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How to Cite YouTube and Other Videos in MLA and APA

With the advent of YouTube, Vimeo, and other great video sites, you can find short videos and how-to-videos online from a wide range of experts. This means you might need to know how to cite a video or YouTube as part of your essay. Make your video citations “fabulous” by following a few simple tricks for citing a YouTube video in MLA or APA.

 

Citation generator

Citing a Video in MLA and APA

When it comes to citing a video in MLA or APA, style matters. This is professional writing, after all. However, basically, each style is looking to answer the same questions.

  • Who uploaded it?
  • Where can you find it?
  • When did you access it?
  • What is it?

If you can answer these basic questions, then you’re well on your way to beautiful, professional reference MLA and APA video citations. Now, all you need is formatting.

How to Cite a Video in MLA

Since MLA is one of the most common styles used in both high schools and colleges, you often use it to cite videos. Why? Because MLA is a style that makes humanities articles easy to cite. And there are a lot of videos. This is why MLA also breaks down how to cite a video file in the works cited list.  First, the components:

  • Author, producer, director, etc.
  • Title of the video in italics or quotation marks (This will depend on if the video is considered a film or an episode per MLA style sheet.)
  • Where you found it in italics (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)
  • Who uploaded it
  • Day, month, year it was uploaded
  • URL

Since MLA can get a bit tricky, check out a couple of different examples.

Format for Citing a Video in MLA

Author. “Title of Video.” Publisher, uploaded by website, date, URL.

 

MLA video citation animation

MLA Video Example With Author:

Aaron, Aaron, director. “Annotation a Short Film.” Vimeo, uploaded by bibliographymaster, 1 Dec. 2018, www.vimeo.com/channels.

Example MLA without Author:

“Annotation a Short Film.” Vimeo, uploaded by bibliographymaster, 1 Dec. 2018, www.vimeo.com/channels.

How to Cite a Video In-Text MLA

Now to look at in-text citations for videos in MLA. You never just cite your sources in the works cited! You have to give credit where credit is due in your article, too. If not, your teacher can consider it plagiarism, and no one wants that. To create an in-text citation in MLA, use the author and timestamp.

In-Text Citation MLA Video Example – Author

(Aaron)

(Aaron 01:15 – 02:00)

In-Text Citation MLA Video Example – Without Author

(“Annotation a Short Film”)

(“Annotation a Short Film” 01:32 – 02:00)

Note: Use the title for videos with no author. Only use the timestamp when making a direct quote.

 

Citing Videos in MLA for Streaming Services

Knowing how to cite a physical DVD or BluRay is important, but a lot of videos are now offered through streaming platforms, such as Netflix and Hulu. When it comes to a streaming service, your citation looks like:

Format for Citing a Video in MLA From Streaming Services

Last Name, First Name, role. Title of Video, role by Other Contributors, Date, URL.

 

Streaming Video Example MLA – Works Cited

Van Dormael, Jaco, director. Mr. Nobody, produced by Phillippe Godeau, 2009, www.netflix.com/title/70117580.

Streaming Video Example MLA – In-Text Citation

(Van Dormael)

(Van Dormael 01:11:16)

How to Cite a Video in APA

Like MLA, you might need to cite a video in APA style. However, APA is used for social science papers and gives them a nice flow, tone, and, most of all, uniformity. To create citations for your APA Reference page for online videos, you need:

  • Author name, director, screen name, etc.
  • Year, month, and day it was uploaded
  • Title of the video in italics
  • Medium in brackets [Video]
  • URL or DOI

Make APA video citations a breeze by following the basic format for a  video source APA citation:

Format for Citing a Video in APA

Author, director, username. (Year). Title of video: Subtitle [Video]. Website or Publisher. URL

 

APA video citation animation

Example Citation for Video

Movies English & Arabic. (2019). The upside [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/T04PnAOuEWs

How to Cite a Video In-Text in APA

In addition to citing the APA video on your reference list, include a citation in the text to show your audience where the information came from.

APA Format – In-Text Quotation for Video

(Screen name, year, time of quoted material within the video)

 

Example – APA In-Text Quotation for Video

(Movies English & Arabic, 2019, 12:01)

APA Format – In-Text Paraphrase

(Screen name, year)

 

Example APA – In-Text Paraphrase

(Movies English & Arabic, 2019)

Note: For streaming videos in APA, you follow the format for citing a movie.

 

How to Cite a Youtube Video

Since YouTube is the most common video website out there, you’ll find that you might end up citing this nine times out of ten. So, it makes sense to look at specific YouTube examples in each different style. Remember, in APA style, you do not put a period after the URL, but you do include one in MLA.

Citing a Youtube Video in MLA Examples

When creating your MLA paper, you might find yourself needing to cite some Youtube videos. These come up enough that the MLA style guide gives specific examples. Check out these Youtube examples in MLA format.

cite YouTube video in MLA

Citing a Youtube Video MLA With Author

McGonigal, Jane. “Gaming and Productivity.” YouTube, uploaded by Big Think, 3 July 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkdzy9bWW3E.

Citing a Youtube Video MLA Example Without Author

“Slip Slip Knit (SSK).”YouTube, uploaded by TheKnitWitch, 14 Feb. 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGwcYW3GG3M.

How to Cite a Youtube Video APA Example

MLA isn’t the only style to discuss how to cite a Youtube video. APA breaks down the format for citing a YouTube video in their APA 7 format.

locate information on YouTube video for APA citation

APA YouTube Example Author – Reference 

Apsolon, M. (2011, September 9). The haunting tape 14 (ghost caught on video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nyGCbxD848

APA YouTube Example Screenname – Reference 

TheKnitWitch. (2007, February 14). Slip slip knit [Video]. YouTube. www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGwcYW3GG3M

The Art of  Citing a Video

Videos can be a fun way to spice up your paper. Whether you are using a video from YouTube, Vimeo, or any other website, make sure to get your citation and formatting right the first time. And if your teacher calls for a different format, be sure to follow that. 

Related Articles:

FAQ How to Cite YouTube and Other Videos in MLA and APA

Can you cite a YouTube video?

Yes, you can cite a YouTube video in APA and MLA format. To cite a video in MLA or APA, you need to include the author, date, title of the video, where you found the video, and URL. The order that you include this information in varies based on the style you use.

How do you MLA cite a YouTube video?

To cite a YouTube video in MLA, you need to include the author's last name, first name, title, website, date, and URL. A YouTube citation in MLA looks like:
Barry, Aaron. "Citing in MLA." YouTube, 8 Aug. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=39dfjdf8

How do you cite a YouTube video in APA in text?

To cite a YouTube video in APA in text, you include the author and date for a paraphrased area of information. For a direct quote in-text citation in APA, you include the author, date, and timestamp. An example of a YouTube in-text citation in APA looks like:
(Barry, 2019)

How do I cite a video MLA?

To cite a video in MLA, you need the author, "Title of Video," publisher, uploaded by website, date, and URL. You include the period after a URL in MLA for a video citation. Additionally, you include a period after the first two elements of the citation. An MLA video citation looks like:
Danny, Lee, director. "The Making of the Dress." Unique Bridal, uploaded by BridalWorld, 1 Aug. 2020, www.bridalworld.com.

How do you in text cite a video?

To create an in-text citation of a video, you need the author or title of the video and the timestamp for a direct quote for MLA. To create an in-text citation in APA, you need to include the video's date as well. In-text citations for a paraphrased quote look like:
MLA - (Barry)
APA - (Barry, 2020)

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