How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA, MLA, and Chicago | CiteTools - Free Citation Converter & Academic Tools

YouTube videos are legitimate academic sources. TED talks inform research proposals, lecture recordings supplement coursework, and documentary clips provide primary source material. But citing video content requires some adjustments compared to citing text -- you need to handle uploaders vs. speakers, timestamps vs. page numbers, and channels that may not be real names.

Here's how to cite YouTube videos and other online videos correctly in APA, MLA, and Chicago.

Standard YouTube Video

The most common case: a video uploaded by a person or organization where the uploader is also the content creator.

APA 7th Edition

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. (2024, September 12). The most satisfying video about the universe Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123

Key rules:

The channel name is the author (treat it like a group author)
Title in sentence case, italicized
Include Video as the format descriptor
"YouTube" is the site name
End with the direct video URL

When the uploader's real name is known and differs from the channel name:

Gates, B. Bill Gates. (2025, January 8). What I learned about climate tech in 2024 Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example456

Real name first (Last, F.), channel name in brackets
This parallels the social media convention for handles. See our guide on citing social media for more on this pattern.

MLA 9th Edition

"The Most Satisfying Video about the Universe." YouTube, uploaded by Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell, 12 Sept. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123.

Key rules:

Video title in quotation marks
YouTube italicized as the container (website)
"uploaded by" before the channel name
Date in MLA day-month-year format
No "https://" in the URL

When you want to emphasize the creator rather than the video:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. "The Most Satisfying Video about the Universe." YouTube, 12 Sept. 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123.

MLA gives you flexibility here. If the creator is the focus of your discussion, lead with their name. If the video content is the focus, lead with the title.

Chicago 17th Edition

Chicago treats online videos similarly to other web sources. The notes-bibliography format:

Footnote:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell, "The Most Satisfying Video about the Universe," September 12, 2024, YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123.

Bibliography:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. "The Most Satisfying Video about the Universe." September 12, 2024. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123.

"YouTube video" replaces the format descriptor
Title in quotation marks (not italicized, since the video isn't a standalone work)

For a broader comparison of how these three styles differ, see our APA vs MLA vs Chicago guide.

TED Talks

TED talks are among the most commonly cited video sources in academic work. The citation depends on where you accessed the talk -- the TED website or YouTube.

From YouTube

If you watched the talk on YouTube, cite it as a YouTube video with TED as the channel:

APA:

TED. (2023, June 15). How AI could empower any business | Andrew Ng Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example789

MLA:

Ng, Andrew. "How AI Could Empower Any Business." YouTube, uploaded by TED, 15 June 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example789.

Note that in MLA, you can lead with the speaker's name since TED talks have clearly identified presenters.

Chicago footnote:

Andrew Ng, "How AI Could Empower Any Business," TED video, June 15, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example789.

From TED.com

If you accessed the talk on the TED website rather than YouTube:

APA:

Ng, A. (2023, June). How AI could empower any business Video. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_ng_how_ai_could_empower_any_business

When citing from TED.com, the speaker is the author (not the TED channel)
TED Conferences is the site name

MLA:

Ng, Andrew. "How AI Could Empower Any Business." TED, June 2023, www.ted.com/talks/andrew_ng_how_ai_could_empower_any_business.

Chicago footnote:

Andrew Ng, "How AI Could Empower Any Business," TED video, June 2023, https://www.ted.com/talks/andrew_ng_how_ai_could_empower_any_business.

Lecture Recordings and Course Videos

University lectures posted to YouTube -- whether from MIT OpenCourseWare, Stanford Online, or a professor's personal channel -- are cited with the instructor as the author.

APA 7th Edition

Strang, G. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2019, May 14). The column space of a matrix | MIT 18.06SC Linear Algebra Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example101

Instructor's name first, channel name in brackets
This format makes it clear who created the content vs. who uploaded it

MLA 9th Edition

Strang, Gilbert. "The Column Space of a Matrix." YouTube, uploaded by MIT OpenCourseWare, 14 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=example101.

Chicago 17th Edition

Footnote:

Gilbert Strang, "The Column Space of a Matrix," MIT OpenCourseWare, May 14, 2019, YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example101.

Citing a YouTube Channel as a Source

Occasionally you need to cite a channel itself rather than a specific video -- for example, when analyzing a channel's content strategy or output as a body of work.

APA 7th Edition

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. (n.d.). Home YouTube channel. YouTube. Retrieved June 20, 2026, from https://www.youtube.com/@kurzgesagt

Use "(n.d.)" since the channel doesn't have a single publication date
Include a retrieval date because channel content changes over time
This is one of the few cases in APA 7th where "Retrieved" is appropriate

MLA 9th Edition

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. YouTube, www.youtube.com/@kurzgesagt. Accessed 20 June 2026.

Chicago 17th Edition

Chicago recommends citing channels in running text or footnotes rather than in the bibliography. If a formal citation is needed:

Footnote:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell, YouTube channel, accessed June 20, 2026, https://www.youtube.com/@kurzgesagt.

Using Timestamps for Specific Moments

When you reference a specific claim or moment in a video, include a timestamp. This functions like a page number -- it helps readers verify your source.

In-Text Timestamp Reference

APA:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell (2024, 3:42) explains that...

MLA:

At 3:42, the narrator explains that...

Chicago (footnote):

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell, "The Most Satisfying Video about the Universe," September 12, 2024, YouTube video, 3:42, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123.

You can also link directly to a timestamp by adding ?t= or &t= to the YouTube URL (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example123&t=222 for 3:42). This is helpful in digital submissions where readers can click through.

Timestamp Formatting

Use the format shown in the video player: 0:42 for under a minute, 3:42 for minutes and seconds, 1:03:42 for hours
In APA, place the timestamp after the year in the in-text citation
In Chicago, place it after "YouTube video" in the footnote
In MLA, reference the timestamp in your prose rather than in the citation itself

Channels with Handles vs. Real Names

YouTube channels create a citation ambiguity that doesn't exist with traditional sources. Some channels use a real name (Bill Gates), some use a brand name (Kurzgesagt), and some use a handle (@veritasium) that may or may not match the creator's name.

When the channel name is a real name

Use it directly as the author:

Gates, B. (2025, January 8). What I learned about climate tech in 2024 Video. YouTube.

When the channel name is a brand or pseudonym but the creator is known

Use the real name with the channel name in brackets:

Muller, D. Veritasium. (2024, November 3). The simplest satisfying proof in mathematics Video. YouTube.

When the creator is unknown or a team

Use the channel name as a group author:

Kurzgesagt -- In a Nutshell. (2024, September 12). The most satisfying video about the universe Video. YouTube.

When citing user-generated content from anonymous accounts

If the channel has no identifiable person or organization behind it, use the channel name as-is. This is similar to how you would handle a pseudonymous social media citation.

Common Mistakes

Using the URL as the title. Every YouTube video has a title. Find it and use it.
Confusing the uploader with the creator. If MIT OpenCourseWare uploads Professor Strang's lecture, Strang is the author and MIT OpenCourseWare is the channel.
Omitting the upload date. YouTube displays the upload date on every video. Include it.
Forgetting Video in APA. The format descriptor in square brackets is required.
Citing an entire channel when you mean a specific video. Be precise about what you're referencing.
Not including timestamps when citing specific claims. Without a timestamp, your reader has to watch the entire video to find your source. That's the equivalent of citing a book without a page number.
Using a shortened URL. Always use the full YouTube URL (youtube.com/watch?v=...), not a youtu.be short link.

Quick Reference Table

Element	APA 7th	MLA 9th	Chicago 17th
Author	Channel or Creator, F. Channel	Creator Last, First	First Last
Title	Sentence case, italicized	"Title Case, in Quotes"	"Title Case, in Quotes"
Date	(Year, Month Day)	Day Mon. Year	Month Day, Year
Format	Video	"uploaded by Channel"	YouTube video
Platform	YouTube	YouTube	--
URL	Full URL	No https://	Full URL

Try It with CiteTools

Formatting video citations by hand means juggling channel names, upload dates, and platform-specific rules. Paste any YouTube URL into CiteTools.io and get a correctly formatted citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, or Vancouver instantly. CiteTools pulls the video title, channel name, and upload date automatically, so you don't have to look anything up. Need the citation in a different format? Export to BibTeX or RIS with one click.

For another audio format, see our guide on citing podcasts.