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Updated . Example details checked against twitter.com/BarackObama/status/266031293945503744, posted November 6, 2012 (Time, ABC News).
The Chicago format
Pattern
First Last (@handle), “Text of the post,” Platform, Month Day, Year, URL.
- Notes only by default; Format’s Chicago export lists posts in the bibliography only when you turn that on.
- Name, then handle in parentheses: Barack Obama (@BarackObama).
- Post text up to 160 characters, in quotation marks, as the title.
- Platform in roman, then the date and the URL.
A real example
Footnote (no bibliography entry)
Barack Obama (@BarackObama), “Four more years.” Twitter, November 6, 2012, https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/266031293945503744.
When details are missing
- No text: describe the post: photo of a campaign rally.
- Unknown real name: start with the handle.
- A comment or reply: say whose post it answers: comment on Barack Obama’s post, followed by the date and URL.
Common mistakes
- A bibliography entry by habit. Chicago leaves posts in the notes unless asked.
- Italic platform. Platforms are roman.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Social media post and fill in the account name, handle, post text, platform, date and link. Format writes the notes in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
How do I list it if my instructor wants one?
Obama, Barack (@BarackObama). “Four more years.” Twitter, November 6, 2012. URL.
Short note?
Obama, “Four more years.”
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.