How to Cite YouTube, Podcasts, and TED Talks in APA 7
If you need to cite YouTube videos in APA, format an APA 7 video citation, or figure out the correct podcast citation for APA, you are in the right place. A TED talk citation might look straightforward until you realize that TED Talks on YouTube follow different rules than TED Talks on ted.com. Modern research papers pull from far more than journal articles. Students regularly cite YouTube lectures, podcast episodes, TED Talks, online course videos, and audio recordings. These sources are legitimate, but APA 7 has specific formatting rules for each media type, and most students get them wrong.
One student on Reddit put it bluntly: "I gave up several classes ago trying to get APA correct." And according to a study published in the Journal of European Psychology Students, 90.9% of papers have reference list errors. Media citations are where many of those errors hide, because the formats vary by source type and most citation generators handle them poorly.
This guide covers the exact format for every media source you are likely to cite. Bookmark it. You will come back to it.
YouTube Videos
YouTube is the most common media source in student papers, and the citation format depends on who uploaded the video. APA 7 treats the uploader as the author, but the format changes based on whether the uploader is a person, an organization, or a screen name only.
Basic format:
Author, A. A. [Screen Name]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXX
When the uploader is a person (real name known):
Use their real name in standard APA author format, then put the screen name in square brackets:
Simmons, D. [Dr. DaRyl Simmons]. (2024, September 12). How to write an APA abstract in 10 minutes [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example1
When the uploader is an organization:
Use the organization name. If the channel name matches the organization name exactly, you do not need brackets:
Harvard University. (2023, March 8). The future of artificial intelligence in education [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example2
When only a screen name is known:
Use the screen name without brackets, because there is no real name to distinguish it from:
Crash Course. (2024, January 22). Understanding neural networks [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example3
Key details for YouTube citations:
- The video title is italicized
- Include [Video] in square brackets after the title
- The date is the upload date shown on YouTube
- "YouTube" is the site name and appears after [Video]
- The URL is the last element, with no period after it
TED Talks
TED Talks trip students up because the citation format depends on where you watched the talk. A TED Talk on YouTube is cited differently than the same talk on ted.com.
TED Talk watched on YouTube:
Cite it as a YouTube video. TED is the channel (uploader), so use TED as the author:
TED. (2019, April 15). The danger of a single story [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
TED Talk watched on ted.com:
When you watched the talk on TED's own website, the speaker becomes the author and the format changes slightly:
Adichie, C. N. (2009, July). The danger of a single story [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Notice the differences:
- On YouTube: TED is the author. Date includes the day. Site name is "YouTube."
- On ted.com: The speaker is the author. Date is month and year only (when the talk was given). Publisher is "TED Conferences."
If you can find the talk on ted.com, that version is generally preferred because it credits the actual speaker as the author, which makes your in-text citations more informative.
Podcasts
APA 7 distinguishes between citing an entire podcast series and citing a single episode. Most students cite individual episodes, but both formats come up.
Single podcast episode:
Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (No. 45) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Name. Publisher. URL
Example:
Vedantam, S. (Host). (2024, June 3). The benefits of mixed emotions (No. 214) [Audio podcast episode]. In Hidden Brain. Hidden Brain Media. https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-benefits-of-mixed-emotions/
Entire podcast series:
Host, A. A. (Host). (Year-present). Podcast name [Audio podcast]. Publisher. URL
Example:
Vedantam, S. (Host). (2015-present). Hidden Brain [Audio podcast]. Hidden Brain Media. https://hiddenbrain.org/
Key details for podcast citations:
- Include "(Host)" after the host's name to clarify their role
- For single episodes, the episode title is italicized and the podcast name appears after "In" (also italicized)
- For the full series, only the podcast name is italicized
- Use [Audio podcast episode] for a single episode and [Audio podcast] for the whole series
- The episode number goes in parentheses after the title if available
- If the host and the publisher are the same name, still include both
Online Lectures and Course Videos
Recorded lectures from platforms like Coursera, Khan Academy, edX, or university course pages follow a format similar to YouTube videos, but the platform name replaces "YouTube" as the source.
Format:
Instructor, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of lecture [Video]. Platform Name. URL
Example (Coursera):
Ng, A. (2024, January 10). What is machine learning? [Video]. Coursera. https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning/lecture/example
Example (Khan Academy):
Khan Academy. (2023, May 18). Introduction to derivatives [Video]. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/math/calculus/derivatives-intro
Note: When the organization is the author and the platform name is the same, you still include both. APA 7 requires the site name element even when it repeats the author for video and multimedia sources. This differs from the website citation rule where you omit the redundant site name.
Music and Audio Recordings
If your paper references a specific song or audio recording, APA 7 has a format for that too.
Song on a physical or digital album:
Artist, A. A. (Year). Song title [Song]. On Album title. Label.
Example:
Lamar, K. (2017). HUMBLE. [Song]. On DAMN. Top Dawg Entertainment.
Song accessed via streaming service:
When you accessed the recording through Spotify, Apple Music, or another streaming platform, include the URL:
Beyonce. (2022). Break my soul [Song]. On Renaissance. Parkwood Entertainment; Columbia Records. https://open.spotify.com/track/example
For streaming sources, the URL goes at the end just like any other online source. Use the most direct and stable link available.
The In-Text Citation for Media Sources
In-text citations for videos, podcasts, and other media follow the same (Author, Year) format as any other source. The difference is what you use instead of page numbers when quoting directly.
Parenthetical citation:
(Vedantam, 2024)
Narrative citation:
Vedantam (2024) argued that mixed emotions serve an evolutionary purpose.
Direct quote with timestamp:
When you quote directly from a video or podcast, use the timestamp instead of a page number:
(Adichie, 2009, 14:12)
Or in narrative form:
Adichie (2009) described how "the single story creates stereotypes" (14:12).
When to use timestamps:
- Direct quotes from videos or podcasts always need a timestamp
- Paraphrased content does not require a timestamp, but including one helps your reader locate the information
- Use the format MM:SS or H:MM:SS for longer recordings
For a deeper look at in-text citation formatting, including common parenthetical and narrative mistakes, see our guide on reference list basics.
Common Media Citation Mistakes
These are the errors that appear most often in student papers when citing videos, podcasts, and other media sources.
1. Using the video title as the author.
The author is the person or organization that uploaded the video, not the title of the video. The title goes in the title position (italicized). If no person or organization can be identified, then the title moves to the author position, but this is rare for YouTube videos and podcasts.
2. Forgetting the format descriptor in brackets.
Every media citation needs a bracketed description after the title: [Video], [Audio podcast episode], [Audio podcast], [Song], or [Film]. Without it, your reader cannot tell what type of source they are looking at from the reference alone.
3. Using the wrong date.
For YouTube videos, use the upload date shown on the video page. For TED Talks on ted.com, use the month and year the talk was delivered. For podcast episodes, use the release date of that episode. Getting the date type wrong is easy when you are citing the same talk from two different platforms.
4. Not including the channel or screen name when it differs from the author.
When a person's real name is known and their YouTube channel uses a different screen name, you must include the screen name in square brackets after the real name. Omitting it makes the source harder for readers to find.
5. Missing the URL entirely.
Every online media source needs a URL as the final element of the citation. No period after the URL. If the source has a DOI, use that instead, but most videos and podcasts will not have DOIs.
Quick Reference Table
Use this as a cheat sheet when formatting media citations. Each row shows the core format at a glance.
YouTube Video (person):
Author, A. A. [Screen Name]. (Year, Month Day). Title [Video]. YouTube. URL
YouTube Video (organization):
Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Title [Video]. YouTube. URL
TED Talk (on YouTube):
TED. (Year, Month Day). Title [Video]. YouTube. URL
TED Talk (on ted.com):
Speaker, A. A. (Year, Month). Title [Video]. TED Conferences. URL
Podcast Episode:
Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Episode title (No. X) [Audio podcast episode]. In Podcast Name. Publisher. URL
Podcast Series:
Host, A. A. (Host). (Year-present). Podcast name [Audio podcast]. Publisher. URL
Online Lecture:
Instructor, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of lecture [Video]. Platform Name. URL
Song (album):
Artist, A. A. (Year). Song title [Song]. On Album title. Label.
Song (streaming):
Artist, A. A. (Year). Song title [Song]. On Album title. Label. URL
Let StyleMyPaper Check Your Media Citations
Media citations have more variations than most students expect, and each source type has its own rules for authors, dates, and format descriptors. StyleMyPaper scans your entire reference list for formatting errors across all source types, including videos, podcasts, and online media. Upload your paper and see exactly which references need attention before your professor does.