Guides

How to Cite a YouTube Video in APA, MLA and Chicago (With Timestamps and Transcript Quotes)

How to cite a YouTube video in APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago: the reference format, the in-text citation, and how to quote exact words with a timestamp using the video transcript. Examples to copy.

00:05:00 · NOV 07, 2026

Quick answer

To cite a YouTube video, you need the creator or channel name, the upload date, the exact title and the link. For a quote, add the timestamp of the moment. The formats below follow the current APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago guides. Style guides get updated and instructors have preferences, so check yours if the assignment names one.

What to collect from the video first

Creator: the channel name shown under the video.
Title: exactly as written, with its capital letters.
Upload date: shown under the video (open the description for the full date).
Link: copy it from the address bar or the Share button.
Timestamp: only if you quote or point to a moment.

APA 7

Reference list:

Channel Name. (2025, March 14). Title of the video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID

In the text:

(Channel Name, 2025) or, for a quote, (Channel Name, 2025, 04:12)

MLA 9

Works cited:

"Title of the Video." YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, 14 Mar. 2025, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID.

In the text:

(Channel Name 04:12), or a range such as (Channel Name 04:12-04:40)

Chicago (notes and bibliography)

Bibliography:

Channel Name. "Title of the Video." YouTube video, 12:45. March 14, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEOID.

Chicago also uses footnotes. The first note repeats these details and adds the timestamp of the quote.

Quote the exact words, with the right timestamp

A quote has to match what was said, and the timestamp has to lead a reader to it. Listening and typing is slow and easy to get wrong. The transcript has each line and its time already:

Paste the video link into the YouTube transcript generator.
Search the text for the phrase you remember, and read the time next to it.
Copy the words as written, and use that time in your citation.
Check the quote against the video once. Automatic captions can miss names and technical terms.

Need the whole text for notes? You can also convert the video to text or summarize it first to decide which parts to quote. More about getting one in how to get the transcript of a YouTube video.

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Turn a lecture into study notes, flashcards or a practice quiz. College student? See the $2,000 Study Smarter Scholarship.

Common mistakes

Citing the transcript site instead of the video. Cite the video.
Using a short youtu.be link that has tracking text after it. Keep the clean link.
Leaving out the timestamp for a direct quote.
Using the upload date you guessed. Take it from the video page.

Frequently asked questions

Q01

How do I cite a YouTube video in APA?

Give the creator or channel, the upload date, the title in italics with [Video] after it, then YouTube and the link. In the text, use the creator and year, for example (Channel Name, 2025).

Q02

How do I cite a YouTube video in MLA?

Start with the title in quotation marks, then YouTube, uploaded by the channel name, the upload date and the link. In the text, use the creator and the timestamp, for example (Channel Name 04:12).

Q03

How do I quote a specific moment in a YouTube video?

Add the timestamp where the words are spoken: in APA put it after the year, in MLA use it in place of a page number. Copy the exact words from the transcript, which lists the time of each line, so you quote what was said and can find it again.

Q04

Which name goes in the author slot?

Use the person or organisation that posted the video, normally the channel name. If the speaker is clearly someone else and you want to credit them, check your style guide or ask your instructor, because rules differ.

Q05

Does the transcript replace the video as my source?

No. Cite the video. The transcript is only the text of what was said, so use it to quote accurately and to find the timestamp.