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APA (7th Edition) Referencing Guide

Guide to APA citation style using the 7th Edition of the APA Style Manual.

X (Twitter)

Note: 20 September, 2023. With the change in Twitter to X, APA is updating their advice for how to cite a Tweet to match the wording current wording on the platform. We have updated our examples accordingly, but we have left the old version of the examples as well, to assist markers who may be looking at assignments which have used the guide prior to this update.

X (Twitter)

Format

Author, A. [@username]. (Date). Title – italicised. [Audiovisual description – if applicable] [Type]. Social media site. http://www.xxxxx

NOTES: 

  • If the author's full name is not listed, just use their screen name without brackets
  • If the author is a group or a company, do not us a full stop between the author's name and the screen name
Examples

Current X version

James Cook University Library [@JCULibrary]. (2019, November 1). Last week our “Clean Green Library Machine” team earned a Gold award at  2019 @JCUTropEco Awards  . [Image attached] [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/JCULibrary/status/1190035558996828160

Old Twitter version:

James Cook University Library [@JCULibrary]. (2019, November 1). Last week our “Clean Green Library Machine” team earned a Gold award at  2019 @JCUTropEco Awards  . [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/JCULibrary/status/1190035558996828160

NOTE: avoid referencing a re-post. Instead, click on the post and reference the original post

Blogs

Blogs are considered to be a type of periodical, like a newspaper or a magazine. Therefore they are cited slightly differently to other social media platforms and websites.

Blog post

Format

Author, A. [Screen name if applicable]. (Date). Post title – not italicised. Blog name. http://www.xxxxx

NOTES: 

  • If the author's full name is not listed, just use their screen name without brackets
  • If the author is a group or a company, do not us a full stop between the author's name and the screen name
Examples

JCU Library News. (2019, May 28). Reading challenge reviews: Football heroes and tragics. JCU Library News. https://jculibrarynews.blogspot.com/2019/05/reading-challenge-reviews-football.html

Blog comment

Format

Author, A. (Date). Title or first sentence – not italicised [Comment “article or post title”]. Blog name. http://www.xxxxx
Examples

Worthington, T. (2019, August 19). The positive aspect of AI in education is that it will force us to be more transparent in what we do, and challenge our own assumptions and biases. [Comment on the post “Artificial intelligence in Schools: An ethical storm is brewing”]. EduResearch Matters. https://www.aare.edu.au/blog/?p=4325

Facebook

Facebook page

Format

Author, A. (n.d.). Title –italicised [Facebook page]. Social media site. Retrieved date, from http://www.xxxxx

NOTES: 

  • If the author's full name is not listed, just use their screen name without brackets
  • If the author is a group or a company, do not us a full stop between the author's name and the screen name
Examples

James Cook University Library [JCU Library]. (n.d.). Library and Information Services [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved June 11, 2019, from https://www.facebook.com/JCULibrary

Facebook post

Format

Author, A. [Screen name if applicable]. (Date). Title – italicised. [Audiovisual description – if applicable] [Type]. Social media site. http://www.xxxxx

NOTES: 

  • If the author's full name is not listed, just use their screen name without brackets
  • If the author is a group or a company, do not us a full stop between the author's name and the screen name
Examples

James Cook University Library [JCU Library]. (2019, November 7). Be mindful of others in the Silent Zones of the Library. There are plenty of areas in the Library to suit. [Image attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://bit.ly/2CGLYwU

Facebook comment

Format

Author, A. (Date). Title – italicised [Comment “article or post title”]. Social media site. Retrieved date, from http://www.xxxxx
Examples

Gordon, C. (2019, October 21). The muddle headed wombat by Ruth Park - the original and the best! [Comment on the post “It’s Wombat Day in Australia. What’s your favourite story?”]. Facebook. Retrieved 2019, October 25, from https://www.facebook.com/JCULibrary/

 

Instagram and Tik Tok

Visual social media post

Format

Author, A. [Screen name]. (Date). Caption – italicised [Audiovisual description]. Social media site. http://www.xxxxx

NOTES: 

  • The author is whoever posted the image/video (not the original creator)
  • If the author's full name is not listed, just use their screen name without brackets
  • If the author is a group or a company, do not us a full stop between the author's name and the screen name
  • Use the caption of the post as the title of the image or video – up to the first 20 words (including tags and emojis)
Examples

James Cook University Library [@jcu_libraryinthetropics]. (2019, May 22). Put children together with alpacas and maracas and you’ve got FUN! [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvyuWPJW37/

Penderlith, B. [@ferretmum]. (2022, January 10). Definitely nothing in that brain #fyp #ferret #ferrets #ferretsoftiktok #fypシ [Video file]. TikTok. https://www.tiktok.com/@ferretmum/video/7051311785785183493

Instagram comment

Format

Author, A. (Date). Title – italicised [Comment “article or post title”]. Social media site. Retrieved date, from http://www.
Examples

Hoopsby4. (2019, May 22). Awesome! [Comment on post “Put children together with alpacas and maracas and you’ve got FUN!]. Instagram. Retrieved January 3, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/p/BxvyuWPJW37

Social media posts: spelling and emoji

Many social media posts can contain nonstandard spelling, capitalisation, hashtags, links and emojis. Reference the post exactly as is and include hashtags and links (but ignore returns - run the entire post as if in a continuous line).

Replicate emojis. If you are unable to replicate the emoji, provide the CLDR Short Name (from the Unicode Website) in square brackets e.g. Image of lock and key emoji  is noted in-text as [Locked with key emoji] in the text where the emoji is located. Note that sometimes people use emojis for their appearance, not for their "intended" meaning, but when rendering a message in text you should give the name of the actual emoji used, wherever possible, just as you should retain their spelling when replicating their text.

James Cook University Library [JCULibrary]. (2022, May 11). We've had a spot of #rain ☔💦Hey, did you know there are sneaky waterfalls built into the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library Building? #aroundthelibrary #JCU #jcutownsville #MaboLibrary [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/JCULibrary/status/1524172220305661957

James Cook University Library [JCULibrary]. (2022, May 11). We've had a spot of #rain [Umbrella with rain drops emoji] [Sweat droplets emoji] Hey, did you know there are sneaky waterfalls built into the Eddie Koiki Mabo Library Building? #aroundthelibrary #JCU #jcutownsville #MaboLibrary [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/JCULibrary/status/1524172220305661957

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Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International License, unless otherwise noted. Content from this Guide should be attributed to James Cook University Library. This does not apply to images, third party material (seek permission from the original owner) or any logos or insignia belonging to JCU or other bodies, which remain All Rights Reserved.

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