If you want to use an idea or information presented by a speaker at a TED Talk presentation or seminar in your own research article, you will need to cite the original source. In the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation style, a good citation process includes the inclusion of citations in the text. This entry directs the reader to the complete citation entry in the bibliography segment or works cited at the end of the article. For TED Talks video presentations or seminars, the bibliography entry format will be different depending on whether you accessed the TED Talk video from the TED website or YouTube.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Creating Bibliography Entries for Videos from the TED Website
Step 1. Begin the entry with the speaker's name
Type the speaker's last name first, followed by a comma. After that, enter the first name. Include middle name or initials if applicable. Place a period after the name.
For example: Walker, Matt
Step 2. State the title of the video presentation or TED Talk seminar and enclose it in quotation marks
After the speaker's name, include the full title of the TED Talk presentation or seminar. Do not mention the speaker's name in the title. Use the title-case format (capitalize as the first letter of all words and nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs). Insert a period at the end of the title before the closing quotation mark.
For example: Walker, Matt. "Sleep Is Your Superpower."
Step 3. Enter the website name and video upload date
The full name of the TED website is "TED: Ideas Worth Spreading". Type the name in italics and continue with a comma. After that, enter the month and year the video was uploaded. Abbreviated month names that have more than four letters. Place a comma after the date.
For example: Walker, Matt. "Sleep Is Your Superpower." TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, Apr. 2019,
Step 4. End the entry with the URL of the TED Talk video
After the date, copy and paste the TED Talk video URL. In MLA style, remove the "http:" part of the URL. Place a period at the end of the URL.
For example: Walker, Matt. "Sleep Is Your Superpower." Ted: Ideas Worth Spreading, Apr. 2019, www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep_is_your_superpower
Bibliography Entry Format – TED Talk Videos on TED Website
Speaker's last name, First name. "Title of the TED Talk presentation/seminar." TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, Month Year, URL.
Method 2 of 3: Creating Bibliography Entries for Videos from YouTube
Step 1. State the speaker's name as the first element
Type the speaker's last name, followed by a comma. After that, enter the speaker's first name. Include middle name or initials if applicable. Place a period at the end of the name.
For example: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer
Step 2. Include the title of the video presentation or TED Talk seminar and enclose it in quotation marks
After the speaker's name, type the title of the TED Talk video in title-case format. Use a capital letter as the first letter of the first word and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. Place a period at the end of the title before the closing quotation mark.
For example: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout."
Step 3. State the name of the website and account of the video uploader
Type "YouTube" as the website name in italics and continue with a comma. Add the phrase " uploaded by " and add the name of the account that uploaded the video. Keep in mind that there are several TED channels on YouTube. Place a comma after the account name.
- For example: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED,
- For Indonesian: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED,
Tip:
Only use TED Talk videos from official TED channels for reference. TED Talk videos uploaded by other users may have been edited or modified.
Step 4. Add video upload date
After the account name, type in the date the video was uploaded to YouTube in date-month-year format. Abbreviate names of months that have four or more letters. Place a comma after the year.
- For example: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED, 22 May 2019,
- For Indonesian: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED, 22 May 2019,
Step 5. Enter the URL of the video to end the entry
After adding the date, copy and paste the direct URL of the YouTube video. Do not include the "http:" element in the URL. Place a period at the end of the URL.
- For example: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED, 22 May 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC5n91vKDZg.
- For Indonesian: Tavanier, Yana Buhrer. "How to Recover from Activism Burnout." YouTube, uploaded by TED, May 22, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC5n91vKDZg.
Bibliography Entry Format – TED Talk Videos on YouTube
Speaker's last name, First name. "Title of TED Talk presentation/seminar video." YouTube, uploaded by Uploader Account Name, Date Month Year, URL.
Method 3 of 3: Creating In-Text Quotes
Step 1. Add an in-text citation after each time you mention the cited information
The MLA citation style requires an in-text citation at the end of each sentence that includes information that you paraphrase or quote directly from the source. The in-text citation will direct the reader to the full citation entry on the bibliography page.
Use the first element of the bibliography entry for in-text citations so readers can find the appropriate entry. In this case, the first element used is the speaker's last name
Step 2. Use the timestamps on the video to indicate the moment you are referring to
MLA citation styles typically require that you include page numbers that contain the information you are citing or paraphrase the in-text citation. However, since you're referring to the video, use timestamps to direct readers to the right moment-the moment that displays the quoted information. While you are playing a video, hover over the playback bar to see the timestamp of the corresponding moment.
- For example, you might write something like this: "In some ways, a lack of sleep actually causes premature aging (Walker 1:01)."
- For Indonesian: “For several reasons, lack of sleep actually triggers premature aging (Walker 1:01).”
Tip:
If you quote the speaker directly, it will be easier for readers if you provide a timeframe for the information used. In this case, specify the initial time marker for the appearance of the information and the end time marker.
Step 3. Mention the name of the speaker in the writing
If you mention the speaker's name in your writing, you don't need to repeat it in the in-text quote. By mentioning the speaker's name, your writing becomes easier to read. However, you will still need in-text citations that include timestamps.
- For example, you might write something like this: "Sleep scientist Matt Walker pointed out that chronic lack of sleep may lead to premature aging."
- For English: "Sleep research scientist Matt Walker shows that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to premature aging."
