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Citation Help: Web Pages and Social Media

APA Citation Help: Web Pages and Social Media

Webpages and Social Media

Cite using webpage/ website style if no other category fits better (journal, blog, etc.).  Cite social media only if original content from the site, and do not alter text, emojis, hashtags, or links.

If you are citing an entire website, it is not necessary to include a citation for the website in your reference list. Simply include the name of the site and URL in parenthesis within the text.

Example:
The Safe Child website includes practical information for parents on how to help their children cope with bullying (http://safechild.org).

Note: Citations with more than one line of text should have a hanging indent of 1/2 inch or 5 spaces.


Important Elements

  • Author (if known). If no author, use site name
  • Date of publication. If no date, use n.d.
  • Title of Web page
  • URL (Web address) of the Web page
  • Retrieval date if content is designed to change over time

Web page Template

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2020). Title of work. Site Name. URL


Social Media Template

Author, A. A. [@username]. 92019, August 8). Content of post up to the first 20 words [Description of audiovisuals]. Site Name. URL

Examples:

Web page on a news website

Avramova, N. (2019, January 3). The secret to a long, happy, healthy life? Think age-positive. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/health/respect-twoard-the-elderly-leads-to-a-long-life-intl/index.html


Web page on website with group author

World Health Organization. (2018, March). Questions and answers on immunization and vaccine safety. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/high_risk.htm


Web page with retrieval date

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce. Retrieved July 3, 2019, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/


Online Forum Post

National Aeronautics and Space Administration [nasa]. (2018, September 12). I'm NASA astronaut Scott Tingle. Ask me anything about adjusting to being back on Earth after my first spaceflight! [Online forum post]. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9fagqy/im_nasa_astronaut_scott_tingle_ask_me_anything/


Posts

White, B. [@BettyMWhite]. (2018, June 21). I treasure every minute we spend together #koko [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BettyMWhite/status/100995182846227456

News From Science. (2018, June 26). These frogs walk instead of hop: https://scim.ag/2KlriwH [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/ScienceNOW/videos/10155508587605108/

Zetiz, MOCAA [@zeitzmocaa]. (2018, November 26). Grade 6 learners from Parkfields Primary School in Hanover Park visited the museum for a tour and workshop hosted by [Photographs]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpHpjFBs3b/

Indicate in brackets if post includes images, videos, links, etc.


Profile Pages

APA Style [@APA_Style]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved November 1, 2019, from https:twitter.com/APA_Style

Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (n.d.). Home [Facebook page]. Facebook. Retrieved July 22, 2019, from https://www.facebook.com/nationalzoo

Use the page title in reference (e.g. "Timeline," "Home," "Photos," "About"). Include notation "Facebook page," "twitter profile" in brackets.

 


For more specific information for various sites, see the APA's information on Online Media.

 

Some examples courtesy of APA Publication Manual

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