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Updated . Example details checked against twitter.com/BarackObama/status/266031293945503744, posted November 6, 2012 (Time, ABC News).
The MLA format
Pattern
Last name, First name [@handle]. “Full text of a short post.” Platform, Day Month Year, URL.
- Name and handle: the real name when you know it, then the handle in brackets. If the name is not known, start with the handle.
- Post text in quotation marks, exactly as written, with its spelling and capitals. For a long post, use the opening words and an ellipsis.
- No text (a photo with no caption): describe it without quotation marks: Photo of a campaign rally.
- Platform in italics. This post went up on Twitter, the platform’s name at the time; it is now X.
A real example
Works Cited entry
Obama, Barack [@BarackObama]. “Four more years.” Twitter, 6 Nov. 2012, twitter.com/BarackObama/status/266031293945503744.
In-text citation
(Obama)
When details are missing
- No date shown (some apps hide it): open the post on the web to find it, or add an access date.
- A deleted post: cite an archived copy and its URL.
Common mistakes
- Fixing the post’s spelling. Quote it exactly as written.
- The handle as the only name. Use the real name when the account shows it.
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 Works Cited entry and the in-text citation in MLA 9, exactly as shown above, and builds the Works Cited page when you export to Word or PDF. MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Twitter or X?
Write the platform name your instructor expects and use it the same way in every entry. Posts made before July 2023 appeared on Twitter.
How do I cite an Instagram post?
The same pattern: name [@handle], the caption in quotation marks, Instagram, date, URL.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in MLA
Every source kind is on the MLA page, and every style is on How to cite.