How to Cite Facebook in APA
Facebook is a popular social media site. As a resource, you can cite a Facebook post or an entire page. Below are directions on how to do both following APA 7th edition guidelines.
Guide Overview
How to cite a Facebook post
Social media is a diverse form of content. In order to accurately communicate the content of a post, APA has the following notes for citing a social media post:
- The text of a post is included, but only up to the first 20 words. Cut off the citation at 20 words, no ellipses or hyphen needed.
- After the text, describe the content in square brackets. Example descriptions: [Status update], [Infographic], [Image attached], [Video attached], etc.
- You may include more than one description. Simply place square brackets after each description. For example: [Video attached][Status update]
- APA style encourages writers to preserve emojis and hashtags in posts. If it is not possible, you may place the name of the emoji in square brackets. Example: [blush emoji], [girl dancing emoji], etc.
Facebook post reference structure and example:
Last name, First initial OR Organization Name. (Year, Month Date). Up to the first 20 words of the post text [Description]. Facebook. URL
Gates. B. (2014, July 1). Yikes. One state in the U.S. uses as much electricity as Sub-Saharan Africa (not counting South Africa) [Infographic]. Facebook. https://b-gat.es/1nIhMR5
Facebook post in-text citation structure & example:
(Last Name OR organization name, Year)
(Gates, 2014)
How to cite a Facebook page
Facebook page reference structure:
Last name, First initial OR Organization Name. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Facebook page reference example:
Chegg. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved December 20, 2021, from https://www.facebook.com/chegg/
Facebook page in-text citation structure & example:
(Last Name OR organization name, n.d.)
(Chegg, n.d.)
Troubleshooting
Solution #1: Citing a Facebook post that requires more than one description
Some posts have more than one image or attachment. as such, you may include more than one description. Simply place square brackets after each description. For example: [Video attached][Status update]
Example:
The parking structure at 4th street will be closed until October 20 [Image attached] [Caution sign emoji]. Facebook. https://bit.ly/082Qstq
Facebook page in-text citation structure & example:
(Last Name OR organization name, Year)
(University of La Verne, 2021)
- How do I cite a Facebook post in APA format?
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To cite a Facebook post in APA style, it is important that you know the author, description of the post, Facebook site, date (day, month, and year), and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a Facebook post, along with examples, are given below:
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Author Surname (Publication Date)
Republic (2021)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Publication Date)
(Republic, 2021)
For author names, use only the surname in in-text citations.
Reference list entry template and example:
Author Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day Published). Description of the post. [Post type]. Facebook. URL
Republic. (2021, August 7). Neeraj Chopra wins India’s first gold at Tokyo Olympics, scripts history [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/watch?ref=search&v=429580648293138&external_log_id=adea1389-7843-4c4c-94be-1a05f134cecc&q=olympics
- How do you cite a social media post in APA?
-
To cite a social media post in APA style, it is important that you know the author, description of the post, social media site such as Facebook, date (day, month, and year), and URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for an in-text citation and reference list entry of a social media post, along with examples, are given below:
In-text citation template and example:
Narrative:
Author Surname (Publication Date)
SLS (2021)
Parenthetical:
(Author Surname, Publication Date)
(SLS, 2021)
For author names, use only the surname in in-text citations.
Reference list entry template and example:
Author Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day Published). Description of the post. [Status update]. Social Media Site. URL
SLS. (2021, August 20). Learning principles of life with Shridhar [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ShridharLifeSchool/photos/a.884274358318086/4359975774081243/