Choose APA 7, MLA 9 or Chicago according to your assignment or publication. Start from the individual /status/ URL so the citation leads to the post you used.
If the public source is difficult to open, the Twitter Viewer can help you inspect returned fields. Copy the author, handle, full date, text and original URL before formatting.
Keep one record for the post
These fields supply the citation. Add a media description when the post includes an image, video or other attachment.
Citation fields
- 01Author
- Copy the account’s person or organization name, plus its exact @handle.
- 02Published
- Record the full post date. Keep time and time zone in your notes when chronology matters.
- 03Post text
- Copy the text exactly, including relevant hashtags, URLs and emoji.
- 04Direct URL
- Keep the individual /status/ link rather than the moving profile feed.
- 05Attached media
- Record the attachment type or a description when it is the material you analyze.
One fictional post for all three examples
The record below is made up to demonstrate formatting. Its status URL is not a live source.
- Author
- Maya Rivera
- Handle
- @MayaRiveraWrites
- Published
- July 15, 2026
- Post text
- The city garden opened today after six months of volunteer work. These tomato seedlings belong to everyone who helped us.
- Platform
- X
- Attached media
- Photograph of tomato seedlings
- Direct URL
- https://x.com/MayaRiveraWrites/status/1234567890123456789
Format the same post three ways
Compare the author form, title treatment and platform name. The fictional post has exactly 20 words, so APA’s title includes its full text.
APA 7: first 20 words, then [Post]
The official APA X reference examples use an author and handle, full date, italicized title, attachment description, [Post], X and the URL.
Take the first 20 words for the title. Count each hashtag, URL or emoji as one word. Keep emoji outside the italics.
Author, A. A. [@handle]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words [Description of attached media] [Post]. X. URL
Rivera, M. [@MayaRiveraWrites]. (2026, July 15). The city garden opened today after six months of volunteer work. These tomato seedlings belong to everyone who helped us. [Image attached] [Post]. X. https://x.com/MayaRiveraWrites/status/1234567890123456789
In text(Rivera, 2026)
MLA 9: post text as title, X as container
MLA’s platform-name guidance recommends X as the container for both older tweets and newer posts. Copy the URL as shown, including a twitter.com domain if that is the source link.
For an image-only post, replace the text title with a plain description of the image. The official social-media examples show text and photograph cases.
Author Last Name, First Name [@handle]. “Full post text.” X, Day Mon. Year, URL.
Rivera, Maya [@MayaRiveraWrites]. “The city garden opened today after six months of volunteer work. These tomato seedlings belong to everyone who helped us.” X, 15 July 2026, https://x.com/MayaRiveraWrites/status/1234567890123456789.
In text(Rivera)
Chicago: identify the post in prose or a note
The Chicago 18 quick guide allows social posts to be identified in prose. A formal note gives the author, handle, quoted text, platform, date and URL; a bibliography entry is usually reserved for a post central to the work.
For a post published before the rename, Chicago’s official naming answer uses Twitter (now X). For a later post, use X.
1. Author Name (@handle), “Post text,” Twitter (now X) or X, Month Day, Year, URL.
1. Maya Rivera (@MayaRiveraWrites), “The city garden opened today after six months of volunteer work. These tomato seedlings belong to everyone who helped us,” X, July 15, 2026, https://x.com/MayaRiveraWrites/status/1234567890123456789.
In textOften a prose mention; use a shortened note for later references
When the source changes what you cite
The right source may be a particular post, a profile or an archived copy.
A screenshot without a URL
Search the distinctive wording and likely handle. If the post is unavailable, identify the screenshot or archived copy you actually consulted and apply your required style’s rule for that material.
A profile instead of one post
Use /status/ for an individual post. A changing profile has a different record; APA’s profile examples use a retrieval date.
A quote post
Cite the original for a claim in the original text. Cite the quote post when your analysis concerns the added comment. A passage that discusses both can need both links.
A thread
For one claim, cite the individual post that contains it. If you discuss the whole conversation, retain the relevant authors and post URLs, then follow your editor’s thread guidance.
A protected post, deleted post or DM
Record the version or communication you actually consulted. Use the required unavailable-source or personal-communication treatment instead of filling in missing fields.
Keep a saved image linked to its post
The citation identifies the publisher and post. A local filename identifies the particular image you saved.
For a multi-image post, keep the post ID and photo number beside the file. The three-photo filename example shows a complete mapping.