YouTube is the quintessential video web or application. There is a huge number of videos within it, of all kinds as well. Since we can watch videos of humor, music, but we also have content that will help us when studying or learning, or even during some work or project that we have to carry out, they provide us with additional information. For this reason, there may be times when we want to quote a specific video that we have seen.
This is something that many users do not know how to do, so we will tell you more about it below. we show you how to cite a youtube video in APA format, which is the format that is most used and is requested to be used at the university, for example. In this way, if you have used a video on the web to obtain certain information, you will be able to cite it, in addition to using the appropriate format for it.
Know how to cite a YouTube video It is something important nowadays, since many students use a video from the web as a reference when adding some information or it is an important source. By citing it, people who read that paper or project will know where you got the information from and will be able to see it for themselves. In addition, the APA format will be used in this case, which is the one that is required to be used in universities around the world. So if you have used a video on the web in your research, these steps will help you know how to cite it in this project, work or document.
Fortunately, the process is not complex and does not present too many differences with respect to the way in which we cite a book or document using the APA method. The concept is the same, only now we are quoting a video that has been posted on YouTube. This is something that many users do not know how to do, but here we will show you how to cite a YouTube video in APA format and you will be able to see how simple it is.
Information needed from the video
When we cite something using APA format, you have to add or specify specific information. This is something that also applies in the case of this YouTube video, so we will have to put a series of data in this quote that we are going to use. For example, in the APA format, the person who uploaded the video on the web must be added, instead of the author of the video. This is something that is done to make it easier to find that video later. If the person's real name is different from the channel name, then you have to include both in the quote.
On the other hand, between brackets, the name of the YouTube channel where we found this video that we are citing should be mentioned. While the real name has to be mentioned in standard format, that is, it has to be written in the same way that it appears on the well-known website. It is important that we respect at all times capital letters and special characters, as this would affect when citing a YouTube video. This must not be forgotten.
It may be the case that we do not know the real name or the person who has uploaded that video on YouTube. In such cases, it is the name of the channel that will be in the standard format, while the bracket will be empty then. This is something that can happen in many cases with somewhat older videos, so it is best to respect all of this, since that way you will be faithful to the APA format in this citation, which is what you were looking for.
When the channel name is the same as the author's real name, you'll only need to type it once in this citation, leaving the other space blank in this case. The citation of a video is often used in a frequent way, so it is vital to know this, in order to make proper use of it. Once you have done one, the following ones will come out automatically at all times. So you know how to cite YouTube videos in APA format.
How to cite a YouTube video
When citing a video from the web we have several options. In addition, we must consider that there are cases in which we will have to cite a channel entirely instead of an individual video in our work. When this is the case, when we quote a channel in general, you do not have to give information such as what year the channel in question was created, but you can put sf (no date), since the important thing in this case is the complete content in general that is within it.
Leave “YouTube Channel” instead of “Video” in square brackets, and then you have to include the date of retrieval, since the content of the channel can change if the author decides so. A good example of how to cite in this case can be seen below, this is the format to use:
Last Name, Initials [Here you put the name of the channel]. (nd). Home [YouTube channel]. Youtube. Retrieved on Day Month Year from URL.
Home is the home page of the channel in question, if you are going to quote something else, the entire section of videos or the playlists it has, replace this with the full address. This is known as the reference entry, the in-text citation has to be enclosed in square brackets, in this case the usual [].
Important aspects to consider
When citing a YouTube video a series of aspects must always be taken into account, so that we are going to respect the APA format at all times when citing. We have already indicated the steps to follow to cite said video on the web, but we compile here the elements that must be included for the citation to be adequate. In case there are doubts or if you forget any of them. This way you will keep in mind at all times everything that needs to be used in a citation in APA format:
- Author of the YouTube video: indicate the last name and initials of this person (PA Sánchez)
- Username: if the username is not at the beginning, go to the “About” section, where we are given information about the author who uploads the video in question on the web.
- Publication date: in this section you must write the day, month and year in which it is uploaded. It is done in parentheses always followed by a period, for example (March 1, 2022).
- Title of the video: the first word is usually written in capital letters, always respect each of the characters used, whether they are uppercase or lowercase. There is no need to change anything in this regard, but put it as it is.
- URL: enter the full URL of the page, with the protocol used by the page, either http:// or https://, although in the case of YouTube it will always be the second one, because it is a website which uses only https currently.
The APA format that is currently accepted in all cases is:
Author(s) of the YouTube video. [Username] (Date of publication). Title of the video [Video]. Youtube. urls
A YouTube video where the creator's real name is available is as follows:
Denecken, R. (July 12, 2020). 6 tips on how to learn a new language!- How did I do it?- Romy Denecken [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh8UV0SynQg
quote comments
Not only is it possible to cite a video that we have used on the well-known website. And also it is possible to quote a comment too. If this is something we want to do, the way to do this is a bit different, although it's not something we need to worry about. Since although this is something that may seem like it is going to be somewhat complex, the reality is that it will follow an identical format at all times.
To quote a person's comment on a video on YouTube, you must provide the 20 words of the comment of the text, then between brackets we put [Comment on the video ABCDE], where we have put ABCDE we have to put the full title of the video where the comment in question that we are citing will appear. As you can see, it is not something that is going to be too complex, but we are going to respect the same APA format that we have used in the previous case.
YouTube allows us to do this by clicking on the date of the comment, if it is on another platform, like Vimeo for example, we are even allowed to add a direct link to the video so that it will redirect it in this way. Once you have clicked on the date you can reply to that comment, even by clicking on the word «Reply». So this is something that will be very easy for everyone.