Home Education Can You Cite YouTube as a Source When Writing – 2024 Guide

Can You Cite YouTube as a Source When Writing – 2024 Guide

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Creating anything from scratch is difficult, but everything gets even more challenging when you have to place your name under it, confirming you are behind that work. The same thing happens when we write something, which is why writing essay troubles so many people. Even when we write an essay, there is always trouble citing all the sources and picking which one we should cite. Things got even more difficult today, as there are many YT videos we can use as a source, but do we need or have to cite them when writing an essay? Well, let’s start from the basics and focus on the facts.

The more research, the better the results

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Let’s start from the basics, as writing an essay has always been challenging because there are many rules and guidelines we need to follow. Now, this shouldn’t be as difficult as some might say if you have done such a thing before and are familiar with all that’s needed, but it might seem challenging for someone entirely new to all this. Of course, to create quality content and write an exemplary essay, one needs to do thorough research on the given topic, but even that doesn’t grants that your work will be great. Namely, you can be certain that the essay will be excellent only by following all the rules of writing an essay, and if you are new to all this, doing some research is simply a must.

One thing that troubles many is that there are simply way too many sources that provide different instructions on how to write an essay, and what’s even worse, they contradict each other, leaving you in despair. Now, there is no reason for that, as all you need to do is check some basic guidelines and do the homework on the given topic. Yes, leave all other things behind and focus on what really matters, which is creating a quality essay.

Understandably, citing sources properly is something that even experienced essay writers find troubling, as there are many sites you can use, and not all of them should be mentioned.

Besides that, videos we can find online are also pretty informative, and the first thing to clarify here is that you can and should cite YouTube as a source when writing an essay.

That’s because there are lots of videos that are more than useful, regardless of whether they provide precise information or are a how-to guide, meaning that one can really learn much by just watching them.

Important information

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When it comes to citing the YT video in an essay, many people are worried about whether it is possible or not, and the short answer is yes. Of course, we need to do it properly, and because of that, we need to pay attention to important information that needs to be mentioned, just like we are citing any other source, such as a book or an article. First of all, we need to check the username, or even better, the full name of the person who is standing behind the video, which is easy to find, as we only need to look under the video on the YT page.

After that, it is necessary to provide the full name of the video and do it exactly as it is written on the website to avoid any possible confusion. In addition, we need to mention the name of the website and the URL that leads directly to the video we want our readers to see. The date when it was posted and retrieved and its duration are not a must, but it is preferable to add it too, as it will take a few seconds, and the essay will surely look much more professional.

Choose the right style

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There are few writing and citation styles, and before citing the sources, we need to determine which of them is the best for our essay. Depending on the style we choose, we will state different information and do it in a different way. We should use the information mentioned above in whichever style we choose, but the order we should state them depends on the one we use, so it is important to learn more about the style itself before doing it. It is less complicated than it looks, and with a little research, we can easily become experts in this field. Thanks to the internet, and many other sources, getting the right information was never easier than now.

Is it a credible source?

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As you can see, it is possible to use YT as a source for any type of essay you want to write, but what many people are not sure of is whether it is credible. Once again, the answer is yes, and thanks to modern technology and the importance YT has now, it is a credible source. Of course, it is crucial to find videos related to the subject, and since there are too many of them, it is necessary to find the best one, or the entire point will be missed.

Seek help from the professionals

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Okay, we are all aware that there is a fast and easy way to get the job done today and a long and tiresome one. In this case, asking for professional help can be a lifesaver, especially when one doesn’t have inspiration and the deadline is closing in, leaving you no room for any maneuver.

Luckily, there are many sites that grant anonymity and provide great results essay-wise, meaning that you will have more time for other, more interesting, and exciting things. Of course, picking the right one might seem like a tough thing to do as there are plenty of them to choose from, but that is why you should always go with renowned ones like wr1ter.com.

To summarize

Using YouTube videos as a source is allowed, and it can be a great way to show the world our idea, which can help them learn more about the topic we have written about.

However, it is always better to use more than one source and to state some book or article besides the YT video, as it will look more professional.