How to Cite a Video/Online Media in Chicago Manual of Style (Author-Date)
Learn the exact format with examples, in-text citations, and common mistakes to avoid.
Citation Format
Basic Template
(Creator Year) Reference: Creator. Year. "Video Title." Platform. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.
Citation Components
Creator/Channel
Organization or individual name.
Year
Year of upload or publication.
Video Title
In quotation marks. Sentence case.
Platform
YouTube, Vimeo, TED, etc.
Access Date
Month Day, Year. Include 'Accessed' before date.
URL
Full video URL.
Real-World Example
Example Source
Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell
2022
How to become immortal
YouTube
July 10, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example
Formatted Citation
Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell. 2022. "How to Become Immortal." YouTube. Accessed July 10, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=example.
In-Text Citation
(Kurzgesagt 2022)
(Creator Year)
Common Mistakes
Wrong:
(Kurzgesagt 2022) - no access date in reference
Right:
Reference should include: Accessed Month Day, Year
Why: Chicago author-date requires access date for online videos.
Wrong:
Kurzgesagt. 2022. How to Become Immortal. YouTube.
Right:
Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell. 2022. "How to Become Immortal." YouTube. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
Why: Include full channel name, title in quotation marks, access date, and complete URL.
Wrong:
(Kurzgesagt, 2022) - using comma between creator and year
Right:
(Kurzgesagt 2022) - use space, not comma
Why: Chicago author-date uses space between creator and year.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the video has no official creator name? ▼
Use the channel name as the creator: Channel Name. Year. "Title." Platform. Accessed...
Should I include the exact upload date or is the year enough? ▼
Year is sufficient for most cases. The access date is what's required in Chicago style.
Can I include a timestamp for specific content in the video? ▼
Add the timestamp to the URL: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxxxx&t=120s or mention it in your text.
Need to Generate a Citation?
Use our free Chicago Manual of Style (Author-Date) citation generator tool to instantly format your citations.
Go to Chicago A-D Citation Generator →Looking for other citation styles or source types?
View All Citation Guides →