a timestamp.
Quick-reference: YouTube citation by style
| Style | Who is the author | In-text format |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Uploader / channel | (The Long Now Foundation, 2020, 3:42) |
| MLA 9 | Creator if clear; otherwise title leads and uploader is credited | ("How Stories Last" 00:03:40-00:04:10) |
| Harvard | Uploader / channel | (The Long Now Foundation, 2020) |
| Chicago 18 | Speaker or creator; channel follows "by" | Shortened note with "at" and the time |
| Vancouver | Uploader / channel | Numbered: [1] |
Quick rules that apply in every style
- In APA and Harvard the uploader is the author, even if the ideas come from someone interviewed in the video. MLA and Chicago may put the speaker or creator first.
- Quote spoken words with a timestamp so your reader can find the exact moment.
- Use the date the video was uploaded, not the date you watched it (Harvard adds your access date separately).
- Keep the channel name exactly as written on YouTube, including capital letters and punctuation.
- Strip playlist and timestamp parameters from the URL unless you deliberately link to a moment.
Written by Ihsan Hossain
Founder of CitApp, a citation tool built to make source formatting effortless for students. Guides on this blog are checked against the style guides' own rules and university library guides. Last full check: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is the author the channel or the person in the video?
In APA and Harvard, the uploader. These styles credit whoever published the video, which is the channel, even when someone else appears on screen. MLA and Chicago may name the speaker or creator first. If you know the real name behind a personal channel, APA writes the name first and the channel name in square brackets.
How do I cite a specific moment in a video?
Use a timestamp in the in-text citation. APA: (The Long Now Foundation, 2020, 3:42). MLA puts a time range in the parenthetical, written as hours:minutes:seconds: ("How Stories Last" 00:03:40-00:04:10). The reference list entry itself does not change.
Can I cite a recorded university lecture on YouTube?
Yes, cite it like any other video with the university or department channel as the uploader. If the recording is unlisted or behind a learning platform login, your reader cannot retrieve it, so many guides treat it like a lecture handout instead; check your course rules.
Should I quote from the auto-generated captions?
Be careful. Auto-captions often mishear words. Listen to the passage yourself and transcribe what is actually said, then cite the video with a timestamp.
What if the video has no visible upload date?
Check the video description or the channel's upload history page, which usually shows the date even when it is hidden on the watch page. If you genuinely cannot find one, use "n.d." in APA or "no date" in Harvard in place of the date. MLA leaves the date out and adds the date you accessed the video.
The video I cited has since been deleted or made private. What now?
If you saved the citation before it disappeared, you can usually still use it, since the citation records what you watched at the time. Some instructors ask you to note "video no longer available" alongside the entry. If possible, check whether the Wayback Machine archived a copy and link to that instead.