I am teaching my college writing class how to research, and the subject they are researching is Greek Mythology. Among other things, they will access material on YouTube.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create an MLA citation for any data that you find on YouTube.

I’ll create a citation for the following film.

In order to cite the material on YouTube [even if I am streaming the material via an app on a Smart TV, I access what I am watching on my computer–to create the citation.

If you cite anything on YouTube, your citation will be created as a webpage–even though you are often watching entire films and even though you might be streaming the data on a Smart TV [which is actually a type of computer].

Scribbr is a Fabulous Resource for Writers. Among many other things, they have a free Citation Generator.

https://www.scribbr.com/citation/generator/

Next, you will be asked to add the URL of the YouTube video. On my computer, you see the URL of the video in the Google search window. It is next to the Home button: It reads: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCHfg-6klVU&t=68s

Beware of YouTube, however. Although his name is below the video, Fadi Akil did NOT create this video. He merely uploaded it to YouTube. I am not even sure that he legally uploaded it. I suppose that he did so to increase his subscriber base on YouTube, but I don’t know that. YouTube is a bit like Wikipedia in that you must thoroughly check your sources and your information before you use either site for research.

At about 12 seconds into the film, I see that the creator of this series is François Busnel.

At the end of the film, I see that it was created in 2015,

Click Cite Source

Voila!

If you do not see any name or other info about the film ON THE FILM, leave what you do not know blank. But again, on YouTube, check your information, too. Anyone can upload almost anything to YouTube. YouTube info is not always correct.

I have checked the info in Busnel’s videos. You can verify what he says in this video in the Greek Mythology book by E.M. Berens. It is free on Project Gutenberg.

Berens, E. M. “The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome.” Gutenberg.org, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22381. Accessed 20 Oct. 2022.