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APA (7th ed.) Citation Style Guide: Social Media & Software

Social Media

For further information on citing social media material, see pages 348-350 of the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020 and Online Media: The APA Style Blog 

Facebook Post

Author, A. (Year, Day of Posting).Content of post up to first 20 words [Type of post]. Facebook. URL

Brand, R. (2020, February 20). Russell Brand's definition of God [Video]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/RussellBrand/videos/191757971919620/?eid=ARBSw-LmDlIwXLZHWWUvFxBRnw4BnMeWeBl9RQc0bgFH6A8tNP84Mn_DXo3mIg5Y2OHAm09MuELDs_ps

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (Brand, 2020)

Narrative citation: Brand (2020)

 

"This format can be used for posts to other social media services, including Tumblr, LinkedIn, and so forth...If a status update includes images, videos, thumbnail links to outside sources, or content from another Facebook post (such as when sharing a link), indicate that is square brackets." (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p. 349).

Posts (formerly known as Tweets)

Author, A. [@username]. (Year, Day of Posting). Content of post up to first 20 words [Post]. X. URL

The New York Times [@nytimes]. (2020, March 5). If nurses aren't safe, then really our community isn't safe [Post]. X. https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1235686554514776065

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (New York Times, 2020)

Narrative citation: New York Times (2020)

 

"If the tweet includes images (including animated gifs), videos, thumbnail links to outside sources, links to other tweets (as in a retweet with comment), or a poll, indicate that in square brackets.  For tweet replies, do not include the "replying to" information; if that is important to note, do so within the in-text citation. .. Replicate emojis if possible." (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p. 349) 

Entry in a mobile app reference work

Atmosphere Apps. (2022). Intramuscular injections sites. In Davis drug guide for nurses (Version 6.4.0.539). Google Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.usbmis.reader.dadg&hl=en_CA&gl=US

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (Atmosphere Apps, 2022)

Narrative citation: Atmosphere Apps (2022)

 

Entries are treated like a chapter in a book where one author is responsible for all entries

For in-depth information on citing software and apps, see pages 338-340 of the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020 (Section 10.10). 

Citing content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) tools

Many instructors will not allow the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (i.e. ChatGPT, et cetera) in assignments. If you do use tools like this, it is important that you check with your instructors first and then that you include citations in your assignment and are clear about which tool(s) you used and how you used it/them.

Since most text generated by AI tools cannot be linked to or read by the reader of your assignment, it would normally be best to cite it as a "personal communication" but since there is no communication with an actual person, APA recommends creating an entry in the reference list that credits the author of the model/algorithm/software (see below for an example). You could also include the generated text in an appendix, along with a full citation.

To cite a tool like ChatGPT, use the example in the Software box above. Be sure to give credit to the company (OpenAI), not the tool itself (ChatGPT). 

 

The APA Style website currently has recently addressed citing ChatGPT and provided the example below:

Author of large language model/algorithm/software. (Year). Name of the model (version) [additional description of tool/resource being cited]. URL used to access model/software.

OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (Mar 14 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (OpenAI, 2023)

Narrative citation: OpenAI (2023)

Instagram

Last name, F. M. or Name of Group [@username]. (Year, Day of posting). Content of the post up to the first 20 words [Type of post]. Instagram. URL

BBC News [@bbcnews]. (2020, February 20). Laughing in the face of war [Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8yVB5LJ0yD/

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (BBC News, 2020)

Narrative citation: BBC News (2020)

LinkedIn

Nicole Schiller Palmisano. (n.d.). LinkedIn [LinkedIn profile]. Retrieved July 19, 2020, from http://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolepalmisano

Provide a retrieval date because the contents of the page can change over time.

Software

Author. (Version publication year). Title (Version #.#). [Software type]. Publisher/App store name. Store URL

Tableau Software. (2022). Tableau desktop (Version 2022.3) [Computer software]. Salesforce. https://www.tableau.com/products/desktop

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (Tableau Software, 2022)

Narrative citation: Tableau Software (2022)

 

“Common software and mobile apps mentioned in text, but not paraphrased or quoted, do not need citations, nor do programming languages. ‘Common’ is relative to your field and audience—examples of software or apps that do not require citations include Microsoft Office... social media apps... survey software... Adobe products... Java, and statistical programs (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS). If you used common software or mobile apps during your research, simply give the proper name of the software or app along with the version number in the text, if relevant.” Apps with limited access or distribution must be cited. (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p.338) 

Mobile App

Kahl, S. (2022). BirdNET (Version 1.0.7) [Mobile app]. Apple Store.https://apps.apple.com/us/app/birdnet/id1541842885

In Text

Parenthetical citation: (Kahl, 2022)

Narrative citation: Kahl (2022)

 

“Common software and mobile apps mentioned in text, but not paraphrased or quoted, do not need citations, nor do programming languages. ‘Common’ is relative to your field and audience—examples of software or apps that do not require citations include Microsoft Office... social media apps... survey software... Adobe products... Java, and statistical programs (e.g., R, SPSS, SAS). If you used common software or mobile apps during your research, simply give the proper name of the software or app along with the version number in the text, if relevant.” Apps with limited access or distribution must be cited. (Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020, p.338)