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To cite a YouTube video using the APA Referencing Style, you will need to find the person or organization that uploaded it, the channel name, date of upload, video title, website name (in this case, YouTube), and, lastly, the video link.
Where To Find Citation Information
Firstly when writing your citation, you need to know where to find all the information needed.
You only need to look at three locations:
Let us assume that you would like to cite this video:
youtube video1
As mentioned, you will need the following information in this order:
Where to find citation information. Image created by Simply Psychology.
Putting it all together in a formula, the structure of your reference should look like this:
*Kindly note the locations of any commas/full stops
Taking our example, the finished reference would then be:
American Psychological Association. (2022, March 16th).Why psychopathy is more common than you think, with Abigail Marsh, PhD[Video]. YouTube.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCgGfMZ3_t0
How To Write In-Text Citations
We will now look at how to write in-text citations for YouTube videos.
The formula structure looks like this:
Parenthetical citations: (Channel name, Year of upload)
Narrative citations: Channel name (Year of upload)
Based on our example, the in-text citation would then be:
Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, 2022)
Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (2022)
What is important to remember is that for in-text citations in APA style, only the publication year is required, and we omit any other date information, such as day and month.
How To Include A Video Reference To The Reference Page
The last factor to consider when referencing a YouTube video is how to structure it in your “Reference Page.”
You will be happy to learn that your reference’s source format (e.g., article, video, blog post, etc.) has no effect on your reference page, and you can simply follow the same general APA rules set out.
Those would be:
How To Cite A YouTube Channel
Let us assume that instead of an individual video, you would like to reference an entire YouTube Channel. Using our example, this is how you would cite the “American Psychological Association” channel.
The formula structure should look like this:
*n.d stands for no date.
Based on our example, the reference would be:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.).Home[YouTube channel]. YouTube. Retrieved November 15, 2022 from https://www.youtube.com/@TheAPAVideo
Similarly, the in-text citation would be:
Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, n.d.)
Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (n.d.)
*To find more citation information regarding the APA style, you can navigate to the official APA website: https://apastyle.apa.org/
Frequently asked questions
Should videos be used as references?
However, that being said, you can certainly cite secondary sources such as videos, online articles, and documentaries if they help provide important context and information to the point you are trying to make. Simply try to ensure that these are kept to a minimum where possible.
What types of videos are relevant to reference?When referencing a video, it is important to ensure its relevance to demonstrate that you have critically considered and carefully selected your sources.Videos that fall into this category can include but are not limited to: documentaries, biographies, docu-series, videos from channels of official bodies, e.g., the APA channel, video essays, critical perspectives, etc. Carefully consider the source’s credibility and how the video’s points assist your writing’s narrative or argumentation.
What types of videos are relevant to reference?
When referencing a video, it is important to ensure its relevance to demonstrate that you have critically considered and carefully selected your sources.Videos that fall into this category can include but are not limited to: documentaries, biographies, docu-series, videos from channels of official bodies, e.g., the APA channel, video essays, critical perspectives, etc. Carefully consider the source’s credibility and how the video’s points assist your writing’s narrative or argumentation.
When referencing a video, it is important to ensure its relevance to demonstrate that you have critically considered and carefully selected your sources.
Videos that fall into this category can include but are not limited to: documentaries, biographies, docu-series, videos from channels of official bodies, e.g., the APA channel, video essays, critical perspectives, etc. Carefully consider the source’s credibility and how the video’s points assist your writing’s narrative or argumentation.
How is a direct quote from a video referenced?
If you would like to reference a direct quote from a video, then simply follow our YouTube video citation formula with the addition of a timestamp of when the quote begins next to the date.
Kindly note that time stamps are only needed for your in-text citations. You can omit them from the reference placed in your reference list.
Using our example, the in-text citation would look like this:
Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, 2022, 2:44)
Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (2022, 2:44)
For example:
Parenthetical citations: (American Psychological Association, 2022, 2:44:3:16-17:45:19:00)
Narrative citations: American Psychological Association (2022, 2:44:3:16-17:45:19:00)
What Is APA Format?
The American Psychological Association (APA) formatting is a writing and referencing style dating back to 1929.
This formatting style promotes concise, consistent, and persuasive writing. Special emphasis is given to the author’s ethical compliance and a reduction of prejudiced and biased descriptive language.
Frequent revisions are conducted to update the style, with the most current one (accessed when this article was published) being the 7th edition (American Psychological Association, 2020). Hence, the guidance provided in this article is based on the 7th edition APA manual.
References
Almeida, P. (2012, July 10). THE ORIGINS OF APA STYLE (AND WHY THERE ARE SO MANY RULES). Journal of European Psychology Students. https://blog.efpsa.org/2012/07/10/the-origins-of-apa-style-and-why-there-are-so-many-rules/
American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000
Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education
Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.
Saul McLeod, PhD
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester
Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
Ioanna StavrakiCommunity Wellbeing Professional, EducatorBSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc, Neuropsychology, MBPsSIoanna Stavraki is a healthcare professional leading NHS Berkshire’s Wellbeing Network Team and serving as a Teaching Assistant at The University of Malawi for the “Organisation Psychology” MSc course. With previous experience at Frontiers' “Computational Neuroscience” journal and startup “Advances in Clinical Medical Research,” she contributes significantly to neuroscience and psychology research. Early career experience with Alzheimer’s patients and published works, including an upcoming IET book chapter, underscore her dedication to advancing healthcare and neuroscience understanding.
Ioanna StavrakiCommunity Wellbeing Professional, EducatorBSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc, Neuropsychology, MBPsS
Ioanna Stavraki
Community Wellbeing Professional, Educator
BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc, Neuropsychology, MBPsS
Ioanna Stavraki is a healthcare professional leading NHS Berkshire’s Wellbeing Network Team and serving as a Teaching Assistant at The University of Malawi for the “Organisation Psychology” MSc course. With previous experience at Frontiers' “Computational Neuroscience” journal and startup “Advances in Clinical Medical Research,” she contributes significantly to neuroscience and psychology research. Early career experience with Alzheimer’s patients and published works, including an upcoming IET book chapter, underscore her dedication to advancing healthcare and neuroscience understanding.
