 | This is an explanatory essay about the WP:Citing sources and WP:External links. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Videos on user-submitted sites can sometimes be used as references or external links, but copyright infringement and unreliability will rule out the use of many of these videos. |
There is no blanket ban on linking to user-submitted video sites through external links or when citing sources. However, such links must abide by various policies and guidelines. Links should be carefully and individually evaluated for inclusion.
Linking to such sites is often discouraged due to misuse. You may not link to any copyright violation, such as a music video or television show that has been uploaded illegally, on any page or for any purpose. Wikipedia takes copyright violations very seriously, and persistent violators will be blocked from editing. The {{uw-copyright-link}} template can be used to notify editors of this.
If using the link as a source to support article content, then you must establish that the uploader and the video meet the standards for a reliable source. If there is a question to a YouTube video's validity or appropriateness as a reference, alternatives include using the {{cite episode}} or {{cite AV media}} templates, citing the original media without the use of any link.