How to cite a YouTube video and quote its transcript (APA, MLA, Chicago)

Collect the details first

Every citation style needs the same few facts. Write them down while the video is open, because channel names and titles can change later.

1. The person or channel that uploaded the video, exactly as shown under the player.
2. The full video title, including any subtitle after a colon.
3. The upload date from the description area, not the date you watched it.
4. The video URL. A short youtu.be link or the standard watch link both work.
5. The timestamp of each passage you quote.

APA 7th edition

APA treats a YouTube video as a video and lists the uploader as the author. Reference list format: Channel Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video in italics [Video]. YouTube. URL. If the uploader’s real name differs from the channel name, use the real name and add the channel name in square brackets after it. In the text, add the timestamp where a page number would go: (Channel Name, 2026, 4:32).

MLA 9th edition

MLA puts the video title in quotation marks and YouTube in italics as the container. Works-cited format: “Title of Video.” YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, URL. If a known speaker or creator is responsible for the content, you can start with their name instead. In the text, cite a time range: (Channel Name 00:04:32–00:05:10).

Chicago style

Chicago notes and bibliography usually follow this pattern: Creator or Channel Name. “Title of Video.” Month Day, Year. Video, length. URL. Mention the timestamp of a quoted passage in the footnote, for example “at 4:32”. Check your school or publisher’s guide, because many add their own rules on top of the official manual.

Link straight to the moment

For online writing, a timestamp link saves readers from scrubbing through the video. Add t= and the number of seconds to the YouTube URL, for example youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID&t=272 for 4 minutes 32 seconds. In our reader, clicking a line jumps the player to that moment, so you can confirm the exact start time before you copy it.

Quote spoken words carefully

A transcript is a written record of speech, and automatic captions often mishear names, numbers and technical terms. Before you quote, play the passage and compare it with the text. Keep the speaker’s meaning: mark removed words with an ellipsis, put your own clarifications in square brackets, and do not join sentences that were said minutes apart.

Cite, do not copy the whole transcript

Short quotations with a citation are normal in essays, reviews and research. Publishing a complete transcript of someone else’s video is different: captions belong to the creator, so ask for permission or link to the video instead. Quoting your own videos, or videos released under a Creative Commons licence, follows the terms you or the creator set.