How to Cite an AI-Generated Video
Updated June 2026
Citing a video you made with Sora, Veo, or another generator? Here's the format in APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Treat the AI tool as the author, describe the clip, add the model version, the [AI-generated video] label, and the link where it lives.
The format
Tool (as author) → date → clip description → (model version) → [AI-generated video] → link. The generator builds this from Manual Entry → AI-generated video.
OpenAI. (2026, March 5). A timelapse of a city skyline from day to night (Sora) [AI-generated video]. OpenAI. https://sora.com/g/skyline-timelapse
OpenAI. "A timelapse of a city skyline from day to night." OpenAI, 5 Mar. 2026, https://sora.com/g/skyline-timelapse. Accessed 1 June 2026.
OpenAI. "A timelapse of a city skyline from day to night." OpenAI. March 5, 2026. https://sora.com/g/skyline-timelapse.
What counts as an AI-generated video — and why you're citing it now
An AI-generated video is a clip produced by a text-to-video model — OpenAI's Sora, Google's Veo, Runway, Pika — from a written prompt. Generative video went mainstream in 2025–26, and students are now dropping these clips into presentations, projects, and explainers. That's the why-now: it's brand-new, it has no human filmmaker to credit, and AI-disclosure rules apply to video just as they do to text and images.
A citation records which model made the clip and when — and protects you under your school's integrity policy.
The pieces
- Author — the tool or its maker (OpenAI, Google). No human director, so the model is the author.
- Description / title — a short description of the clip, or your prompt.
- Version — the model (Sora, Veo 3) so the citation pins what generated it.
- [AI-generated video] — the bracketed label marking it as machine-generated.
- Source & link — a share link if there is one; otherwise the tool name and the date you generated it. Note the runtime if it's relevant.
The hard part: a clip with no public link
Generated videos often don't have a stable public URL — they may live only in your account or your export. When there's no shareable link, name the tool as the source, give the date, and keep the prompt in a note so the work is documented. If the clip is part of your submission, reference it in an appendix.
Official guidance is still forming; the APA Style blog and MLA Style Center are the places to watch. For a specific tool, see how to cite Sora.
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Go Premium — $5/monthFrequently asked questions
- Who is the author of an AI-generated video?
- The AI tool or its maker (e.g., OpenAI for Sora, Google for Veo). There's no human filmmaker, so the model stands in as author.
- What if the video has no public URL?
- Name the tool as the source, give the date you generated it, and keep your prompt in a note. Reference the clip in an appendix if it's part of your submission.
- Do I include the runtime?
- You can, especially in APA where a duration is sometimes noted for video. It's optional but helps identify the exact clip.