Social Media

Social Media

Best Practices for Social Media

Below are some best practices for citing social media content. More information can be found in section 10.15 of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (the Publication Manual):

  • If social media is used to discover content, cite the content directly, e.g.: when citing a blog post that was found via X (formerly Twitter), cite the work as a blog post. There is no need to mention that the work was discovered via X.
  • Include the text of a social media post up to the first 20 words.
  • Note the presence of any audio-visual content in square brackets, e.g.: [X post].
  • Social media content might contain nonstandard spelling and capitalization, links, emojis, and hashtags. Do not alter the spelling and capitalization in a social media reference. Include hashtags and links as they appear. Emojis can be replicated, or a description in square brackets can be provided, e.g.: [winking smiling face emoji].

 

X (formerly Twitter)

A screenshot of X, formerly known as Twitter. Blue arrows point to the URL, the username and name, and the first 20 words of the post.
An example of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)

Author, A. [@username]. (Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Description of audiovisuals]. Site Name. URL
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Hint! The 7th edition of the Publication Manual was published in 2020. In 2023, Twitter changed its name to X. However, the format for reference list entries and in-text citations remains the same.

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Reference List Entry: Example

Loyalist Library [@LoyalistLibrary]. (2024, March 14). The Evergreen nominees are here! Part of the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading, the Evergreen Awards are for adults. . . [Photograph of book covers of nominated titles]. X. https://twitter.com/LoyalistLibrary/status/1768301699247046666
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Hint! X may still have URLs that include the name Twitter. Copy URLs exactly as they appear.

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Parenthetical Citation

(Author, Date), e.g.: (Loyalist Library, 2024)

Narrative Citation   

Author (Date), e.g.: Loyalist Library (2024)

Best Practices for Citing and Referencing X

In November 2023, the APA Style blog released a post titled, “X References“, which updates the information in the Publication Manual regarding in-text citations and reference list entries for X/ Twitter. A link to this post can be found at the end of this section. Below are some best practices outlined in the post:

  • Present the name of the individual or group author the same as you would for any other reference. Then provide the X handle (beginning with the @ sign) in square brackets, followed by a period.
  • In the case of a group identified by an abbreviation (as with the CDC example), use the group name as shown on the work, to aid in retrieval.
  • Provide the specific date of the post.
  • Provide the first 20 words of the post as the title, in italics. Count a URL, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
  • If the post includes an image, a video, a poll, or a thumbnail image with a link, indicate that in brackets after the title: [Image attached], [Video attached], [Thumbnail with link attached].
  • Include the description “[Post]” in square brackets after the title.
  • Credit X as the site name in the source element and then provide the URL of the post. Currently URLs for X posts still include the twitter.com domain name.
  • The format used for X is also used for Instagram and TikTok

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Facebook Post

An example of a Facebook post from Loyalist College. Blue arrows point to the URL, the name of the page, the date, and the first 20 words of the post.
An example of a post on Facebook.

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)  

Author, A. (Date). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Description of audiovisuals]. Site Name. URL

Reference List Entry: Example

Loyalist College (2024, March 13). We’re proud to contribute to the nursing profession in our region through continued innovation in education, and even prouder to. . . [Image attached]. Facebook. Retrieved April 15, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/loyalistcollege

Parenthetical Citation

(Author, Date), e.g.: (Loyalist College, 2024)

Narrative Citation  

Author (Date), e.g.: Loyalist College (2024)

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Facebook Page

Citing a Facebook page differs from citing a Facebook post in a few ways (10.15):

  • Pages may change or be updated, so include a retrieval date before the URL.
  • Include the notation “Facebook page” in square brackets following the date.
  • Use the page title in the reference list entry if necessary, e.g.: “Timeline”, “Home”, “Photos”, “About”, etc.
An example of a Facebook page for Loyalist College. Blue arrows point to the URL and the page name and owner.
An example of a Facebook page.

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)

Name of Group. (Date). Page name [Description]. Site Name. Retrieval date. URL

Reference List Entry: Example  

Loyalist College. (2024). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved April 15, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/pg/loyalistcollege

Parenthetical Citation

(Page Name, Date), e.g.: (Loyalist College, 2024)

Narrative Citation   

Page Name (Date), e.g.: Loyalist College (2024)

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Instagram Photo or Video  

A screenshot of an Instagram post shared by the Loyalist College Library. Blue arrows point to the creator, date, URL, and content.
An example of an Instagram post.

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)

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

Reference List Entry: Example

Loyalist College Library [@LoyalistLibrary]. (2024, March 8). The Evergreen nominees are here! Part of the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading program, the Evergreen Awards are for adults . . . [Photographs of book covers]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/C4gAnNvLYdW/ 
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Remember! Information may be elsewhere on a page. It’s important to read carefully to find all of the information required for the reference list entry.

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Parenthetical Citation

(Author OR Name of Group, Date), e.g.: (Loyalist College Library, 2024)

Narrative Citation

Author OR Name of Group (Date), e.g.: Loyalist College Library (2024)
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Instagram Highlight

Citing Instagram Highlights differs slightly from citing Instagram posts in the following ways (10.15):

  • “n.d.” is used in place of a date. Although each story within a highlight is dated, the highlight itself is not dated and may include stories from multiple dates.
  • Because a Highlight can change at any time, it’s necessary to include a retrieval date.
  • URLs for highlights can be long, and it’s permissible to use an appropriate URL shortener (9.36). Ensure that the URL works before including it in the reference list entry.

Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)

Author, A. [@username] OR Name of Group [@username]. (n.d.). Content of the post up to the first 20 words. [Description or audiovisuals]. Site Name. Retrieval date, URL

Reference List Entry: Example

Loyalist College Library [@LoyalistLibrary]. (n.d.). The Evergreen nominees are here! Part of the Ontario Library Association’s Forest of Reading program, the Evergreen Awards are for adults . . . [Photographs of book covers]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/C4gAnNvLYdW/ 

Parenthetical Citation

(Author OR Name of Group, n.d.), e.g.: (Loyalist College Library, n.d.)

Narrative Citation

Author OR Name of Group (n.d.), e.g.: Loyalist College Library (n.d.)
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Online Forum Post

A screenshot of a post from Reddit. The post was created on September 17, 2019 by Vassy Kapelos from CBC. Blue arrows point to the site name, post title and content, the creator, and the date of the post.
An example of a forum post.

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Reference List Entry: Format (10.15)

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

Reference List Entry: Example

Kapelos, V. [cbcnews]. (2019, September 17). Hello, I’m Vassy Kapelos, the host of Power ＆ Politics on CBC News Network. Ask me anything! [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://reddit.com/r/canada/comments/d6gjav/im_vassy_kapelos_host_of_power_politics_on_cbc/
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Hint! Some forums list their dates in unconventional ways, like the example above. Finding a correct date may take extra work. If the exact date cannot be found, an estimated date, i.e.: 2019, is acceptable.

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Parenthetical Citation

(Author, Date), e.g.: (Kapelos, 2019)

Narrative Citation

Author (Date), e.g.: Kapelos (2019)

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TikTok

TikTok is not included in the Publication Manual, but the American Psychological Association (APA) has released guidelines for citing TikTok videos and profiles. The information here comes from “TikTok References”, published on the APA Style Blog in February 2020 and updated in March 2022. A link to the full text can be found at the end of this section.

TikTok Live

“Cite a livestream (e.g., TikTok Live) that is not archived by its hosting platform and cannot be retrieved by any other means (i.e., recorded and made available online via another hosting site) as a personal communication” (APA Style Blog, 2022).

TikTok Videos

The APA Style Blog provides the following guidelines for citing TikTok videos:

  • Present the name of the individual or group author the same as you would for any other reference. Then provide the TikTok handle (beginning with the @ sign) in square brackets, followed by a period.
  • Provide the specific date of the post.
  • Provide the first 20 words of the caption as the title. Count a URL or other link, a hashtag, or an emoji as one word each, and include them in the reference if they fall within the first 20 words. Do not italicize emojis.
  • Include the description “[Video]” in square brackets after the title.
  • Credit TikTok as the site name in the source element and then provide the URL of the video.
  • The format used for TikTok is similar to the format used for Instagram and Twitter.

Reference List Entry: Format

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

Reference List Entry: Example

Washington Post [@washingtonpost]. (2019, December 3). News is all around us #frozen #newsroom #newspaper [Video]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@washingtonpost/video/6765886712896818437

Parenthetical Citation

(Cook, 2021; Washington Post, 2019)

Narrative Citations

Cook (2021) and Washington Post (2019)
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Sources

American Psychological Association. (2023, November). X references. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/x-references

American Psychological Association. (2022, March). TikTok references. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples/tiktok-references

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style. (7th ed.).

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