PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/TikTok video

How to Cite a TikTok Video in APA 7

An APA 7 TikTok reference starts with the creator's name and their TikTok handle in square brackets, then the full posting date in parentheses, the first 20 words of the caption in italics as the title, the description [Video] in square brackets, TikTok as the site name, and the video's URL. The in-text citation is the author and the year: (World Health Organization, 2026).

The format

Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Video]. TikTok. URL

PERRLA APA Experts · Updated October 21, 2026
Checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. Every example is formatted by PERRLA's reference engine.

First, the easy way: PERRLA

Paste the video's link into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA reads the link and fills in the @handle, the posting date, [Video], TikTok as the platform, and the URL. TikTok usually keeps the caption and the creator's name from outside tools, so add those yourself: paste the whole caption into Post Content and PERRLA keeps the first 20 words, hashtags and all. Then type the creator's name in the First and Last boxes, next to the handle.

Adding one by hand? Choose Social Media, then A social media post. Set the role to Username (screen name), type the handle with its @ in the Name box, and the person's name in First and Last. For an organization like the World Health Organization, type its full name in Last and leave First empty. Type Video in Name of Platform Posts, TikTok in Platform Name, pick the posting date, and paste the URL. Leave Retrieval Date empty for a video.

Citing a TikTok profile instead? Paste the profile's link, and PERRLA sets up the profile reference with the handle, [TikTok profile], and today's retrieval date. TikTok profiles have no tabs, so replace Posts in Page Title with the bio, and type the account's name next to the handle. Adding one by hand? Choose Page or profile on a social media platform, put the bio in Page Title, type TikTok profile in Page Description, and click Today under Retrieval Date.

Not using PERRLA yet? Here is how to build the same reference by hand.

The parts of the reference

1. Author and handle

Give the author the way you would for any reference: a person's last name and initials, or an organization's full name. Then add the TikTok handle, starting with the @ sign, in square brackets, and end with a period.

World Health Organization [@who].

TikTok display names are often nicknames. The account behind @austinchiangmd shows "Dr. Austin," but the creator is gastroenterologist Austin Chiang, so the reference reads Chiang, A. [@austinchiangmd]. Use a real name only when the account or a reliable source confirms it. If all you know is the handle, the handle becomes the author, with no brackets: @handle.

Leave abbreviations out of the reference, even when the display name includes one, like "World Health Organization (WHO)."

2. Date

Give the year, month, and day the video was posted, in parentheses, followed by a period.

(2026, May 27).

TikTok shortens dates. Videos from the last week show times like "5d ago," and videos from the current year show only the month and day, like 5-27. Work out the full date before you write the reference.

3. Caption as the title

TikTok videos don't have titles, so the caption stands in for one. Use the first 20 words of the caption, in italics, exactly as the creator wrote them. Keep their spelling, capitalization, and punctuation.

Don’t be fooled by flavours. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine, which is highly addictive and can quickly get you hooked. They

A hashtag, an @mention, a link, and an emoji each count as one word, and they stay in if they fall within the first 20. APA Style says emojis themselves aren't italicized. Cut the caption off at word 20, even mid-sentence.

Use the caption the creator wrote, the text right under their name. The preview title TikTok attaches to shared links, like "Dr. Austin on TikTok," comes from TikTok, not the creator.

4. Description

Right after the caption, add the word Video in square brackets, not italicized, then a period.

[Video].

5. Site name and URL

Name TikTok as the site, then give the link to the video itself, not the creator's profile. A video link has the handle and /video/ in it.

TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@who/video/7644540575126916385

Don't put a period after the URL, and don't add a retrieval date for a video. Retrieval dates are only for profiles, which change over time.

Examples

A TikTok video from an organization

A World Health Organization video for World No Tobacco Day about nicotine in flavored e-cigarettes. The caption runs past 20 words, so the title stops at the 20th word. The British spelling "flavours" stays, because the caption is reproduced as written.

  • Parenthetical citation(World Health Organization, 2026)
  • Narrative citationWorld Health Organization (2026)

A TikTok video from an individual creator

A health literacy video from gastroenterologist Austin Chiang, whose account displays the name "Dr. Austin." His real name goes first, with the handle in brackets. The short caption keeps both hashtags.

  • Parenthetical citation(Chiang, 2026)
  • Narrative citationChiang (2026)

A TikTok caption with an emoji

Another Chiang video, on hospital closures. The emoji is the 13th word of the caption, so it stays in the title, along with the two hashtags after it.

  • Parenthetical citation(Chiang, 2026)
  • Narrative citationChiang (2026)

A TikTok profile

To cite a whole account instead of one video, cite its profile. TikTok profiles have no tabs, so the bio is the title, followed by [TikTok profile]. Profiles have no date and change over time, so the reference gets n.d. and the date you looked at it.

  • Parenthetical citation(World Health Organization, n.d.)
  • Narrative citationWorld Health Organization (n.d.)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for a TikTok gives the author and the year, just like any other source. Use the name from the front of the reference, not the handle, unless the handle is all you have.

  • Organization: (World Health Organization, 2026) or World Health Organization (2026)
  • Individual creator: (Chiang, 2026) or Chiang (2026)
  • Handle only: (@handle, 2026)
  • Profile: (World Health Organization, n.d.)
  • A quote from what someone says in the video: add the time stamp where the quote starts, in place of a page number: (Author, Year, minutes:seconds)
  • Two videos by the same creator in the same year: add a lowercase letter after the year, in the reference and in the citation, in the order the references appear on your references page. Cite both Chiang videos above in one paper, and they become (Chiang, 2026a) and (Chiang, 2026b).

A narrative citation puts the author in your sentence: The World Health Organization (2026) warned that flavored e-cigarettes still deliver addictive nicotine. For the backstory on TikToks and Instagram Reels, read our APA Obscura post on citing a TikTok or Instagram Reel.

Common mistakes

  • Chiang, A. [@austinchiangmd]. (2026, August 21). Dr. Austin on TikTok [Video].Chiang, A. [@austinchiangmd]. (2026, August 21). Touch a book pls #healthliteracy #literacy [Video].That's the preview title TikTok gives shared links and outside tools. The caption under the creator's name is the title.
  • Touch a book pls [Video].Touch a book pls #healthliteracy #literacy [Video].Hashtags are part of the caption. Each one counts as a word, and it stays in if it falls within the first 20.
  • Dr. Austin [@austinchiangmd].Chiang, A. [@austinchiangmd].A display name isn't an author's name. When you can confirm who the creator is, give their last name and initials, then the handle.
  • World Health Organization [@who]. (2026).World Health Organization [@who]. (2026, May 27).Social media posts take the full date, not the year alone. TikTok hides the year on recent videos, so check it.
  • TikTok. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://www.tiktok.com/@who/video/7644540575126916385TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@who/video/7644540575126916385A posted video doesn't change, so it needs no retrieval date. Only profiles do.
  • Don’t be fooled by flavors. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine…Don’t be fooled by flavours. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine…Reproduce the caption exactly. Don't correct its spelling, change its capitalization, or put it in sentence case.

Quick checklist

  • Author's name, then the @handle in square brackets
  • Full date: year, month, and day
  • First 20 words of the caption, in italics and exactly as written
  • Hashtags, @mentions, links, and emojis counted as one word each
  • [Video], then TikTok, then the link to the video itself
  • No retrieval date for a video; n.d. and a retrieval date for a profile

Questions students ask

Can I cite a TikTok in an academic paper?

Yes. APA 7 has a format for it, and a TikTok is the right source when the video itself is what you're discussing, like how a health agency talks to teens or how a claim spread online. For a clinical fact, cite the study or guideline behind it, and ask your instructor if you're not sure a TikTok will count.

What if I only know the creator's username?

Put the handle in the author position, with the @ sign and without square brackets: @handle. (2026, May 27). The in-text citation uses the handle too: (@handle, 2026).

What if the TikTok has no caption?

Leave the caption out and let the description stand in for the title: @handle. (2026, May 27). [Video]. TikTok. APA uses a bracketed description in place of a title for any work without one.

How do I cite a TikTok Live?

If TikTok didn't save the Live, and nobody recorded it and posted it somewhere else, your reader can't find it. APA treats it as a personal communication: an in-text citation only, with no entry on the references page. If a recording is online, cite the recording instead.

Do I cite a repost or a stitch, or the original video?

Cite the video you watched and credit the account that posted it. If you're writing about the original creator's words, find the original video and cite that one instead.

Is a TikTok cited differently from an Instagram Reel?

The format is the same: name and handle, full date, first 20 words of the caption, [Video], the platform, and the URL. Only the site name changes, to Instagram. See our guide to Instagram posts and Reels.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 8.9, 8.17, 8.28, 9.8, 9.14, 9.16, 9.19–9.22, 9.47, and 10.15, and the APA Style website's TikTok references page. Example videos verified on TikTok on October 21, 2026: each caption, handle, and date read from the video page, with dates checked against the timestamp in each video's ID. Austin Chiang's identity confirmed in published profiles of his work.

PERRLA builds the TikTok reference from your details, with the handle in brackets, the caption cut at 20 words, and [Video] in place.

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