MLA Citation Generator for YouTube Videos

The generator below is preset to MLA (MLA 9th edition) for a YouTube or online video.

Check your reference against your institution's guidelines — lecturers sometimes vary the style.

Paste a URL, DOI, ISBN or title, or fill in the form yourself — the citation updates as you type, and you can copy it formatted, with italics and hanging indent intact, or as plain text. Under the tool you will find the MLA rules for this source type, worked examples, and the mistakes students make most often.

The rules: MLA format for youtube videos

Template: “Title of Video in Title Case.” YouTube, uploaded by Channel Name, Day Month Year, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxx.

If the creator’s real name is known and differs from the channel name, the creator can lead the entry; otherwise lead with the video title.
The title goes in quotation marks and title case. YouTube is the container and is italicised.
Credit the channel with “uploaded by”, then give the upload date as day, month, year.
The location is the watch URL without https://.
In text, cite the author or title with a timestamp for a specific moment: (Lindqvist 00:04:15).

Examples

Lindqvist, Sara. “How to Read a Research Paper in 20 Minutes.” YouTube, uploaded by Data in Focus, 8 May 2024, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1B2c3D4e5F.

“APA Style Basics: Reference List Essentials.” YouTube, uploaded by StudyLab, 2 Nov. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6G7h8J9k0L.

Common mistakes

Leaving out “uploaded by” and treating the channel as a publisher.
Keeping https:// at the start of the URL.
Using the date you watched the video instead of the upload date.
Putting the video title in italics — a video on a platform is a source inside the YouTube container.

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From the RozContent Study Blog: read the matching study guide on the blog.