How to Cite a Social Media Post: APA 7 and MLA 9 Formats

A social media post is cited like any other short, dated online source: who posted it, when, what it said, and where to find it. The element order differs between APA 7 and MLA 9, and both styles use the text of the post in place of a title. This guide sets the two layouts side by side across X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn, and covers the decisions that come up when a post goes into a manuscript or thesis. For a single-platform walkthrough, see the separate guide on how to cite an Instagram post.

The format

Whatever the platform, collect the same raw material from the post page: the account or author name, the @handle, the date the post was published (not the date you viewed it), the text of the post, the platform, and the post URL.

APA 7th edition

Two university library guides agree on the APA layout (Boise State University Library and the George Washington University Himmelfarb Library; see Sources). Each element is named below.

• Author: the person or group name, followed by the handle in square brackets: Surname, F. M. or Name of Group [@username].
• Date in parentheses: (Year, Month Day).
• Title: the first 20 words of the post, standing in for a title.
• Post type in square brackets: [Tweet], [Instagram post], and so on. If the post has an image, link or video, add that inside the bracket, for example [Tweet; attached video].
• Platform name and the URL of the post.

MLA 9th edition

Two library guides agree on the MLA layout (Boise State University Library and Kirkwood Community College Library). The account name comes first, the text of the post goes in quotation marks as the title, and the platform is the container.

• Author: the account name, with the handle in square brackets when the account name differs from the handle: Name [@handle]. The Kirkwood guide allows the handle to be left out only when the account name is similar to it and the post URL is included.
• Title: the text of the post, in quotation marks.
• Container: the platform name, in italics.
• Date posted, then the URL.
• When the posting date is not available, as often happens in apps, add an “Accessed” date at the end of the entry (Kirkwood guide).

Guides differ on whether to add the time of the post: the Boise State guide includes it for Twitter and Facebook entries (and omits it for Instagram and TikTok), while the Kirkwood guide does not show it. Follow your instructor or the journal’s instructions for authors.

Examples

All accounts, handles, post text and URLs below are invented for illustration. They show the pattern only and do not refer to any real person or organisation.

X (formerly Twitter), APA 7

Northfield Marine Lab [@nfmarinelab_example]. (2026, March 4). Kelp survey data from this season are now in the lab repository. Thank you to every volunteer diver who logged transects [Tweet]. X. https://x.com/nfmarinelab_example/status/0000000000

The library guides still use the name “Twitter” in their templates and bracketed post types. Use the platform name as it appears on the post page you are citing.

Facebook, MLA 9

Northfield Marine Lab. “Volunteer dive weekend is open for sign-up through the end of the month.” Facebook, 12 Apr 2026, https://www.facebook.com/example/posts/0000000000.

TikTok, MLA 9

@kelpkitchen_example [Dana Example]. “Three ways to read a transect line.” TikTok, 2 May 2026, https://www.tiktok.com/@kelpkitchen_example/video/0000000000.

Instagram, APA 7

Northfield Marine Lab [@nfmarinelab_example]. (2026, May 9). Field team back from the reef with a full season of photo quadrats and a very tired boat [Instagram post]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/EXAMPLE/

LinkedIn and Facebook, APA 7

For a LinkedIn or Facebook post, the same rule applies: use the first 20 words of the post as the title. A whole profile or page, rather than one post, is cited differently (see the FAQ).

In-text citation version

In APA 7, the in-text citation is author-date. Cite the post’s author and the year, for example (Northfield Marine Lab, 2026), and use “n.d.” if the post has no date. In a thesis, the first 20 words of the post appear in the reference list entry, not in the sentence.

In MLA 9, the in-text citation is the first item of the Works Cited entry, here (Northfield Marine Lab), with no URL in the text. See the guide to MLA Works Cited format for how the list is ordered, and the dictionary entry on parenthetical citation for the in-text mechanics common to both styles.

Common errors

• Leaving out the handle. In both styles the handle in square brackets identifies the account; the Kirkwood MLA guide says to always give it when the entry has no URL.
• Quoting the whole post as the APA title. APA uses the first 20 words only.
• A bare URL. A link on its own is not a citation. The author, date and post text are what let a reader recognise the source if the link changes.
• Using the date you viewed the post. The date element is the publication date of the post.
• Mixing the two layouts. APA puts the date directly after the author and uses a bracketed post type; MLA puts the date after the platform and has no bracketed type.

For manuscripts and theses

When a post is your evidence, cite the post itself. When the post repeats a quote or image from elsewhere, the Kirkwood guide advises tracing it back to the original poster and citing that instead. Because posts can be edited or removed, keep your own record of the author, the date and the post text as you write, so the reference list entry can be completed from your notes. A bibliography or reference list should follow the single style your institution or journal specifies; check the required style with your supervisor. Quoting a post’s wording without a citation is a form of plagiarism, whatever the platform.

Style-guide edition

The patterns above follow APA 7th edition (2020) and MLA 9th edition (2021), the current editions of both as of October 2026. If your institution requires Chicago (18th edition, 2024) or a Harvard variant, use the format given in that style’s manual or your department’s guidance; the layouts above are not a substitute for it. For other source types in these styles, see how to cite a YouTube video in APA and from a book.

FAQ

Do I cite a social media post in a thesis?

Yes. If you quote, paraphrase or rely on a post, give it a reference list or Works Cited entry in your required style, plus the matching in-text citation.

How do I cite a repost or a retweet?

When you quote or reuse content that someone else originated, the Kirkwood library guide advises tracing it back to the original poster and citing that source instead of the intermediary. Confirm with your instructor or journal how a repost itself should be treated.

How do I cite a whole profile instead of one post?

In APA 7, the GWU guide gives a profile pattern with “n.d.” as the date, a title such as Tweets [Twitter profile], and a “Retrieved Month Date, Year, from URL” statement.

What if the post has been deleted?

The cited guides give no rule for deleted posts. As practice, record the author, date, post text and URL while the post is live, and check with your supervisor or journal whether an archived copy is acceptable.

Sources

• Boise State University Library, “Citing Sources: Social Media” (page last updated 26 November 2024), https://guides.boisestate.edu/citingsources/socialmedia, accessed 29 October 2026. Used for the APA and MLA layouts and the first-20-words rule.
• George Washington University Himmelfarb Library, “APA: Social Media (Twitter, Instagram)” (page last updated 13 October 2026), https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/APA/social-media-twitter-instagram, accessed 29 October 2026. Used for the APA pattern, attached-media bracket, in-text form and the profile pattern.
• Kirkwood Community College Library, “Citation: Social Media” (page last updated 9 October 2026), https://guides.kirkwood.edu/citation/social-media, accessed 29 October 2026. Used for the MLA pattern, handle rule, “Accessed” date and the advice to trace content to the original poster.
• Style editions: American Psychological Association, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020); Modern Language Association, MLA Handbook, 9th edition (2021).