Facebook, Instagram and Twitter post


You may need to consult more than one section to accurately represent the source used (eg. number of authors and source descriptions)


Format for in-text citation

In-text citation example

Julia Gillard committed her government… (Gillard, 2011).

Irish writers are bucking the trend… (Guardian Books, 2011).

Format for reference list


Elements, punctuation & capitalisation

Username OR Author, A. [username] (Year, Month day). Content of the post up to the first twenty words. [Tweet] OR [Facebook status update] OR [Photograph]. Site name. Exact URL

Reference list example (Twitter)

Guardian Books [@GuardianBooks]. (2011, July 12). Strong showing for Irish writers on Frank O'Connor short list: http://gu.com/p/3vfpa/tf [Tweet]. Twitter. http://twitter.com/#!/GuardianBooks/status/90782203549724672

Reference list example (Facebook)

Julia Gillard. (2011, July 4). Addressing climate change starts with the science [Facebook status update]. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/juliagillard/posts/187438061311334

OR

Gillard, J. [Julia Gillard]. (2011, July 4). Addressing climate change starts with the science [Facebook status update]. Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/juliagillard/posts/187438061311334

Make sure to look at the style notes

Style notes for this reference type

  • Use the username as it appears on the page. If, e.g., you were citing the username BarackObama, you would alphabetise it in the Reference List under B, without inserting a space. Julia Gillard would be alphabetised under J.
  • When the real name is known, give the real name in the Reference List followed by the username in square brackets, and in the text citation just using the surname and the year. This allows works by the same author to be grouped in the reference list.
  • Give the year, month and day, but not the time; if there is more than 1 post from the same author on the same day, distinguish them by adding a, then b, after the year, e.g., (2011a, July 13), then (2011b, July 13).
  • If no date can be established, put (n.d.) If the date is reasonably certain but not recorded, you can put, e.g., (ca. 2007).
  • Twitter posts are often short enough to provide the whole tweet in the title position, including a URL if relevant. Facebook updates may need to be truncated. They are not italicised.
  • Give a description of the form in brackets immediately after the name of the thread, e.g., [Tweet] or [Facebook status update].
  • To obtain the exact URL, click the date/time underneath the post to be taken to an individual update page with its own URL.
  • In-text citations are more easily managed parenthetically.
  • Because personal and friends-only Facebook pages are not retrievable by everyone, references to these pages should be handled as personal communications.
  • A group Facebook page can be cited like a section in a larger work, e.g., When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.  [ca. 2009]. In Facebook [Group page]. Retrieved December 16, 2009, from http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2207893888

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