How to cite a YouTube video

Paste the YouTube link and CiteForge pulls the title, channel and upload date. Below: the pattern in each style, and how to point to a timestamp.

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Smart detection works out the source type from what you paste.

Source details
Source type
Authors (or an organisation)
Publication date (leave blank if none)

Reference list entry · APA 7th edition

Your citation appears here as you type, set exactly as it will look in your paper.

In-text citation

Fill in the author and date to see the in-text version.

YouTube citation templates

APA 7

Channel Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL

MLA 9

“Title of Video.” YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, URL.

Chicago

Channel Name. “Title of Video.” YouTube video, Month Day, Year. URL.

Harvard

Channel Name (Year) Title of video. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

APA 7th edition

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. (2014, July 1). The immune system explained I – bacteria infection [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s

In-text: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2014) or Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (2014)

MLA 9th edition

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. “The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection.” YouTube, 1 July 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s.

In-text: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell) or Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell

Chicago notes & bibliography

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. “The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection.” YouTube video, July 1, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s.

Footnote: Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, “The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection,” YouTube video, July 1, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s.

Harvard (Cite Them Right)

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (2014) The immune system explained I – bacteria infection. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQGOcOUBi6s (Accessed: 14 September 2026).

In-text: (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2014) or Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell (2014)

Who counts as the author?

The channel that uploaded it, written exactly as it appears, including capitals and symbols. If the channel belongs to a person and you know their real name, APA writes both: Lee, A. [@alee]. (2025)…. In MLA, if the creator and uploader are the same, start with the channel name as author; if not, put the title first and add “uploaded by” after YouTube.

Quoting a moment in the video

Videos have no page numbers, so use a timestamp for the start of the quote: APA (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2014, 2:15); MLA (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell 02:15–02:30). Chicago notes can include the timestamp after the date.

Questions students ask

Is the title in italics?

In APA and Harvard, yes: a video is a stand-alone work. In MLA and Chicago, the video title goes in quotation marks and YouTube is the italic container (MLA).

How do I cite a TikTok or Instagram video?

The same way, with the platform name instead of YouTube. APA uses the first 20 words of the caption as the title.

What if the video is a clip of a TV show or lecture?

Cite the version you watched (the YouTube upload), not the original broadcast, unless you watched the original.