How to Cite YouTube in APA

Co-authored by Cara Barker, MA and Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: September 11, 2020

For some types of papers, you may want to use a video you found on YouTube as a reference. If you're using American Psychological Association (APA) citation style, you'll generally cite the YouTube video the same way as a non-periodical document or report you accessed online. If you want to cite a YouTube comment, you'll generally follow the same format used for blog comments.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Citing a YouTube Video

1
Hunt down as much information as possible. With a YouTube video, you may have to do some digging to find all the information needed for a full APA citation. Make your best effort to try to locate as much information as possible.^{[2]
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- If the person who posted the video didn't produce the video, try to find out who originally produced or created the video. If the person who posted it was the original producer, try to find their first and last name.
- Try to find and use the original video posted, if at all possible. With viral videos this may be difficult (or the original post may have been deleted). The video posted on the earliest date, or with the most views, typically is the original one.
2
Start with the author's name. Like any APA citation, your entry in your list of references should start with the last name of the author – in this case, the person who created or produced the video you want to cite.^{[3]
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Research source} Put the person's last name first, then put a comma and type the person's first and middle initials (if known). Include the person's YouTube username in brackets after their real name. Follow the capitalization the person used for their username.
- If you can't find the person's real name, list the person's username as the author. If there's no real name, you don't have to put the username in brackets.
- Some videos are credited to an institutional author, such as a corporation or a news organization. In that case, use the whole name of the institution that created the video. For example, you would list the author as "BBC News" or "Microsoft."
- Example: "Last name, First initial. Middle Initial." [username]
- Example: "Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]."
- Example: "BBC News."
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3
Provide the date the video was posted. After the author's name, you'll include the date the video was posted on YouTube in parentheses. To find this date, look in the text under the video for the date published.^{[4]
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Research source} If the video was edited or revised and a second edition was uploaded, use the most recent date. Format the date by putting the year first, then a comma, then the month and day.
- Example: "Last name, First initial. Middle Initial." [username]. (Year, month day).
- Example: "Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]. (2011, September 9)."
4
List the title of the video. The title of the video can typically be found in bold letters immediately under the video. Format the title in italics, and use sentence-style capitalization. Provide the format in brackets after the title. For a YouTube video, this will always be "video file."^{[5]
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Research source} Sometimes the video will have a different title than what appears in this headline. Since the point of your citation is to direct your readers to the right video, use the YouTube headline, not the alternate title in the video itself.
- Example: "Last name, First initial. Middle Initial." [username]. (Year, month day). Title of video. [Video file].
- Example: "Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]. (2011, September 9)." NFL Highlights. [Video file].
5
Include a direct link to the video. For the last clause of your citation, type "Retrieved from" followed by a direct link to the YouTube video itself. You can get this link by clicking on the "share" icon. Don't just copy the URL in your browser, as it may not match the permalink for the video.
- Example: "Last name, First initial. Middle Initial." [username]. (Year, month day). Title of video. [Video file]. URL
- Example: "Apsolon, M. [markapsolon]. (2011, September 9)." NFL Highlights. [Video file]. http://www.youtube.com/watch=VSk8HEk22

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Citing a YouTube Comment

1
Consider the reliability of the source. Your reasons for citing a YouTube comment will vary depending on the subject of your research paper. Generally, avoid citing comments for facts, because you can't verify the identity or authority of the writer of the comment.^{[6]
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- For example, you might want to chronicle people's reactions to a video, or you might be doing a study of viral videos or internet trolls. These would all be valid reasons to cite a YouTube comment in a research paper.
- If you have any questions or concerns, discuss the issue with your teacher before you turn your paper in.
2
List the author of the comment. As with any other APA citation, you'll list the author's name first. Typically you'll only have the commenter's username, not their real name. Include it as it is without brackets.^{[7]
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- Click on the username and see if their name is included anywhere on their account. If so, list their real name with their last name first, followed by their first and middle initials (if available).
- Example: "Jackson, L. A. [snickerdoodle]."
3
Add the year the comment was posted in parentheses. YouTube doesn't provide an exact date when comments were posted. Rather, it will say "2 days ago" or "3 years ago." Use this information to determine the year the comment was posted.^{[8]
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- Example: "Jackson, L. A. [snickerdoodle]. (2014)."
4
Include the title of the video. Place a period after the closing parentheses of the year. Then type the abbreviation "Re:" to indicate that the comment was made regarding the video. This tells your reader that you're citing a comment, and not the video itself.^{[9]
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- The video's title should be in italics, but not the leading abbreviation (since it's not part of the title). Follow the video title with the format "video file" in brackets.
- Example: "Jackson, L. A. [snickerdoodle]. (2014). Re: Manatee nose smush with honk sound effect [Video file]."
5
Provide a direct link to the video. Click the "share" icon on the video to copy the URL of the direct link. Place that link after the words "Retrieved from" at the end of your citation.
- Example: "Jackson, L. A. [snickerdoodle]. (2014). Re: Manatee nose smush with honk sound effect [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/s-33i2b17nc"

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Writing in-Text Citations

1
Start with the last name of the author. When you mention the YouTube video in the test of your paper, you need a parenthetical citation that directs your reader to the full citation in your reference list.^{[10]
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- Go by the name you used for your full citation. If you have the video creator's full name, use their last name. If you were only able to find the username, use that instead.
- If the video creator was a corporation or news organization rather than a person, use the full name of the institution in your in-text citation.^{[11]
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- Example: "(PlanktonBouy"
2
Include the year the video was posted. Even though you have the exact date the video was posted in your full citation, for the in-text citation you only need the year. Place it after the video creator's last name or username, separating the two with a comma.^{[12]
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- With a username, copy the same capitalization that appears on the account name.
- Example: "(PlanktonBouy, 2010)"
3
Provide the name and year for comments. If you're citing a comment on a YouTube video rather than the video itself, you still follow the same formula for name and year. The full citation will let your readers know that you're citing the comment rather than the video itself.^{[13]
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- Example: "(GOFISH, 2014)"
- Remember to use the year the comment was posted, not the year the video was published.

Community Q&A

Question

How to cite this (wikihow) page in APA?

Iris8989

Community Answer

Barker, C., MA. (2020, September 11). How to Cite YouTube in APA. wikiHow. Retrieved (write the date you accessed this page), from How to Cite YouTube in APA is how you cite this page in APA style.
Question

How do you cite YouTube inside the paper?

Community Answer

An APA in-text citation for a YouTube video is as follows: Sentence (Uploader, year).