In APA, cite a YouTube video as: Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL. In MLA, it's: Creator (if clear). "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Account, Day Month Year, URL. The catch is the author: APA uses the account that uploaded it, even when someone else made the video.
That one detail trips up more students than anything else, so I'll come back to it. Everything below comes straight from APA Style's own YouTube page and the MLA Style Center, both read in October 2026, so you can use the formats with confidence.
How to cite a YouTube video in APA (7th edition)
APA Style lists five parts, in this order:
- Author: the name of the account that uploaded the video.
- Date: the specific day the video was uploaded, in brackets as (Year, Month Day).
- Title: the video title in italics.
- Descriptor: the word Video in square brackets, [Video], straight after the title.
- Source and URL: the site name, YouTube, then the link to the video.
Here's one of APA's own examples: Harvard University. (2019, August 28). Soft robotic gripper for jellyfish [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guRoWTYfxMs
APA in-text citations
For the same video, APA gives two forms. Parenthetical: (Harvard University, 2019). Narrative: Harvard University (2019). If you're quoting the people who speak in a video, APA says to name or describe them in your sentence, then cite the video itself in brackets.
Citing a whole YouTube channel in APA
A channel is different from a single video. APA uses (n.d.) for the date, italicises the channel title, adds [YouTube channel] after it, and includes a retrieval date, because channel pages change over time. If you cite a tab other than Home, such as Playlists, you use that tab's name as the title.
How to cite a YouTube video in MLA
The MLA Style Center gives you a choice, depending on whether the creator is obvious.
| Situation | MLA format |
|---|---|
| The creator is clear | Creator. "Title of Video." YouTube, Day Month Year, URL. |
| The creator isn't clear | "Title of Video." YouTube, uploaded by Account Name, Day Month Year, URL. |
| A full film uploaded to YouTube | Film Title. Directed by Name, Studio, Year. YouTube, Day Month Year, URL. |
Two rules from MLA are worth remembering. Copy the video title exactly as it appears on YouTube, and use the date listed below the video. MLA's own example for an unclear creator is: "Capybara Eat Huge Pumpkin." YouTube, uploaded by Alex Smith, 12 Jan. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YNwxZnABzA.
MLA also says you can add the uploader in the "uploaded by" slot even when the creator is known, if it helps your reader. And if it isn't obvious your source is a video, for example a song with the same title, you can add the word Video at the end of the entry.
APA vs MLA at a glance
| Part | APA 7 | MLA |
|---|---|---|
| Who goes first | The uploading account | The creator, or the title if the creator isn't clear |
| Date | Upload date after the author | Date below the video, near the end |
| Title style | Italics, then the word Video in square brackets | In quotation marks |
| YouTube | Plain, after the title | In italics, as the container |
| Uploader | Is the author | Goes after "uploaded by" |
The uploader trap (and how to handle it)
Say a news clip was uploaded by a fan account. In APA, the fan account is still the author, because APA tells you to use the name of the account that uploaded the video. APA adds that if the account didn't create the work and that matters, explain it in your text.
APA also gives a smarter move: if citing that account would make your source look unreliable, look for the same video on the creator's own channel, official website or other social media, and cite that version instead. That's the step I'd always take for anything going into coursework or a report.
Getting the details right
You'll need the exact title, the upload date and the link. Copy the title from the video page rather than typing it, and grab a clean link to the video. My guide on copying a YouTube link shows where to find it on phone and desktop.
If you need a quote from the video, the transcript saves you scrubbing back and forth. Here's how to get a YouTube video transcript. And if you're writing in Google Docs, adding citations in Google Docs can format some of this for you, though I'd still check it against the rules above.
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When details are missing
Not every video gives you everything. The MLA Style Center's advice is to work with what you have: if a video has no named author, director or producer, start with the title and carry on. Its own example is a knitting tutorial cited as Slip Slip Knit (SSK). YouTube, uploaded by TheKnitWitch, 14 Feb. 2007, followed by the link.
APA is just as practical. Its YouTube format also works for other sites that host user-made videos, such as Vimeo, so you don't need a different rule for every platform.
Live streams and deleted videos
APA has a specific rule for live streams. If a live stream, for example on YouTube Live, isn't archived by the platform and can't be found anywhere else, you cite it as a personal communication rather than in your reference list. If the recording stays up after the stream, cite it like any other video.
A quick checklist before you hand it in
- APA: is the author the uploading account, not the presenter?
- APA: did you use the full upload date, not just the year?
- APA: is the title in italics with the Video descriptor in square brackets after it?
- MLA: did you copy the title exactly as it appears on YouTube?
- MLA: is YouTube in italics, and does uploaded by go before the date if the creator isn't clear?
- Both: does the link open the exact video, not a playlist or search page?
Run through that list once and you'll catch the mistakes markers see most often in reference lists: wrong author, missing date and broken links.
My advice
Pick the style your teacher or publisher asks for and don't mix them. Check the uploader before you write a single word, because it decides who your author is in APA. And when a video's from an unofficial account, find the original. It takes two minutes and makes your work look far more credible.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you cite a YouTube video in APA?
Use the uploading account as the author, then the upload date, the title in italics, the word Video in square brackets, YouTube, and the URL.
How do you cite a YouTube video in MLA?
Start with the creator if it's clear, then the video title in quotation marks, YouTube in italics, the date below the video and the URL. If the creator isn't clear, start with the title and add uploaded by and the account name.
Who is the author of a YouTube video in APA?
APA says to use the name of the account that uploaded the video as the author, even if that account didn't create it.
Do you include the date in a YouTube citation?
Yes. APA wants the specific upload date after the author. MLA uses the date listed below the video.
How do you cite a YouTube channel instead of a video?
In APA, use the channel name as author, (n.d.) as the date, the channel or tab name in italics, YouTube channel in square brackets, YouTube, and a retrieval date with the URL.
