How to Cite TikTok

Here is how to cite TikTok in APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard style: treat the source like a short video or an online profile, credit the creator’s name and @handle, record the exact date it was posted, and link back to it. TikTok citations skip page numbers entirely, so the format leans on the creator’s handle, the first words of the caption, and, in APA and Harvard, a retrieval date, since a clip can be edited or taken down after you first viewed it.

Every citation style asks for the same three building blocks before it asks for anything else:

• The creator’s name or @handle, whichever the profile actually shows.
• The exact post date, since a search for the same clip later may turn up a re-upload with a different date.
• A label identifying the format, plus the URL, so a reader can verify it themselves.

TikTok Citation at a Glance

Style	Reference List / Bibliography	In-Text Citation
APA (7th ed.)	Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Caption (first 20 words) [Video]. TikTok. URL	(Author, Year)
MLA (9th ed.)	[@Username]. “Content of the post.” TikTok, Day Month. Year, URL.	(Author)
Chicago	Last Name, First Name. “Text of post.” TikTok, Month day, year. URL.	Narrative: Author (@username), “quoted text,” date
Harvard	Author. Year. Day/month of TikTok. Available at: URL. (Accessed: date).	(Author, Year)

How to Cite TikTok in APA Style (7th Edition)

APA Style treats these references the same way it treats other social media, under Section 10.15 of the Publication Manual. The reference always opens with the author, followed by the @handle in square brackets, the exact post date, and a label identifying whether the source is a video or a profile.

Citing a TikTok Video (APA)

Use the first 20 words of the caption as the title, and count any hashtag, emoji, or link within those 20 words. Add “[Video]” after the title and credit TikTok as the site name.

Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Video]. TikTok. URL

Example:

Cook, P. [@chemteacherphil]. (2021, September 17). Fighting fire with fire #sciencetok #learnontiktok [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@chemteacherphil/video/7008953610872605957

In-text: (Cook, 2021)

Citing a TikTok Profile (APA)

When the whole profile, not one video, is your source, use “(n.d.)” for the date and add a retrieval date at the end because profile content changes over time.

Author. [@username]. (n.d.). First 20 words of the bio [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

Example:

Witherspoon, R. [@reesewitherspoon]. (n.d.). [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://tiktok.com/@reesewitherspoon

In-text: (Witherspoon, n.d.)

For the full official guidance, see APA Style’s TikTok references page, or format it automatically with essayreply’s APA citation generator.

How to Cite TikTok in MLA Style (9th Edition)

MLA uses a container system: the source is the content, and TikTok is the container holding it. That keeps the format short compared to APA, and it drops the retrieval date since MLA does not require one for most web sources.

Citing a TikTok Video or Post (MLA)

[@Username]. “Content of the post.” TikTok, Day Month. Year, URL.

Example:

Lilly [@uvisaa]. “If u like dark academia there’s a good chance you’ve seen my tumblr #darkacademia.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@uvisaa/video/6815708894900391173.

In-text: (Lilly)

Citing a TikTok Profile (MLA)

Author Name [@username]. TikTok, URL. Accessed Day Month. Year.

Example:

Keys, Alicia. “Videos.” TikTok, 2020, www.tiktok.com/@aliciakeys?lang=en.

See the MLA Style Center’s TikTok examples for more variations, including how to handle a creator with no listed real name, or build the entry with essayreply’s MLA citation generator.

How to Cite TikTok in Chicago Style

Chicago (17th and 18th editions) recommends citing TikTok narratively in text first, using just the creator’s name, handle, and date in parentheses. A full footnote is optional, and a bibliography entry is rare unless your instructor asks for one.

Chicago Notes-Bibliography (Footnote + Bibliography)

Footnote:

Firstname Lastname (@username), “Text of post up to 160 characters,” Video, Month day, year, URL.

Bibliography:

Last Name, First Name. “Text of post up to 160 characters.” TikTok, Month day, year. URL.

Read the full breakdown, including a worked example, at Marist Library’s Chicago TikTok guide.

Chicago Author-Date (In-Text)

Skip the footnote entirely and mention the source narratively: name the creator, their handle, and the date it posted, right in your sentence. Only add a formal bibliography entry if a reader could not otherwise identify the source.

How to Cite TikTok in Harvard Style

Harvard referencing keeps TikTok close to how it handles any online video. Give the author, the year in round brackets, the day and month it posted, and an accessed date since the material can change or disappear.

Author. Year (in round brackets). Day/month of TikTok. Available at: URL. (Accessed: date).

Example:

Deliveroo (2021) 9 April. Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@deliveroo/video/6948830183537331462 (Accessed: 14 April 2021).

In-text: (Deliveroo, 2021). See UCL’s Harvard TikTok guide for the department-specific accessed-date wording some universities require.

Why Citing TikTok Matters

The site has become a legitimate source for commentary, primary research, and cultural analysis, which means the same rules against plagiarism on social media apply here as to any book or article. Giving proper credit to a creator’s original caption, the way you would for any other sources, rather than paraphrasing it without attribution, keeps your academic work in line with your institution’s academic integrity policy.

Instructors increasingly expect every student to treat social media the way they treat any other academic source: verify who made it, when they posted it, and whether a more permanent reference covers the same claim. Before you reach for a citation format, ask whether the clip actually strengthens your argument or whether a peer-reviewed article would serve the point better. When TikTok genuinely is the best option, an accurate citation for that piece of media matters as much as it would for a printed reference, since your reader needs a way to check it. For a broader look at attributing and paraphrasing social media responsibly, see this academic integrity guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to italicize “TikTok” in my citation?

No. APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard all treat TikTok as a website or platform name, not a standalone publication title, so it is not italicized.

What if the creator’s real name isn’t listed?

Use the @handle alone as the author element. All four styles accept a username in place of a real name when the creator’s identity is not disclosed on the profile.

Do I need a retrieval or accessed date for every TikTok citation?

APA requires one only for profiles, not individual videos, since a saved link points to a fixed piece of content. Harvard asks for an accessed date on every TikTok reference. MLA and Chicago do not require one, though your instructor may still ask for it.

Can I cite a TikTok Live or a Story that has already disappeared?

If the content was never archived and cannot be retrieved anywhere else, APA recommends treating it as a personal, unarchived communication instead of a reference list entry, since your reader would have no way to verify it.

Students can learn the same core rules for citing short-form video across platforms. If your paper also draws on a longer clip, our guide on how to cite YouTube videos walks through the same author, date, and title elements. For research papers that also draw on other platforms, from Instagram to X, see the full social media citation guide. If the same claim also appears on a standalone webpage rather than an app, our guide on how to cite a website covers that site format instead.