How to reference a YouTube video in Harvard referencing style

Published October 17, 2020. Updated August 15, 2021.

If you need to cite a YouTube video in Harvard referencing style, this guide covers all the basics. These guidelines also apply to other online video sharing platforms like Vimeo and dailymotion. Because Harvard style can vary, this guide uses the 11th edition of Cite them right by Richard Pears and Graham Shields for standardization purposes. This guide is not affiliated with the text in any way. Also, if you’re citing sources, the Chegg Writing Harvard referencing generator is a helpful resource.

To reference a YouTube video in Harvard style, you’ll need the following information:

Name of the organization or person who uploaded the video
Year the video was posted
Title of the video
Date the video was uploaded (if available)
URL or name of video platform
Access date

For YouTube and other similar videos, it is important to use the information linked to the video so that your reader can find the exact video you are citing. If it is clear that someone else created the video, still use the name of the person or organization responsible for uploading it. This means that if you are citing a video posted by a university of someone giving a talk, use the name of the university, not the person giving the talk. The name of the uploader is crucial for correctly identifying the video.

Additionally, if your video is behind a paywall or has restricted access, Harvard recommends using the name of the sharing platform. This recommendation can also be applied to any reference for online video sharing platforms, though it is preferable to provide your reader with the exact link if possible.

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Citing a YouTube video

In-text reference template and example:

(Peter Draws, 2020)

(Video creator OR Channel name, Year published)

If you need to reference a specific part of the YouTube video or quote it, you’ll add a time code to your in-text reference, formatted as minutes:seconds. Here’s how that looks:

After he prepared the wood panels, he started doodling on them (Peter Draws, 2020, 01:32).

Full reference template and example:

Video Creator OR YouTube Channel Name (Year Published) Video title. Day Month published. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month year).

Peter Draws (2020) Can we just draw on wood panels instead of paper? 8 September. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ifox125W_g (Accessed: 29 September 2020).

Alternatively, you could also cite the video as follows:

Peter Draws (2020) Can we just draw on wood panels instead of paper? 8 September. Available at: YouTube (Accessed: 29 September 2020).

Citing an embedded video

If you are referencing a video embedded on a different page, you’ll include the same information. You can use the URL from the webpage on which you found the video, or the URL for the original video. You’ll likely need to click through to the original video to find the information you need to properly reference it.

In-text reference example:

The website landing page for Sow the Land gives a video tour of their homestead (Sow the Land, 2019).

Full reference using the website the video was found on:

Sow the Land (2019) 1.5 acre homestead tour!! (homesteading family). 31 July. Available at: https://sowtheland.com/ (Accessed: 29 September 2020).

Full reference for the video as it is on YouTube:

Sow the Land (2019) 1.5 acre homestead tour!! (homesteading family). 31 July. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFrYhkkkwHI&feature=youtu.be (Accessed: 29 September 2020).

For more style basics, read this Harvard referencing in-text citations guide and this article on formatting Harvard referencing style papers.