When citing a YouTube video in APA style, it is essential to follow the guidelines provided by the American Psychological Association. The APA style is widely used in social sciences, education, and business, among other fields. To cite a YouTube video, you will need to include the author's last name, first initial, the upload date, the title of the video, and the URL or DOI. If the video has a specific timestamp you want to reference, you can also include that.
Basic Format for APA Citation
The basic format for citing a YouTube video in APA style is as follows: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day of upload). Title of video [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ or DOI. If you’re referencing a specific part of the video, you can add the timestamp at the end, like this: (00:00:00-00:00:00).
Example of APA Citation for a YouTube Video
For example, if a YouTube video titled “APA Style for Beginners” was uploaded by John Doe on February 10, 2023, the citation would look like this: Doe, J. (2023, February 10). APA Style for Beginners [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/. If the video does not have an author, you would use the title in the author’s place, and if there is no date, use “n.d.” in the place of the year.
| Component | Example |
|---|---|
| Author | Doe, J. |
| Year and Month of Upload | 2023, February 10 |
| Title of the Video | APA Style for Beginners |
| Retrieval URL or DOI | Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/ |
In addition to the citation itself, it's also important to consider how you integrate the information from the YouTube video into your text. Quotations, if used, should be in quotation marks, and paraphrased material should be clearly indicated as such to avoid plagiarism.
In-Text Citations
In-text citations for YouTube videos follow the same basic principle as any other source. If you mention the author’s name in your sentence, you only need to include the year of upload in parentheses. For example: Doe (2023) discusses APA style guidelines. If you don’t mention the author’s name in your sentence, you would include both the author’s last name and the year in parentheses: (Doe, 2023).
Specific Timestamps
If you’re referencing a specific part of the video, you can include the timestamp in the in-text citation. For example: (Doe, 2023, 00:01:00-00:02:00). This indicates that the information you’re referencing can be found between one minute and two minutes into the video.
By following these guidelines, you can properly cite YouTube videos in APA style, ensuring the integrity and credibility of your academic work.
What is the APA style for citing YouTube videos?
+The APA style for citing YouTube videos involves including the author’s name, the year and month of upload, the title of the video in italics, and the retrieval URL or DOI.
How do I include timestamps in APA citations for YouTube videos?
+To include timestamps, add them at the end of the in-text citation, separated by a comma after the year, in the format (00:00:00-00:00:00), indicating the start and end times of the referenced section.
What if the YouTube video does not have an author or date?
+If the video does not have an author, use the title in the author’s place. If there is no date, use “n.d.” (no date) in the place of the year.
