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APA Citation Guide (7th Edition): Social Media

Note: This guide reflects the latest version of the APA Publication Manual (i.e., APA 7).

Tips

Author

On sites where items are posted under usernames but not necessarily proper names, enter the username where you would normally put the author's name. Author, in this case, will be the main creator(s) for the item you are citing.

Creator information may often be found under a section called "About" for some types of social media, however this is not always standard.

Date

Most items will provide a date they were posted. The standard format for the date is Year, Month Day.

If only part of the date is provided, post what you have such as the year and skip the rest of the date.

If no date is provided, use the initials n.d. where you would normally put the date.

Twitter

Tweet

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group [@username]. (Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words. [Tweet]. Site Name. URL

Example

Univ. of Nevada Reno [@unevadareno]. (2020, April 29). Mental health is very important to maintain and should not be neglected during quarantine. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/unevadareno/status/1255600248187224070

Note: If the tweet includes images, videos, or links to other sources, indicate that information in brackets after the content description. Also, attempt to replicate emojis if possible.

Twitter Profile

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group [@username]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL

Example

Univ. of Nevada Reno [@unevadareno]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved June 23, 2020 from https://twitter.com/unevadareno

Note: Provide a retrieval date because the contents of the page can change over time.

Blog Post

Format

Author, A. A. or Username if real name is not provided. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. Publisher. URL

Example

Dobbs, D. (2012, June 13). Fun in cities: Feature, not bug. Wired. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/fun-in-cities-feature-not-bug/

Facebook

Facebook Post

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

Example

National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, November 28). Suicide affects all ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. [Infographic]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/nimhgov/photos/a.208040836977/10157971523866978 

Notes:

This format can be used for posts to other social media services, including Tumblr, LinkedIn, etc.

If a status update includes images, videos, or thumbnail links to outside sources or content from another Facebook post, indicate that in square brackets.

Replicate emojis if possible.

Facebook Page

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Site name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

Example

Little River Canyon National Preserve. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved June 22, 2020 from https://www.facebook.com/lirinps/

Notes:

This format can be used or adapted for references to other platform or profile pages, including YouTube, InstagramTumblr, LinkedIn, etc.

Use the page title in the reference (e.g., "Timeline," "Home," "Photos," "About").

Include the notation "Facebook page" in square brackets.

Instagram Photo or Video

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

Example

NPR [@NPR]. (2020, June 13). Why can't everyone just vote by mail? Ahead of what was supposed to be the highest turnout election in history [Video]. Instagram. https://instagram.com/p/CBY7uCYANj1/ 

Podcast

Format

Host, A. A. (Host). (Year, Month Day). Title of episode (No. if provided) [Audio podcast episode]. In Name of podcast. Publisher. URL

Example

Barbaro, M. (Host). (2020, July 20). The life and legacy of John Lewis [Audio podcast episode]. In The Daily. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes/2020/07/20/podcasts/the-daily/john-lewis.html

YouTube Video or Other Streaming Video

Format

Author, A. A. [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Streaming Service. URL

Example

Nye, B. [TheRealBillNye]. (2009, April 8). Bill Nye the science guy on energy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ASLLiuejAo&feature=youtu.be

Note: The person or group who uploaded the video is credited as the author for retrievability, even if they did not create the work. If the author's name is the same as the username, you can omit the [Username].

Online Forum or Discussion Posting

Format

Author, A. A. or Name of Group [Username]. (Year, Month Day). Title of post [Online forum post]. Publisher. URL

Example

Fryxell, B. [celloben]. (2020, June 26). I am a cellist working to help bring classical music into the 21st century. Ask me anything! [Online Forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/hgagre/iama_cellist_working_to_help_bring_classical/