References and citations are a big part of an academic essay or paper. Say you are writing an essay and you are presenting findings or points of view of other writers to support your claims. Instead of leaving it at that, you need to mention the name of the author or the scholar and the name of the book. In scholarly terms, you need to leave a detectable trail for readers to verify the authenticity of the references and their connection with your claims.
For students in schools and colleges, writing an essay is one task, which is hard in its way. But, doing the references and citations work is harder, for both in-text citations and the bibliography. Since there are set methods to cite books, journals, webpages, and so on, they are easier to do than citing a TED Talk. Yes, you can cite a TED Talk in your essay or paper.
In this blog, we will take a look at TED Talks, how to cite Ted Talks in MLA and APA style and some of the benefits of Ted Talks for students in their learning and growth.
What Is TED Talk?
If you have noticed, TED is an abbreviation for Technology, Entertainment, and Design. The talks are pre-recorded public speaking events managed by a non-profit organization by the same name. Speakers from different walks of life are invited to the main event or other subsidiary events where they share their stories and ideas in a powerful, short talk.
Since people invited to talk at these events have already proven themselves to be the most respected in their fields, there is no problem in citing their talk in academic essays and papers. Also, overall TED talks have garnered respect and appreciation from millions of people across the globe which further strengthens its reliability and foundation for academic research.
So, if you are writing an essay and you need to cite a TED talk, there is nothing wrong with the idea. Only you need to be aware of how you are going to do it in the prescribed format.
How To Cite A TED Talk
Now that we have established that TED talks are indeed worthy of citing and being referenced in academic writing, it is time to show you how it is done. Again, we are going with both MLA and APA styles so that you do not have to worry about another referencing style. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
How To Cite TED Talk MLA
Starting with MLA style, it is one of the most popular formats for humanities and liberal arts programs. Once you have found a piece of information in a TED talk that you can use in your essay or paper, you need to determine the primary source that you are considering using. It is either YouTube or the website.
Following are some of the things that you must have to cite the talk:
- Name of the speaker
- Title of the video
- Name of the website
- Date of publishing (month and year)
- Original URL or web link
Keep in mind that when you are in-text referencing, your readers should have a timestamp so they can directly navigate to the quote that you are citing. This will not only help them in verifying the accuracy but also improve the overall readability of your essay.
Citing TED Talk In MLA From Website
Here is how you cite it from the TED website:
Last name of the host, First name. “Title of the TED talk.” TED, Month Year, URL
For works cited: Hyeonmi, K. “How cartoons are transforming movies and TV.” TED, Mar. 2022,
For in-text references: (Hyeonmi 7:11)
Citing TED Talk In MLA From YouTube
For those who want to use a TED talk available on YouTube, you can use the following format:
Speaker’s Last Name, First Name. “Ted Talk Title.” YouTube, TEDx Talks, Day Month Year, URL.
For works cited: Pitt, Brad. “How not to succeed in Hollywood? | Brad Pitt | TedX” YouTube, uploaded by TEDx Talks, 5 Mar. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnJwH_PZXnM.
For in-text references: (Imbo 11:34)
Citing TED Talk In MLA From A Transcript
When you are using a transcript to reference a TED talk in your essay or paper, you only need to add the word “Transcript” instead of YouTube or URL. Here is how it is done:
For works cited: Hyeonmi, K. “How cartoons are transforming movies and TV.” TED, Mar. 2022,
https://www.ted.com/talks/hyeonmi_kim_how_webtoons_are_changing_movies_and_tv/transcript. Transcript.
For in-text references: (Hyeonmi 7:11)
Citing A TED Talk In APA Style
APA formatting style is commonly used in science and technology subjects, including Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, and more. It has its own sets of rules and quirks but we will limit ourselves here to show you how you can cite a TED talk in APA style.
Depending on the platform that you will use for referencing, here are the essentials that you need:
- Name of the speaker or host
- Year and month of the publication of the video
- Name of the TED talk video
- Name of the website
- URL or web link of the video
Citing TED Talk In APA From Website
If you are using the TED website, you can use this template to format a reference:
Speaker’s Last Name, First Name Initial(s). (Year, Month). Title. [Video]. TED Conference. URL.
For the entry on the references page: Stokes, C. (2012, November). How movies teach manhood. [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/colin_stokes_how_movies_teach_manhood
For in-text citations: (Stokes, 2012), (Stokes, 2012, 6:12)
Citing TED Talk In APA From YouTube
When you are using YouTube to reference a TED talk in your essay or paper, here is how you are going to do it:
Uploader’s screen name or full name [TEDxTalks]. (Year, Date). Title. Website. URL
For the entry on the references page: TEDx Talks [TEDxTalks]. (2016, April). How a “clear mindset” is important to good judgment | Russel Crowe | TEDx. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MYEtQ5Zdn8
For in-text citations: (TEDx Talks, 2016)
Benefits of TED Talk For School & College Students
TED talks are conducted by hosts who have already left a lasting mark on their fields. They are often engineers, doctors, entertainers, and authors who help their listeners how to overcome adversity and become better through practice and perseverance.
Here are some of the major benefits that students in schools and colleges can get from TED talks.
TED Talks Teach New Things
The most obvious thing that these talks teach to students is new ideas and concepts. Professionals share their experiences and tell them how they saw and perceived things and became better by studying them and learning from them. For instance, if a student is avoiding challenging problems and then hear a speaker about overcoming them and the benefits, he will be motivated to replicate his behavior.
They Inspire Dialogue & Conversation
In our society, even though we are moving toward a more democratic structure, we are moving farther away from conversations and dialogues. At the very least, TED talks ignite conversations and debates among students and help them in exploring and understanding new things.
Motivate Students
These days, students are not much motivated to study and learn new things. They are more interested in killing their time through games and social media. There is no denying that both of these avenues offer some learning opportunities, but they are not the alternative to core studies. Listening to TED talks can motivate students and urge them to do better in their studies and succeed in their respective fields.
Broaden Their Horizons
Instead of just cramming books and learning concepts, students need to broaden their horizons and come up with new ideas. They should never limit themselves to the boundaries and limits that others have set for themselves and the students. Through TED talks, they can look beyond their reach and explore new ideas.
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