To cite online videos (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.), you would follow the conventions of either MLA or APA style. Be sure to check your assignment for citation style requirements.
You should include as much descriptive information as you can to help your readers find the video you reference. Generally, you will need the full name and/or screen name of whoever uploaded the video, publication date, title of the video, hosting website (YouTube) and URL for video.
APA Style
The general format for citing online videos in APA style is as follows:
Last Name, A.A. [Screen name]. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. YouTube. http://xxxx
For online videos, you will cite the person or group who uploaded the video. This is not necessarily the same as the person depicted in the video (example: a Beyoncé video uploaded by BeyFan123 would be cited under BeyFan123, and not the artist's name). If you have both the full name and screen name for the person who uploaded the video, you would include both, starting with the person's full name. If you only have the person's screen name, you would format your citation as follows:
Screen name. (year, month day). Title of video [Video file]. YouTube. http://xxxx.
You'll see the citation now starts with the screen name only, and does not include brackets.
Example of a citation with the creator's full name:
Doe, J.J. [janedoe]. (2016, December 19). Day in the Life [Video file]. YouTube. http://xxx.
and without the creator's full name (only a screen name):
Janedoe. (2016, December 19). Day in the Life [Video file]. YouTube. http://xxx
Your in-text citation should include the last name or screen name and the year. Example:
(Doe, 2016) or (Janedoe, 2016).
MLA Style
The general format for citing online videos in MLA style is as follows:
"Title of video." YouTube, uploaded by Screen Name, day month year, www.youtube.com/xxxxx.
If the author of the video is not the same as the person who uploaded the video, your citation would be formatted as follows:
Author last name, First Name. "Title of video." YouTube, uploaded by Screen Name, day month year, www.youtube.com/xxxxx.
Example of citation with different author and uploader:
Beyoncé . "Sorry." YouTube, uploaded by BeyFan123, 17 December 2016, www.youtube.com/xxxx.
Example of citation with no known author or same author and uploader:
"Day in the Life." YouTube, uploaded by janedoe, 19 December 2016, www.youtube.com/xxxx.
Your in-text citation will depend on whether you have the author's last name. Basically, you will want to cite in-text whatever appears first in the citation on your Works Cited page. If you are referencing a specific part of the video, MLA format also requires that you specify the time in the video when that part begins.
In-text citation with author:
(Last name, 00:01:15 - 00:02:00).
In-text citation with no author or same author and uploader:
("Title of video," 00:01:15 - 00:02:00).
Here's an example of a Berkeley College YouTube video cited in APA and MLA formats:
APA style
Works Cited list:
berkeleycollege. (2019, January 16). File Your FAFSA Today! [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/HaFACQA5SFY
In-text:
(berkeleycollege, 2019)
MLA style
Works Cited list:
"File Your FAFSA Today!" YouTube, uploaded by berkeleycollege, 16 January, 2019, https://youtu.be/HaFACQA5SFY
In-text:
("File your FAFSA," 00:00:30-00:00:45).
If you have further questions, consult the Writing and Citing Libguide or ask a librarian.