An APA social media citation follows the format: Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). Content of post up to first 20 words [Post]. Platform. URL. Use this free generator to automatically structure your social media citations for APA 7th edition papers.
How to Cite Social Media in APA 7th Edition
Under APA 7th edition guidelines, social media posts are cited using the author’s real name (if known) and handle, publication date, post content/description, platform, and URL. If the uploader is an organization rather than an individual, use the organization name without bracketed initials.
The basic format for a social media citation is:
APA Social Media Citation Examples
| Scenario | APA 7th Edition Reference List Entry |
|---|---|
| Twitter (X) Tweet | Gates, B. [@BillGates]. (2024, May 15). Sharing a quick update on our global health projects around the world. Proud to see progress being made. [Post]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/123456 |
| Instagram Post | National Geographic [@natgeo]. (2023, December 1). A stunning view of the Arctic landscape captured by our team of photographers. The ice cap continues to... [Post]. Instagram. https://instagram.com/p/abcde |
| Facebook Post | NASA. (2024, January 10). We have launched a new mission to study the sun’s corona in unprecedented detail using our state-of-the-art satellite. [Post]. Facebook. https://facebook.com/NASA/posts/12345 |
| Post with only image (No text) | Smith, J. [@jsmith]. (2023, October 5). [Infographic on climate changes] [Post]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/jsmith/status/56789 |
Key Rules for Social Media Citations
- The 20-word rule: Replicate the text of the post exactly, keeping the first 20 words. If the post is shorter, include the entire text.
- Do not change capitalization/spelling: Replicate hashtags, abbreviations, and emojis as they appear in the original post.
- [Post] identifier: Always add the format description `[Post]` in square brackets after the title.
- Platform: Write the name of the platform (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) after the post description.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a social media post in APA format?
To cite a social media post in APA 7th edition format, use: Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Post]. Platform Name. URL. For example: Gates, B. [@BillGates]. (2024, May 15). Sharing a quick update on our global health projects [Post]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BillGates/status/...
Do I use the real name or handle for APA social media citations?
If both the author’s real name and handle are available, provide the real name first (in the format Last, F. M.) followed by the handle in square brackets: Smith, J. [@jsmith]. If only the handle is available, use the handle as the author name without square brackets: [@jsmith]. (Year, Month Day). If only the real name is available (such as for Facebook pages without handles), use the real name.
How do I determine the title of a social media post?
For social media posts (which do not have formal titles), use the first 20 words of the post as the title. Italicize these 20 words. If the post contains only an image, video, or link without text, provide a description in square brackets instead: [Image attached] or [Video attached] in place of the title text.
Should I include emojis in my APA social media citation?
Yes. If the first 20 words of the post contain emojis, you should include them in the citation if your platform/system supports them. If they cannot be displayed, replicate the emoji’s name in square brackets, e.g., [heart emoji], or omit them if necessary. Emojis count towards the 20-word limit.
Is this social media citation generator free?
Yes, this tool is 100% free with no account creation, paywalls, or limits. Paste the URL of a tweet or post for auto-fill scraping, or fill in the manual fields to generate clean, copy-ready APA 7th edition citations.