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APA 7th ed. - Referencing Tool

Referencing - Social Media

Facebook

Guidelines

- Personal account names follow the format: Surname, First initial, Second initial, e.g: Smith, J. If there is no personal account name, then provide the online account name.

- If there is no name or title of the post use the content or caption (up to the first 20 words).

- Indicate the type of post in square brackets eg. [Facebook post] or [Status update]. Facebook. If the post includes images or videos indicate that in square brackets after the title, e.g. [Video].

-If citing a Facebook page, then include [Facebook Page] after the page title in square brackets. 

- Please provide a precise URL.  Click on the post's date stamp to access the URL.

-For a Facebook post, include the year, month and day of the post after the account name.

-If you are citing a temporary post (e.g. Facebook Story) that is not archived by the website and cannot be retrieved, then it should be cited as personal communication.

 

 

In-text Citation

(Account Name, Year)

 

Reference List (Facebook Post- Personal Author)

Personal Account Name. (Year, Month, Day). Title of specific post [Type of post]. Facebook. URL of specific document

 

Reference List (Facebook Post- Corporate Author)

Corporate Author Name. (Year, Month, Day). Title of specific post [Type of post]. Facebook.  URL of specific document

 

Reference List (Facebook Page)

Corporate Author. (n.d.). Page title [Facebook Page]. Facebook. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

In text example

 Reference list example

 In-text Citation

(World Health Organization, 2020)

 

In-text Citation

Scott Morrison announced that Australia international borders (Morrison, 2022).

 

 

 

Polio has recently resurfaced in Nigeria (World Health Organization, 2016) .

 Facebook Page

World Health Organization. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from https://www.facebook.com/WHO/

Facebook post (individual author)

Scott Morrison (ScoMo). (2022, February 7). Important news today that Australia will reopen our international border to all remaining fully vaccinated visa holders from 21 February [Video] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=520885819397015

Facebook post (Corporate author)

World Health Organization. (2016, August 12). We are deeply saddened by the news that 2 Nigerian children have been paralysed by polio. The Government of Nigeria [Status Update] [Article]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/WHO/posts/1193450940700287

 

 

For further information see:

Facebook References by APA Style

Instagram

Guidelines

- Provide the instagram handle in square brackets after the author name. Make sure to include the @ sign for the handle.

- Note the inclusion of audiovisuals in square brackets after the title of the post, e.g.: [Photograph]

- Social media posts might contain nonstandard spelling and capitalisation, hashtags, links and emojis. Do not alter the spelling and capitalisation in a social media reference. Retain hashtags and links, Replicate emojis, if possible.

-Identify the type of post it is in brackets after the title such as [Photograph], [Video], [Instagram profile], [Highlight].

-Include the Year, Month Day of the post.

-Include the first 20 words of the post as the title of the Instragram Photo.

-For Instagram profiles, include the name of the profiel page after the date. The date of instagram profiles usually will be n.d.

-If you are citing a temporary post (e.g. Instagram Story) that is not archived by the website and cannot be retrieved, then it should be cited as personal communication.

 

In-text Citation (Instagram Profile)

(Author, Year)

 

In-text Citation (Instagram Photo)

Fig. X

Image Title (Author, Year)

 

Reference List (Instagram Photo)

Personal or Corporate Author [@Instagram Handle Name]. (Year, Month Day). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Photograph/Video]. Instagram. URL of specific document

 

Reference List (Instagram Profile)

Personal or Corporate Author [@Instagram Handle Name]. (n.d.). Profile Page Name [Instagram profile]. Instagram. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

 

Reference List (Instagram Highlight)

Personal or Corporate Author [@Instagram Handle Name]. (n.d.). Highlight Title [Highlight]. Instagram. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

In text example

 Reference list example

 

(State Library of NSW, 2024)

 

Instagram Photo

State Library of NSW [@statelibrarynsw]. (2024, December 16). Have you held on to any family cookbooks? This precious handwritten recipe book is 75 years old, and was passed [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DDoHFTCpCBo/?img_index=1

 

(White Rabbit Gallery, 2020)

Instagram profile

White Rabbit Gallery [@whiterabbitgallery]. White Rabbit Gallery [Instagram Profile]. Instagram. Retrieved January 8, 2025, from https://www.instagram.com/whiterabbitgallery/

 

Cancer Council Australia (n.d.) chose to highlight bowel cancer . . .

Instagram highlight

Cancer Council Australia [@cancercouncil]. (n.d.). Australia has one of the highest rates  of bowel cancer in the world [Highlight]. Instagram. Retrieved January 21, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17930993809343788/

For further information see:

Instagram References by APA Style

LinkedIn

Guidelines

- It is not possible to tell what date a LinkedIn profile was published, so only the retrieval date is included.

-For LinkedIn posts, provide the first 20 words of the post as the title.

-If the post includes images or videos, then it should be indicated in square brackets after the title, e.g.: [Video].

-Describe the type of post in square brackets after the title

 

In-text Citation

(Author, Year)

 

Reference List (LinkedIn Post)

Personal or Corporate Author. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the post [Type of Post]. LinkedIn. URL

 

Reference List (LinkedIn Profile)

Personal or Corporate Author.(n.d.). Home [LinkedIn Page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved (Month Day, Year), from URL

In text example

 Reference list example

In-Text Citation

 

(American Psychological Association, 2019)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Dalio, n.d.).

LinkedIn Post

American Psychological Association. (2019, December 9). Last month, APA joined more than 40 national and international psychology organizations to explore ways to collaborate and use psychological [Thumbnail with link attached] [Post]. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/american-psychological-association_how-psychologists-are-combating-climate-change-activity-6609801161937612800-GvdC

LinkedIn Profile

Ray Dalio (n.d.). Home [LinkedIn page]. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 13th, 2021, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/raydalio/

 

For further information see:

LinkedIn References by APA Style

Twitter/X

Guidelines

- Use the first 20 words as the title of the post

-Provide the Year, Month Day of the post.

-If the post includes an image, poll or video, indicate that in square brackets after the title of the post, e.g. [Video attached].

- Indicate the type of post in square brackets eg. [Post].

- Please provide a precise URL.  Click on the post's date stamp to access the URL.

-X Profiles default to Posts as the first tab. If you are citing another tab such as Replies/Highlights/Media use that tab instead of Posts in the reference entry.

 

In-text Citation

(Author, Year)

 

Reference List (X Post)

Author [@Twitter Handle]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the post [Post]. X. URL

 

Reference List (X Profile)

Author [@Twitter Handle]. (n.d.). Posts [X Profile]. X. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

In text example

 Reference list example

 

President Obama announced the launch of the American Graduation Initiative (Obama, 2009).

X Post

Obama, B. [BarackObama]. (2009, July 15). Launched American Graduation Initiative to help additional 5 mill. Americans graduate college by 2020: http://bit.ly/gcTX7 [Tweet]. http://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/2651151366

 

 

(NSW Health, n.d.)

X Profile

NSW Health [@NSWHealth]. (n.d.). Posts [X Profile]. X. Retrieved January 7, 2025, from https://x.com/NSWHealth

For further information see:

X References by APA Style

Pinterest

Guidelines

Pinterest is a content discovery platform rather than a content-creation platform. You should NOT cite Pinterest if possible and instead click on the link to go to the original source with the photo/content and cite that.

If the original source is not accessible, then you can cite Pinterest as a last resort. In this case, cite Pinterest in the same way as citing an image from a website.

In-text Citation 

Fig. X

Image Title (Author, Year)

Reference List 

Author name OR online name. (Year). Title. Website name/Source. Copyright Unknown. URL.  

In text 

 Reference list

 Fig. 3 

Modern interior deisgn hand rendering (Tihomirov, n.d.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image from Pinterest (Original Source Unavailable)

Tihomirov, S. (n.d.). Modern interior deisgn hand rendering. Pinterest. Copyright 2025 by Sergei Tihomirov. https://ch.pinterest.com/pin/305048574756521229/