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Citation Help for APA, 7th Edition: Movies & Streaming Video

Help with common issues and questions with APA 7th edition

Variations - URLs?

Long, Complicated URL?

 

Some URLs may be long and complicated. APA 7th edition allows the use of shorter URLs. Shortened URLs can be created using any URL shortener service; however, if you choose to shorten the URL, you must double-check that the URL is functioning and brings the reader to the correct website. 

Common URL Shortner websites include:

More Information

For more information about URLs, see Section 9.36 on page 300 of APA Manual, 7th edition. 

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference about using short URLs. Some instructors may want the full URL. 

Variations - Live Hyperlinks?

Should my URLs be live?

It depends. When adding URLs to a paper or other work, first, be sure to include the full hyperlink. This includes the http:// or the https://. Additionally, consider where and how the paper or work will be published or read. If the work will only be read in print or as a Word doc or Google Doc, then the URLs should not be live (i.e., they are not blue or underlined). However, if the work will be published or read online, then APA advises to include live URLs. This would allow the reader to click on a link and go to the source. 
 

More Information

For more information, see Section 9.35 on pages 299-300 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

NOTE: Check your instructor's preference about using live URLs. Some instructors may not want you to use live URLs. 

Streaming Video available in Multiple formats and Multiple Collections (Kanopy, Films Media, NetFlix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, etc.)

Example

 

Davenport, R. (Director). (2015). A cerebral game: A filmmaker with cerebral palsy & his love of baseball [Film]. New Day Films. 

 

Explanation

 

Author or Creator: Davenport, R. (Director).

Begin the reference with the Director of the film. The director serves as the author or creator of the film. List the last name of the director followed by a comma and the initial of the first name. Add a period after the initial. Then, add a space and put "Director" in parentheses. Add a period after the parentheses.
 

Date of Publication: (2015).

Next, add the date the film was published in parentheses, and add a period after the parentheses. 
 

Title & Subtitle of the Film: A cerebral game: A filmmaker with cerebral palsy & his love of baseball [Film].

Next, add the title and subtitle of the film. Follow the general capitalization rule that says to only capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. Italicize the title. Do not add a period after the last word of the title. Instead, add brackets with "Film" within the brackets. Add a period after the brackets. 
 

Source Information: New Day Films.

Complete the reference with the name of the production company. Add a period after the production company.
 

More Information:

For more information about streaming videos, see page 341 about Audiovisual Media and Section 10.12 on page 342-344 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

 

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Davenport, 2015)

Narrative Citation Example:

Davenport (2015) shared .....

 

More Information: 

For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition. 

Streaming Video from YouTube or Vimeo

Example

 

Carleton University Library. (2015, July 23). Writing an annotated bibliography [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/sesnEcikxT8

 

Explanation

 

Author or Creator: Carleton University Library.

Begin with the organization that uploaded the video. The author may also be a person, a group author, an alias, or a username of the person who uploaded the video - even if they did not create the video. This aids in the retrievability of the video.
 

Date of Publication: (2015, July 23). 

Next, add the date the video was published or uploaded. When adding the date, begin with the year first, followed by a comma and the month fully spelled out. After the month, add the day. The date should be in parentheses with a period after the parentheses. 
 

Title & Subtitle of the video: Writing an annotated bibliography [Video].

After the date, add the title of the video. The title should follow the general capitalization rule that says to capitalize the first word of the title and subtitle as well as proper nouns. The title should be italicized. After the title, add "Video" in brackets. Add a period after the brackets. 
 

Source Information: YouTube. https://youtu.be/sesnEcikxT8

​Complete the reference by listing the streaming video collection where the video is hosted. In this case, it is YouTube. Add a period after YouTube. List the URL of the video. To find the shortened URL for the YouTube video, click on "Share" and use the URL provided. 

 

More Information:

For more information about streaming videos, see page 341-342 about Audiovisual Materials and Section 10.12 on pages 342-344 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.  

Parenthetical & Narrative Citation Examples

 

Parenthetical Citation Example:

(Carleton University Library, 2015)

Narrative Citation Example:

Carleton University Library (2015) outlined ...

 

More Information:

For more information about author format in parenthetical and narrative citations, see Section 8.17 on page 266 of the APA Manual, 7th edition.