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What to note from the video’s page
- Title
- As it appears under the video, including anything after a | such as the speaker’s name.
- Channel
- The account that uploaded it, shown under the title. It may differ from the person speaking.
- Speaker or creator
- The person whose words you use, when the video credits one, as a TED talk credits its speaker.
- Upload date
- Under the title, or in full when you open the description. A link lookup does not always get it, so check it here.
- URL
- The watch link from the address bar or Share. A shortened youtu.be link leads to the same video.
- Time stamp
- For a quotation, the point where it starts, from the player’s timer, in place of a page number.
One video in every style
Matt Walker’s TED talk on YouTube, from its link:
MLA 9: Works Cited entry
Walker, Matt. “Sleep Is Your Superpower | Matt Walker | TED.” YouTube, uploaded by TED, 3 June 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM.
MLA 9: in-text
(Walker 00:03:42)
APA 7: reference
TED. (2019, June 3). Sleep is your superpower | Matt Walker | TED [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM
APA 7: in-text
(TED, 2019, 3:42)
Chicago 18: bibliography entry
Walker, Matt. “Sleep Is Your Superpower | Matt Walker | TED.” YouTube video, June 3, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM.
Chicago 18: first footnote
Matt Walker, “Sleep Is Your Superpower | Matt Walker | TED,” YouTube video, June 3, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM.
Harvard: reference list entry
TED (2019) Sleep is your superpower | Matt Walker | TED. 3 June. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM (Accessed: 3 November 2026).
Harvard: in-text
(TED, 2019)
IEEE: reference
[1] M. Walker. Sleep Is Your Superpower | Matt Walker | TED. (Jun. 3, 2019). Accessed: Nov. 3, 2026. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MuIMqhT8DM
IEEE: in-text
[1]
The styles disagree on who leads. MLA and Chicago start with the speaker, and MLA names the channel as the uploader; APA and Harvard start with the channel that posted it, here TED.
Channel, speaker and time stamps
- Speaker and channel are the same: most vloggers and lecturers post on their own channel. Then the channel name leads in every style.
- Speaker and channel differ: a talk, interview or news clip posted by an organization. Put the speaker in Authors only if your style starts with them (MLA, Chicago); APA cites the channel.
- Quoting: MLA gives the time as 00:03:42 and APA as 3:42 beside the in-text citation; type it in the box where a page would go.
- Shorts, TikTok and Vimeo: the same pattern as YouTube, with the platform’s name in place of YouTube. A post on Instagram or TikTok that is mainly a caption is a social media post instead.
Step-by-step YouTube guides
For a whole film or a TV episode on a streaming service, see the film and TV pages on the MLA and Chicago hubs.
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Questions
Who is the author of a YouTube video?
The channel that uploaded it, in APA and Harvard. MLA and Chicago start with the person who made or speaks in the video when that is clear, and MLA names the channel as the uploader.
How do I cite a specific moment in a video?
Give the time stamp in place of a page number: (Walker 00:03:42) in MLA, (TED, 2019, 3:42) in APA. Type it in the box beside the in-text citation.
Is a TED talk on YouTube cited differently from one on TED.com?
Cite the one you watched. On YouTube it is a YouTube video posted by TED; on TED.com the site is the container and there is no separate channel.
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