How to Cite an Instagram Post: APA 7 and MLA 9 Formats with Examples

An Instagram post is cited like any other short, dated, online source: who posted it, when, what it was, and where to find it. The element order differs between APA 7 and MLA 9, and the two styles handle posts without a title in different ways. This guide sets the two layouts side by side and covers what changes when the citation goes into a manuscript or thesis reference list.

The format

Both styles ask for the same raw information from the post page: the account or author name, the date the post was published (not the date you viewed it), a description or the text of the post, the platform name, and the post URL.

APA 7th edition

Two library style guides agree on the layout (the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez APA 7 guide and Purdue OWL). The template is:

• Account name, followed by the Instagram handle in square brackets: Name [@handle].
• Date of the post in parentheses: (Year, Month Day).
• First 20 words of the post, in italics.
• Type of post in square brackets: [Photograph] or [Video].
• Platform name: Instagram.
• URL of the post.

MLA 9th edition

The MLA Style Center’s Instagram page (published 30 June 2021) shows this order: Author. “Text of the post.” Instagram, Day Month Year, URL. The date is the date of the post. The Monash University Library MLA 9 guide notes that MLA has no separate Instagram format and treats Instagram under the format for a tweet or other short, untitled message; its template places the handle in square brackets after the author name when it differs from the account name. The MLA Style Center’s Instagram examples do not show a handle, so check which version your department or journal expects.

Examples

The MLA examples are the ones published by the MLA Style Center, with the middle of the long post text shortened by an ellipsis. The APA examples use real accounts named in the Puerto Rico guide, with the first-20-words element shown as a placeholder instead of the post text.

MLA 9, post with text (MLA Style Center)

Chabon, Michael. “#rip Milton Glaser. I grew up in his work. […] #mahaliajackson #miltonglaser.” Instagram, 28 June 2020, www.instagram.com/p/CB-E9gngVwo/.

MLA 9, photograph with no caption (MLA Style Center)

Where a post has no caption to quote, a description of the image stands in for the title. Thomas, Angie. Photo of burned copy of The Hate U Give. Instagram, 4 Dec. 2018, www.instagram.com/p/Bq_PaXKgqPw/.

APA 7, photograph (account from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez guide)

Philadelphia Museum of Art [@philamuseum]. (2019, December 3). First 20 words of the post [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5oDnnNhOt4/

APA 7, video (account from the same guide)

APA Public Interest Directorate [@apapubint]. (2019, June 14). First 20 words of the post [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BysOqenB1v7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

In-text citation version

In APA, in-text citations follow the general author-date rule, and the first 20 words of the post appear only in the reference-list entry: (Author, year) in parentheses, or Author (year) in the sentence. For the museum example above, that gives (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019). In MLA, the MLA Style Center’s post examples name the author in the sentence, so no parenthetical is needed. Monash also accepts the author’s surname or screen name in parentheses, for instance (indigiTUBE), or naming the poster in your own sentence. The in-text name must match the first element of the matching reference-list entry so a reader can find it.

Common errors

• Using the viewing date as the post date. Both styles use the date the post was published.
• Dropping the post type in APA. The bracketed [Photograph] or [Video] tells the reader what the source is.
• Leaving out the platform name. Both styles name Instagram; in MLA it is italicised.
• Citing the profile, not the post. The URL should lead to the specific post.
• Mixing APA and MLA elements in one reference list. Choose one style and apply it to every entry.

For manuscripts and theses

In a manuscript, the entry goes in the reference list or works-cited list in the required style, and the in-text form must match it. Check the journal’s author instructions before formatting, because many journals apply a house variant of a named style. For how posts and other web sources can disappear after you cite them, see link rot in citations and how to prevent it. For the rules on quoting from a source, see quoting and citing sources correctly, and for the wider paper layout in APA, how to write a research paper in APA style. If you use a reference manager or LaTeX, LaTeX bibliography styles explained covers how styles are applied. If you cite a social platform as evidence of research communication, social media for researchers gives the background.

Style-guide edition

The patterns above are for APA 7th edition (2020) and MLA 9th edition (2021), the current editions as of October 2026. For Chicago (18th edition, 2024) or any other style, follow the format in that style’s own manual.

FAQ

Do I cite the person or the account name?

Use the name the post appears under. APA puts the account name first with the handle in square brackets, as in Philadelphia Museum of Art [@philamuseum]. MLA uses the author or account name first; Monash adds the handle in brackets when it differs from the account name.

What if the post is only an image with no caption?

In APA, the bracketed type [Photograph] or [Video] follows the first 20 words of the post, if there are any. In MLA, a description of the image stands in for the title, as in the MLA Style Center’s Angie Thomas entry and the Monash guide.

What date do I use if the post shows only a relative time?

Monash advises using the exact post date if you can determine it. If the platform shows only a relative time such as “one week ago”, it says to use the page’s copyright date in the date position.

Sources

All sources checked 29 October 2026.

• MLA Style Center, How do I cite an Instagram post? (page published 30 June 2021).
• Monash University Library, MLA 9: online communications and social media.
• University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez Library, APA 7 social media guide.
• Purdue OWL, APA reference list: electronic sources.