Social Media
Academic Writing & APA Style Guide – all sections
X (Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and similar posts, cited as primary sources — e.g., in a study of brand communication.
This is for citing a social media post itself as a source. It is not the format for citing something you merely found out about through social media — trace that back to its original source if possible.
Post with text (e.g., X/Twitter, Facebook)
Template:Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post, up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL
Example:Gates, B. [@BillGates]. (2019, February 11). Melinda and I spoke with Rashida Jones about the importance of getting a nutritious diet during a child’s first 1,000 days [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/1094985232750444544
In text:(Gates, 2019) / Gates (2019)
Note: Social media companies rename and restructure often (Twitter is now X) — use the platform name as it was at the time of the post, and note in your reference that a link may no longer resolve.
Image or video post (e.g., Instagram)
Template:Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Caption or description, up to the first 20 words [Photograph or Video]. Site Name. URL