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American Psychological Association (APA): Social Media

American Psychological Association (APA) is the style of documentation of sources used by the American Psychological Association which is utilized when writing research papers.

Social Media

Email

Email messages, letters, and other personal communication are not included in the list of references. Cite these sources in the text of your paper.

Social Media Post (Twitter, Instagram)

If the writer's real name and screen name are given, put the real name first, followed by the screen name in brackets. If only the screen name is known, begin with the screen name without brackets. For the title, include up to the first twenty words (including hashtags or emojis) of the title, caption, or post. After the title, list any attachments (such as a photo or link) and type the post in separate brackets. List the website or app in the publisher position. Include the URL for the post. Cite posts that are not accessible to all reader as personal communication in the text of your paper.

You can find a more detailed list of social media citations on our Social Media Guide.

National Science Foundation. [@NSF]. (2019, October 13). Understanding how forest

structure drives carbon sequestration is important for ecologist, climate modelers, and

forest managers, who are working on [Thumbnail with link attached]  [Tweet].

Twitter. https://twitter.com/NSF/status/1183388649263652864

Georgia Aquarium. (2019, June 25). True love  Charlie and Lizzy are a bonded pair

of African penguins who have been together for more than [Image attached]

[Status Update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaAquarium

/photos/a.163898398123/10156900637543124/?type=3&theater

Smithsonian [@smithsonian]. (2019, October 7). You're looking at a ureilite meteorite

under a microscope. When illuminated with polarized light, they appear in dazzling

colors, influenced [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p

/B3VI27yHLQG

Social Media Profile or Highlight

Because profiles are designed to change over time, include the date you visited the webpage.

National Science Foundation. [@NSF]. (n.d.). Tweets. [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved

October 15, 2019, from https://twitter.com/NSF

Smithsonian [@smithsonian]. (n.d.). #Apollo50 [Highlight]. Instagram. Retrieved

January 5, 2020, from https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights

/17902787752343364

Work Cited

Hacker, Diana. A Writer's Reference. Tenth edition. Boston ; New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2021. Print.