What to include when referencing a YouTube video.
All sources, whether they’re scientific articles, television, or even radio, need to be referenced if you use them when creating academic work. But if you’re referencing a YouTube video, what do you include? Below, we look at the requirements of a YouTube reference. It’s important to note that not all referencing styles will require all of these:
- Author(s)/creator(s) – This is who uploaded the video to YouTube. Even if the video has been taken from somewhere else, i.e., a news report, you should credit the uploader.
- Video title – This is the title of the YouTube video as it’s shown on the site.
- Publication date – When was the video uploaded to YouTube? This is the publication date.
- Video publisher – This is the site hosting the video. In this case, YouTube.
- Date accessed – This is when you viewed the video on YouTube. This is important to note, as uploaders can edit and delete videos after you’ve referenced them.
- Video running time – The full length of the video, presented in hours, minutes, and seconds.
- Video URL – What’s the URL you used to access the video?
Different ways to reference a YouTube video.
Just to make things more complicated, academic institutions vary in how they reference things. So, for example, one university's preferred style may be different from another's. Below we’ve listed some of the most common ways of referencing a YouTube video.
How to Harvard reference a YouTube video.
Named after the US university, Harvard, this referencing style is also known as the author-date method. This is because it puts the author’s name first, closely followed by the date of publication. For example, Brontë, C. (1847).
If you’re referencing a YouTube video in the Harvard style, it should look like:
Author/Creator. (Year). Title of the YouTube video. [Video]. Website name (in this case, YouTube), URL
Say you wanted to reference one of our Adobe Express YouTube videos. It should look like this:
Adobe Express. (2025). Give Your Career a Glow-Up With #Adobe Express | Adobe Express. [Video]. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKEtyfat60
How to APA reference a YouTube video.
APA is another reference style, although it’s tailored to academic journals. Named for the American Psychological Association, it follows the author-date format, though it has some noticeable changes from Harvard. It should look like:
Author/Creator. (Year, month day). Title of the YouTube video. [Video]. Website name (in this case, YouTube), URL
The same Adobe Express YouTube video in the APA reference style should look like:
Adobe Express. (2025, August 5). Give Your Career a Glow-Up With #Adobe Express | Adobe Express. [Video]. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKEtyfat60
How to MLA reference a YouTube video.
MLA stands for Modern Languages Association and follows an author-title format. This puts the author’s name first, followed by the title. If you’re referencing YouTube videos in the MLA style, you have a range of options available. Typically, the format for referencing follows this style:
Author name. “Video title.” Container (site hosting the video), Day Month abbreviated. Year of upload, URL.
This would look like:
Adobe Express. “Give Your Career a Glow-Up With #Adobe Express | Adobe Express.” YouTube, 5 Aug. 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKEtyfat60
However, if you’re unsure who the primary creator of the video is (not just the uploader), you can delete the author from the start.
When to reference a YouTube video.
There are plenty of times when you may need to reference a YouTube video. It could be part of your academic work, or it could be a professional project. While you might use YouTube in your personal life for entertainment, the platform is also filled with lectures, instructional videos, and news clips that may be otherwise hard to find.
If you use a YouTube video as part of your work, whether to back up an argument or as a source of information, you’ll need to reference it. The style you choose when referencing YouTube videos will be largely dictated by your workplace or academic institution, so always double-check.
How to find reliable YouTube video sources.
Not all YouTube videos are created equally. Depending on the project and the purpose, it’s highly likely you’re going to need to find reliable YouTube sources. We’ve put together a simple guide on how to find YouTube videos you can rely on.
1. Check for credible creators.
Once you’ve found a video that has content you want to reference, it’s worth checking if the uploader is credible. Are they the official YouTube channel of a reputable source, or are they affiliated with credible organisations?
2. Make sure the video is relevant.
Check to see if the video is relevant to you and what you’re talking about. Be sure to watch the video the whole way through, as some can have edits that are irrelevant to your reference. Likewise, check that the videos are current and aren’t outdated.
Another sign of a video’s reputation is the number of views and likes. This can suggest well-made and original content, as opposed to reuploads and compilations.
Depending on the video and the content you’re referencing, you may want to fact-check to see if things are correct. While this won’t be relevant to all videos, especially creative or fictional pieces, incorrect information can undermine your project or work.
5. Identify citations and references.
Some videos, especially factual ones, will provide references and citations in their videos. Often found in the video description, they’re a sign the video creator has done their own research.
6. Check the video’s quality.
The quality of a video, whether that’s the sound, picture, or editing, can indicate the trustworthiness of the content. Take this with a pinch of salt, however, as there are plenty of old and blurry university lectures uploaded to YouTube that you might wish to reference.
