PERRLA/Guides/APA 7/Video podcast

How to Cite a Video Podcast in APA 7

For a video podcast episode watched on the show's website or in a podcast app, an APA 7 reference uses the podcast episode format with the label [Video podcast episode]: the host with (Host), the air date, the episode title and number, In and the podcast's name in italics, the production company, and the URL. If you watched it on YouTube, cite it as a YouTube video instead: the channel that posted it as the author, the upload date, the title in italics, [Video], YouTube, and the URL. The in-text citation is the author and the year, plus a timestamp for a quote or a specific moment: (Huberman, 2021, 58:05).

The format

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of the episode (No. xx) [Video podcast episode]. In Name of podcast. Production Company. 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

Watched it on YouTube? Paste the YouTube link into PERRLA's reference search. PERRLA fills in the channel, the title in sentence case, the upload date, YouTube as the platform, and the URL, and the reference prints with [Video]. Then check two things. If the channel is a person's own name, like Andrew Huberman, type the first and last name in the name fields and clear the channel name, so the reference reads Huberman, A. And compare the title with YouTube's: keep everything YouTube shows, including any part after a | mark, and fix any capital letters that came through. Check the upload date against the one YouTube shows.

Watched it on the show's website or in a podcast app? Choose Podcasts & Radio, then A single podcast or radio episode, and pick A video podcast as the kind. Add the host as a Host, then fill in the Series Title, Episode Title, Episode Date, Episode Number, Production Company, and URL. PERRLA prints the [Video podcast episode] label. If you start from the episode's Apple Podcasts link instead, PERRLA sets the kind to an audio podcast, so switch it to A video podcast and add the host. For the whole show, choose An entire podcast or radio series with A video podcast, and PERRLA prints [Video podcast].

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

The parts of the reference

1. Where you watched it decides the format

A video podcast gets one of two references, depending on the version you watched.

  • On the show's website or in a podcast app: the podcast episode format, with [Video podcast episode].
  • On YouTube: the YouTube video format, with the channel as the author, [Video], and YouTube. APA's own YouTube examples include an episode of a show posted there, cited the same way as any other YouTube video.

Pick one version and take every part of the reference from it. Don't mix the host label from one with the YouTube link from the other.

2. Author

Podcast format: the host, written as last name and initials, with (Host) after it. Guests are named in your sentence, not here.

Huberman, A. (Host).

YouTube format: the channel that posted the video, with no role label. A person's channel is written as last name and initials. An organization's channel is spelled out in full.

American Psychological Association.

3. Date

Give the full date: the year, then the month and day. For the podcast format, that's the date the episode aired. For YouTube, it's the upload date under the video.

(2021, January 25).

The two are often the same day, but not always, so take the date from the version you cite.

4. Title and label

Podcast format: the episode title in sentence case and not italic, then the episode number with No. in parentheses, then [Video podcast episode].

How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode].

YouTube format: the title in italics and sentence case, then [Video]. Keep the whole title YouTube shows, including the show's name after a | mark.

The science of suicide prevention, with Matthew Nock, PhD | Speaking of Psychology [Video].

5. Source

Podcast format: In, the podcast's name in italics and sentence case, then the production company.

In Huberman lab. Scicomm Media.

YouTube format: just YouTube.

YouTube.

6. URL

End with the link to the version you watched, with no period after it: the episode's page on the show's website, or the YouTube video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAATB55oxeQ

Examples

A video podcast episode on the show's website

Episode 4 of Huberman Lab, where neuroscientist Andrew Huberman covers jet lag and shift work, watched on hubermanlab.com. It uses the podcast format with [Video podcast episode]. The show notes put the shift work section at 58:05, which goes in the citation.

  • Parenthetical citation(Huberman, 2021, 58:05)
  • Narrative citationHuberman (2021, 58:05)

The same episode watched on YouTube

The same episode as posted on YouTube by Huberman's channel, which carries his own name. On YouTube it's cited as a YouTube video: the channel is the author, with no (Host) label, and the episode number drops out because YouTube doesn't show it. The video's chapter list also starts the shift work section at 58:05.

  • Parenthetical citation(Huberman, 2021, 58:05)
  • Narrative citationHuberman (2021, 58:05)

A podcast episode an organization posted on YouTube

Episode 393 of Speaking of Psychology, with guest Matthew Nock, as the American Psychological Association posted it on YouTube. The organization's channel is the author, and the show's name stays in the title because YouTube's title includes it. For the audio version, see the podcast episode guide, where host Kim Mills is the author.

  • Parenthetical citation(American Psychological Association, 2026)
  • Narrative citationAmerican Psychological Association (2026)

In-text citations

An APA 7 in-text citation for a video podcast uses the author from your reference and the year. That's the host for the podcast format and the channel for a YouTube video.

  • Podcast format: (Huberman, 2021) or Huberman (2021)
  • YouTube, an organization's channel: (American Psychological Association, 2026)
  • A quote or a specific moment: add the timestamp where it starts, since a video has no page numbers: Huberman (2021, 58:05) turns to shift work after covering jet lag. Past the first hour, use hours, minutes, and seconds, like 1:02:15.
  • A guest's words: name the guest in your sentence and cite the episode under its author. Matthew Nock said that asking someone about suicide does not put the idea in their head (American Psychological Association, 2026).

Chapter lists in a YouTube description and timestamps in a show's notes make the time easy to find. Take it from the version you cite: this episode runs 1:50:55 on YouTube and 1:47:22 as audio, though both start the shift work section at 58:05. For the audio-only format, see how to cite a podcast episode, and for more on video and YouTube podcasts, our APA Obscura post on citing podcasts.

Common mistakes

  • Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAATB55oxeQHuberman, A. (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAATB55oxeQThis mixes two formats. On YouTube, cite it as a YouTube video: the channel as author, the title in italics, and [Video].
  • Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Audio podcast episode].Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode].The label matches what you used. If you watched the video version, it's [Video podcast episode].
  • Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast].Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode].[Video podcast] is for the whole show. One episode is [Video podcast episode].
  • Nock, M. (2026, September 16). The science of suicide prevention, with Matthew Nock, PhD | Speaking of Psychology [Video]. YouTube.American Psychological Association. (2026, September 16). The science of suicide prevention, with Matthew Nock, PhD | Speaking of Psychology [Video]. YouTube.On YouTube, the author is the channel that posted the video. The guest is named in your sentence.
  • American Psychological Association. (2026, September 16). The science of suicide prevention, with Matthew Nock, PhD [Video]. YouTube.American Psychological Association. (2026, September 16). The science of suicide prevention, with Matthew Nock, PhD | Speaking of Psychology [Video]. YouTube.Keep the whole title as YouTube shows it. APA's own example of a TED Talk on YouTube keeps the speaker's name after the | mark.
  • Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode]. In Huberman lab.Huberman, A. (Host). (2021, January 25). How to defeat jet lag, shift work & sleeplessness (No. 4) [Video podcast episode]. In Huberman lab.In the podcast format, the show's name is italic and the episode title is not.

Quick checklist

  • Pick the format from where you watched: show site or app, or YouTube
  • Show site or app: host with (Host), air date, [Video podcast episode], In and the show in italics, production company
  • YouTube: the channel as author, upload date, title in italics, [Video], YouTube
  • Titles in sentence case, keeping the full YouTube title
  • Every part from the same version, ending with its URL
  • A timestamp in the citation for a quote or a specific moment

Questions students ask

Is a podcast on YouTube a video podcast or a YouTube video in APA 7?

Cite it as a YouTube video: the channel that posted it is the author, the title is in italics, and the label is [Video], with YouTube as the site. Use the [Video podcast episode] format when you watched the video on the show's own website or in a podcast app.

What label do I use for a video podcast?

[Video podcast episode] for one episode and [Video podcast] for the whole show. On YouTube, the label is simply [Video].

Who is the author when the host didn't post the video?

In the YouTube format, the channel that posted the video is always the author, even if the host or a network runs a different channel. In the podcast format, the host is the author. Either way, name guests in your sentence.

How do I cite a timestamp from a video podcast?

Add the time where the quote or moment starts after the year: (Huberman, 2021, 58:05). Use the time from the version you cite, since the YouTube upload and the audio version can run different lengths.

How do I cite a video podcast I watched on Spotify?

Use the podcast format with [Video podcast episode]. Spotify is where you watched, not who made the show, so the source is the production company. End with a link to the episode on the show's website or Apple Podcasts if you can find one; if not, end after the production company.

How do I cite a whole video podcast?

The host with (Host), the years the show has aired, like (Year–present), the show's name in italics, [Video podcast], the production company, and the URL. See how to cite a whole podcast for the details.

Rules checked against the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), Sections 6.17, 8.17, 8.28, 9.10, 9.14, 9.19, 9.21, 9.29, 9.34, 10.12, and 10.13, and the APA Style website's podcast and YouTube reference examples. Each episode was checked on October 21, 2026: the Huberman Lab host, date, and producer on hubermanlab.com and in the show's RSS feed, its episode number on Apple Podcasts, and both YouTube videos' channels, titles, upload dates, and lengths on YouTube. The 58:05 timestamp is the start of the shift work section in the episode's show notes and in the YouTube chapter list.

PERRLA builds the video podcast reference in whichever format fits where you watched, with [Video podcast episode] or [Video] in place.

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