Published February 10, 2021. Updated November 18, 2021.

To cite a YouTube video, you need to know the name of the uploader or the screen name, year, month, and date of uploading, video title, and URL (uniform resource locator) of the video.

The templates and examples below are based on the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and the main APA style website. On this page, you can learn how to cite the following:

• Basic YouTube video

• Video with the uploader’s real name

• YouTube channel

• Video comment

If you’re trying to cite YouTube, the Chegg Writing APA citation generator could also help.

Citing a basic YouTube video in APA style

The video title is set in sentence case and italicized. The first word after the colon is capitalized.

The word “Video” is enclosed in brackets after the video title, then followed by the word “YouTube.”

Finally, the link is given. Note that an end period is not used after the URL.

In-text citation templates and examples:

Narrative:

Video uploader’s name (Publication Year)

DorufaVSArt (2020) suggested . . .

Parenthetical:

(Video uploader’s name, Publication Year)

(DorufaVSArt, 2020)

Note that the month and day are not mentioned in the citations.

Reference list entry template and example:

Help protect your paper against accidental plagiarism with the Chegg Writing plagiarism checker and citation generator.

Citing a video with the uploader’s real name in APA style

The video title is set in sentence case and italicized. The first word after a colon is capitalized.

The word “Video” is enclosed in brackets after the video title, then followed by the word “YouTube.”

Finally, the link is given. Note that an end period is not used after the URL.

In-text citation templates and examples:

Narrative:

Uploader’s real name (Year)

Babu (2017) suggested . . .

Parenthetical:

(Uploader’s real name, Year)

(Babu, 2017)

Note that the month and day are not mentioned in the citations.

Reference list entry template and example:

Read this APA format guide for more style basics.

Citing a YouTube channel in APA style

As YouTube channels are undated, you will mostly use “n.d.” in the year field (n.d. means “no date”).

In-text citation templates and examples:

Narrative:

Uploader’s name (n.d.)

History (n.d.)

Parenthetical:

(Uploader’s name, n.d.)

(History, n.d.)

Reference list entry template and example:

Instead of the video title, the YouTube channel’s page name is given. It can be Home, Videos, or Playlists. Use the appropriate page name. Use “YouTube Channel” in brackets. A retrieved date should be included since the content on the page is subject to change.

Citing a video comment in APA style

Citations for video comments focus on the commenter and comment. Readers can find information about the actual video via the URL provided.

In-text citation templates and examples:

Narrative:

Commenter’s username (year)

Freyja (2020)

Parenthetical:

(Commenter’s username, year)

(Freyja, 2020)

As the day of the comment is not mentioned and is usually seen as, for example, “3 months ago,” you can mention only the year.

Reference list entry template and example:

You need to mention the comment and not the YouTube video. If the comment is too long, use the first 20 words. Add “Comment on the video” and then the video name in quotation marks in brackets after the comment.

For more information on citing sources in APA, also read these guides on APA in-text citations and APA reference page examples.