How to Reference a YouTube Video in APA 7th Edition Step by Step (2026)
To reference a YouTube video in APA 7th edition, use: Uploader name. (Year, Month Day). Title of the video in sentence case and italics [Video]. YouTube. URL. The in-text citation is the uploader and year, for example (TED, 2019). The person or channel that posted the video counts as the author, and a timestamp is added in-text when you cite a specific moment.
YouTube videos are legitimate academic sources when used carefully — recorded lectures, conference talks, expert interviews, and demonstrations all appear in reference lists. But their format trips students up because the “author” is a channel and the date, title, and platform have to sit in exactly the right order. This guide walks through it step by step, with worked examples and the edge cases that cause point deductions.
What Is the APA Format for a YouTube Video?
Every APA 7th edition reference has four core elements — author, date, title, and source. For a YouTube video they map like this:
| Element | What goes here | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Uploader / channel name | TED. |
| Date | Full upload date in brackets | (2019, November 6). |
| Title | Video title, sentence case, italic, + [Video] | The first 20 hours [Video]. |
| Source | Platform then URL | YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example |
Put together, the full reference reads: TED. (2019, November 6). The first 20 hours [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
How Do You Build the Reference Step by Step?
- Find the uploader name. This is the channel that posted the video, shown beneath the title. It becomes your author element, followed by a full stop.
- Copy the exact upload date. Click “more” under the video if needed to see the full date. Format it as (Year, Month Day) — year first, month spelled out.
- Write the title in sentence case and italics. Capitalise only the first word and any proper nouns, then add the format tag [Video] in square brackets, not italicised.
- Add the platform and URL. Write “YouTube.” then paste the full video URL with no full stop after it.
- Check the order and punctuation. Author. (Date). Title [Video]. YouTube. URL — a stray comma or missing bracket is the most common marked error.
If you cite several audiovisual and web sources, a citation manager removes most of this friction. Our step-by-step guide to citing sources in APA 7th edition covers the general rules these video-specific steps sit inside.
Who Counts as the Author?
In APA, the account that uploaded the video is the author, because that account is responsible for making the content available. This is often an organisation (a university, a channel like TED) rather than a named individual. When a real person’s name and their username differ and both are known, you may write the person’s name followed by the username in square brackets — for example, Sabine Hossenfelder [Sabine Hossenfelder]. When only the channel name is available, use it alone. This mirrors how APA handles other non-traditional sources such as AI-generated content, where the “author” is whoever is responsible for the output.
How Do You Write the In-Text Citation?
The in-text citation uses the author (uploader) and year, exactly like a book or article: (TED, 2019) for a parenthetical citation, or “TED (2019) demonstrated…” in a narrative citation. Do not put the video title or the word “YouTube” in the in-text citation — only author and year, with a timestamp added when needed.
How Do You Cite a Specific Moment?
When you quote or reference a specific point, add a timestamp to the in-text citation so a reader can jump straight to it: (TED, 2019, 4:15). The reference list entry does not change — the timestamp lives only in the in-text citation. This is the audiovisual equivalent of a page number for a print source, and examiners expect it whenever you quote spoken words directly.
What If Details Are Missing?
- No identifiable uploader: move the video title into the author position, then give the date.
- No date: use (n.d.). In practice YouTube always shows an upload date, so this is rarely needed for YouTube specifically.
- A video embedded on another site: cite it as hosted on the platform it plays from, using that platform’s format.
- A private or unlisted video: if your reader cannot access it, treat it more like personal communication and check whether it belongs in your reference list at all.
The same missing-detail logic applies when you reference a website in APA format — move elements up when higher ones are absent, and substitute n.d. for a missing date.
Tesify Auto Bibliography builds correctly formatted APA references for videos, websites, journals, and books automatically as you write — so your reference list stays consistent and error-free. Try Tesify.
FAQ
How do you cite a YouTube video in APA 7th edition?
Use the format: Uploader name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video in sentence case and italics [Video]. YouTube. URL. For example: TED. (2019, November 6). The first 20 hours [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example. The in-text citation is (Uploader, Year).
Who is the author of a YouTube video in APA?
APA treats the person or organisation that uploaded the video — the channel owner — as the author. If a real individual’s name and their username differ, you can give the real name followed by the username in square brackets, but using the channel name alone is acceptable when that is how the account is identified.
How do you cite a specific moment in a YouTube video?
Add a timestamp to the in-text citation to point to the exact moment, for example (TED, 2019, 4:15). The reference list entry stays the same; only the in-text citation carries the timestamp for the specific quote or point you are referencing.
Do you italicise the title of a YouTube video in APA?
Yes. In APA 7th edition the title of a YouTube video is written in sentence case and italicised, followed by the format description [Video] in square brackets, which is not italicised.
How do you reference a YouTube video with no author or date?
If there is no identifiable uploader, move the title to the author position. If there is no date, use (n.d.) in place of the year. Every YouTube video has an upload date visible under the video, so n.d. is rarely needed for YouTube specifically.
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