- Your Youtube Favorite Videos
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4.4
While doing research for a paper, you may find relevant YouTube videos that you want to cite. You may already know how to cite a website, but it can be difficult to know how to cite YouTube APA style. You may also want to cite quotes within the video, user comments, or entire YouTube accounts.
Here is one way to do it, as Youtube doesn't expose this feature: 1. Use the Firefox web browser 2. Install Greasemonkey, if you haven't already done so. Non-fiction tv shows like games and quizzes can make for great youtube video ideas. Favorite YouTube videos or YouTubers. If you create YouTube videos you probably also watch other YouTubers’ videos. Share your favorite videos with your subscribers or any other YouTubers you are a fan of. The number of views YouTube videos get in a single day is up to the billions now, with hundreds of hours of new content uploaded every minute, versus the month it would take twelve years ago when.
Citation Generator
This page contains everything you need to know to cite any sort of YouTube video content in APA style, both within your paper and on your reference page.
What You Need
To cite YouTube video APA style you will need certain information. If available, find the following to include in your citation:
- Name of the individual(s) or group who uploaded the video. If it’s an individual, use their real name.
- Video uploader’s screen name
- Date attached to the video (including year, month, date)
- Title of the video
- URL of the video’s webpage
If any of the above information is not available on the same page as the YouTube video, you may need to do a little more research to find it. For example, to find the real name of the video’s uploader, you can click on the screen name to view the creator’s account, where you might find their real name in the bio.
If any of the information is not available even after doing additional research, simply leave it out of the citation but include the rest of the information following the order of the basic format below.
Who is the author?
The Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2020, p. 344) clarifies that the uploader of the video is used as the “author” of the video, even if they are not the creator of it.
Further information on citing in APA can be found in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association in Section 10.12.
Citing a YouTube Video in APA
Step-by-Step Instructions for a YouTube Video Citation in APA Style
- List the real last name of the video’s uploader, capitalizing the first letter. Place a comma after the last name and then list the first initial of their first name, followed by a period. If you find their middle initial, list it after the first initial and period, also followed by a period. If the creator’s name is unavailable, skip this step and begin your citation with the next step.
- Next, list the screen name of the video’s uploader, as it is spelled on the page, within brackets. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Then, in parentheses, put the full numerical year followed by a comma, the full written month starting with a capital letter and followed by a comma, and the numerical day that the video was posted. Close the parentheses and follow with a period.
- Put the title of the video in Italics and in sentence case (only capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns). Do not place a period after the title.
- After the title, put the word Video (for the source format), capitalized, in normal font, in brackets. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Put the word YouTube (for the website source name) as it is spelled here, followed by a period.
- List the full URL for the web page containing the YouTube video you are citing. Do not follow with a period.
Note that in your citation, you must indent any lines after the first line. APA style in-text citations for quoting and paraphrasing are the same for YouTube videos.
Your Youtube Favorite Videos
Basic YouTube Video Citation Structure
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Uploader Last Name OR Screen name, Year) |
Video With Creator’s Real Name and Screen Name
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Example | Bissett, Ariel. [Ariel Bissett]. (2016, May 28). Some thoughts on The Catcher in the Rye [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj4R0hgi8w |
Video Without Uploader’s Real Name OR Video by an Organization
If only the screen name is available, you put the screen name first in the citation and omit the “[Screen name]” part of the citation.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Example | Chegg. (2018, November 15). How to cite quotes to avoid plagiarism Dreams casino bonus code. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4gmmme8HjQ |
View Screenshot | Cite your source
View Screenshot | Cite your source
Citing a YouTube Channel
Now that you know how to cite YouTube APA style, you may need more specific information on citing YouTube channels, quotes, or comments.
Instead of citing one particular YouTube video, you may want to cite an entire YouTube channel. While the format is similar to citing a YouTube video, there are a few key differences you can see in the format guidelines below.
- You will always use “n.d.” for “no date” because YouTube channels are undated.
- The word “Home” is included because every YouTube channel’s page name is “Home” by default.
- If you are instead citing another tab of the account (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Discussion, About), put the correct tab name instead of the word “Home.”
- Use the words “YouTube Channel” instead of the name of any specific videos since you’re citing a whole channel (not just one video).
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial OR Screen name. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. URL of YouTube channel |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name OR Screen name, n.d.) |
Citing a Direct Quote from a Video
You may want to include a direct quote from a YouTube video within your paper. While your reference page citation for the quote will be the same as a citation for the whole video, your in-text citation will need a timestamp to help readers easily access the quote (Publication manual, p. 274). It is commonly accepted to only include a timestamp for the beginning of the quote, but you may use a timestamp range if you think it would be helpful.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Author/Creator Last Name OR screen name, Year, Timestamp 0:00) |
Citing a Comment on a YouTube Video
While researching your topic, you may find that you want to include a comment left on a YouTube video. You will need to cite the comment itself rather than the YouTube video. The format for citing a YouTube comment is similar to citing a YouTube video, with a few key differences.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Commentor’s Last Name, First Initial. OR Commenter’s Username. (Year, Month Day). Title of comment OR up to the first 20 words of the comment. [Comment on the video “Title of video”]. YouTube. URL of YouTube video |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Commentor’s Last Name OR Username, Year) |
A Note on APA 7th Edition
The 7th edition of the APA Manual came out in 2020, replacing the 6th edition that came out in 2009. There are a few changes in the newest manual that apply when you need to cite YouTube video APA style.
Notable 7th edition changes include:
- Omission of “Retrieved from” before URLs
- Addition of the website name
- Uses “Video” instead of “Video file.”
- In-text citation format is the same,
APA 6th Edition Reference Page Format:
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL
APA 7th Edition Reference Page Format:
Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL
In-text Citation Format (6th AND 7th Edition):
(Author/Creator Last Name OR Screen name, Year)
References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10/1037/0000165-000
Published July 21, 2014. Updated April 16, 2020.
Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.
APA Formatting Guide
APA Formatting
Citation Examples
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4.4
While doing research for a paper, you may find relevant YouTube videos that you want to cite. You may already know how to cite a website, but it can be difficult to know how to cite YouTube APA style. You may also want to cite quotes within the video, user comments, or entire YouTube accounts.
Citation Generator
This page contains everything you need to know to cite any sort of YouTube video content in APA style, both within your paper and on your reference page.
What You Need
To cite YouTube video APA style you will need certain information. If available, find the following to include in your citation:
- Name of the individual(s) or group who uploaded the video. If it’s an individual, use their real name.
- Video uploader’s screen name
- Date attached to the video (including year, month, date)
- Title of the video
- URL of the video’s webpage
If any of the above information is not available on the same page as the YouTube video, you may need to do a little more research to find it. For example, to find the real name of the video’s uploader, you can click on the screen name to view the creator’s account, where you might find their real name in the bio.
If any of the information is not available even after doing additional research, simply leave it out of the citation but include the rest of the information following the order of the basic format below.
Who is the author?
The Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2020, p. 344) clarifies that the uploader of the video is used as the “author” of the video, even if they are not the creator of it.
Further information on citing in APA can be found in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association in Section 10.12.
Citing a YouTube Video in APA
Step-by-Step Instructions for a YouTube Video Citation in APA Style
- List the real last name of the video’s uploader, capitalizing the first letter. Place a comma after the last name and then list the first initial of their first name, followed by a period. If you find their middle initial, list it after the first initial and period, also followed by a period. If the creator’s name is unavailable, skip this step and begin your citation with the next step.
- Next, list the screen name of the video’s uploader, as it is spelled on the page, within brackets. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Then, in parentheses, put the full numerical year followed by a comma, the full written month starting with a capital letter and followed by a comma, and the numerical day that the video was posted. Close the parentheses and follow with a period.
- Put the title of the video in Italics and in sentence case (only capitalizing the first letter and proper nouns). Do not place a period after the title.
- After the title, put the word Video (for the source format), capitalized, in normal font, in brackets. Place a period after the closing bracket.
- Put the word YouTube (for the website source name) as it is spelled here, followed by a period.
- List the full URL for the web page containing the YouTube video you are citing. Do not follow with a period.
Note that in your citation, you must indent any lines after the first line. APA style in-text citations for quoting and paraphrasing are the same for YouTube videos.
Basic YouTube Video Citation Structure
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Uploader Last Name OR Screen name, Year) |
Video With Creator’s Real Name and Screen Name
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Example | Bissett, Ariel. [Ariel Bissett]. (2016, May 28). Some thoughts on The Catcher in the Rye [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj4R0hgi8w |
Video Without Uploader’s Real Name OR Video by an Organization
Where Are My Youtube Favorites
If only the screen name is available, you put the screen name first in the citation and omit the “[Screen name]” part of the citation.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Example | Chegg. (2018, November 15). How to cite quotes to avoid plagiarism [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4gmmme8HjQ |
View Screenshot | Cite your source
View Screenshot | Cite your source
Citing a YouTube Channel
Now that you know how to cite YouTube APA style, you may need more specific information on citing YouTube channels, quotes, or comments.
Instead of citing one particular YouTube video, you may want to cite an entire YouTube channel. While the format is similar to citing a YouTube video, there are a few key differences you can see in the format guidelines below.
- You will always use “n.d.” for “no date” because YouTube channels are undated.
- The word “Home” is included because every YouTube channel’s page name is “Home” by default.
- If you are instead citing another tab of the account (Videos, Playlists, Channels, Discussion, About), put the correct tab name instead of the word “Home.”
- Use the words “YouTube Channel” instead of the name of any specific videos since you’re citing a whole channel (not just one video).
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial OR Screen name. (n.d.) Home [YouTube Channel]. URL of YouTube channel |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (YouTube Channel Uploader’s Last Name OR Screen name, n.d.) |
How To Save Your Favorite Youtube Videos
Citing a Direct Quote from a Video
You may want to include a direct quote from a YouTube video within your paper. While your reference page citation for the quote will be the same as a citation for the whole video, your in-text citation will need a timestamp to help readers easily access the quote (Publication manual, p. 274). It is commonly accepted to only include a timestamp for the beginning of the quote, but you may use a timestamp range if you think it would be helpful.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Uploader’s Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Author/Creator Last Name OR screen name, Year, Timestamp 0:00) |
Citing a Comment on a YouTube Video
While researching your topic, you may find that you want to include a comment left on a YouTube video. You will need to cite the comment itself rather than the YouTube video. The format for citing a YouTube comment is similar to citing a YouTube video, with a few key differences.
Reference Page | |
---|---|
Structure | Commentor’s Last Name, First Initial. OR Commenter’s Username. (Year, Month Day). Title of comment OR up to the first 20 words of the comment. [Comment on the video “Title of video”]. YouTube. URL of YouTube video |
In-text citation | |
---|---|
Structure | (Commentor’s Last Name OR Username, Year) |
A Note on APA 7th Edition
The 7th edition of the APA Manual came out in 2020, replacing the 6th edition that came out in 2009. There are a few changes in the newest manual that apply when you need to cite YouTube video APA style.
Notable 7th edition changes include:
- Omission of “Retrieved from” before URLs
- Addition of the website name
- Uses “Video” instead of “Video file.”
- In-text citation format is the same,
APA 6th Edition Reference Page Format:
Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video file]. Retrieved from URL
APA 7th Edition Reference Page Format:
Uploader Last Name, First Initial. Middle Initial. [Screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video [Video]. Name of website. URL
In-text Citation Format (6th AND 7th Edition):
(Author/Creator Last Name OR Screen name, Year)
References
American Psychological Association (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10/1037/0000165-000
Published July 21, 2014. Updated April 16, 2020.
Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Elise Barbeau. Michele Kirschenbaum is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib.com. Elise Barbeau is the Citation Specialist at Chegg. She has worked in digital marketing, libraries, and publishing.
APA Formatting Guide
APA Formatting
Citation Examples
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