How do I cite an online video?

Note: This post relates to content in the eighth edition of the MLA Handbook. For up-to-date guidance, see the ninth edition of the MLA Handbook.

Begin the entry as you would any other: consult the MLA format template. List the title of the video in the “Title of source” slot and the title of the website where you watched the video in the “Title of container” slot.

Rubier, Jeremy, director. Gui Martinez: A Short Film and Photo Essay. Vimeo, uploaded by Poweredby.tokyo, May 2017, vimeo.com/channels/staffpicks/216976160.

Keep in mind that some information may not be available, and other information may be included. In the example below, the video has no author, director, or producer, so work with what you have:

Slip Slip Knit (SSK). YouTube, uploaded by TheKnitWitch, 14 Feb. 2007, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGwcYW3GG3M.

If it’s not clear that the work you’re citing is a video—for example, if a song by the same title appears on the site—include the medium of publication in the optional-element slot at the end of the entry:

Beyoncé. “Pretty Hurts.” Beyoncé, www.beyonce.com/video/. Video.