How-to · Step-by-step
How to cite a video
Citing an online video means recording who created or uploaded it, the title, the platform that hosts it, the date it was posted, and the URL.
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Step by step
How to do it
1.Identify the uploader or contributor
Note who posted or created the video — a person, channel or organisation. This goes in the author position; for a credited director or presenter you may use that contributor instead.
2.Copy the video title
Copy the exact title shown on the video page. APA italicises it; MLA and Chicago place it in quotation marks unless it is a stand-alone work.
3.Name the platform
Record the streaming service or site that hosts the video — for example a video platform, a broadcaster’s site or a streaming service — as the container.
4.Note the posting date
Record the full date the video was posted or released (day, month, year), formatted to your style.
5.Copy the URL
Copy the full, canonical URL to the video rather than a shortened share link, so a reader can reach the exact source.
6.Assemble the entry
Arrange the elements in your style’s order, treating the platform as the site or container that hosts the video.
APA 7th edition
Format: Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Platform. URL — Worked example: Smith, J. (2021, March 14). How referencing works [Video]. Streamly. https://www.streamly.com/watch/abc123 In-text: (Smith, 2021). The uploader is the author, the title is italicised with the "[Video]" descriptor, and the hosting platform is named as the site. If a real name and a username both appear, give the name then the username in square brackets.
MLA 9th edition
Format: Contributor. "Title of Video." Platform, Day Month Year, URL. — Worked example: Smith, Jane. "How Referencing Works." Streamly, 14 Mar. 2021, www.streamly.com/watch/abc123. In-text: (Smith). The video title is in quotation marks and the platform is italicised as the container, followed by the posting date and the URL. Lead with a contributor (such as the director) when your discussion focuses on that person.
Chicago 17th edition (notes–bibliography)
Bibliography: Smith, Jane. "How Referencing Works." Streamly video, 9:30. March 14, 2021. https://www.streamly.com/watch/abc123. — First footnote: 1. Jane Smith, "How Referencing Works," Streamly video, 9:30, March 14, 2021, https://www.streamly.com/watch/abc123. Give the title in quotation marks, the platform and medium, the running time, the posting date and the URL.
Common questions
FAQ
How is this different from citing a YouTube video?+
The method is the same — uploader, title, platform, date, URL — but you name whichever platform actually hosts the video rather than assuming YouTube. A broadcaster’s site, a streaming service or an institutional video portal each takes the container or site position in place of "YouTube".
Who is the author of an online video?+
APA uses the account that uploaded the video; MLA and Chicago can lead with the uploader or, where the work centres on one person, a credited contributor such as the director or presenter. When an organisation owns the channel, name the organisation in the author position.
Do I include the running time?+
Chicago includes the running time as part of the medium statement — "Streamly video, 9:30". APA and MLA do not require the length in the reference, though APA permits a time stamp in an in-text citation to point to a specific moment in the video.
Going deeper
