How do I cite an Instagram post in APA?

To cite an Instagram post in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.

What does the in-text citation look like for an Instagram post in APA?

In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019)

How to Cite an Instagram Post in APA (7th edition)

Learn how to cite Instagram posts, reels, and stories in APA format (7th edition). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.

APA Reference List Format

Here is the standard APA format for citing an Instagram post in your reference list:

Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Photograph or Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/xxxxx/

APA Example for an Instagram Post

A complete APA reference for an Instagram post, written by hand and checked against the official APA guidance for this source:

Philadelphia Museum of Art [@philamuseum]. (2019, December 3). “It’s always wonderful to walk in and see my work in a collection where it’s loved, and where people are [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5oDnnNhOt4/

Matching in-text citation: (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019)

APA In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019)

Narrative

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (2019) posted…

Key APA Formatting Rules

Give the account holder’s name and then the @username in square brackets, and the full posting date as (Year, Month Day).
Use the first 20 words of the caption, in italics and with its original wording and punctuation, as the title.
Describe the post in square brackets: [Photograph] for an image and [Video] for a video or reel.
A Story that has expired cannot be retrieved, so cite it in the text only as a personal communication; if it was saved as a highlight, cite the highlight with n.d., the highlight name, [Highlight] and a retrieval date.

Step-by-Step Guide

Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your Instagram post.
Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the APA (7th edition) template shown above.
Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
Add to your reference list: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match APA requirements.

Evidence and review notes

Worked examples on this page are written by hand from the style's own published guidance and checked against it, because the general CSL styles do not encode this source's rules. Editorial guidance and sources in this section were reviewed on 2026-08-14.

Metadata to collect

account name and @handle
caption text, or a description of the image or video
posting date
type of post (photo, carousel, reel, story or highlight)
post permalink
date you viewed it

Common metadata traps

Stories disappear after 24 hours unless the account saves them as a highlight, so record the date, the story URL and a screenshot the day you see it.
A link copied from the share sheet often carries tracking text such as ?igsh= or ?utm_source=; the permalink is the instagram.com/p/ or /reel/ address.
Citing the account’s profile page when you mean one post sends the reader to a feed that keeps changing.

Editorial sources

APA Style — references →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite an Instagram post in APA?: To cite an Instagram post in APA (7th edition), include the author, title, date, and source location. Use our free citation generator for automatic formatting.
What is the APA format for an Instagram post citation?: The APA format for an Instagram post is: Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of the caption [Photograph or Video]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/xxxxx/
What does the in-text citation look like for an Instagram post in APA?: In APA, the in-text citation for the example above is (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2019)